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...enemy lines of voter suppression or indifference... On the battlefield no one was left behind enemy lines. Regardless of race or creed, men helped one another get back to safety. Proposal: Let’s bring our Right and our Left hands together to help those who have for too long been left behind by a System that profits a few at the expense of many. Let’s forget our political differences and see these forgotten people as casualties of war – so we leave no one behind. Let’s roll up our collective sleeves and together we’ll develop creative ways to fix the real problems: systemic racism, poverty, militarism & the war economy, ecological devastation, the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism, and mistreatment of immigrants and indigenous peoples. On this post’s ballot: Voter registration information links provided by HeadCount.org NYS deadline to register to vote: Friday Oct. 9 New video messages & songs about the importance of voting Info on Rock The Vote’s 30-year efforts to involve youth in determining their futures Forager Project’s promotion of Rock The Vote What can I do? Info on Poor People's Campaign & Campaign Nonviolence Listing of past blog posts related to social justice and voting VOTE: Ya gotta be in it to win it… NYS Voter Registration Deadline: Friday 10/9 To register, click here: HeadCount.org (info for all states, even the state of confusion) New video messages & songs about voting: No Vote Left Behind – Playing for Change (0:01:50) Note: This PFC video was co-produced by a Rock The Vote (see below) affiliate Sankofa.org. Check out all the folks who are supporting this effort to increase participation in our democracy. Danny Schmidt | A Prayer For The Sane | Lyric Video (0:05:10) --This artist was featured during Campaign Nonviolence’s recent week of training and music. Nonviolent Austin provided 9 days of half-hour mindful music segments. Here’s a link to their Facebook page. YelloPain - My Vote Don't Count (0:03:48) Jan. 2020 My Vote Will Count - YelloPain ft. Sevyn Streeter (0:03:45) Sep. 2020 1969 "Everybody's Got A Right To Live" Protest Song --original artists singing this song first composed for Dr. King’s 1968 Poor People’s Campaign and March on Washington. Jamel Coy Hudson - Everybody's Got a Right to Live - NY PPC (2020 short version) Rock The Vote – getting young people involved in their futures… Rock the Vote is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building the political power of young people. For 30 years, Rock the Vote has revolutionized the way we use pop culture, music, art, and technology to engage young people in politics and build our collective power. About Us Rock the Vote is the most trusted and effective nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building the political power of young people. OUR ROOTS Empowering Young People In 1990, music executives founded Rock the Vote in response to the censorship of hip-hop and rap artists. Our first partnership, with MTV, promoted the message that “Censorship is Un-American” and activated millions of young people across the country to exercise their rights and represent their interests. For thirty years, we have continuously adapted to the changing landscapes of media, technology and culture to breakthrough and empower each new generation. Today We are drawing on our decades of experience to deploy the most effective and impactful messages, tactics, and technology to uplift and empower the largest, most diverse generation in U.S. history. We do this while also pioneering innovative ways to make democratic participation more accessible and defending young people’s right to vote. Stats 2016 voter turnout: 81% First-time voters: 60% Visitors: 7 M Subscribers: 3.5 M A Generation Without Representation In 2020, Millennials and Generation Z will comprise nearly 40% of American voters. Young voters are new voters and as new voters they face unique obstacles to voting that result in turnout that is historically 20 to 30 points below older voters. This discrepancy is even greater in midterms, state and local elections. [Tom: This reality is cited in the two YelloPain songs above] As a result, our democracy continuously fails to represent youth, generation after generation. As young voters overcome these challenges to break turnout records as they did in 2018, they’ve become the target of voter suppression efforts. From the rise of voter ID laws to intensified efforts to remove polling sites from college campuses, young people must navigate obstacles designed to keep them from making their voices heard. Cultivating Democracy (a probiotic pun served up on Forager Project’s site) Found out about this youth- and music-oriented organization (Rock The Vote) while opening a container of my favorite cultured cashew milk yogurt: Forager Project’s “Cashewgurt.” This mindful company is partnering with “Rock The Vote” to remind us all of the importance of participating in our democratic process. From Forager Project’s website: Let’s leave the world a better place. We believe organic plant-based food can make the world a better place. Much like healthy soil is the foundation of organic food, we believe voting is the foundation of a healthy democracy. Nurture the seeds of democracy and vote. Together, we can leave the world a better place than we found it. The first step in taking action is being well informed. Rock the Vote is the most trusted and effective nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building the political power of young people. You can find detailed information about each step you need to take in order to vote and help cultivate our democracy. Here is a quick guide to get you started: Refer to their website for their helpful voting tips Ways to Get Involved #1: Poor People's Campaign See separate post Ways to Get Involved #2: Campaign Nonviolence See separate post Blog Posts Related to Social Justice & Voting https://www.asoulinwonder.com/post/vote-let-our-voices-be-heard https://www.asoulinwonder.com/post/primary-day-exercise-a-preferential-option-for-the-poor https://www.asoulinwonder.com/post/let-us-guard-our-hearts https://www.asoulinwonder.com/post/new-marvel-movie-hulk-vs-grim-reaper https://www.asoulinwonder.com/post/takin-it-to-the-streets-for-social-justice-using-music-dance-art https://www.asoulinwonder.com/post/racism-there-s-only-one-race-the-human-race https://www.asoulinwonder.com/post/nonviolence https://www.asoulinwonder.com/post/bastille-day-have-fun-stormin-the-castle-the-revolution-will-not-be-televised https://www.asoulinwonder.com/post/wisdom-in-times-of-crisis https://www.asoulinwonder.com/post/musical-ammunition-1-intl-reggae-day-july-1--new-video-for-bob-marley-s-no-woman-no-cry https://www.asoulinwonder.com/post/who-is-my-neighbor Peace, tOM #vote #HeadCount #RockTheVote #YelloPain #ForagerProject #PlayingForChange

Friends: Something to take in with our morning coffee…but before exposing our hearts and souls to the news… From the person I consider my spiritual father and many see as a prophet to our times… For those that are visual or musical learners, I’m introducing Richard’s guidance with a song and a few visual stories… Terry Callier - Keep Your Heart Right THE WORDS OF THE PROPHETS ARE WRITTEN ON SUBWAY WALLS, TENEMENT HALLS AND... From: Richard Rohr [mailto:Meditations@cac.org] Sent: Monday, September 21, 2020 3:35 PM To: Thomas Tittmann Subject: Some simple but urgent guidance to get us through these next months. What could it mean to find rest like this in a world such as ours?‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Some simple but urgent guidance to get us through these next months. I awoke on Saturday, September 19, with three sources in my mind for guidance: Etty Hillesum (1914 – 1943), the young Jewish woman who suffered much more injustice in the concentration camp than we are suffering now; Psalm 62, which must have been written in a time of a major oppression of the Jewish people; and the Irish Poet, W.B.Yeats (1965 – 1939), who wrote his “Second Coming” during the horrors of the World War I and the Spanish Flu pandemic. These three sources form the core of my invitation. Read each one slowly as your first practice. Let us begin with Etty: There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God. Sometimes I am there, too … And that is all we can manage these days and also all that really matters: that we safeguard that little piece of You, God, in ourselves. —Etty Hillesum, Westerbork transit camp Note her second-person usage, talking to “You, God” quite directly and personally. There is a Presence with her, even as she is surrounded by so much suffering. Then, the perennial classic wisdom of the Psalms: In God alone is my soul at rest. God is the source of my hope. In God I find shelter, my rock, and my safety. Men are but a puff of wind, Men who think themselves important are a delusion. Put them on a scale, They are gone in a puff of wind. —Psalm 62:5–9 What could it mean to find rest like this in a world such as ours? Every day more and more people are facing the catastrophe of extreme weather. The neurotic news cycle is increasingly driven by a single narcissistic leader whose words and deeds incite hatred, sow discord, and amplify the daily chaos. The pandemic that seems to be returning in waves continues to wreak suffering and disorder with no end in sight, and there is no guarantee of the future in an economy designed to protect the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor and those subsisting at the margins of society. It’s no wonder the mental and emotional health among a large portion of the American population is in tangible decline! We have wholesale abandoned any sense of truth, objectivity, science or religion in civil conversation; we now recognize we are living with the catastrophic results of several centuries of what philosophers call nihilism or post-modernism (nothing means anything, there are no universal patterns). We are without doubt in an apocalyptic time (the Latin word apocalypsis refers to an urgent unveiling of an ultimate state of affairs). Yeats’ oft-quoted poem “The Second Coming” then feels like a direct prophecy. See if you do not agree: Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Somehow our occupation and vocation as believers in this sad time must be to first restore the Divine Center by holding it and fully occupying it ourselves. If contemplation means anything, it means that we can “safeguard that little piece of You, God,” as Etty Hillesum describes it. What other power do we have now? All else is tearing us apart, inside and out, no matter who wins the election or who is on the Supreme Court. We cannot abide in such a place for any length of time or it will become our prison. God cannot abide with us in a place of fear. God cannot abide with us in a place of ill will or hatred. God cannot abide with us inside a nonstop volley of claim and counterclaim. God cannot abide with us in an endless flow of online punditry and analysis. God cannot speak inside of so much angry noise and conscious deceit. God cannot be found when all sides are so far from “the Falconer.” God cannot be born except in a womb of Love. So offer God that womb. Stand as a sentry at the door of your senses for these coming months, so “the blood-dimmed tide” cannot make its way into your soul. If you allow it for too long, it will become who you are, and you will no longer have natural access to the “really deep well” that Etty Hillesum returned to so often and that held so much vitality and freedom for her. If you will allow, I recommend for your spiritual practice for the next four months that you impose a moratorium on exactly how much news you are subject to—hopefully not more than an hour a day of television, social media, internet news, magazine and newspaper commentary, and/or political discussions. It will only tear you apart and pull you into the dualistic world of opinion and counter-opinion, not Divine Truth, which is always found in a bigger place. Instead, I suggest that you use this time for some form of public service, volunteerism, mystical reading from the masters, prayer—or, preferably, all of the above. You have much to gain now and nothing to lose. Nothing at all. And the world—with you as a stable center—has nothing to lose. And everything to gain. Richard Rohr, September 19, 2020 © 2020 | Center for Action and Contemplation 1705 Five Points Road SW Albuquerque, New Mexico 87105 USA #RichardRohr #music #heart #EttyHillesum #Psalm62 #WBYeats

