This is the End? Or is IT???

 Are we witnessing the final days of the Democracy in the United States ?

The End will be signaled by a State A) neglecting to follow the Popular vote of it's citizens and Not Certifying the Election in the State or  B) Voting that states  Electoral Votes to the candidate that did not win the popular vote in the State. Thereby Negating a Democratic State.  Both are possible ...   

Although UNTHINKABLE  up to now - In recent days the President of the United States  invited members of a States Legislature to the White House in order to pressure them into doing exactly what I have described.  Further showing he has no regard for the US , or the Democratic process or what his action might mean to that Democracy going forward.  As we know this maniac / narcissist cares for NO ONE but himself and his family.  

there are 57 days and 18 hours  until January 20th - I hesitate to think what further damage Rump can do in those days. He has in recent days - disappeared  from Public view. he left the G20 Summit meeting the other morning at 10am to go Golfing - that might be the best news we have gotten in weeks !  He has made the US the Laughing stock of the world over the past years.  His Legal team is being defeated in every court in the Nation. They have shown nothing in the way of evidence , they talk and tweet of grand conspiracies and voter fraud , except when it comes to being in front of a Judge - where you mostly have to tell the Truth - they have Zilch, nada, Nothing.  A  Pennsylvania court judge asked them how their claim that 2 - that's TWO  (One plus One) voters were not allowed to vote  translated to FRAUD and  into the entire State of Pennsylvania Voting results - approx 6.5 Million votes -  be thrown out was Justified....  The Response from Rudy Guliani was that this was not a Fraud case. WHAT ?? HUH ??? The Judge dismissed the Case. The other Laughable claim was that  Michigan had more people voting than were registered to vote ...  What they showed the Michigan court were Counties in MINNESOTA !  and compared those Minnesota counties to voters in Michigan - If it were not so F$%#ed up - it would be funny ! and the latest is that the Lawyer , Sidney Powell  -  that was FRONT and Center last week for the Rump Legal team has now been disavowed by Guliani  “Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own. She is not a member of the Trump Legal Team. She is also not a lawyer for the President in his personal capacity," Giuliani and another lawyer for Trump, Jenna Ellis, said in a statement. What does that tell you ?!?!?!?!

WAIT !! it is possible that we are reaffirming that our Founding Fathers, were Genius's  - and that the constitution that they penned those many years ago will stand up under the immense pressure that a Fascist President has put it under. and that although it seems dim now ,,, the Sun will rise on a Better tomorrow !!

Work - damn near closed down !

 Greetings !!!

SO the place that I work is mostly closed down and ready fo the Winter -  Three of us -  5 days/8 hrs for nearly -  what -  20 days,, plus a little bit of help from others  to get it to this point. 

- ~40  - 25 foot long 2" pipes that hold the dock "fingers" in place  have been pulled out of the MUD - yea we use a winch - and those get stacked on a rack in the Marina. Nasty Job -  heavy pipes and one end has been stuck in the river mud for 6 months. ugh ! 

- The Electrical feeds have to be disconnected from 2 panels. The one set gets  pulled back to the Shore - bout 100 feet and coiled up on 4 pallets  (a Back Breaking job , even when we have 4 or 5 guys doing it) , the other sets gets flopped over to the a-joining section as that is where the Sailboat dock gets split. 

- The water lines have to be disconnected and blown out with compressed air to prevent freezing,, and damage from frost. 

- once those pipes holding  the fingers  are removed the Dock fingers attached to the sailboat dock section,  are unpinned and floated over to the Boat ramp and are picked up by a Backhoe with Pallet forks attached to it and they are stacked in the Parking lot- fingers are about 20 feet long and 3 feet wide,,, stacked two deep and two high takes 1/2 the parking lot. NEVER walk on a finger that is unpinned unless you plan on Swimming ! 

- The Septic Pump out has to be disconnected and flushed our several times. Once complete that platform dock that it is on can be unbolted from the man dock and towed around to the front of the Marina where it stays for the winter. 

