“How Trump’s Allies Are Still Defending Him: Denial, Deflection, Disinformation – They falsely claimed President Trump had no role in spurring the assault on the Capitol. They resorted to false equivalencies. Some even questioned whether the mob was an anti-Trump ‘false flag.'”: https://nyti.ms/3s9Gt2e

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Yes there were Q-Anon people … yes there were alt-right provocateurs spoiling for a fight … but mostly this is best seen as a peasant revolt in the truest sense of the word peasant. The accumulated grievances that you cited found a voice in Donald Trump, who from the first moment when he came down that escalator and denounced immigrants knew he had struck political gold. If you look at the history of peasant revolts in this country and in Europe they don’t just go away quickly.

For me the burning question is this. Every American heard all the same lies over and over from Donald Trump and his enablers. Tens of thousands ended up so lost in the echo chamber they ended up storming the Capital. Many more silently agreed with the lies. The vast majority of Americans were impervious to the lies.

Why is it that one person hears a lie and storms the Capital and another recognizes it for the falsehood it is? And how do we bridge that gap between the multiple America that now exist? We have gone from one out of many to many out of one.

I leave you with the thought that maybe, maybe, maybe there is no road back. I hope and pray I’m wrong, but I wouldn’t be shocked if a hundred years from now this country looks quite different from today.

George Laugelli

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“Under his watch, America became exceptional mostly in the scale of its suffering during the coronavirus pandemic. North of the border and across the Atlantic, onlookers could find in America’s woes reasons for pride in their own countries’ universal health care. And they could see in the weeks of racial unrest in the United States last summer, as well as the neo-Nazi tattoos sported by some of the Capitol rioters, evidence that their own societies’ experiments with multicultural democracy were perhaps enjoying greater health.” from the Washington Post..sure you read it..the only thing that surprises me is how long it took them to present it. I guess they were scratching their heads wondering how the fuck do we put this latest catastrophe into a couple of paragraphs?..Once AGAIN America is caught with their pants down..boo hoo..where were the security forces and your so called sophisticated intelligence agencies who had weeks to connect the dots prior to an obvious incendiary event?  I thought bonfires were illegal in Washington? I find it hilarious that one of your brilliant Congressmen was already blaming Antifa..how could he surmise that when he hadn’t even left the fucking building?..you guys are too much..I guess mindless speculation is the equivalent of education/intelligence in your country.. Okay Randy..slow down..take a breath..USA eh?.. Let’s talk about what you did right…um..nothing..alright, let’s talk about what you did wrong..EVERYTHING!..When are you fuckers gonna wake up?..and don’t give me this shit about 9/11. That was an inside job and you know it…can you say conspiracy?  As Canadians we weep for  our cousins south of the border…And no, the whole world DOES NOT have to be like you..And now that same world is laughing at the greatest democracy in the world. If we can’t depend on the emerald Capitol on the Hill for inspiration, where does that leave the rest of us?…Oh, don’t worry, I’ll drop a few bandaids in the mail for ya’ll next solution..that is if I can get it through Trump’s deliberately fucked up Postal Service..hug ya later baby..gotta go now..nitey nite!

Randy Dawson

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The main currency of today is supremacy.  Money is one form of supremacy, but interpersonal supremacy is the ultimate reward – between man and woman, friend and friend, man and nature, left and right.  More than money?  Ego rules.  That was the big reward in the Capitol Wednesday – the ego rush of being center stage.  I think a lot of these people make decent money.  My Trump friends make decent money.  What they don’t have is pride.

In the new world, pride/ego is everything.  Trump was the picture of pride.  The middle finger.  White pride.  Man pride.  Obnoxious and awkward dork slash incel pride.   Trump was what they wanted to be.  A god for many.

I believe the corruption is deeper than you think.  It’s worse than you think.

Assuming that’s the battleground, I’m not sure Biden has the horsepower to create a new national pride. Maybe.  But without it, we are worse than doomed.

The onus is on the artists now.  And we have nothing to lose.

richard sales

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Well said Bob. The American dream is a lie. The (R)azi Party tells everyone they are going to get rich, so support the money machine.

We are a nation of gamblers. The wealthy play the stock market with each other, the middle class goes to the casinos, and the poor play the lottery. They forget, the ‘House’ always wins, and the house is owned by the 1% and their sycophancy.

it’s a class war! Until the people step to the head of the class, they lose. Like Bernie says, there should be no multi-billionaires.  One bullion should be enough. .j.

John Hartmann

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What happened yesterday was because white people refuse to treat white people’s arguments the same way that they treat black people’s arguments. Essentially, white people can’t help but give white people the benefit of the doubt, the same benefit of the doubt they’ll never give black people because they’re not white.

Until you write about that, explore that, contemplate that, think on that, you’re just an old white man driveling away.

Aaron Henderson

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This is basically the breakdown of the soviet union. If you have cash or influence/blackmail you’re fine

James Kirst

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Why is everyone so shocked by what happened at the Capital?  Trump’s been stoking that fire since Nov 3rd. (He also said at his rally the Warnock and Ossoff’s election victories were rigged, too.)  But perhaps more than his perpetual spewing of verbal accelerant, what about his total and complete silence on: COVID spikes, the vaccine distribution fiasco, intel hacking, bounties on US soldiers, each a complete and total abdication of duty.

With respect for for those advocating Trump’s impeachment, although deserved, why would we reward Pence with a few days of Presidential authority or perception, when he’s been totally complicit in this train wreck of an admin for 4-years?  Why contribute to a perception that Pence is even marginally worthy of such responsibility? Don’t elevate his stature, even short-term. Let him rot and drown in the guilt of being Trump’s sidecar, both leaving a 4-year trail of leaking oil and stench in their wake.

Stuart K. Marvin

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” . . . but when something as bad as this happened in the last century, you’d feel the buzz amongst the populace, that something unique was going on, something dangerous. Just ask anybody who lived through Kent State, . . . ”

I was enrolled at Kent State from 1965 – 1970 on a tennis scholarship.  I attended the May 4, 1970, noon rally.  At the time I was student teaching and took off one day to see what was transpiring on my college campus because National Guardsmen and tanks were brought to the campus over the weekend.

The students at the rally were mostly peaceful protestors.  A very small number were aggressive agitators.  My girlfriend, Sandy Scheuer, and other friends were curious students who attended the rally.

As the guardsmen dispersed the crowd with tear gas, they walked through the crowd, over a hill and down into a small field.  We followed behind and stood in a parking lot facing the guardsmen.  After the guardsmen spent some time there pointing their rifles at the students, the guardsmen retreated back up the hill to return to their home base.  I waved goodbye to Sandy as she went to her afternoon class.

Approximately, twenty seconds later I heard a barrage of shots.  I dropped behind a VW car.  After the 13 seconds of 67 shots fired, I got up.  Near me was William Schroeder, one of the four students killed.  Sandy Scheuer was also killed.  I still get goosebumps telling this story.

When the MAGA protestors stormed the Capitol, I immediately reflected on my past experience.

Four dead in Ohio (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) and four dead in D.C.

Joel Schackne

Davie, FL

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Any thoughts on why this is such a big story? The way I see it, several dozen people broke some windows, did a little vandalism and posed for some photos. Our government was never in any real danger.  Is it because it happened at the Capitol building?  It was a bit shocking to see, but nothing like what I saw unfold in early June, when American cites and billions of dollars of public and private property were being trashed, and many lives were lost. The left was actually encouraging it and setting up bail funds for rioters. It doesn’t seem to me that Trump intentionally encouraged or incited the violence, but of course that’s the story the left is spinning.