From an email I sent to some friends about the changing of the seasons... Richie: You often "scherr" wisdom from Dr. Scherr…well, I’m repaying the favor and sending you & all y’all (for you Steven C) some tuneful treasure from Dr. Jerry & Associates…but first… All y’all: On this day in time, as the Earth stands in a day/night balance for but a moment in time… --something I only recently noticed: the traditional yin-yang symbol is interesting in that each section contains a quality of the other – there’s some darkness within the light and some light within the darkness – just like us. --the above modern portrayal displays the same “one-within-the-other” imagery. My sign…Libra (9/27/47) At this point in my journey through the stars, been trying to achieve more balance and avoid the state that arises from imbalance. I offer you these words of wisdom from a guy I know in the Program, who, when asked if he had balance in his life, quipped, “Sure, I got balance…I pass it on the way to either extreme.” How to Find Your Center in 3 Easy Steps …and now the song… Cosmic Charlie Peace, tOM #DrScherr #Richie #YinYang #StevenC #Libra #balance #GratefulDead #awareness #attention #intention

A song-filled follow up to my earlier Autumn post: Autumn…Falling Leaves…Rising Hopes -- That post was on the passage of time + intro to courageous Joan Chittister, who’s not afraid to speak TRUTH to power. This post offers song about the passage of time... First, a reflection from another blogger and then some appropriate tunes to mark the passing of the season… From another blogger… Autumn, Please Don’t Go, Baby. I Want You to Stay Forever. Tunes about the Changing of the Seasons Who Knows Where the Time Goes – Judy Collins Circle Game – Joni Mitchell --A commenter said, “My heart still aches when I listen to this song. It was my lullaby as a child. Thanks mom for making sure I turned into the best man I could be.” Turn, Turn, Turn – Byrds Pete Seeger, Turn Turn Turn 5 New Verses! --Singing in NYC in 2012 at age 93, Pete on his 12-string shares for the first time 5 new verses that were written by his wife for their young children. --Words are from the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3 Changes – David Bowie Uncle John’s Band – Grateful Dead “It's the same story the crow told me; it's the only one he knows. Like the morning sun you come and like the wind you go. Ain't no time to hate, barely time to wait, Wo, oh, what I want to know, where does the time go?” The Wheel – Grateful Dead “The wheel is turning and you can't slow down You can't let go and you can't hold on You can't go back and you can't stand still If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will” “Small wheel turning by the fire and rod Big wheel turning by the grace of God Every time that wheel turn 'round Bound to cover just a little more ground” Spinning Wheel – Blood, Sweat & Tears (0:02:33) “What goes up must come down…” Life is never static. It’s like a sine wave. If it weren’t, you’d be a “flatliner” --when the ups and downs stop………………………“Game over…” BS&T “Spinning Wheel” reflections: Are you just focusing on your problems…or willing to let go for a while and take a ride on a spinning pony? Kinda echoes Joni’s song. The following lyrics suggest that a change is needed in the way we’ve been doing the wheel… “Did you find a directing sign on the straight and narrow highway? Would you mind a reflecting sign? Just let it shine within your mind And show you the colors that are real” Best Songs about Fall - Autumn Song Playlist (with links) Rosh Hashanah 5781 – a Celebration of Beginnings…Endings…& All the Life in Between -- This gentile discovers truth & beauty in this moving celebration of life - just as it is unfolding... Here’s another post on the passage of time: “Falling Back” from Daylight Saving Time is Like Groundhog Day (from Mar. 2019) Peace, tOM #music #autumn #JudyCollins #JoniMitchell #Byrds #PeteSeeger #David Bowie #GratefulDead #RoshHashanah #time

A post about the passage of time AND an introduction to a courageous woman – Sr. Joan Chittister, who’s not afraid to speak TRUTH to power. Reconnecting with old friends after many years is a powerful way to experience the reality of the passage of time – much more than looking in a mirror. In a looking glass, our reflection ages ever so slowly, hiding time’s advances from our awareness. When we come face-to-face with old friends, their faces become our true mirrors… At the start of Fall 2019, I received the following poem from a guy named Buddy who was from my old Queens neighborhood. He sent it as a reply to another email on which I had been copied. The original email came from Richie, a surfing and hanging out friend that I had recently reconnected with after almost 40 years. Richie copied both Buddy and me on that first email. Here’s the poem…allow its imagery and truth to mix in with the fallen/falling leaves of your own lives… On the edge of autumn September has a strange and wonderful feeling. It is the best part of the summer and the hardest part of the summer. Just when summer gets perfect—fresh nights, soft sun, casual breezes, crushingly full and quietly cooling trees, empty beaches and free weekends—it ends. Life is like that, too. Just when we get it right, it starts to change. The job gets easy and we know just how to do it and they tell us we’re retired. The children grow up and get reasonable and they leave home just when it’s nice to have them around. The days get less full of work but we’re older now and too stiff to play. The money we never had enough of to spend on “extras” abounds after the mortgage is paid off, but the desire for expensive travel and clothing and entertainment has waned. We celebrate the autumn equinox this month—one of only two days of the year in which daytime and nighttime are of exactly equal length. From now on daytime will begin to wane. But there is nothing to fear from this diminishment of the kind of life associated with sunlight. The night times of life have their beauty and their lessons, too. That’s life on the edge of autumn. And that’s beautiful. If we have the humility for it. Humility is a natural virtue. It’s one of those things that everybody has to get eventually or else die in misery. Diminishment, for instance, is one of the facts of life that breeds humility and diminishment is part of every experience. We get to practice it all our lives. Humility is the survival mechanism of life. —from A Monastery Almanac by Joan Chittister About Sr. Joan From her site: “Passion for God Passion for justice Passion for life” From her site: Joan Chittister is one of the most influential religious and social leaders of our time. For 50 years she has passionately advocated on behalf of peace, human rights, women’s issues, and church renewal. A much sought-after speaker, counselor and clear voice that bridges across all religions, she is also a best-selling author of more than 60 books, hundreds of articles, and an online column for the National Catholic Reporter. She has received numerous writing awards and honors for her work, and is a noted international lecturer as well as a former fellow at St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge University, England. Joan Chittister currently serves as co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, a partner organization of the UN, facilitating a worldwide network of women peace builders. Guest Appearances In 2019 Sister Joan was the featured guest of Oprah Winfrey on "Super Soul Sunday," about her book, The Time is Now. Her first interview with Oprah was in 2015. She has appeared on “Meet the Press” with Tim Russert, “60 Minutes,” “CBS News,” “NOW” with Bill Moyers and numerous BBC and NPR programs including “Weekend Edition Sunday” with Liane Hansen and “On Being” with Krista Tippett. She is one of the most popular and requested speakers at the iconic Chautauqua Institution in southwestern New York State. In 2014 the Joan Chittister Lecture Series was inaugurated at Mercyhurst University, Erie, PA, in conjunction with the dedication of the The Helen Boyle Memorial Archive in Honor of Joan D. Chittister. In 2015 Sister Joan was "In Conversation" with Maria Shriver, and in 2017 with Cokie Roberts for the lecture series. She was an adviser for the groundbreaking report, “A Woman’s Nation,” led by Maria Shriver (2009) and was a member of the TED prize-sponsored “Council of Sages,” an interfaith group that developed a Charter for Compassion (2009) being promulgated worldwide with all faith organizations. She served as president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an organization of the leaders of Catholic religious women in the US, president of the Conference of American Benedictine Prioresses, and was prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie for 12 years. She received her doctorate in speech communications from Penn State University, the primary site of her archive collection. Joan Chittister is a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, PA. She is executive director of Benetvision, a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality and the founder and animator of Monasteries of the Heart, a web-based movement sharing Benedictine spirituality with contemporary seekers. “Life must be lived forward but we can only understand it backwards... an archive holds the key to the imagination that drove [the work] it preserves and the results that evolved. An archive exposes the lighthouse and the hermit cave where old ideas are kept and new ideas can begin.” —Joan Chittister End of citations from her site A Woman Who Speaks Out WILL Attract Attention and Censure A Banned Nun and Growing Divide Within the Catholic Church “Chittister describes her focus as empowering women in the church as well as laypeople, but the Eighty-three-year-old nun has long been a vocal advocate of feminism within the Roman Catholic Church.” Whenever 2 or More are Gathered…There