- 80 Water circulators / Ice Eaters are installed around the Marina, to the Pylons that hold the Main dock and along the Side of the dock that faces the Shore - this is to prevent Ice build up . They are also installed under the fixed pier for the same reason... these Ice Eaters look like a white 5 gallon pail that is open on both ends, it has a 1 1/2 Horsepower motor inside -and an 8 inch propeller attached to the top.  They weigh about 50 pounds each ! They are suspended from the docks using the same cleats that boats are tied to during the boating season. 

- The sailboat dock is split into 5 pieces about 100 - 120 feet long each and they are towed over to the area between the 2 main docks, they are tied off so that they do not hot the dock or each other ,,, yea - it's pretty cool to ride the dock over into place.. as its pulled by the marina work boat. 

- There are 4 Ramps (to the Pumpout dock, to the Sailboat dock, the Kayak ramp, and the main boat launch ramp)  that need to be removed - three are pulled onto the shore  and one is lowered to the Pump out dock. a dicey process of unbolting the ramp from the shore and then pulling it up to the land while someone rides the dock in - hoping to hold the Ramp onto the dock section, without falling in or letting the ramp slide off into the water until it gets mostly on the shore ,,,

- A plywood box is built around the wire that was coiled on the Pallets, and the wire that remains on the dock is covered with tarps, as is the Septic Pump out, 

- the comfort station has to be winterized, plumping disconnected, toilet flush-o-meters removed,  plunged down with Antifreeze,  Water feed turned off, Shower plumbing removed and drained. 

- An old row boat gets pulled out to the end of the main dock and flipped over - just incase its needed to slide across the ice for any reason. 

- the Marina Boat gets removed and towed up to the Storage barn, after scrapping off the zebra Mussels and power washing the bottom. the work float that is used to pull the Pipes is disassembled, Winch removed , engine removed, and stored in the Shower, The work float tied off between main dock fingers - it can freeze in, the Kayak ramp is also relocated to a slip for the big boats , and tied between them,, it can freeze in also,, the Kayak ramp in winter seems to double a  have for the beavers as they can get them selves up the onto it, and sit there in the sun grooming them selves and Sleeping !!

- Water the the Picnic are and office are disconnected and drained out. That Picnic area is locked off from the Marina side and all the Trash cans around the Marina/Picnic areas are removed, the Dumpster is locked.  

unlike the last two years , I am taking to Winter off from the Marina. I have been doing  some carpentry work - building sheds etc with a local guy that has a good business going doing that... and have at least one building to finish right now.  I know he has other to get started - even in the Winter - last winter we sided a house in Cold Spring, and started a shed build in Pok, as well as built garden beds and small bridges out of Cedar trees  for a guy in Highland falls. So we will see how this winter goes,,,,,,  I have a few things around here to do also..... 

I'll give you a couple that are not in the main stream ,,,

Remember the Show - HOUSE M.D. ??  Hugh Laurie - you did know he is a world class musician ?

I know I posted this one before - just love this song.....

And Beth Hart ...

 

  - Shit - I thought I published this on November 2nd,,,,   guess not,,,

What will happen on election day ?  or Election night ?  Will there be a winner  ? a Winner announced ?

Will one of the candidates say that they won ! even of the election results are not clear yet.. will that declaration be based on what they will say are fraud votes,,& that will then steal the election from them ?

Violence in the streets after a Biden Win ?  the Potus has already said the only way he loses is if others cheat - so do his Full goose Bozo supports take to the Streets when / if he tells them to - the Stand up and Stand by comments ? Far Fetched ? no way ? Why are businesses in New york Boarding up buildings and Stores in preparation of the Election? What the F ? have we slipped into a Third world Country ?  I think you know  that answer..... 

Not that you asked , but here is what I think will happen on election night. 

As the results come in,,, and are still coming in,,, and BEFORE all the states report - regardless of the Popular vote, regardless of the Electoral college vote. ....the POTUS will declare victory. and he will use the power of the White house to suppress other votes from bing counted. He will look to have votes discounted, and will take measure to ensure that mail in ballots are not counted.  He will call into question the legitimacy of the Election.  He will "dog whistle " to his supports,, and  especially to his more violent supports to not let someone steal the Election (although that will be exactly what he is trying to do).  NO - ?? why did the White house erect more barriers around it in recent days,,?? Cities are boarding up their stores and businesses ahead of the Election. Why is that ???  Because they want to be prepared for what will be a Third World Nation type response to a Loss and a POTUs that refuses to concede the election.