It’s sad that someone was shot and killed yesterday, in what appears to be an unjustified shooting based on the full video of the incident. However, I’m for some reason not as shocked by yesterday’s events as what appears to be the consensus on social and mainstream media. The events of the past 12 months have pretty much numbed me. It would take some disaster of epic proportions to shock me at this point.

Anthony Ferrara

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Thank you for your cogent perspective on unfolding events of 2021.

The biggest atrocity of the riot is not as much of that our “commander-in-chief “ stirred foment on January 6, 2021. The biggest atrocity is that the Capitol (and all it stands for) was left vulnerable, and was allowed to be breached.

And for what?
Putting feet on desk?
Scattering papers?
Taking selfies with statues?

My hypothesis:
Trump as “Commander-in-Chief “ blocked advanced planning that would have protected the Capitol and those inside.

There was adequate preparation when Black Lives Matter protests where planned.
Where was that planning and preparation in the weeks that lead to the event of January 6, 2021?

May I propose sending this “LAME DUCK” home to Florida for the duration of his term?

His abuse of  executive power can’t get any worse, can it?

From San Diego CA
Joyce Ann Martin

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Well you’ve finally said a few things I can connect with:

1. The truth can’t be found…anywhere. If it could, I think we could work out our problems. But I don’t think we’ll ever get to it now.

2. If you don’t own your problems, you can’t fix them. Millions of Americans believe our elections are rigged and there is an absolute refusal at all levels to have any investigation into it. This is what creates the kind of insanity we saw yesterday. And we will likely see more, if the new administration and Congress refuse to address it.

Tucker Carlson got it right last night, so I’m glad you added the link.

Trump is gone now, so all the libs can quit crying about him. Now they will see the real problem, as you point it out so well in this post. Their savior is not one at all.

They have a savior in the Democrat party, but they’ve shit all over him twice now.

Peace to all,

Larry Allen

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The Democratic party and the journalism/Hollywood elite should drop the “unification” language — it was always bull — and admit it. With everything but the Supreme Court sewn up: Congress, the White House, print and entertainment — they can now go about bringing the discontented to heel. It is what they have always desired from the start. Don’t pretend it’s about government. It’s about rule.

Just be honest about it.

erpietri

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This was a set up from the git go. The Maryland National Guard were given orders not to respond.

Trump and his rotten kids should spend the rest of their stinking lives in prison. Trump already owned 23 bodies in El Paso and more in Pittsburgh etc. Now this. Trump is 100% responsible.

Larry Brown (guitarist)

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“CELEBRITY TRUMPS REALITY”, ditto the televised OJ Simpson trial and he was a celebrated black man. His celebrity status even got him over that hurdle, from the Police to the public and the Jury.

Also – If Obama had instigated and incited Wednesday’s event on the Capitol he’d be locked up now and the Police etc would have been shooting the demonstrators.

Eddie Gordon

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You’re an idiot

You remind me of a 60’s folk singer 2000 word lyrics and no talent

Dallas Cole

P.S. As an addendum to my previous reply I must admit your newsletter does serve purpose I read it late at night because it helps me to fall asleep

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As a reader for quite a few years, and being of an age only a bit older than you, I found myself a bit envious of your ability to consolidate over 50 years into one piece, without doing what many of us do — ramble.  Kudos.

I thought back to RFK (dead), then Gene McCarthy who we who were about to vote for the first time thought could lead the country in the right direction – the Dem Convention and Daley’s head-bashing police department –

Watergate which may be the hallmark of what government could do to rectify truly bad behavior – but it wouldn’t have happened without loyal citizens – Woodward/Bernstein/Bradlee/Graham/WAPO and ‘deep throat’ – what did he say – follow the money?

There you have it — the money.

If you forget history you’re bound to repeat it?

They don’t teach this stuff in schools, there are no civics classes either — so when Jay Leno in the 90’s did his man on the street routine and asked a tourist at Universal Studios ‘who did George Washington defeat when he led our troops into war?’  This ‘voter’ said ‘um, Hitler??’

Thanks for this piece Bob — I hope all of your readers read it all the way through.

R. Lowenstein

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Thanks! We need a New New Deal.

I am not optimistic – but maybe.

Bernie keeps pushing.

Looking forward to seeing your mailbag this time.

Tom Murray

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You got a lot right. But all the trouble is over now. Trump tried his hardest but even he couldn’t beat the system. Transition will happen peacefully now. Yesterday was just some crazies that were all subdued in a few hours.

John Paterson

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I have been telling you what was coming this entire year Bob. This country can not be righteous until white people stop lying to each other and the entire world about what america is has been and was created as. Everything in this nation is rooted in white supremacy. Until white people defeat white supremacy ideology (it’s not black folks job), america will continue to be what it is and what this entire year has exposed it to be to the rest of the world. The truth has now been broadcast all around the globe live and in color.

PS. By the way it isn’t racist to tell the truth about white people and the history of this country. That is the problem, nobody especially white folks want to tell the truth about white American history. It’s all been white washed, pun intended!

Mazi Ray

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No, Bob, it’s racism. Pure and simple. These assholes have been with us even when the economy was booming.

Dave Curtis

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Bob, The news creates more content than Netflix. I have two friends that said they were at the Capitol at the time it “happened” and they said it was a fabrication. That’s what they said. What do I know? Keep watching the news. You’ll be misinformed. I’ll choose to be uninformed.

Nick Wegener

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Grab a tissue. You will never understand the other side. Stay in Hollywood you belong there. Tom Ryan

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Bob I was waiting for your response and I think you hit it dead on, money rules the USA and much, if not all of the world.

My dad raised 9 kids on one salary and we always had what we needed, food, clothing and shelter. Today people can barely make it by with two incomes and two kids, living paycheck to paycheck, I know I am.

After that debacle, insurrection at the Capitol. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing I was in disbelief. Bob you said months ago that Trump would do anything and everything to stay and I was incredulous, thought you were fear mongering. Your thoughts came to fruition and it seemed like American democracy blew up yesterday. It’s all anyone was talking about at work today here in Canada.

But Trump has to go and I wish they could or would use the 25th Amendment, so that way he couldn’t run again but it doesn’t look like that will happened. Perhaps impeachment, I guess we’ll see.

Income inequality is tearing this world apart. I live in socialist Canada, in a medium sized city in east Canada and landlords and developers own our city. They build whatever they want, wherever they want. Rent increases were getting so bad, 100, 250, 600 a month that finally the government brought in temporary rent control.

I despair for the future of this world. Trump will have massive influence in the Republican party when he leaves in a few weeks and that is a tragedy.

We need reform, we need to give people a chance at a good life, like my Dad had who worked at a steel plant for 45 years provided for our family. The steel plant is long gone and that world that you grew up in Bob that I grew up in, is long gone…….

Doug Gillis

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Pete Hegseth, one of the biggest MAGAs on Fox, talking about the Capitol riots, said on air, “This is the result of frustration that a lot of people feel. I frankly wasn’t surprised. I am not saying it is okay, I’m not saying all those things, but the images didn’t shock me.”

***

When I was 10 or 11 years old, myself and a few friends spent a very hot and dry summer day swimming at one of the local parks. Around 4pm we were leaving, and as we walked through the park in the hot sun toward the exit/entrance, we came across a large party in one of the buildings in the park. Everybody was inside, eating, drinking and being merry. There was a radio tuned into the local rock station.

Outside the building, up against the wall, there were three trash cans. They were metal 55-gallon drums painted bright yellow with “Parks Dept” stenciled on the side in green. As we walked by the trash barrels I noticed a full book of matches sitting right on top of one of them. I grabbed the matchbook and said, “Hey guys, watch this. I bet I can land a match in each barrel from 10 feet.” I had recently learned to flick matches from a matchbook by pressing the match between my forefinger and the sandpaper on the book, and then scraping the match along the sandpaper, igniting it as it launches, creating a cool little fireball that flies through the air. You probably know what I’m talking about. It was fun!