WILL Be Power to Transform The Human Spirit & The Times We Live In – A work she authored with Fr. Richard Rohr “World-renowned contemplatives, Sr. Joan Chittister and Fr. Richard Rohr take us deep within the human spirit to show us that quest for spiritual life leads us unavoidably into our deep connection to all life and all people. We find there new eyes to see and new ears to hear. At the depths, we wake up to the realities of all human experience and discover that we cannot turn our backs on any suffering, any oppression or any injustice. To nurture the human spirit is to discover that we live in a sea of human connectedness. Disk one contains Sr. Joan’s two provocative presentations: The Divine Feminine: Its Place In Our Lives, parts one and two, and Woman, Power & Peace: A New Way to Tell the Story, parts one and two. Disc two contains Fr. Richard’s compelling lectures that focus on the progressive stages of human spiritual development. The lectures are: The Human Spirit, parts 1-4. Disc two also contains a closing Q & A session in which Sr. Joan and Fr. Rohr respond to questions from the audience.” Wisdom from Sr. Joan Joan Chittister, “Hard-Wired for Compassion” (12 minutes) Compassion: The ability to feel pain that’s not our own · Science has discovered that our brains are hard-wired for compassion · At the heart of all religions is some form of a golden rule: “Do to another and you would want them to do to you.” · How we deal with our own pain is how we’ll deal with the pain of another. Richard Rohr says it this way, “If we don’t transform our pain, we will transmit it.” · We need to find our ways into the lives of those who suffer, until their sufferings scrape away our indifference to them. (Come join me in working with the Poor People’s Campaign – this group is helping me apply Sr. Joan’s wisdom.) · We must model compassion in our actions so we become role models for our impressionable youth, who often idolize poor models. · We need to join with others & groups whose very purpose is compassion. Others have echoed her last offering... Peace, tOM #autumn #JoanChittister #Richie #Buddy #RichardRohr #compassion #DalaiLama #JohnLennon

…Where have we come from? ……Where are we now? ………Where are we going? This post is a celebration of a feast that I didn’t know much about. I’ve have been blessed by learning just a jot and tittle about its tradition. Very simply, Rosh Hashanah is a l’chaim event – a celebration of life – just as it comes to us – joys and sorrows, births and deaths, beginnings and endings. The post features performers when they were young and older and contains songs from a variety of musical genres. I hope you enjoy this celebration of life. I’m grateful to the Congregation Dorshei Tzedek in West Newton , MA for their Rosh Hashanah webpage that helped me begin my education about this important celebration. Their name means “seekers of justice” – how appropriate for times such as these! For more info see their About page. You can download this year’s service brochure here. There's a playlist of all songs in this post at the end. First Day of Rosh Hashanah Saturday, September 19 Morning Songs and Blessings Pete Seeger, Turn Turn Turn 5 New Verses! --Singing in NYC in 2012 at age 93, Pete on his 12-string shares for the first time 5 new verses that were written by his wife for their young children. --Words are from the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3 Circle Game – Joni Mitchell --A commenter said, “My heart still aches when I listen to this song. It was my lullaby as a child. Thanks mom for making sure I turned into the best man I could be.” The Wheel – Grateful Dead “The wheel is turning and you can't slow down You can't let go and you can't hold on You can't go back and you can't stand still If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will” “Small wheel turning by the fire and rod Big wheel turning by the grace of God Every time that wheel turn 'round Bound to cover just a little more ground” Ezekiel Saw The Wheel, Louis Armstrong --From the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, Chapter 1 --This great gospel song was mentioned on a website I often use when researching Dead songs: http://artsites.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/wheel.html (page dedicated to “The Wheel” - above) Psalm 118 - Salvation – Teshuva (music video) Shacharit Service --Includes “Unetaneh Tokef.” The original version has a lot of frightening judgment imagery. Please take time to read this rabbi’s reflections on this prayer in the light of the pandemic (at the above link). I personally resonate with his perspective on the loving nature of G-d and the flexibility he offers us in how we might want to include or exclude it. At the end of the post, I’ve included a version of the prayer he wrote just for our times. Be blessed by it! The traditional prayer (which echoes Christian Ash Wednesday prayers) ends with: “We come from dust, and return to dust. We labour by our lives for bread, we are like broken shards, like dry grass, and like a withered flower; like a passing shadow and a vanishing cloud, like a breeze that passes, like dust that scatters, like a fleeting dream. But You are the king who lives eternal.” There’s a link to the full prayer at the above link. Dust in the Wind - Kansas Torah Service & Closing Prayers --Includes readings from Genesis…so… Man Gave Names to All the Animals – Robert Zimmerman (aka Bob Dylan) Live in Munich 1991 Remembering those who’ve moved on Mourners’ Kaddish – Ben Pagliaro --“This is the original video shared two days after the passing of my Grandfather, John Pagliaro. This melody was written for him.” --English tranlation Mourner's Kaddish - 2019 March of the Living (Holocaust survivors) 'May her memory be a revolution': Supporters say Rosh Hashanah brings special meaning to (Ruth Bader) Ginsburg's death --"’According to Jewish tradition, a person who dies on Rosh Hashanah, which began tonight, is a tzaddik, a person of great righteousness,’ Franklin tweeted soon after the news of Ginsburg's death broke.” “NPR reporter Nina Totenberg explained the tradition on Twitter: ‘A Jewish teaching says those who die just before the Jewish new year are the ones God has held back until the last moment bc they were needed most & were the most righteous.’" “It's not the only point of significance. Because Ginsburg died Friday evening, her death occurred around the time Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, began.” “’If one dies on any Shabbat they are considered a Tzadik … more so when it’s on the new year,’” Rabbi Andrea London of Beth Emet synagogue in Evanston, Illinois told USA TODAY.” Remembering George Harrison (on Vimeo - so not in the playlist at the end of this post Bob Dylan Remembers Jerry Garcia - Jerry Garcia Eulogy --see end of post for two Rollingstone articles Kaddush Kiddush (Kurt Weill) - Cantor Azi Schwartz @ NYC’s Park Avenue Synagogue -- End of service blessing over the wine. --Term is also used for the after service schmoozing over a light snack. Parallel Service for Children For older children Turn, Turn, Turn - The Byrds --“A video I made for my World Geography Class project using the song ‘Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is A Season)’ by the Byrds.” Turn, Turn, Turn – The Byrds --a student-created video – They are our hope for a peace-filled future… For younger children Blowin' in the Wind - Kids Book Read Aloud Man Gave Names to all the Animals – Robert Zimmerman (aka, Bob Dylan) --watch with your children – lots of live animals Technion Rosh Hashana Mashup Shana Tova 2018 --A robotic celebration created by Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Second Day of Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 20 Tashlich & Shofar Service These creative ceremonies will feature an opportunity to cast off the obstacles that get in the way of our becoming who we want to be (either at an outdoor body of water or at home via Zoom), and the blowing of the shofar! “Tashlich (תשליך) is a ritual that many Jews observe during Rosh Hashanah. Tashlich means ‘casting off’ in Hebrew and involves symbolically casting off the sins of the previous year by tossing pieces of bread or another food into a body of flowing water. Just as the water carries away the bits of bread, so too are sins symbolically carried away. Since Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year, in this way the participant hopes to start the new year with a clean slate.” Source Rosh Hashanah Rhythm Section Rosh Hashanah Rock Anthem – AishVideo Shofar: New Year's Wake-Up Call Rosh Hashanah Shofar Orchestra --“Each shofar plays only one note and that note is made up of what is inside you.” Shana Tova: The Curious History of Rosh Hashanah Cards Dip Your Apple - Fountainheads Rosh Hashanah --Reminds me of when my son John was young and battled his cousins Michael and Glenn with light sabers Shofar Shrills / Cheap Thrills (Sia Rosh Hashanah Parody by the Singers) --very funny & in good taste (apples & honey – of course!) Gates of Love (Rosh Hashanah Song) – Julie Geller For Further Enrichment… An Alternate Unetaneh Tokef by Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler the spiritual leader of Temple Sinai in Sharon, MA. On Rosh HaShanah it is written, on Yom Kippur it is sealed: That this year people will live and die, some more gently than others and nothing lives forever. But amidst overwhelming forces of nature and humankind, we still write our own Book of Life, and our actions are the words in it, and the stages of our lives are the chapters, and nothing goes unrecorded, ever. Every deed counts. Everything you do matters. And we never know what act or word will leave an impression or tip the scale. So if not now, then when? For the things we can change, there is t’shuvah, realignment, For the things we cannot change, there is t’filah, prayer, For the help we can give, there is tzedakah, justice. Together, let us write a beautiful Book of Life for the Holy One to read. Pete Seeger's Role in Ending Israeli House Demolitions --American folk legend donates part of royalties from 'Turn, Turn, Turn' to 'place where the words originated.' Pete Seeger's Hebrew Songbook --In the 1960s, Israel's daily papers used to publish Pete Seeger's song lyrics, such was his popularity; the relationship became more complicated, but he never stopped urging us to keep trying for peace. Tashlich: A Primary Ritual of Rosh Hashanah Tashlich Yoga - A new you in the new year Locals find creative ways to celebrate an unusual High Holiday season --“Each year for Rosh Hashanah day two, the Asmans write their own service, complete with activities like yoga and tashlich on the beach.” Bob Dylan Remembers Jerry Garcia (Rollingstone 1995) Jerry Garcia: Funeral for a Friend (Rollingstone 1995) Origins…Genesis…”in the beginning a long time ago” (Dylan)… Were Adam and Eve Black? The Times They Are A-Changin Civil Rights Music Video – Bob Dylan The Times They Are a-Changin', by Bob Dylan – used as intro to DC Comics’ “Watchmen” movie The Times They Are A-Changin' - Grateful Dead w/Bob Dylan Giants Stadium 7/12/1987 More Prayers for Shalom in our Times Blowin’ in the Wind – Bob Dylan Blowin’ in the Wind – Bob Dylan/Peter, Paul & Mary (1963) Turn, Turn, Turn – Judy Collins & Pete Seeger (1966) Down By the Riverside (study war no more) feat. Manu Chao | Playing For Change | Song Around The World --from the prophet Isaiah, Chapter 2. This song was suggested by the Rosh Hashanah service brochure I cited at the beginning. Imagine Peace Imagine – John Lennon Imagine - John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band Imagine - UNICEF: World Version Imagine – Eva Cassidy cover of John’s song with great illustrated panels by Pablo Stanley Imagine – John Lennon (comic book version) 75th Birthday memorial in NYC's Central Park's Strawberry Fields Our Mission: Mitzvot - Go forth to love and serve one another… Mitzvot (plural of mitzvah) connect us to G-d, to our deepest self, to one another, and to all of creation. These acts transform the world around us. “The Kabbalists (Jewish mystical tradition) of 16th-century Tzfat, particularly Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (“the Ari”), provided a cosmic healing model for the mitzvot. Mitzvot are devices that reach under the hood of the cosmos to repair it, reorganizing it into a harmonious state that is capable of receiving boundless G‑dly light. Ultimately, then, it is our mitzvot that are responsible for preparing the world for the messianic era, a time when it will be possible to do all the mitzvot fully, in their ideal context, and the world will be filled with G‑dly light “as the waters cover the ocean basin.” Source “How many roads must a man walk down…” FYI - There are 613 mitzvot... “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” Sunrise Sunset - Fiddler on the roof PLAYLIST - All Songs in this Post Shalom, tOM #music #RoshHashanah #BobDylan #PeteSeeger #JudyCollins #JoniMitchell #GratefulDead #Teshuva #Kansas #BenPagliaro #RuthBaderGinsburg #GeorgeHarrison #JerryGarcia #Byrds #AishVideo #Fountainheads #TheSingers #JulieGeller #JohnLennon #PlayingForChange #PeterPaulMary #Beatles #FiddlerOnTheRoof

Mark Ruffalo joined the Poor People's Campaign (Marvel-ous) Moral Monday to stop McConnell’s Misery, Meanness and Madness. For those not familiar, McConnell dubbed himself “The Grim Reaper.” You can check this for yourself. vs. Now that the Black Panther has returned to his roots (we miss you, Chadwick Boseman), we need a new super hero to help us fight the resurrected Grim Reaper and his Evil Empire that perpetrates systemic injustice in all its forms: racism, lack of access to education, housing, healthcare & jobs, environmental destruction and wasteful spending on war economy by the military-industrial complex... You can read about the Marvel Universes's ongoing galactic battle between these forces of good and evil here. As Bob Marley sings, “Time to fire down Babylon!” Babylon System - Bob Marley & The Wailers August 31, 2020 Moral Monday Digital March Here are a few things Mark shared with us: +Bailouts don't trickle down to those that need them the most +Ask your elected officials on both sides of the aisle why they're not speaking up to get the relief act passed +They'll know we're Christians by our acts (his exact words) Me: Mitch: Give the poor the green [1] they need, so Mark doesn't turn GREEN and throw the rascals out! Let's join in and help him...with our votes, phone calls, letters and social media outlets...Let's be Guardians of Earth...'cause if we can't take care of the least among us on our home planet, we're of no use to the Galaxy. [1] Green = equal access for all to education, jobs, housing & healthcare by redirecting budget money now going to bail out corporations and to wasteful military spending (blood money) Next Moral Monday Sept. 14 3:30 PM EST Labor Day: Special presentation for labor. For details: poorpeoplescampaign.org War Cry Song Wage Peace – Nonviolently by harnessing and focusing our anger and sadness into creative actions Non-violence is the only way peace is to be waged and justice established. Use these Monday's to remember that the land of the free and home of the brave was stolen from the braves and built on the labor of the enslaved. Practice: Active LOVE...rather than reactive HATE... Fallen Warrior…You’re back in your roots/homeland…at peace Resources Poor People’s Campaign Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolence Recent Blog Posts: Takin it to the Streets for Social Justice Using Music, Dance & Art RACISM – There’s only one race – the human race Nonviolence Primary Day - Exercise the Preferential Option for the Poor Musical Ammunition: By the Rivers of Babylon ( with lyrics) - Boney M Rivers of Babylon - Boney M (Sopot Festival 1979) LIVE Rivers of Babylon | Rocky Dawuni | Playing For Change | Live Outside --lyrics slightly modified to address the leaders of the world... This song applied: in Old Testament times to the Jewish people torn from their homeland and enslaved in modern times to the African men, women and children who were forcibly removed from their homelands to build the empires of their captors and now to those forced out of their homes by the systemic evils of injustice cited throughout this post First written by The Melodians, their source material was from Psalm 137 and [Psalm 19] AND their own life experiences. "Rivers Of Babylon" By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered Zion By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered Zion When the wicked Carried us away in captivity Required from us a song Now how shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land When the wicked Carried us away in captivity Requiring of us a song Now how shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight [Psalm 19] Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered Zion By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered Zion By the rivers of Babylon (dark tears of Babylon) There we sat down (You got to sing a song) Ye-eah we wept, (Sing a song of love) When we remembered Zion. (Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah) By the rivers of Babylon (Rough bits of Babylon) There we sat down (You hear the people cry) Ye-eah we wept, (They need their God) When we remembered Zion. (Ooh, have the power) Peace...within me...surrounding me...from me… tOM #PoorPeoplesCampaign #MoralMonday #PaceeBene #MarkRuffalo #Hulk #GrimReaper #MitchMcConnell #AjeetKaur #BobMarley #music #nonviolence #WagePeace #NerdOut #PlayingForChange

C.E. Course [1]: One Nation Under a Groove - Sat. 8/29 10-11:30 EDT This Post’s Program: Info on a presentation on using music as a means to talk about racial and social justice Brief history of funk Uniting soul and psychedelia African roots of today’s music, including jazz and Afro-Cuban sounds Introducing percussionist Bryan Carrott Kid vids: Whenever possible I include stuff for kids (of all ages) There's a playlist of all the songs at the end - "Groove-on-the-Go" Take Five: Pressed for time? Check out this children’s 5-min. version of this hope-filled song & dance…there’s also a link to it below… “This is a chance This is a chance To dance your way Out of your constrictions” (my add: Your “constipations” – both Left & Right) --These lyrics & the next 2 sets are from One Nation Under a Groove by Parliament Funkadelic Sat. 8/29 10-11:30 EDT Finding Your Anthem: Using Music as a Means to Discuss Racial & Social Justice Register at the above link. Suggested donation: $15 Sponsored by: Illuman of Illinois For men and women Preparation/Watch beforehand: One Nation Under a Groove: A Tale of American Anthems | Henry Hicks III | TEDxNashville (17 min) “Ready or not here we come Gettin' down on The one which we believe in One nation under a groove” About this Event (for men & women) Illuman Illinois presents a 90 minute Zoom webinar discussion with Henry Beecher Hicks III, President & CEO of the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM). Illuman’s male spirituality community is eager to engage in a deeper dialogue about the issues of race and social justice, and are realistic about how difficult this topic is for even the most sincere participants, and Henry has a demonstrated ability to get to the hard issues in a most engaging and thoughtful manner. The starting point for our Webinar is Henry’s recent talk at TedX Nashville entitled “One Nation Under A Groove”, which looked at the history of African American music as the anthems of survival, hope and justice throughout the American centuries, shouting that Black Lives Matter long before the movement had been given that particular name. “With the groove our only guide We shall all be moved” “One nation and we're on the move Nothin' can stop us now” “Gettin' down just for the funk” “Feet don't fail me now Givin' you more of what you're funkin' for Feet don't fail me now Do you promise to funk? The whole funk, nothin' but the funk” --National Museum of African American Music - Nashville Additional Preparation/Prefunkeration In case you flunked out and missed this musical movement/vibe…I’m givin’ ya another chance to... FUNK OUT… Parliament-Funkadelic - One Nation Under A Groove - 11/6/1978 - Capitol Theatre (Passaic, NJ) --25-minute live version featuring George Clinton and the band Parliament Funkadelic - One Nation Under A Groove --1-hr. 2005 documentary – a history of the band’s psycho-spiritual/musical evolution Detroit: One Nation Under A Groove (5 minutes) --features children singing and dancing a hope-filled vibe. Very encouraging!!! 2019 Interview: The National Museum of African American Music New Head Henry Beecher Hicks, III (0:06:34) [1] Credit: .5 to 3.0 C.E. (Consciousness Education) – credit based on how much you let in and how much you allow it to change you. Honor system! The rest of this tale is not for credit but simply for your headucation [sic]. How I Got Notified About Henry Hicks, III & Saturday’s Presentation After participating in Illuman of Ohio’s recent workshop “Reckoning with our Past – Transforming Racial Pain in America” (you can read about it in my recent post: “RACISM – There’s only one race – the human race”), I got an email from Illuman of Illinois about their event “One Nation Under a Groove.” These transforming programs are part of my current inner work of understanding the roots of racism – not just in our systems (government, corporate and religious organizations) but, more importantly, in my own head and heart. NOTE: See links at the end of this post for information about Illuman and about other organizations that are helping address the longstanding issues of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation and the war economy. Racism in the Music World Five Black Jazzworld Figures Detail How Racism Impacts The Industry --“Though jazz is a genre shared and revered by people of all backgrounds, there’s no equivocating: The music is the sonic embodiment of the Black experience in America. As Louis Armstrong once said, ‘What we play is life.’ While people rise up all over the world in protest of George Floyd’s killing and the ubiquity of white supremacy, jazz remains a key expression of Black freedom, pain, beauty and community in a world that rarely offers generosity or justice to Black people. And yet, the realities of the jazz industry—particularly its institutionalization and attempts at commercialization—don’t always represent the form’s genesis.” Continues at the above link. Puttin' the “delic” in “Funkadelic” Furthur-ing [sic] Your C.E. "The Bus came by and I got on. That's when it all began." The Other One – Grateful Dead (see link below) Soul Psychedelics In 1977 Eileen and I were looking for a wedding band and we might have listened to the ones recommended by the staff at the hall were would be using (Jericho Manor, now Terrace in Mineola), but nothing moved us - so…here’s how the rest of this adventure unfolded… My Grandmother Julia “Nanny” Burns worked in a Brooklyn public school cafeteria. She was extremely outgoing – everyone liked her. She was also “colorblind.” Rather than a handicap, it was an asset. See, she didn’t see folks as the color of their skin – she saw deeper, with almost childlike simplicity. Everyone was a potential friend with whom she could share a story (she was fully Irish) or a dessert – or both. Nanny was always going to events of co-workers – any color – anywhere she could have fun. One night I was asked to pick her up after a wedding of the daughter of one of her black co-workers. So three hippies – me, Eileen and our friend Charlie – trucked on over to Brooklyn in my green & white taxi (VW Bus). Well, upon arriving, we found out that the party was still goin’ on and not about to stop. The bride’s mom greeted us, invited us in – no wedding garments needed…we had on our freakin’ duds – and had the waiter set places for us. Cool! As we were eating we started listening to the band and noticed how many people were up and dancing….and that soon included us. Well, we had so much fun dancing and enjoying how the lead singer interacted with the folks, that, after the party, we got his card and signed him up. As you can see, this story had a happy and hippie ending…and there’s more…one year later my brother Mike and his wife Linda used them – much to the chagrin of some of the older relatives, who had to endure another night of soul psychedelia. If ya got a few more than 5… …other music with African roots Take Five – Dave Brubeck (music) --(article) jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African-American music traditions Take Five - Tito Puente (Latino jazz interpretation) --Afro-Cuban sound Sesame Street: Real Grouches Don't Dance --Tito visits the Street --Tito’s timbales on display at the Smithsonian (Source) Tito Puente – Oye Como Va --starting around 1:15, check out his “flute/piccolo” player doing some scatting: using voices imitating instruments and vice versa --also check out the street art on his drum kit Yeah, there is another version…and I got play it before one more Take Five… Oye Como Va - Santana --If you’re not keepin’ time/banging on something or up dancin’, have someone check your pulse… --seems like half his band is in the percussion section…Tito would be proud… Take Five – Al Jarreau --fusion of scat singing and jazz Good Vibrations from Bryan Carrott Masters...of the Vibraphone, Drums & Chapman Stick... (includes Bryan) --I first met Bryan at a church I attended. He played in the house band with my son John – Bryan on percussion, including vibraphone and drums, and John on keyboard. --Bryan has shared his talents with many groups – check out YouTube for samples --Bio: Bryan Carrott is an American jazz musician playing vibraphone and marimba. He has recorded with Butch Morris, Henry Threadgill, Dave Douglas, David 'Fathead' Newman, Ralph Peterson, Steven Kroon, Greg Osby, Tom Harrell, John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards, Jay-Z and others. He is an assistant professor and coordinator of percussion instruction at Five Towns College. --Bryan taught one of my son’s piano students when he enrolled at Five Towns. Bryan Carrott – Vibraphonist playing with Roy Campbell's Akhenaten Ensemble - at Vision Festival 18 - Roulette, Brooklyn - June 13 2013 Unspeakable Times by David 'Fathead' Newman & Bryan Carrott Some Musicians Still Vibrate After They’re Dead The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir (Cartoon version of song’s origin) Bob Weir performing 'The Other One' with special guest Mickey Hart at the Sundance Film Festival in support of The Music Never Stopped. --small band (2 guys, 2 instruments, no electric) opens us to a BIG UNIVERSE Instruments of Rebellion Drums Banned In Mr. Hicks, III’s TEDx talk, he mentioned a slave uprising in the America’s in the late 1700’s. The drums were thereafter outlawed after their owners realized that the slaves had been using their drums to communicate with one another. Check out this article about the United Nations’ “International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 25 March 2009.” --“In sub-Saharan Africa, rhythms, spiritual dimensions and the order of the universe are not generally separated into compartments in the mind of most people. Traditional African societies acknowledge that the drum has a spirit and character that is clearly observable. It is believed by many African communities that voices of great ancestors are hidden inside the wood of trees so they could be accessed whenever men and women need them. African history has been maintained through an oral tradition.” There’s more at the above link. --musicians and celebrities who participated The Virginia Akan Drum & The Banning of Afrikan Drums off Southern Plantations / Conscious Rap Targeted The Same --“It is absolutely necessary to the safety of this Province, that all due care be taken to restrain Negroes from using or keeping of drums, which may call together or give sign or notice to one another of their wicked designs and purposes.” “— Slave Code of South Carolina, Article 36 (1740).” There’s more at the above link. Slave Rebellions – on land and sea --includes those in the South and NYC and from 1663 to the Civil War No Drums Allowed: Afro Rhythm Mutations in North America -- “Street bands playing Rock’n’Roll in Berlin, Marvin Gaye in a local bar in Thailand, Nas blaring on the streets of Johannesburg, House Music in the mega-clubs of Shanghai — wherever one goes in the world today, no effort is needed to find African-American music and its derivatives.” More at the above link. Women Banned from Playing Drums in Burundi (2017) Harps Banned British Banned Harps in Ireland --As they traveled the countryside, Irish harpists would sing their songs about British oppression. “In the 16th century the music of the harp was seen as such a threat that the British Crown attempted to crush the Irish Spirit by ordering all harps to be burnt and all harpists executed. It was almost 200 years before the music of the harp was freely enjoyed in Ireland once again.” More at the above link. Songs Banned Only Instrumental Ever Banned from the Radio: Link Wray’s Seductive, Raunchy Song, “Rumble” (1958) AM radio stations in Boston & New York banned it because they feared it would incite young people to violence. There’s a link to the song in the article and I added two more below. --“Jimmy Page has described hearing ‘Rumble’ as a pivotal moment. Iggy Pop credits it as the reason he became a musician.” More on banning at the above link. Rumble - Link Wray at Winterland (1974) --even more fuzz and feedback than the original Here's a creative version that depicts what the city fathers were worried about About Illuman Please see my "Men's Journey" page for further info. Ending the Systemic Evils of Racism, Poverty, Ecological Devastation & War Economy Poor People's Campaign Building a movement to overcome systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation and the war economy. To find your state/local group enter your ZIP Code in the "Find My Committee" box on the home page. For several months I've been participating in both New York and Long Island chapters and they are helping me connect with people who, unlike me and my family, have been directly impacted by unjust social policies - many of them have been in this place for a long time - way before the pandemic increased their vulnerability. See also my blog post "Takin' it to the Streets for Social Justice Using Music, Dance & Art." Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolence I recently participated in their weekend training in nonviolence. See my blog post for more. I frequently blog about the influential power of music. Here’s a recent sampling: Musical Ammunition-1: Intl Reggae Day (July 1)/New Video For Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" Out of the frying pan and into the...MUSIC “I Must be about my Father’s Business” – if Jesus’ dad was a Musician PLAYLIST OF SONGS IN THIS POST Funkin’ with ya’, tOM #music #racism #HenryHicksIII #ParliamentFunkadelics #GeorgeClinton #SoulPsychedelics #MikeT #LindaT #IllumanIllinois #IllumanOhio #Nanny #Furthur #GratefulDead #VWBus #BobWeir #MickeyHart #slavery #drums #TitoPuente #AlJarreau #SesameStreet #LinkWray #harp #BryanCarrott #RoyCampbell #DavidNewman

Reading time: 15 minutes (Originally sent as an email on 2/18/20) EVENT (now passed): Van Jones from CNN @ Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530 Thurs. Feb. 20 7-8 pm For info & tix ($5): https://alumni.adelphi.edu/au_event/super-tuesday-and-the-2020-election/ --Join Van Jones for this talk as he unpacks details of presidential politics, campaigns and one of the most consequential elections in our nation’s history. I cannot tell a lie... I had promised you all that by now I’d have my website operational so I wouldn’t have to clog up your Inbox with yet another email… Wait, it’s no longer Presidents’ Day...can I interest you in some alternative facts or a funny Tweet and so distract you from the truth about why the site isn’t ready? No...I’m not running for office in 2020. Today, I’m connecting Presidents’ Day and a 2007 poem my friend Richie sent me a few months ago entitled “Pity the Nation Whose Leaders are Liars” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Since receiving it, I’ve written over 50 pages as I’ve applied its message to the deceptions of leaders of our church, state and business institutions. In the weeks ahead, I’ll be parsing this research into separate articles. Did George Washington Really Say, “I Can’t Tell a Lie”? Britannica article says, “No!” Apparently, one of George’s first biographers, a clergyman and an itinerant book agent, added some of his own morality to the facts and the legend was born. “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” --from the above article A Spoonful of Sugar (humor) Helps the Medicine (truth) Go Down Before getting into the current political environment’s disturbing distortion of facts, here are some of my favorite movies about this topic: The Invention of Lying – Movie Trailer (0:02:17) Liar, Liar – Movie Trailer (0:02:13) And now for the news… What lessons is this period in history teaching our children??? We all have biases “We see things as WE are and not as THEY are.” -Anaïs Nin I am writing this from my way of looking at reality (aka, with a bias). You are reading it with your own. If we try to keep open minds, we can both learn from each other even if we disagree. For more about how our perceptions affect our reality, please refer to “The Truth Will Not Set You Free” at end of this article. Science says that we each have our own confirmation biases. In essence, in most cases where