Gone Fishing

 And with those words the performing career of a great Folk Singer has apparently come to an end. 

We have been fortunate to see Arlo perform on many stages over the past 40 years,, many times with Pete Seeger,, sometimes with his band - Shenandoah,  sometimes with his children Abe, and Sarah Lee and at times as a solo artist..   We were fortunate enough to catch shows where he sang all Songs by Woody ......  and we saw the anniversary show of Alice's Restaurant.  Hopefully he will continue to make music and Comment on political happenings of the day even though he cannot perform.  

Gone Fishing

by adg on Fri Oct 23, 2020 5:38 am

It’s been a great 50+ years of being a working entertainer, but I reached the difficult decision that touring and stage shows are no longer possible. That’s the short version. For the longer version continue reading…

As a folksinger, I never really thought much about getting older. It seemed to me that I could just continue year after year, decade after decade, singing and playing as I had done for most of my life. As the years went by, it got more difficult to keep touring, but I did it, mostly because I’d been doing it my entire life. It was the life I knew and loved.

In 2016 on April 1st, April Fools Day, I got really dizzy in the parking lot of the hotel, and started seeing as though I were looking through a kaleidoscope. That evening the show went on as though nothing had happened. I had no idea I’d just encountered a mini stroke until weeks later, when I was told about it. It didn’t appear to affect my performance, or my state of being. I continued touring for the next 4 years.

Then, on Thanksgiving Day 2019 (of all freaking days) it happened again. This time I was on my way to The Church / The Guthrie Center to help out with our annual Thanksgiving Dinner that we hold every year. I had pulled over to fuel up and realized I couldn’t continue to drive safely, as everything was spinning around, sort of like the old days, but without the help of illegal substances. I was taken to the hospital, and was under evaluation, when I broke out. I had an important gig at Carnegie Hall in New York - The end of an annual series I’d been doing for decades and it was Sold Out. I had to be there. It was imperative.

The next morning I left the hospital, took the family and headed for New York. And what a show it was! We wrapped up 50 years with a terrific evening with the entire family on stage. I really enjoyed it.

The following day I flew to my home in Sebastian, FL just as I had done for years, this time with the history of Carnegie Hall behind me. My girlfriend, Marti picked me up at the airport, and we settled into the routine of being on the river I loved. Two nights after arriving home, I awoke in the morning and was lurching from sIde to side. I knew something was wrong, and went to keep a doctors appointment we’d previously set up. The doc said “You need to go to the hospital - Now.”

So, Marti took me to the hospital nearby in Vero Beach. They kept me there for 3 days, running tests of all kinds, and essentially informed me that I’d suffered a stroke. This time was more serious, as I’d lost some ability to walk, and I wondered if if would be able to play music. I spent about a week in a rehab center to re-learn the basics, like walking. I went home after that, and began a regimen of playing guitar, walking… All the things I would need to continue touring and performing. During the entire time, Marti kept the family and close friends advised as to my progress, and took really great care of me. I needed all the help I could get. And she was there to see it done right.

By the the time our first shows began in 2020, I was at about at 80% and felt like I was improving. Then the pandemic hit. All the shows we had planned for 2020 were at first, postponed, then rescheduled and finally cancelled. My hopes for a gradual recovery onstage came to an abrupt end.

Meanwhile, I’d decided back in 2018 to move from the home in Florida. And just as I’d returned from our last gig in Tennessee, a buyer appeared, and we had a deal on the table to sell The CrabHouse. I wasn’t in any shape to go through the intricacies of selling a guitar pick, let alone a home with 30 years of stuff we’d collected. Marti ended up doing it all. She finalized the deal, and dealt with the stuff that either had to be sold, moved or thrown out. It was quite a lot. But, through garage sales, online markets, movers and friends, she’d pretty much emptied the CrabHouse of everything, and we moved into her place about a mile away.