I step back while my friends watch and start launching matches. I should mention all three cans were full of trash of various types: bottles, cans, paper plates, picnicking supplies, bags, everything you can think of that’s disposable that you’d take to a party in the park.

So I launch the first match into the first can. Score! Second match into the second can. Score! Third match into the third can. Score! A perfect run. A triple!

The third can was overflowing with paper plates, paper napkins, paper bags and styrofoam cups. Within a few seconds of the match landing, flames started growing out of the can, and within about 10 seconds they were as tall as the building, licking the eaves, and the bright yellow paint on the side of the barrel started bubbling, melting and dripping.

In a panic, my friends ran away. I went inside the party looking for help. An adult saw me and asked who I was and what I was doing there. I told him there was a fire in a garbage can outside. He ran outside, took a quick look, ran back inside, grabbed a large yellow 10 or 15 gallon insulated plastic serving cooler full of Kool-Aid, took it outside and dumped it all into the can, putting out the fire. Disaster averted!

Afterward he mused out loud, “I wonder how it started? It’s so hot and the cans were in the sun so maybe it started itself. Maybe somebody threw a cigarette in there. Anyway, I’m glad you came along at just the right time, otherwise it could have been much worse. As it is all we lost was some Kool-Aid.”

– – – – –

Fox News** today is like the child I was on that hot summer day in 1978. What we need now is a quick-thinking adult to put out the fire they’ve started by flicking matches for decades.

** “Fox News” includes all of conservative media; talk radio, podcasts, YouTube, etc (Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Hugh Hewitt, OANN, Newsmax, Alex Jones, Ben Shapiro, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire, etc)

Dave Nelson
Nashville, TN

PS: my friends are like the republicans who were for overturning the election by any means necessary, until they weren’t. Josh Hawley, I’m looking at you.

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GREAT post Bob!  In the past I’ve been annoyed when you’ve called out usually the right instead of the left…  but here you point out so many of the underlying problems on both sides and in so many industries and over time and with the system in general and with media…    I, as I’m sure you and most of your readers have, have been debating the problems of the country a lot in the past few days… how could we get here… problems are cultural, political, macro / finance / govt related…  most of it boils down to money, short term-ism and loss of discipline and values.. from the lowest to the highest levels… imho

Robert Corwin

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I have friends texting me concerned there’s going to be a civil war. Yet, if you just don’t read the headlines or watch the news, you’d never know anything happened. Most Americans are glad Trump is leaving office. There’s always a few wackos who are upset they didn’t get their way and unfortunately, 4 people los their lives because of it.

Social media was flooded today with amazing memes about these terrorists. How police were so prepared for the BLM marches yet, basically allowed these terrorists into the Capitol Building. Also, who and what are they angry at? They’re mad Trump lost and are demanding something be done? Where’s the evidence of any fraud?? But, I thought the Dems were the only ones who protested and rioted?? Turns out, that’s not true.

Danny Jay

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Heavy Bob, a lot of reactions I’m sure. One thing is right though, it’s only starting. No sign of a leader and if one turns up they get chopped down. We’re fucked when all that matters is money and more fucking money. How long before the rope snaps.

Gordon Burke

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Thanks for the insightful and powerful post. While so many of us watched the events in horror, I think we also wondered, “How in the world could these people DO this?”

Your post reminded me of something I experienced a long time ago. Back in 1976, I was invited to be a youth representative on a tour of the then-Soviet Union. It was our Bicentennial year, of course, and the Soviets allowed a small delegation of Americans to tour, visit with and speak for leaders there.

We were well prepared…which eliminated any naïveté about what we were going to experience. Everyone we met and every place we visited, was sanitized for the tour. We were going to speak only to those whom the Soviets were convinced could not be influenced, even though that was never really our intent.

I learned many things — but, sadly, here’s the primary one: it’s easy to train a human being when they only have one source of information and influence.

During a difficult time in the Cold War, I wanted those Soviets (we were instructed NOT to call them “Russians”) to know that we were peaceful. They would have none of it.

Part of the reason is because they had access to only one source of information. We were the bad guys because that’s all they knew about us. It was all they were told about us.

They believed what they were told…and were told what they wanted to believe. For the Soviet Union at that time, keeping the populace in line was where the money was.

It seems strange to make that point when there is now a plethora of sources of information. But, Bob, you’ve previously posted — and the research is there — that people like those who stormed the Capitol aren’t going to multiple outlets for information. They only go to one…maybe two…and exclusively to those who support their viewpoint.

They don’t think like the rest of us for the same reason the Soviets didn’t believe me in 1976…they don’t want to consider any viewpoint that messes with their mindset. They believe what Fox, Newsmax, etc. is telling them…and Fox and the rest keeps telling them what they want to believe. For those corporations, as you’ve pointed out, it’s where the money is.

And it means the people who horrified most of us as they raced through our Capitol were behaving exactly as we should’ve expected them to do. It’s all they know and it’s what they believe.

All this leaves me profoundly sad. I don’t know how we fix this. Like physical to streaming…this genie is never going back in the bottle.

Scott McKain

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Thanks, Bob, for summing it all up.

I’ve always believed that no one in America is going to do anything about anything until it starts to interfere with their TV reception.

My mantra for 2021? Think positive. Test negative.

Larry Butler

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Fuck you commie!

John McGraw

1

This is just the beginning.

I’m shocked, positively SHOCKED I TELL YOU, that Trump’s minions resorted to violence and broke into the Capitol. Who woulda thunk it? EVERYBODY!

I just didn’t feel it when Trump hassled Raffensperger. What I mean is it was heinous, but it was not palpable. Maybe it’s covid lockdown, maybe it’s the broad spectrum internet era, but when something as bad as this happened in the last century, you’d feel the buzz amongst the populace, that something unique was going on, something dangerous. Just ask anybody who lived through Kent State, never mind the assassination of President Kennedy. It’s like our entire nation has become blasé.

2

“Money talks and we’re the living proof

There ain’t no limit to what money can do

Money talks, money talks…”

“Money Talks”

The Kinks

https://bit.ly/2ME0vlf

It’s the economy, STUPID!

You could live on minimum wage in the seventies. Income inequality was of relatively little concern. There was not a plethora of billionaires, and what happened in your head and heart was still key, which is why humanities majors were prevalent at elite institutions, ain’t that a laugh, check the statistics today, if you major in art, or English, you’re laughed at, derided, even though they’re the basics of our society, and we all live for entertainment, especially in this covid era.

But then inflation was out of control and people wanted change. And Reagan got elected. And cut taxes and the run-up began, and the people with the money liked it, and they never wanted to give it up.

And during the nineties, the economy was raging, and to get re-elected, Bill Clinton eviscerated the welfare state and as the century turned, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. But the poor had computers and flat screens and ultimately smartphones so they were not entitled to complain. Unless you were literally starving on the street…oh, that didn’t work either, look at the homeless problem.

So…

By the middle of the second decade of this century, there was a new class of losers. Those who had high-paying blue collar jobs that had been shipped overseas, those in careers that didn’t pay enough, and with globalization they were all told to get service jobs, which pay poorly and…if you work in the Amazon warehouse, you’re treated little better than the robots rolling alongside you. The pressure!

Yes, America was a pressure cooker, but this was not acknowledged by the winners, who’d rigged the game in their favor, using their big bucks to buy off the government. Furthermore, no one in government even understood the internet and the behemoths it enabled, the techies ran circles around D.C.