we’re presented with opinions that differ from our own, we’ve already made up our minds beforehand about what we’ll believe. “A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” -The Boxer – Simon & Garfunkel After adding the above quote, I went online to see if anyone had made a meme of our current president as a boxer. WOW! I was amazed (but not surprised) that he had made one of himself last year. Hey, you can’t make/fake this stuff up OR can you? Can’t Make This Up Dept. Just before I sent this email, I added a link to S&G’s “The Boxer.” I had Autoplay set to ON and guess what song YouTube recommended and played next? “Teach Your Children” (0:02:25) How well this answers the previous question about what our politics are teaching our children – “You who are on the road must have a code that you can live by…” Two biases that restrict our ability to process information Confirmation bias - the tendency to only accept information that supports our personal beliefs (sounds a lot nicer than prejudice) Negativity bias - Our brains are wired to respond quickly to fear and slower to positive stimuli. Politicians and advertisers use this to their advantage and our disadvantage. See the end of this article for more info on these two perception-altering tendencies. What a field day for the heat A thousand people in the street Singing songs and carrying signs Mostly saying, "hooray for our side" --For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield Pity the Nation... “PITY THE NATION – Lawrence Ferlinghetti (after Khalil Gibran) 2007 Pity the nation whose people are sheep And whose shepherds mislead them Pity the nation whose leaders are liars Whose sages are silenced And whose bigots haunt the airwaves Pity the nation that raises not its voice Except to praise conquerors And acclaim the bully as hero And aims to rule the world By force and by torture Pity the nation that knows No other language but its own And no other culture but its own Pity the nation whose breath is money And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed Pity the nation oh pity the people who allow their rights to erode and their freedoms to be washed away My country, tears of thee Sweet land of liberty!” --Street art of Lady Liberty I snapped while walking with a friend on NYC’s Highline Trail. “My country, tears of thee…” “Know the truth and the truth will set you free” --Jesus “What is truth?” --Pilate (and too many others since) …and if you don’t, Google, Twitter, The Washington Post’s Fact Checker and late night TV hosts will update your karma dis-credit scorecard. Took the following on a recent trip into the city: P.S. I don’t think the ad agency actually understands that you want to reduce karma rather than increase it. Two thoughts: 1. What if burning karma was as easy as burning credit card statements, bras, draft cards, and other assorted current and former signs of the establishment? 2. Actually, credit card debt caused by excessive attachment is a major cause of added karma – so, the ad agency unknowingly got it right. A Picture’s Worth 1,000 Thousand Words…OK, maybe 900…How about 800? Washington Post Fact Checker & Pinocchio Awards Ratings from one… to four …and more than four... In 2011, The Washington Post made its Fact Checker feature, which debuted in the 2008 Presidential elections, a permanent feature. “The purpose of this website, and an accompanying column in the Sunday print edition of The Washington Post, is to ‘truth squad’ the statements of political figures regarding issues of great importance, be they national, international or local. It’s a big world out there, and so we rely on readers to ask questions and point out statements that need to be checked. But we are not limited to political charges or counter-charges. We also seek to explain difficult issues, provide missing context and provide analysis and explanation of various ‘code words’ used by politicians, diplomats and others to obscure or shade the truth. The Fact Checker is at heart about policy -- domestic and foreign -- as we have found that politicians are apt to be more misleading about complex and difficult-to-understand topics.” You can read more about its mission and methods here. Meet the Bottomless Pinocchio (Dec. 2018) --a new rating for a false claim repeated over and over again Short video explanation (0:02:11) All of Donald Trump’s Four-Pinocchio ratings, in one place (updated as of Nov. 2016 as there weren’t enough terror-bytes of storage to make a current one) “There’s never been a presidential candidate like Donald Trump — someone so cavalier about the facts and so unwilling to ever admit error, even in the face of overwhelming evidence. As of Nov. 3, (2016) about 64 percent (59 of 92) of our rulings of his statements turned out to be Four Pinocchio’s, our worst rating. By contrast, most politicians tend to earn Four Pinocchio’s 10 to 20 percent of the time. (Moreover, most of the remaining ratings for Trump are Three Pinocchio’s.)” “It’s such a Paine in the neck to listen to others’ Common Sense, so I’ll just continue saying and doing whatever I please.” A jury of my peers (i.e., cronies)… Ah, as luck (and a few called-in favors) would have it, such a jury was found/purchased… --from Feb. 2, 2020 issue of the Herald - a local newspaper Hey, I thought elephants were supposed to have good memories… P.S. A majority doesn’t make it true… When a president seizes congressional power (post-impeachment summary) --from my local edition of the Herald. I subscribe because they present articles from both sides of the aisle. By sitting with opinions other than my own versions of reality, I try to stay open to how others see their versions of reality. An uncanny resemblance to Watergate --A pre-impeachment summary of events for those who didn’t waste a lot of time on this soap opera that continues to embarrass us at home and abroad. How about 500 words and I’ll throw in a pound of freshly picked cherries? Fallacies in one room (Oval Office) can lead to Phallacies (1) in other rooms… Recalls Dylan’s words from "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" (0:06:13): “But even the President of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked.” (1) Once again I thought I’d made up a new word – phallacy – but Guru Google proved me wrong. Once again for emphasis… Progress not perfection EXTRA! EXTRA! READ MORE ABOUT IT!!! Confirmation bias – notice it to avoid fooling yourself What to trust in a “post-truth” world? (0:17:46) TEDx Talk “Only if you are truly open to the possibility of being wrong can you ever learn, says researcher Alex Edmans. In an insightful talk, he explores how confirmation bias -- the tendency to only accept information that supports your personal beliefs -- can lead you astray on social media, in politics and beyond, and offers three practical tools for finding evidence you can actually trust. (Hint: appoint someone to be the devil's advocate in your life.)” My add: It can help you if you select as a devil’s advocate someone who doesn’t share your viewpoint. OR... Confirmation Bias: Why You Make Terrible Life Choices --good explanation that includes the science behind this process Negativity bias - Our brains are wired to respond quickly to fear and slower to positive stimuli. Confronting the Negativity Bias “the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones” Negativity bias and confirmation bias feed each other. When we REACT instead of RESPOND - “We update these appraisals [of real or imagined threats] with information that confirms them; we ignore, devalue, or alter information that doesn’t.” Point…Counterpoint…………………Stay Open… The Truth Will Not Set You Free “We do not see the world as it is. We see the world as we are.” Politics and Self-Actualization “Abraham Maslow is an American born psychologist whose theory posits that we are all driven by needs, the utmost of which is self-actualization. However, most people settle for the comfort of the lower needs, and do not work toward or self-actualize (see my post, ‘The Psychopathology of Normal’). People who are self-actualizing (which is a process, something one works towards and never completely attains) embrace the B-Values (including: truth, goodness, autonomy, and simplicity). Self-actualizers also exhibit behaviors that embody being better individuals. What follows (in the article) is how those behaviors relate to the nation’s current political climate.” Humee Hum - The Other Is You – Mirabai Ceiba (0:12:03) --I always felt an attraction to this Kundalini yoga mantra. One day, during a period when I was having a stressful and ongoing conflict with someone, I felt a particularly strong attraction and decided to find out what it meant. WOW! The following article unpacked why I was being drawn to its message. I was being invited to see and so love the other person as me. “Loving my neighbor as myself…” Recognize the Other Person is You: Mantra, Music, Meditation & Global Sadhana Two traditions…one message… Jesus said this was part of the greatest commandment. Yogi Bhajan called it the first sutra of the Aquarian age. Ends & Odds This song title caught my attention I Can’t Tell a Lie - Fred Astaire (from Holiday Inn) (0:02:40) What might these three variations on a very old carol have to do with this discussion about lying? For starters, they are about the person who said that he was “the way, the truth and the life.” The Cherry Tree Carol – Judy Collins (0:05:23) The Cherry Tree Carol – Joan Baez 0:03:31) The Cherry Tree Carol – Sting (0:03:26) Except for its title, this classic Motown song is a non-sequitur. I Can’t Tell a Lie – The Gaslight (0:03:41) #humor #music #trump #liars #WashingtonPost #PinocchioAwards #NTScriptures #Movies #NegativityBias #ConfirmationBias