We were there for a few weeks, before it was safe enough to return to The Farm in Massachusetts. That was in June 2020. Since then we’ve been holed up at The Farm trying to keep out of harms way, and also trying to provide some online entertainment for our friends who were, and continue to be, holed up wherever they are. My band and crew arranged a few short gigs that were filmed at The Church, but when I saw the play-back in the editing room I realized that it was not up to the standards I expected of myself, let alone the expectations that our friends and fans had come to enjoy.

A folksinger’s shelf life may be a lot longer than a dancer or an athlete, but at some point, unless you’re incredibly fortunate or just plain whacko (either one or both) it’s time to hang up the “Gone Fishing” sign. Going from town to town and doing stage shows, remaining on the road is no longer an option.

I don’t remember answering the question on the other side of that piece of paper when I was asked “Kid! Have you rehabilitated yourself?” But, the short answer is now clearly, “No!” In fact, I hope to be a thorn in the side of a new administration pretty soon. Tom Paine once wrote “To argue with a man who has renounced the use … of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead….” In other words, you cannot and should not argue with people who don’t care, or hold the caring of others in contempt. A healthy suspicion of authority, left, right or center has been the hallmark of my career since the beginning, and I will continue to poke fun at cultural, political, or personal absurdities as I see it. I’m actually looking forward to it.

I’m happy, healthy and good to go, even if I’m not going anywhere. I’ve taken back 6-9 months that I used to spend on the road, and enjoying myself with Marti, my family and friends. In short - Gone Fishing.

'Bout two to go

 - Do not get a false sense of security = GO VOTE !!  I think the positive polls hurt Hillary last time - like there was no way she could lose.... well - there is a way for Biden to lose- IF YOU DON'T VOTE !!

- Even though I expect some crap from the GOP and for Rump to get more vicious in his attacks,, do not let that distract us.

- Prepare  to hear about fake illegal voting tactics,  

- The US has not turned the corner on the pandemic and you can not just say you are tired of it. A National plan is the way to defeat this ,,, not hopes and wishes.. We are the third worse country in the world,, only Iran and Russia are worse then us ... Russia has more cases and Iran More deaths..  we are approaching 225,000 Dead.  Only light at the end of the Tunnel is a train headed right at us !

- Forget the comparisons to 2016 . 

- Do not sweat the early voting data,,,,,  and no real reason to stay up election night,,, I doubt we will have a winner declared on that night,, and DO NOT expect Rump to EVER concede the election. 

Ok = 

Did I post this one ???

John Hiatt - My old friend

Randy and Lyle

JT

20 to go

 Greetings,, 

With about 16  days to go till November 3rd - Election Day ....  I believe there is - from the Republican side - what what they think is a bomb shell. Something that they believe they will change the narrative,  that will put the Biden / Harris ticket in a very bad light.  Something out of the DOJ or FBI that would alter the election  - Like Comey did in the 2016 election. Remember we are talking about Bill Barr - a Russian Putin like figure in our Government that believes he is the POTUS's Personal Lawyer instead of the AG.  Stand back and Stand by as they say .....

I doubt if Rump does better if there is another debate. I cant' think that he closes over a 10 point in the next 3 weeks,,, the Tweets that say - California Is going to hell - vote for Trump ...  now really - Does he forget who is the president ??  Do you think that will make people vote for him ?? When it's HIS administration that all this is happening ??  I had seen Savannah Guthrie before but I did not know her name... However ,,, we are now to believe that this reporter unhinged to President of the United States ! Really ??  If he is not prepared to give answer to the American people in an understandable , rational way,,.. How the hell is he governing ??  YUP - in the same INSANE manner,,, Just watch the "Town Hall" turn off the sounds and focus on the body language. Jesus.... what a disaster he is...  OH and do not try to tell me that he and his henchmen did not know who was doing the interviewing....   and BTW - the ASSHOLE is already attacking the next Debate moderator..

Saturday night, the President tried to undermine the credentials of the next female debate moderator, NBC News White House Correspondent Kristen Welker, by claiming that he'd known her "for a long time" and that "she is very unfair." 

Ahhh - let's hear some Bobby Weir