So, you had no cash and no opportunity. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT!

Oh sure, there’s the issue of racism. But money always comes first, it always triumphs. And Trump latched on to this, employing scapegoats to make his point. Immigrants…any group that voted Democratic, then again, most of the bedrock blue collar voters had switched parties. The Dems kept saying to trust them while they did nothing for the downtrodden and the truth is it’s hard to make it in America today, and if you did, you were fine with maybe others rising up, but you were never gonna sacrifice, never ever, nor would your kids do so either. If you were poor? You could be an athlete or an entertainer, whether on reality TV or social media. Fame and money became our culture. And if someone made money, they were lionized, and assumed they knew better than the rest of us. As if knowing business makes you an expert in everything.

3

So Trump harnesses the discontent, and flummoxes not only the Republican party, but the Democrats too. The Republicans rallied around Trump, because the Republicans believe it’s about winning at any cost, damn your principles. As for the Democrats…they were completely clueless. There was a faction on the left pointing out the inequities, the need for change, but they were not heeded…not only the party, but the overpaid wankers on the news laughed at Bernie Sanders when the truth is he was on to something. This is Entertainment 101. You focus on the REACTION! As for Hillary Clinton, she evidenced the old paradigm, you paid your dues in the traditional ways and you earned your success, you were entitled to it, the same way old time musicians still bitch about streaming, as if the old game is ever going to come back, and be clear, it’s not.

So the Democrats self-flagellate, looking for answers. And they glom on to the racist bent, because they don’t want to look inside themselves, no way.

And the pollsters had been wrong, but they would not admit their model was broken, that polling was broken, everybody was not sitting at home eager to pick up the landline, many people will never pick up a phone call unless they’re clear who’s calling…we’re inundated with junk calls, even so-called “legitimate” calls, especially the “surveys.” Can we stop doing the work of these duplicitous companies, if you want my feedback, PAY ME! But the corporations, the winners, want everybody to work for free, saying it benefits the worker, the same way you post away on social media and they sell your info to advertisers and you lose all privacy along the way.

So, Trump gets elected and nothing changes. NOTHING! We’re told to rely on the system. This is like saying to rely on physical retail in the music business, that ship sailed YEARS AGO!

4

Then Trump does what he tells us he’s going to do. The left is positively shocked, and the right is happy. Meanwhile, the news outlets, even the best of them, are busy appearing fair and balanced while the network that employs that moniker is anything but. In other words, those truly with power EXPRESSED NO OUTRAGE!

It was like living through the Holocaust. Yes, a couple of years back I went to the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum. They had newspaper plates from the era. The Holocaust was in the news all the time, but what did we do in America? NOTHING!

The only recent outrage came from those with no base of power, without big bucks, so it was ignored.

As for the right, it has spent decades discrediting the news it does not control, to the point where “New York Times” became a pejorative and you only listened to messages that agreed with your sentiments. And anything said on the left was “biased.” Didn’t matter if it was true, it was not only discounted, but ignored, even though if you watch Fox they’re constantly referencing the “New York Times,” because unlike the channel, the “Times” actually does reporting.

Are you catching the schism? Between rich and poor and left and right?

And then came the internet.

5

Google provides different results to the same query. Right there, we have the root of this insanity. There’s no there there, no truth, no facts. And then Facebook and Twitter and other social media… They were not started by humanities majors, they were started by people who were eager to make MONEY! Not only did they not care about the consequences of their platforms, THEY WERE COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF THEM! And when the flaws were pointed out, they circled the wagons and denied them, the machine had to keep running, for the money, even though the money was flowing into ever fewer hands. How many of the poor had investments? ALMOST NONE!

But D.C. could not control tech, no way. And the techies woke up and hired lobbyists and Mark Zuckerberg even became friends with Donald Trump, akin to Don King, who noticed his fighter was losing and then ended up in the other corner to sign up the eventual winner, that happened, truly. Then again, even millennials have no idea what I’m talking about, boxing is history, MMA rules, and that’s how Joe Rogan became the biggest podcaster extant, with more influence than many news outlets.

Meanwhile, the news outlets can’t stop crying about disruption. The truth is the old local newspaper model no longer works, don’t try to prop it up, let it die and allow new platforms to arise. Like physical retail in music…turns out the public didn’t want to buy physical, and even Best Buy cut ties with the sycophantic industry. But we got streaming, which is better, but we’ve got the old people decrying it and we’re still in an era of chaos, but that’s just representative of the world we live in. Hardware is so turn of the century, now it’s all about software. But, once again, oldsters may dress young and get plastic surgery, but they still do not understand the changes in the essence of today’s society.

6

Then Wall Street broke the economy, through outright crime, rating nearly worthless securities as valuable, and when it all crashed, not only did the government rescue the Street, no one went to jail. There were no consequences! If it’s white collar crime, you skate. Oh, there are a few contrary examples, but the U.S. essentially wiped out the Mafia, yet above board/white collar crime, you could always hire an attorney to run circles around those working for the government and delay and ultimately get off the hook, time and time again.

But if you were poor, especially Black, and you committed traditional crime…they locked you up, ruining families, hobbling the next generation, but the problem was seen as drugs when the problem was always at the top, always at the top.

And what was the ultimate message that was received? Lying is fine, everybody does it, and you do what you have to to survive. Clinton lied, Trump did seemingly nothing but lie, and we were told to lionize Obama, who accomplished little other than being our first Black president. Sure, we got the ACA, aka “Obamacare,” but the Republicans were playing three-dimensional chess and Obama and the Democrats were playing checkers. To the point if you were not wealthy, even if you were a Democrat, you were disillusioned. And despite the election of Biden, this sentiment still stands. Biden represents the finger in the dike, rebuilding from the ground up? Hell, we can’t even fix our roads and bridges.

7

So, Trump’s success was not, like a typical entertainer, he lied about his past. And he was uncontrollable, but his fans believed in him. This eluded the Democrats completely, NO ONE was passionate about Hillary, seemingly not even the woman herself, who was afraid of stating the truth and when she did, like with the “deplorables,” immediately caved in to news blowback and apologized. Trump? He did it his way. That’s a star. You may hate him, but let’s own the truth.

8

Now it’s not only Wall Street that pays no price. Neither does Trump. He lies about Ukraine and doesn’t get convicted. Sure, he’s emboldened, but this only stokes the fury of his fanbase.

But now it’s worse. Fox, the rest of the right, they say what they want willy-nilly with no consequences. We have to wait FOUR YEARS for Fox and Newsmax to bite the bullet, when Smartmatic threatened them with legal action. THEY IMMEDIATELY APOLOGIZED! Ran clips stating the truth: https://nyti.ms/3otG48W Once again it comes down to money, Smartmatic’s image was being tarnished, hurting further business. As for traditional big business… Well, they’re all multinationals and they’re all afraid to take a stand, they say they’re apolitical when the truth is they’re the most powerful players on the planet. So, they won’t sue anybody, they’re afraid of alienating potential customers. Same deal with entertainers…if they state their truth they might lose some paying customers. So, everybody’s holding back, there’s a chilling effect, and it’s all based on MONEY! And we laugh at those without cash and lift up the business billionaires, no matter what they do. And their companies are so big, and so intertwined with life, that no boycott can hurt them, none.

9

Did you listen to Tucker Carlson last night? https://bit.ly/399C4DW

While other news outlets covered the news, Fox aired their usual inanely biased commentators, and if you listened to them you’d believe the problem was the Democrats. Yes, a few Trump supporters got out of hand, but if you gave the left any power, you’d lose all your FREEDOM!