As part of my evolving participation with the Poor People's Campaign, I'm spending time with the NYS and Long Island Arts & Culture Committee. On this evening’s Zoom, I saw the following “We Rise Together” poster on a wall behind one of the presenters... This, in turn, inspired the following post-meeting reflections on the power of the arts such as music, dance, and the graphic media to capture our hearts and awaken us to the need to address the systemic injustices of our times...with fierce love and nonviolence... We Rise Together... "What worries me, Senator, is that they're getting into step" Source: https://art.poorpeoplescampaign.org/portfolio/rise-up/ Playlist of all songs in this email. (except the SoundCloud one - it's not on YouTube) Taking it to the Streets Rise Up – Charon Hribar (click the SoundCloud link to play the song) "Takin' It To The Streets" - The Doobie Brothers 1982 Mikey Pauker | RISE | Vulnerable Rally --a possible “in the streets” model for Poor People's Campaign musicians playing together and local people sharing how they’ve been impacted by systemic injustices --I first heard Mikey during the May 2020 OneEarthLive event. His saved video from the event is here. Playing for Change In 2005 Playing for Change founder Mark Johnson saw street musician Roger Ridley performing the following song and got an inspiration for using Roger’s soulful performance as one of PFC’s Songs Around the World. You can read more about their origins and vision here. Since it was uploaded it has had over 120 million views (at least 20 of these are mine). Stand By Me | Original Performance by Roger Ridley | Playing For Change | Live Outside In recent days I’ve been listening to other songs with “rise up” energies... "Haseya" by Ajeet Kaur Live at Sat Nam Fest 2017 -- Haseya is a Diné (Navajo) word meaning she rises, or to rise up. This song calls on the sacred feminine to rise together. Ajeet - When She Rises [Official Music Video] Andra Day Performs “Rise Up” Live at Hudson Yards -- For the grand opening of Hudson Yards (NYC), Andra Day sings her original song “Rise Up” alongside Alvin Ailey Dancers. --When I hear her sing, “move mountains,” I hear, “move Martin (Dr. King)…” Matayah - Rise Up (Clip Official 2019 - Reggae) --seeing tonight’s Zoom meeting clip with the steel drum had me go look for a reggae version of “rise up”. BTW – I have a family member in the Philly area - Kyle Dunleavy - that makes very cool steel pans. Among his clients is Ray Holman - a world famous composer, arranger and performer of steel pan music. On Kyle's Facebook page, Kyle is shown jamming with Ray. Java Jukebox - Rise Up (Official Video) --from 2020 Will Evans - Rise (Live Acoustic at Reggae Rise Up Florida Music Festival) Will Evans - "Rise" (Official Music Video) --he takes us into the world of nature…a fitting video that addresses the systemic evils of ecological devastation. Lyrics are under the video. TheFatRat - Rise Up (Orchestra Version) “Here we come back to life, we‘re still breathing Standing up, everybody‘s gonna see it Oh all you need to know is that we‘re holding on Even if we fall We rise up” Get Up Stand Up | Playing For Change & Keith Richards | Song Around The World --takin' some artistic liberty: "Get Up," "Stand Up," "and "Rise Up" all evoke the same energy Source: https://justseeds.org/event/ppc-chicago-art-build/ Miming for Justice: Dancing Standing Still Here’s an article about the recent mime project I mentioned during the Zoom meeting. It took place recently in Washington, and aimed to awaken people to the need to change the narrator-in-chief. Bodies on the Front Lines: Dancing for Social Justice Making a Connection Between Movement and Social Movements “You have to have levels to the protest,” Ms. Avery, who is going into her senior year of high school, said over the phone. “Some people need music and others want to march and chant. Some people want to dance.” “I think that joy is a revolutionary emotion…” Ms. Razak said she had long seen dance as a force in racial justice movements, pointing to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, where the toyi-toyi dance was both a tool for protest and a celebratory expression. “It’s the way we rev the body up to stand in front of police and tear gas,” she said. “These technologies of music and dance are almost always how oppressed people have managed to survive.” Graffiti for Change: Bypassing the Corporate Media Source: 64 Powerful Street Art Pieces That Tell The Uncomfortable Truth Hope to see you in the streets...AND, give me a shout if you'd like to know more about the Poor People's Campaign. Peace, tOM #music #art #socialjustice #PoorPeoplesCampaign #PlayingForChange #DoobieBrothers #MikeyPauker #OneEarthLive #RogerRidley #AjeetKaur #AndraDay #Matayah #JavaJukebox #WillEvans #TheFatRat #miming #dancing #CharonHribar #KyleDunleavy

Sturgeon [sic] General’s Listener Advisory: Some of the songs in this post might cause changes in your heart rate or rhythm. Please call 911 or go to your local emergency room if you start moving uncontrollably. I’ve notified my own cardiologist about the following listening experience, so when he reads the report from the rate/rhythm tracker in my chest, he won’t be concerned. Shoshone Invocation – Mickey Hart (former Grateful Dead drummer) --An opening blessing reminding us of our humble place among the elemental forces of nature… --I wrote about Mickey’s Leonardo da Vinci-like career – in and out of bands in this 2018 post. Shoshone Invocation – Rolling Thunder, Cherokee Medicine Man --good indigenous peoples’ visuals Snapped the above photo while out walking before yesterday’s tropical storm. Figured I’d use it here, as it applies to some of the music I’ve selected for this post… This post began as a summer weather system known as Isaias was movin on up to the East Side (Coast) and my sister Julie sent an email to see how us Northerners were making out. Listen in on my reply… Before the rain started, I took care of some outside business: walking, feeding our birds, tying up our butterfly bush (broke at its 3" base yesterday under the weight of all its blossoms and some early storm winds). Now sheltering in place with some music, including an appropriate one: Shelter from the Storm - Bob Dylan Current Events: AC/DC The "war" between Tesla and Edison over alternating vs. direct current made for a great movie – The Current War. AC eventually prevailed as the dominant system over DC. However, during today's storm, as our power alternated between ON and OFF, I would have preferred “direct,” as in “constant.” Update: In the movie, Edison in his arrogance berates his rival – Tesla – saying that Tesla’s name will never appear on anything. Well…there’s a black automobile in our driveway with the letter “T” on its hood. The car belongs to son John and I don’t think the insignia is a monogram for his last name. For Pedro – Thanks for intro-ing me to this band: Thunderstruck – AC/DC En-lightning Experiences Back in my surfing days, me and my brother Mike went down to Rockaway Beach one evening to check out the waves. While on the boardwalk and standing near a lamppost (No, I wasn’t in Narnia), I started to feel a tingling on my scalp. I glanced over at my brother and his thick, long hair was sticking straight up into the air. As our eyes locked, he said the same thing to me. We both screamed, “Let’s get the hell outta here” and ran for our VW Buses – mine a ‘65 and his a ‘61. As we did, lightning struck where we had been standing. If we hadn’t paid attention to the messages our bodies were giving us… …we’d have been transported to the heavenly line up (a surfing term for the place in the water where surfers sit waiting for their next wave). As I was writing this, I started wondering… (For Mike, Richie, Deacon Rick and others…) …Is there surfing in heaven? --If you are still or were once a practitioner of “the sport of kings,” you might find this guy’s blog enjoyable reading as he rides two themes: · How to maintain a proper work/life balance · A history of the Southern California surf culture from the 1950’s-1980’s Teresa, a Facebook friend posted the above photo on July 24. (I was blessed to be one of her children’s Sunday school teachers.) I replied,” Holy coincidence! Last night at 1 am I went the field across from my house to watch the call-and-response, cloud-to-cloud lightning. I recorded about 12 minutes of footage that I plan to add to another similar enlightening experience from last year. Gonna add The Doors Riders on the Storm as background and upload it. BTW - are you a fan of G-d’s cosmic light show?” “Grateful I’m Not Dead” That slogan is actually on one of my tee shirts and is featured in at least one recent post. It’s also how I’m gonna’ intro this next story about storms. I was with some buddies outside the Manhattan Center Ballroom waiting on line to see the Grateful Dead. It was a cold winter’s night in a deep and dark December. No, I wasn’t waiting to see Simon and Garfunkel! As we stood together on the sidewalk, it started to snow and that was accompanied by thunder and lightning. Someone in the crowd exclaimed in amazement, “Far out…what a light shown the Dead have!…it even plays outside…” I’ll leave you to hypothesize on the cause of his insight. FYI – We all agreed with him. It was a great evening! The crowd was so wired up and fired up that, as I remember it, the police came and barricaded us INSIDE, in an effort to protect NYC from us crazy hippies. Great Balls of Fire When I left NY for Callie in 1973, my parents asked to accompany me. It was part of the major reconciliation that had been taking place – I wrote about it in the post for Father’s Day in 2019. We travelled in my VW Bus – Dad taking photos and Mom writing poetry – camping along the way. Mind you, Dad was 63 and retired and Mom a few years younger. Cool, huh? We’ll the first night out under the stars, they got obscured and we got soaked by a rainstorm. I had pitched the tent at the bottom of a hill. Not-ready-for-Lewis & Clark! The next day we went to Niagara Falls and I strung clotheslines from my Bus to nearby light poles to dry out our gear. Bunch of gypsies! A few days later we were somewhere in Missouri. I had been driving all day and was beat. See, neither parent drove. I would teach my Dad to drive after I returned to NY in 1975. My Mom never forgave me : ))) We had been nestled in our sleeping bags for a little while, when I noticed what I thought were flashes of light. I know what you might be thinking – No, no magic mushrooms had been ingested for dinner. As I raised my head and peered out of the tent, I saw what looked like balls of light rolling on the ground through our campsite. It woke me up like a double shot of espresso! I roused my Dad and Mom and we drove off into the night. Years later, I realized I had witnessed an unusual phenomenon known as ball lightning. Lightning’s Striking Again – Lou Christie Age improves with Stones... Hey, You, Get off my Cloud – Rolling Stones --1965 - from Hullabaloo Show Stones Improve with Age... Hey, You, Get off my Cloud – Rolling Stones --2006 - Mick can still move… Ridin’ Out the Storm One more tune – 2 cool versions: Riders On The Storm - (The Doors) Extended Remastered Version / Video produced by David Edison The Doors - Riders On The Storm (ORIGINAL!) - driving with Jim Encore: In this next song, there IS a connection to the “storms” theme – it’s in the following lyrics: “Well, I just got into town about an hour ago Took a look around, see which way the wind blows” The Doors - Music Video - L.A. Woman 1971 The words "Mr Mojo Risin'" in the lyrics are an anagram of "Jim Morrison". Keyboardist Ray Manzarek explained this song's meaning to Uncut magazine in September 2011, "A song about driving madly down the LA freeway... You're a beatnik on the road, like Kerouac and Neal Cassady, barreling down the freeway as fast as you can go." More “liner notes” at AZLyrics.com. We’re mostly H2O…so, go with the Flow…it’s both within you and without you… (lyrics at end) Our Earth’s surface is about 71% water of which 96.5% is in salt water oceans. Our bodies are a microcosm of Earth’s: “…the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery: 31%.” Go with the Flow – whether fast or slow…trust it to take us where we need to go Go with the Flow – Queens of the Stone Age “I want something good to die for To make it beautiful to live.” Full lyrics Sometimes, the Flow is both “nice & easy” AND “nice & ROUGH” Proud Mary – Tina Turner “And I never lost a minute of sleepin' Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been” (THAT’S goin’ with the Flow!!!) The Wind Cries Mary – Jimi Hendrix --“Wind”…”Mary” – just fits in (nicely or roughly – your call) as this post flows along And then there