Our nation is in the dumper as a result of “freedom.” Covid is raging, but a huge swath of our public has been educated in inanities, and there’s no way to persuade them their beliefs are untrue. They get their news from biased sources and the right has demonized truthful sources and this is where we are.

Forget what happened yesterday. It’s disillusioning and tragic, BUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER JANUARY 20TH?

Believe me, Trump’s tribe is not gonna wake up. Nor are their leaders/enablers on Fox, Newsmax, OAN, talk radio, Facebook… You can’t whack all the moles, it’s absolutely impossible, there are too many.

In other words, forty years of history have come home to roost. And you can’t turn the ship around in a day. But we must to survive as a democracy. Am I glad Biden won? OF COURSE! Do I have hope he’ll enact fundamental change, NO WAY! Because the leaders of the Democratic party don’t want change, they just want to be on the gravy train, part of the club, and you ain’t in it. They want your vote, they promise you results, but the truth is they only listen to those with big money, and even the left pooh-poohs the Squad. The right is a big tent, they embrace QAnon believers, but if you cross the line just a tiny little bit on the left, you’re canceled.

And the left doesn’t even know how to deal with this rampant cancellation. Left leaders, even in universities, are afraid of their constituents/students. No one wants rape on campus, no one wants people to be less than equal, but when you start getting the brain police involved and the lexicon changes constantly and if you screw up your life is ruined…this is a gift to the right. But no, the left must not alienate anyone, as it loses the plot. As for the left’s basic values, based on the working man and equality…the working people all went right, they’re now Republicans, and all Democrats know their party is controlled by the fat cats.

10

So yesterday is just evidence of where we are, how far we’ve traveled. But only when Trump’s followers invaded the Capitol was the right outraged. This guy has been crossing the line ad infinitum and even his natural enemies are licking his boots, i.e. Cruz and Graham. The elected officials are afraid of the president and his fanbase. And the truth is, as a result of the gerrymandering the right claimed victory in, the end result is they ceded their party to the far right. That’s what happens when you push it too far.

Where were all those establishment figures outraged today, calling for Trump’s ouster, FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS!

Pelosi was too afraid. The right was complicit.

America was disillusioned.

It’s over folks. We believed in the American myth to such a degree that we had blinders on and missed the future. It’s our own damn fault, not China’s, not some immigrant’s. Turns out the immigrants were part of the solution, they were key to Silicon Valley’s success, but now they must go too! To satisfy the jingoistic ignorant.

As for the news… The best story I read today, and I read many, was in the “New York Times,” because it was the perspective FROM INSIDE THE CAPITOL: https://nyti.ms/2LzNkBh

I watched three channels yesterday afternoon, CNN, MSNBC and Fox, none of them were as informational as this one article, never mind the others in the “Times.” And, oh yeah, I read all the articles in the “Wall Street Journal” and the “Los Angeles Times” too, and they were nowhere near as comprehensive, never mind intriguing. But, the “New York Times,” which bends over backward to give both sides, is a far-lefty rag that’s a joke. HUH?

But despite the web being all about reading, the truth is people get their news visually, or they only read the headlines, no one has time for depth, never mind being able to even read and comprehend writing. Everybody’s in their own little niche, we can’t even have a conversation, we all have different interests. Facts are history, truth is out the window, and the elected officials and news outlets we used to trust in are so busy following the buck that they won’t stand up for what’s right.

So the story is what is going to happen after January 20th. Do you truly think all these Republicans, these right-wingers, are going to be transformed as a result of yesterday’s antics? OF COURSE NOT! If they can believe Hillary Clinton ran a child sex ring out of the basement of a pizza parlor, they can certainly believe that the election was stolen from Trump. Forget that it’s insane on the surface, that doesn’t matter, it’s how you FEEL that counts.

Now the truth is social media canceled Alex Jones and put a huge dent in his reach and impact. We’ve got to start canceling so many more people, that need to be canceled, not for failing to provide a trigger warning for “Huckleberry Finn.” Put Trump in jail. Try some of the elected enablers. Even more, penalize these news outlets. You can’t cry fire in a crowded theatre, if you incentivized civilians to riot…are there now costs?

Rich and powerful people have to pay penalties.

Instead, Steve Cohen skates and now owns the Mets. What message does this send?

I never thought in my lifetime America would slide this far. But I had my eyes open. Those controlling the levers of power did not, or they ignored the truth. When it comes to disruption, they believed it couldn’t happen to them. Yesterday, Trump and his rioters taught a lesson about disruption. And the truth is it’s not about the falsehood of the vote, but the falsehood of AMERICA!

Trump may do some damage within two weeks, but the truth is the Republicans are never gonna impeach and convict him and he’s not going to resign so let’s hope he doesn’t try martial law, but what we really need to do is focus on fixing the bedrock of this country. Which is based on opportunity and facts, with a bit of education thrown in to boot, which Betsy DeVos said should be at a religious school as opposed to a “government school.”

Government is good. We needed government in Katrina and we need it now during Covid. Forget the labels, the truth is America is already socialist in so many ways, can you say MEDICARE? Elon Musk transforms an entire industry, whether Tesla wins or nots the truth is in the near future everybody will be driving an electric car. But if you’re Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren you’re anti-America. No, they’re not, THEY’RE PRO-AMERICA! Stop telling us what is unrealistic, what can’t happen. Trump should be a beacon for what can happen, turning this entire nation ever more rightward as it becomes more and more isolationist. But big ideas on the left, big changes on the left, it just can’t happen.

As for the rank and file…they’re just playing the lottery, literally or figuratively, and that doesn’t deliver hope.

As for the insane Mr. Musk? He paid penalties for tweets. He’s been sued. He’s been cowered. But if you’re Trump, if you’re in the government? FUGGETABOUTIT!

P.S. Enough with the endless optimism. If you can’t own your problems, you can never fix them.

We cover a lot of ground here. We start with an investigation into Todd’s imminent virtual tour, and then move on to such topics as his engineering of “Stage Fright,” the recording of “We’re an American Band,” the rescuing and resuscitation of Badfinger’s “Straight Up,” the end of Todd’s relationship with Albert Grossman, his sale of his “Bat Out of Hell” royalty points to finance his Hawaii estate, the reversion of his rights and… Rundgren’s a thinker. You’ll not only learn about Todd’s career choices, you’ll gain insight into your own. A legend speaks!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/todd-rundgren/id1316200737?i=1000504606517

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/The-Bob-Lefsetz-Podcast

Bob, you are not the only one taking this shit seriously.  We’ve been on lockdown since March 10.  My wife is type 1 diabetic and hasn’t even been to the grocery store since February.

We haven’t visited with family or friends, however we have friends that regularly get together with their friends and family because they think they’re all “being careful”.  And they’re getting together inside without masks!!

W.T.F.?!?!

How can educated, seemingly informed people be so freakin dumb?!  It seems like everyone has a different take on the virus that only serves their affirmation bias.

We watch in disgust and disbelief at friends and family who are so reckless and selfish, while so many people are sick and dying.

Quarantining is not just to protect us, it’s to protect others. C’mon, how hard is it to abide by basic acts of human decency?!

And don’t get me started with our neighbor who’s been telling me for months that his doctor says ‘the virus needs to run through the entire population for us to have immunity’.  HIS doctor told him, so it must be true.  I call bullshit, but can I say this to his face?  Oh no.  I must be crazy to disagree!

Take care and stay safe!

Adam Lerner

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My wife and I are still on lockdown.   Yesterday a friend of ours went into the hospital with covid.  He’s 61.  No ambulance would take him, and in desperation he managed to drive himself.     The hospital has taken him so we are hopeful.   I was near the guy 12 days ago (8 feet, outdoors) but still see it as a close call.   We all have to be vigilant.

Michael Alex

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Hey Bob, it’s just a shame what has happened to our country. Under the mismanagement of the trump incompetence administration.  The situation we find ourselves in today was avoidable and I can’t understand the levels of ignorance and just stupidity that have allowed this to explode. My whole family has been extra careful from the start of the pandemic yet this week we have came down with Covid 19. Whether it was the last trip to the store? or that Starbuck run? Having two teenagers who’ve been great over all pretty good about giving up so much for so long..  Or maybe It was something else?? Somehow it crept in and now we’ll see what’s next. I be lying if I said I wasn’t scared a bit. but now the worry is about not spreading it more.. that’s becomes even more bothering and So we have been locked down and not left the house at all. And will follow the CDC rules. No ones needs hospital attention and I pray we don’t.  but as I’m the one with the health issues so we shall see how this plays out? Right now just sick as a dog. With all the systems.  But I just wanted to share as we did everything to prevent this from happening yet here we are. but this is not a perfect world.. Sometimes your best just isn’t good enough.  Praying for better days ahead for us all.

Frank Higginbotham

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I got Covid (thx to wife, essential health-personel, they get infected too) at the end of November, took me until yesterday (jan 5) to get better. I had it “mild”, no fever, but aches and pains, hard to breathe, no taste and smell – and jet-lag like tiredness and brain-fatigue – it’s a weird and insidious virus; no joke. Take care, stay safe!

/ Chris Bell – in Sweden

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I’m not trying to freak you out but the long haulers have a lot more to worry about than just losing their taste and smell. My 22-year-old nephew, a big strapping lad who works construction as a heating and air conditioning installer and had no known pre-conditions got COVID 19 in mid-August and is still not back to work. He has gastrointestinal issues, chronic fatigue and some minor breathing issues. He is nowhere near ready to return to work and may have to be retrained to hold any kind of job at all. Worse is that the doctors just don’t know. He has improved some in the fatigue area and can stay up a few hours longer than he could a month or two ago. As for the rest, there is little change.

Regards,

Ruth O’Doherty

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At the time of lockdown last March, I was a 20 years into a career as a touring musician, FOH/MON engineer, TM and PM (I’ve worked directly with several of the people you’ve talked about in your newsletter and interviewed on your podcast). 2020 was going to be a busy year after taking it easier in 2019 for the birth of my second son. 9+ months of confirmed work vanished overnight, and rather than traveling around the world, doing my small part to help bring joy to people, not to mention being the primary financial support to my family, I’ve become a stay-at-home dad and housekeeper.

Despite being quite ill-prepared for this, my wife and I podded up with another family within our same risk tolerance and got a pre-school curriculum to try and keep our kids social and learning while the rest of the world stopped. As of this week, we’ve had to put a stop to that because, while only one of the four parents goes into a work place, cases there have spiked and we’re not willing to put our family at risk.

We’re lucky in that we, at least for the time being, have food, shelter, and somewhat financial security. So many people I know in the industry don’t. I find myself getting frustrated at family members, acquaintances, and people who live in my town (5mi outside of Boston) who seem to not fully grasp the situation. Many times I’ve had to type the phrase “I don’t work until you stop being so selfish.”

Politics and religion aside, we’ve all got to figure out a way live together. It boggles my mind how obstinate people can be in the face of even the smallest challenge to their belief system. I’ve lived my life with the simple tenet “what if I’m wrong?” That forces my actions to not intentionally cause anyone else harm based on my beliefs.

Sometimes with my COVID quarantine I fear I’ll be like those last soldiers in Vietnam, wandering through the jungle, no knowing that the war was over, but seeing the numbers every day, I know we’ve still got a long way to go.

Stay strong, stay safe, and stay healthy.

Josh Cohen

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Hello Bob, happy new year (I hope!). I work at WME so I have been working from home since last March basically taking 2020 tour routing and moving it to 2021 and praying some of it can play. The rate at which we have dealt with this crisis and particularly the disorganization over the vaccine rollout is very disappointing. As of today, the number of doses is not the issue, it’s lack of a distribution plan for getting needles in arms. All of our futures and ability to get back to work depend on this and it sickens me to see politicians fight over elections rather than digging in on a local or national level to get us out of this mess…but don’t get me started on that topic because it’s a rabbit hole.

My wife works at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville and she is one of the people that sits you in that chair and administers those concoctions like Rituxin and chemo.  She got her vaccine last week and has the second follow up shot scheduled for 3 weeks later, right down to the same hour that the first shot went in her arm. Yesterday she came home from work telling a story about how people in the next phase of the vaccine rollout are getting the vaccine sooner because supply is exceeded demand in phase one. The next phase here in TN is called phase 1a then 1b and thats for older people and those with some condition that make them more vulnerable. Turns out that each county in our state has an allotment of vaccine doses coming in at random intervals. In the outlying counties where the populations are smaller, they have a lot of leftover doses that were supposed to go to those healthcare workers, first responders, etc.  So they are opening up these doses to anyone in the next phase that is interested. I have an 84 year old mother that falls into this category so I checked into it. Turns out it’s a signup genius form on the county health department website….yes you heard that right, a signup genius with 200 slots per day. All counties surrounding metropolitan cities are full on the signup forms well into February but if you look one more county out there are lots of slots available. This process is akin to a high stakes scavenger hunt that only spreads by word-of-mouth. My mom has a tv and a flip phone she uses for emergencies only. She doesn’t use a computer and she certainly isn’t in the path of news spreading through socials so how would she have known. She will be fine because she is now learning the game, but what about all those people that don’t get this news. What about those that don’t have a family member to help them out. At this rate we will still be giving vaccines in the summer and that is unacceptable. This vaccine distribution system is absurd. I keep thinking they will convert our covid testing sites to vaccine sites but that would make too much sense I guess. My hope is that we see more organization, clearer direction, and greater acceptance as more doses come online. Wouldn’t it be great if we could load up out idle tour busses with vaccine doses, send them out into the field, set up the Merch booth and knock this out at warp speed. In the meantime, like you, I will stay in my house and dream about what my next live concert will look like. At this point I don’t care who it is, it could be some guy playing Aqualung on flute for all I care…I will get chill bumps just being out and seeing live music again. I really look forward to seeing everyone’s reviews of “their first show back”.

Until then, keep researching where the doses are, share that news with someone that qualifies for that phase that might not get the news otherwise, then take the next step to help them figure out how to get a ride to get the vaccine…and above all, stay well in the meantime.

Lane Wilson | WME

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Bob….you are a smart person for staying in.  I pretty much won’t go anywhere I don’t have to, and even then have had groceries delivered a few times.  even now when my wife and I go for walks, we wear masks despite the fact that people are also courteous about wearing masks and giving other walkers 6 feet separation.  But I live in liberal Madison.  Members of my family (we don’t live near them) have no fear about airports and traveling and don’t believe in wearing masks, and it makes me crazy.  we have zoom dinners and gatherings now, and that works for me….why can’t it for everyone else to speed up the elimination of this virus?

Mike Farley

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Couldn’t agree with you more on this. As a fan of data, the following is, to me, most telling:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/covid-19-in-the-u-s-how-do-canada-s-provinces-rank-against-american-states-1.5051033

 

I live in Nova Scotia and with a few notable exceptions both the government and the population in general have been very diligent about dealing with the virus. We may be more restricted for a period of time, but I prefer having my personal liberty restricted to the lives of others ended. My conscience is at ease knowing that we have kept the populace in general safe.

 

What a fucked up world we live in when being able to do what I want, pardon the pun, Trumps the safety of the population in general. History will frown upon the handling of the pandemic in many jurisdictions.