are times, the Flow transports us out of our usual world – actually, that’s often what it takes to get us to change… Go with the Flow (Jessica!) (Rick and Morty Remix) Flowing Upside Down: Dead Man Float If, as the saying goes… …then board my Ship of Fools…………… and this Live version "I won't slave for beggar's pay, likewise gold and jewels; but I would slave to learn the way to sink your ship of fools." Hmmm…could we apply this to our Ship of State…it seems adrift…? “You don’t need a weatherman To know which way the wind blows” “Girl by the whirlpool Lookin’ for a new fool Don’t follow leaders Watch the parkin’ meters” --Subterranean Homesick Blues – Bob Dylan …Our Ship of State seems adrift without a moral compass…It’ll take some Dead Reckoning to get it back on course…NO!...to get it on a NEW COURSE… Perhaps, Captain Bligh IS at our helm as this writer muses. …We will mutiny and sink the ship of fools…with our nonviolent resistance…doing new things in a new, united way… …so, grab your gear… and let’s tackle another serious job - finding some Dead fish – they’re easier to catch – so laid back (or, if your prefer, Phish - another good vibe band)… Catfish John – Jerry Garcia & the Grateful Dead “Born a slave in the town of Vicksburg Traded for a chestnut mare Lord, her never spoke in anger Though his load was hard to bear” Dead end (End of the Dead Set) Been planning to do some car-related posts. After seeing the earlier driving videos, gonna push this up my “to-be” list. "Within You Without You" We were talking about the space between us all And the people who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion Never glimpse the truth, then it's far too late, when they pass away We were talking about the love we all could share When we find it, to try our best to hold it there with our love With our love, we could save the world, if they only knew Try to realize it's all within yourself No one else can make you change And to see you're really only very small And life flows on within you and without you We were talking about the love that's gone so cold And the people who gain the world and lose their soul They don't know, they can't see, are you one of them? When you've seen beyond yourself then you may find Peace of mind is waiting there And the time will come when you see we're all one And life flows on within you and without you PLAYLIST OF ALL SONGS IN THIS POST Note: I had to substitute a YouTube version for Within You Without You because I couldn't find a way to add the Vimeo version I used to this playlist. Any help would be appreciated!!! Peace (but keep it in high gear!) Tom #music #humor #storms #family #TheJeffersons #BobDylan #Tesla #Edison #ACDC #lightning #surfing #VWBus #GratefulDead #ManhattanCenterBallroom #TheDoors #GratefulDead #nonviolence #resistance #fishing #flow #JerryGarcia #RBuckminsterFuller #Phish #RickAndMorty #JerryLeeLewis #GeorgeHarrison #QueensOfTheStoneAge #MickeyHart #RollingThunder #DeadReckoning

Our first meeting We first met in the summer of 1969 at Sir George's Smorgasbord Restaurant off Pacific Coast Highway, just north of LA. You were working as a waitress, and as I later learned, you had assumed a human body to hide your alien identity. You didn’t know it when we arrived that night but me and my surfing buddies were also in incognito mode, hoping to locate and detain the Silver Surfer and bring him back to our solar system, where he could be tried for crimes against humanity and other species. That summer evening (Earthdate July 20, 1969) we descended on the restaurant for our weekly engorgement on the all-you-can-eat menu. After we had cleaned out all the food, we watched as the Earthlings marveled as their first emissary landed on the moon. It was no big deal for me and I noticed that you also didn’t take any special notice of it. More on that in a parsec. The manager at Sir George’s was really pissed, as we ate up all his profits every week. That particular evening, when we had finished, we asked for take-out - and each of us guys got to take out a different waitress. Dancing on the dark side of the moon We then went down to the beach to watch the dark side of the moon and do some moon dancing. As we talked on the beach, I learned why the moon landing was no big deal for you. We discovered that neither of us were originally from planet Earth, but had taken up temporary quarters and bodies in California because it was easy to blend in with the locals, especially the hippies – they were always spaced out and accepted anyone they met. Even their language – such as “Far out” - intimated that they seemed comfortable with the notion that there might be life on other planets. --Would you "fall" for an old trick and take an apple from this guy? Some of the more enlightened humans actually believe in aliens, having seen them during what they called their out-of-body, out-of-mind experiences that sometimes happened at gatherings they called rock concerts and festivals. Our mission on Earth To that point, one of my crew named Mike was heading east to attend something called “Woodstock,” in the hopes that he might locate the Silver Surfer. From my previous visits to Earth, I learned that sometimes the best place for an alien to blend in – is in plain sight. I once met a rock band that used this tactic boldly – as they called themselves “UFO” – and had the chutzpah to write a song about the offspring of an interplanetary relationship, which they titled “Space Child.” God Some Earthlings worship a being without form they call “God.” As part of this practice, they read from special books. I found it interesting that this belief, as they call it, in an extraterrestrial entity allows them to create texts that affirm their acceptance of life on other planets. Their Bible, as it’s known, contains two main parts and each has a reference to otherworldly beings: --from a book they call "Exodus, near the beginning of the collection, I saw a text marked as "Ex. 2:22" – “And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.” This is obviously code for “aliens.” --and here’s one such example from a book named "1 Peter" near the end of the collection. It states: “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world…” From these words, it would seem that they are also, like us, from another world. I’ll have to follow up on that and see what else we might have in common. Maybe we can enlist their help in finding the Silver Surfer. In fact, he might actually be the devil that they warn their followers about. God hates ( ) - they fill in the name of the group they love to exclude Note however, that not everyone who practices religion is accepting of alien life forms or even of other humans who are different from them. Remember my friend Mike who I mentioned earlier went back east to go to Woodstock? Well, he sent me this image he took of a sign that he saw when he visited one of the big cities south of Woodstock: Walking on the moon As the night wore on, remember how we laughed at how the Earthlings made such a big deal about walking on the moon. Why, we had each done that many times. Once, Michael Jackson even joined me when he was playing a gig there. You think he moves on earth, you should see him groove in a club that has one-sixth the gravity of Earth. Oh, besides, we were there first... We were there first As proof, remember I showed you these images I happened to have on my EyePhoneX? You'll note that the above BusKraft was already there when the first humans arrived. And here's an image of one of the surface craft we use to get around on the moon. This is one of our HoverBusses that's more practical over rough terrain. And this is from one of our illustrated stories for children showing our advanced technology. This predated the Earthling's TV show "The Jetson's," which was actually created by fellow aliens posing as members of the Hollywood firm of Hanna-Barbera. How far would you travel for takeout? The moon also had a good takeout restaurant that we found out both of us had visited during our frequent trips across the universe playing gigs. Speaking of good eats, the next time we get together in the far reaches of space, I suggest we go to Mos Eisley's Cantina on Tatooine. It’s has a rough crowd but a hot band. And there’s another takeout owned by a guy called “Pizza the Hutt” that I heard is pretty good. Dancin’ on moonbeams When the night was over, we both agreed that the next time we were on Earth we’d meet again right here on the beach, when the moon was full and its beams danced on the water. BTW – This video gives new meaning to the pledge the Earthling’s make when they exchange bodily fluids in a ritual called “marriage” in which they say, “til death do us part.” Let’s plan to meet again Anyway, give me a call the next time you’re in this galaxy. And, if you ever plan to go to the Ford Galaxie, send me a telepathic message. I got a friend named Lone Starr who hails from there. You can spot him riding in a spacecraft that looks like this: Some closing comments about Earthlings and their sense of time and space Personally, I don’t think the majority of people of this planet are ready for time travel and the reality that time itself is an illusion – there is no time. It’s always “now.” There are, however, a few exceptions. Here are two notable examples: --Ram Dass – an enlightened being who wrote about time travel in “Be Here Now” --Eckhart Tolle – who emphasized the importance of living in the present moment in a book called “The Power of Now” That said, even some of their space explorers are still confused about time. Here’s one case. But they are making progress is developing technology that’ll enable them to get around the cosmos more quickly. Note that this is still in the testing phase as we can see in this clip. If Earthlings screw up their planet, at least one futurist has an evacuation plan It also appears that a wealthy space explorer named Elon Musk is planning on developing colonies on other worlds. He’s also trying to improve land travel by making it faster and funnier. Why he’s even incorporated gags from a famous space comedy movie. Here’s another look at it. Music for long space(y) voyages Travel to the stars requires a special type of music that can help keep the voyager in a state of suspended animation for a long time - possibly years. Fortunately, key Earthling musicians have been developing this suspension-of-time-and-space sound technology since the 60's. Among the most innovative is a band known as the Grateful Dead. There are too many of their space-travel-friendly tracks to include here, so I'll just highlight a few: Dark Star - from the Woodstock festival mentioned above Dark Star / The Other One / Dark Star / Wharf Rat / St Stephen Space/Drums Space Space/St. Stephen Stardate: 8/9/20 - This post was written when a cool Facebook friend asked her friends to make up an outrageous story about how we met. What you just read is a combination of truth and fiction -in essence, resembling what most of us experience in a typical 24-hour revolution around our star. #music #humor #aliens #moon #space #ElonMusk #Tesla #VanMorrison #MichaelJackson #GratefulDead #SpaceBalls #PinkFloyd #UFO #Bible #EasyRider #Beatles #StarWars #StarTrek #FamilyBand #SilverSurfer #Marvel