 

Keep up the good work!!

 

Steve Schumph

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Been in lockdown since March 8th and sold my home in East Hampton, NY (Suffolk County becoming the epicenter throughout the Summer 2020 when our formally 2nd home and resort community became full-time residences for thousands of New Yorkers.  Stella and I moved to Fulton County, NY –  in the Adirondack Park —  I, being ineligible for the vaccine or any vaccine — due to having contracted Guillain-Barré syndrome and the attending months of infusions to cure that paralysis in 2017.

I’ll be out of physical touch with family and friends until that 70-80% of the world is vaccinated; working remotely,  building a new music-playback studio, and watching those golden vacuum tubes glow.

Alex Miller

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The world map in the daily NY Times tells the story. American exceptionalism in this case is that best practices apply except in a lot of the US. At some point the common good has to become the focus over personal liberty.

Stephen Knill

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Saw one of Dr. Seuss’s very first cartoons showing an America First character with a beard entwined with a nazi character that made me think of the current state of America. When Trump barked “America first!” Numerous times at his inauguration I feared for this nation and now look at us. We are the laughingstock and pitied by anyone with any knowledge. The R’s anti science crowd ‘s rhetoric has come home to roost but all Trump cares about is overturning the election. Guess we got what we deserved.

Hal Kempson

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Keep pissin’ in the wind, you might think no one is listening but we know your aim is true!   Here in Ireland, our gov appointed medical experts urged self same gov in November to go back to full lockdown, nothing but essential services.   Gov, afraid of taking an unpopular decision, said nah, we need shops etc to be open, we want to give people ‘as normal a Christmas as possible.’    Leaders, eh?   Result?    Massive surge at the end of Dec., hospitals/ICUs full to the max and about to be overwhelmed and, guess what, country now on full lockdown.   Stable/horse/bolting/etc.    As for vaccines, they are arriving in minimal numbers and even then innoculations have been delayed because of insufficient staff numbers/training.   It feels like whatever is possible to get wrong, they are getting wrong.

Our alt-right/anti-vax people are, relative to the US, very limited in numbers;  instead, we depend on our government to fck things up.   Cali sounds like a nightmare, Bob, and over on this side we are not exactly livin’ the dream.   Good spirit and good health to you and Felice.

Fachtna O

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Regarding this virus: I just wish the folks who feel that it is an overblown deal would realize that distancing, lockdown, etc isn’t necessarily about NOT getting sick but is about metering it so that the hospitals don’t get overloaded. If you overload the facilities, drain the resources and burn out the staff, other serious emergency medical issues may not be attended to in good time. That heart attack or stroke that normally would have been attend to in good time now turns into a fatality.

It’s a big-picture thing that a lot of entitled folks aren’t getting.

Neug

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I am a blind individual living in Louisiana and I get out to go to the corner grocery store to pick up food.  No, I do not have an iPhone SE20, but hope to obtain one this year and have a blind tech friend help me learn it.  It has a steep learning curve for blind users or so I am told.

 

I’m sorry about your infusions, and to have to do that bi-yearly must be trying esp. now!

 

Amerika, Inc. just really feels broken.  I have rather good friends with whom I must bite my tongue w hen they say, Covid is not so bad, mostly people get it who have other conditions or they say, minorities don’t have a good work ethic or don’t eat right.  They are very pro-life, but seem more pro-fetus.  Wars kill people too, and such stupid wars.  The infrastructure we could have had.

 

Too bad the news broadcasts have to turn a slick profit now.  News should be about information, not money.  The late Sumner Redstone owns or owned CBS, for instance, and I forget who owns ABC, it used to be Capital-Cities-ABC, than Disney bought something, or was it Time-Warner-AOL.  When does this dinosaur-eating-dinosaur hunger end?  Perhaps, we need a figurative asteroid to bring people to their senses?  Remember, about 60 million years ago, a popular theory suggests an asteroid hit near Mexico, and bye bye T rex and things even bigger.

 

Best

Stay well

David

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“If you get sick nobody cares about you…”

Sadly, you are so correct.

I’ve had an open wound on my leg for 6 months. I’ve seen my PCP 4 times, an EZ Care Doctor once, and spent 2 1/2 days in the hospital, and I had to do my own research and then beg my PCP for a referral to a wound specialist.

Of course I now have a new PCP. But, I’ve learned thru this experience that it’s hard to find anyone that actually gives a fuck. I don’t think it has helped that I’m a Black man. And a musician.

I can literally see the apathy for my health in the MD’s eyes.

My new PCP is Black. I have a feeling I’m gonna get more compassionate care.

Welcome to America in 2021…

Glad you are getting good care. I’m sure it helps being in LA too…with great doctors.

Best regards my friend in music,

Marc Fort

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Kia ora from New Zealand Bob – I don’t read every one of your emails, but I read this. We (well most of us I think) from here have watched in amazement and horror at the way the ‘developed’ world has dealt with this virus. No doubt that there’s a balance between personal liberty and community safety, not to mention economic activity and general mental wellbeing, it’s a tough one to call and not every jurisdiction / state / country will or should make the same call. But some things are universal – caution, kindliness, government support for those who need it, communication and trust. We’re relatively lucky here (25 deaths, no lockdowns for months now) but we know it could change in a heartbeat. Australia has had issues and now these new variants…our border brings in a few hundred people every week and a couple of dozen cases. The government is just starting the procurement process for vaccine storage and distribution. We’re not at the front of the queue for vaccines, and nor should we be. We all hope that by the time our supplies of vaccine arrive, there’s a clear plan for roll out, with the right groups prioritised and hard-to-reach people and locations acknowledged. It all costs a fortune and we’re not a rich country – but we have a lot going for us, specially now in summertime, at the beach and the cafes, enjoying our holidays.

Good luck to us all.

And to you.

all the best

Deb O’Kane

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Hey Bob, over here in Australia the response to Covid couldn’t be more polar opposite to the nightmare that’s happening in the US. Today, Jan 6, we have added only 13 cases to arrive at a country-wide active case count of 293. While i’m sure there are others that are unknown or not in this number, the science of tracking and tracing the virus is in full effect down under.

In July, the city of Melbourne experienced a dramatic rise in cases and went into a lockdown that lasted 112 days. Melbournians couldn’t leave their house but to buy food and essentials, go to work if their job is considered essential or for a short exercise. No household gatherings were allowed. If you were outdoors without a mask you got a $200 fine. If you were out past curfew without a good reason, the fine was over $1000. In those 112 days the city of Melbourne took what could have been a public health disaster and turned it completely around. Today in the state of Victoria where Melbourne is located there are 0 people in the hospital due to Covid 19.

You were down in Australia around this same time last year. If you were to make that trip today, you would be escorted from the international airport to a bus that will take you to a guarded hotel and spend 14 days in quarantine before leaving your hotel room and walking into a populated area. Some dickhead recently tried to evade the cops at the airport and was fines $19,000.

They’re not fucking around here.

Which may be why, after nearly a year since Covid broke into the news, Australia has a total of 909 confirmed deaths from the virus. Our highest daily death toll at the peak of the Melbourne lockdowns was less than 60.

Now it’s Sydney’s turn; just before Christmas there was an outbreak in the Northern Beaches. Several neighbourhoods were locked down and over Christmas and New Years Eve, those people were told to stay home and not go outside. And with few exceptions, that’s just what they did and the outbreak seems to be back under control, with numbers steadily decreasing. Everyone is wearing their mask and adjusting their routine to reduce their exposure. Pretty much everyone is just doing the right thing.

We have a 2 party political polarisation in Australia similar to the USA. 2 major political parties who most of the time, agree on very little. But what we have done differently here is to have a semi-competent leader listening to science and getting all Australians onboard with what needs to be done to protect the citizens. A few people got hefty fines and were made an example of. And there were also a few empty-headed protesters who made anti-science signage and attempted to march in groups. We have wackos too. But the major difference is we didn’t have a wacko in charge who validated all the other wackos.

Hope to see you down here again someday. – Nate

Nate Goyer

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I can relate to your infusion story. I spent an hour every 6 hours every day for 3 months in the chair getting IV antibiotics to kill an infection that was doing its damnest to kill me. It’s boring.

And because of that I’ve been in lockdown since the beginning of 2020. I’m now very infection prone and I’m scared to death-literally-of getting COVID. I go to the store on Sunday morning when it’s deserted and walk around my neighborhood for 20 minutes a day and that’s it.  I hate it but I hate being sick more. And I can’t understand people who don’t take it seriously. It’s serious, people!

Phil Brown

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My husband literally hasn’t left the house since March, I’ve gone to the infusion center every 8 weeks for my meds. My 93 year old mother in law lives with us so it’s been no one in or out, no help, not even my in-laws. It’s quite simply not worth the risk to any of us.

Stay safe and well. We’re with you.

Alexia Erlichman

P.S. This country feels completely f’d, it’s a sad state of affairs.

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In the middle of nowhere in Colorado pretty much by myself for 8 months. Went on a Moe tour last February SF , Portland , Seattle . Realized how lucky I was . Shut myself in.  Two worlds it’s -very strange. People call me all the time and say we are flying in can we stay with you? No. Hang in there.

Peter O’Fallon

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Your words have impact. I thought I was the last person still on lockdown, so I feel a tiny bit better knowing I’m not the only one. Thanks.

Kelly Guimont

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i was in Victoria for a year,virtually all citizens supported with  their Premiers (governors) rules once virus got up to 700 a day, 8000 active. worlds longest lockdown, mask mandatory, go out for 1 hour a day, cant go more then 5 km from your house, 8 pm curfew. it worked they eradicated the virus for 2 months, some cases now from travellers returning. movies resto open, big tennis tournaments soon, F1 in march.  The rules work, i dont understand how US citizens are so stupid and cant see that. All you have to do is look at Aus, NZ, Taiwan, Singapore.

Brian Barry

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I could not agree with you more. As a Tour Manager for many great Canadian Acts, I hope everyone will be vaccinated ASAP so we can work on further solutions to get out shows back! The ongoing conversation since our first mandatory lockdown (we are in our second full mandatory lockdown here in Southern Ontario) is “when do you think we will get back to work?”  Answer. Wear a mask. Get vaccinated. Do your part  Its already in our backyard. If we all do this together as one, we will come out stronger and get this over with sooner (look at Australia and New Zealand). Very tired of the maskless and law bending folks out there slowing down the process of getting back to “normal life”. Our road crews are hit heavily by this pandemic. Some worse than others.  We look forward every day to getting back on the road and do what we love to do best. And we’ll all gladly do it with a mask on!

Oh and What you say has a huge impact on us and we all love you for it.

Continue to take care. Be safe.

Joe Cacioppo

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100% still under quarantine, not even a question to break it. COVID has the potential to hurt too many people near me, and would feel absolutely horrible to spread it to them. I am afraid – big time of the long term effects it can have on someone.. As a healthy 26 year old, I want to keep it that way.

Sam Tany

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If we armed ourselves with paint bomb guns and used them we could quickly identify the fools refusing to even wear a mask.  The war on ignorant people starts now.

Steve Brown

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I live in Mississippi. I’m 12 miles from a college town and 2 miles from a town of 2500. In that little  town, most customers come in for take out. No mask. The grocery store 50% no mask. The kiosk, server, no mask. Two restaurants I use to dine in, not safe.

95% of the state is under so called mask mandates. No enforcement. I can’t listen to the governor’s briefings because he praises the citizens for their efforts and sacrifice. The state health officer bites his tongue.

They say they will start next week with older than 70 vaccinations. The week after, 65 and above. How can they do that when as of yesterday, only 20,000 had been vaccinated statewide?  Hospitals are on crisis standards of care.

Oh, we have casinos. There, the smokers and drinkers keep their face coverings around their neck 90% of the time. Most bar, restaurant and social gathering rules don’t apply

Today, record number of deaths reported. The last couple of weeks have set  records for positives.

John Kauchick

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Doing only the minimal over here. Going once a week to Whole Foods at 8:30 am. Going to NH but stopping rarely to Trader Joe’s in Portsmouth and then to our house. No restaurants. No stores. Back and forth. Not even stopping to pee if necessary. Afraid to go cross-country skiing in Jackson but may go during the week to see how to goes. Will buy skis this year to avoid rental. Taking it seriously because we won’t get the vaccine until April or May.

Meanwhile one of my closest friends joined the Daniel Eick group and an incredibly gifted, interesting, intelligent person now exists on the lunatic fringe telling me that my DNA will be changed if i take the vaccine. How the hell did that happen? Can you write about that? How intelligent normal people have fallen off the face of the earth believing we are ruled by reptilians.  This should not be.

What is happening to mental health during this is era is as bad as the disease that is killing us.

“The world has gone mad” (in French) is what my husband says every morning when he looks at his phone. News from France and the U.K. where friends and family are -not much better.

Only sanity we saw this year was in southern Senegal where our friend who lives in Dakar was spending a week. No masks. No death really. Looked normal from the hour we spent with him on What’s App. He said it was because they understood public health and that the population is young. I wonder if they’re next.

Patti Jones

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This is a no brainer for me. I don’t need anyone’s permission, endorsement or blessing to decide not to hike across a fucking mine field. I don’t play Russian Roulette. Fuck that. If “they” wanna play that game, be my guest. Not me.

Graves and urns are filled with the compost of those who thought they could beat, or cheat, the odds. And if they want to call me a scared lib-tard snowflake pussy sheep, no prob, fuck ’em. I don’t give a fuck.

If I’m wrong, I live. If they’re wrong, they might die. Or kill.

Clapton? Morrison? Have a chat with Prine, or Toots, or Pride, or Diffie. Yes, gents, you’re free…to join them.

Yeah, this sucks. It’s a dull, boring, frustrating, fidgety, groundhog day blursday eye-rolling drag. Big fucking deal.

You don’t change an equation (or epidemiology, physics or history) by ignoring it.

I isolated in March, locked down completely from April to July, never left the house except to take out the trash. Mid July I started going to Costco and Ralphs. September, some outdoor dining. October even dated a little. Human contact, hallelujah! November, scaled it way back, had Thanksgiving and Christmas in my little pod with my ex wife and our son, and now, back on total lockdown. No hay problema, cabrones.

News says even going out at all is “high risk in LA”. That one in five will get it. That’s all I need.

So Trader Joe’s, Ralphs, Costco, CVS, Target, even meal pickup, all out. My local Costco employees got Covid, was in the news, and I was there three times over the holidays. So that’s it. Done. Instacart, baby.

I have TVs and computers and streaming services and way too much homework anyway from years of being on the road half the time, plus organizations I serve with Zooms practically every day, and actual work to do from home. Plenty to keep me busy. I’ve done 31 episodes of ADR on a TV series, half a dozen commercial VOs, still have a royalty stream, and live streamed 200+ shows since March and am still on 3 days a week for an audience I have come to know personally, all in the same boat, all looking to each other for strength and encouragement and engagement.

What the fuck do I have to complain about? Not a goddamned thing. Imma pay attention, take the note, shut it down and make lemonade every day. I’ll buy you one at the finish line.

Dan Navarro