Written in 1972..probably right after Nixon demolished McGovern

                                             

                                                  Death of Idealism

    As we, The United States of America, approach the bi-centennial celebration of this great and diligent but far too many times decadent nation, it appears the time is at hand to execute our powers of foresight instead of only hindsight.

     How often has a person been belittled because of an idealistic point of view?  And how often has the idealist been forced to suppress a dream in order to escape ridicule of even the closest peer group?

     Idealism has been all but replaced by pragmatic material observation and action, by non-spiritual minds not interested in the perfection of society but instead in the wealth of individuals, in the wealth of it's possessions and in its powers of policy making and law enforcing.

   The powers of idealism that were present in the construction of our government have been transcended into oblivion by greed and the profit motive.  I do believe that the profit motive initiative of a a free enterprise system is still the healthiest form of economic application known to the world, but only when that application is incorporated along side a high moral content; an individual moral content on the part of each and every person working and living in a given society.

          This country in 1972 has failed on that level.

   The death of idealism is a sad and unwanted death by many conscientious citizens, but a death that seems unpreventable in the face of our present economic and political ideology.

  
  The death of idealism came about not because of a lack of idealists, but because with all the pragmatic reasoning behind making a quick dollar an easier answer appeared. And those who held high moral values fell prey to the necessities that seem to engulf each and everyone involved in an economically  competitive system.  To be highly idealistic in this age usually means to be financially unsuccessful and that symbolic mark is one that no socially orientated person wants hanging on their door.

      I wish to go one step further and say that unless idealism is given a re-birth and a chance to re-enter the main stream of American life, the pragmatic slobs of this nation will bury themselves and all moralistic citizens with them.

     The dream of living a  life full of contentment while maintaining great rapport with fellow citizens is not a false dream.  It is simply a dream that has been placed far down the list of priorities.  If that dream where adhered to then fair play and honesty would have to follow, and imagine the mess this country would be in if fair play and honesty were the code of the land.  Everything would have to be swept away and started anew; everything would have to be steam cleaned, redefined, reevaluated and perspectives of our future would have to be totally reconstructed.

     My question is this.....can't a rebirth take place on the personal level and can't the individuals place themselves above the obvious political maneuvering that only seem to benefit those who are in positions of power?

      Apparently a rebirth of ideals and honor will not take place in the higher levels of government so the only choice for actual change must rest in the hands of the citizens: in the hands of the dreamers who know what is right or wrong, lasting vs. momentary. It's time that insightful God-loving people need not be quieted by the more corrupt methods of application but instead need to start believing in themselves as true creators of this great countries destiny.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Marin County
1972

Try to remember how the Right Wing operates before you land on the wrong runway.

Some of you might be too young to know how the right wing of politics conducts their business...and others might just forget, or simply not believe, the extreme measures taken to win an election or discredit an opponent.

Long before Karl Rove entered the picture we had a guy in the White House who turned out to be the most paranoid politician in history. How the Richard Nixon "team" behaved is legendary and the players involved solidified their places in history without me naming names and repeating stories that can be researched in any library. Imagine for one second the things we don't know and didn't learn from testimonies and recordings.  Their attitude toward the rival party was borderline psychotic....and that type of behavior has to be created from the top down.

God only knows when Richard Nixon's paranoia first started to manifest itself.  It might have been during the McCarthy hearings in 1954 when he was Vice-President.

One cannot easily dismiss the anti-communist agenda that permeated our political culture in the 50's, 60's 70's and 80's....but in the 1950's there was a special type of anxiety regarding communism because of their (and our) development of Nuclear weapons.  The race was on to see who could make the most ultimate weapons of mass destruction. The Cold War existed until the Soviet Union financially collapsed in December of 1991.  But as with most things the beginnings are always a bit more intense and with both countries thinking that Nuclear attacks were imminent, paranoia run especially deep.

Communism isn't completely a political dinosaur but with the advent of the information highway, economic improvements and the ability of individuals to achieve financial success, the two largest purveyors of that system, Russia and China, are not resembling what Karl Marx had in mind.

North Korea appears to be the only serious communist country left and at last sighting they were pretty much considered batshit crazy.  Which is not a good thing but even their closest neighbor and supposed friend, China, seems to have a serious and watchful eye on their behavior.

You might have noticed that I deviated away from GOP political shenanigans but when I explain how that is an actual technique used by the right wing, than maybe you will begin to understand.

IT'S A SLIGHT OF HAND MANEUVER.....look over here at this thing I'm doing and you won't notice what I'm really doing over here.

The problem is that it's not a physical slight of hand but it's a  slight of MIND and IDEAS.

Currently we have a man who is apparently the GOP nominee for President of The United States who knows exactly how to divert your attention from reality.  (well, maybe not yours....but millions of others at this juncture)

HE KEEPS REPEATING THAT HE IS "GOING TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN."

AMERICA IS GREAT......and everyday we look around the world and realize how lucky we truly are to be here.....and we note very quickly that there's a very long line of people attempting to join us.

Of course Canadians and Findlandians might disagree, but let's see how they operate with 400 million people.  It's always a numbers game when it comes right down to it.  And that applies to big numbers and small numbers.  China was growing with unchecked prosperity and then opps.  And by the way how often to you hear about Americans traveling to China for their college educations?  UCLA probably has more Chinese students than China has Americans....period.  (Traveling there on business doesn't count)

HE KEEPS TELLING US THAT "OUR MILITARY IS WEAK AND DEPLETED."

OUR MILITARY IS SO VASTLY SUPERIOR THAT IT'S SILLY....and he knows that most people won't research the facts regarding our military superiority.  And please note it is not a valid point when you ask a General or the President of a munitions company if our military is weak....and please tell me that you understand why that's not valid.

DON'T MAKE ME EXPLAIN IT!

HE KEEPS REPEATING THAT HE "WILL BUILD A WALL."

I have to give Hillary a little salvo here....last night in her wrapping up the delegates speech 
she said...."America is about building bridges not walls."

HE KEEPS SAYING THAT "OBAMA HAS BEEN A HORRIBLE PRESIDENT."

THE NUMBERS INDICATING A FINANCIAL RECOVERY FROM 2008 SHOW THAT NOT ONLY HAS BARRY BEEN GOOD, IT MIGHT TURN OUT TO BE .....THAT HE HAS BEEN GREAT.  

HE KEEPS SAYING "THAT HE WILL DEFEAT ISIS."

President Obama's method of fighting ISIS is to incorporate a collation....and while it might be taking longer, the plan, at the very least, has multiple countries involved in the effort.

THE TACTICS BEING USED BY DONALD TRUMP ARE NO DIFFERENT THAT WHAT RICHARD NIXON DID IN 1968 WHEN HE SAID THAT AMERICA NEEDED MORE LAW AND ORDER 
when in truth....IT WAS ASSHOLES LIKE RICHARD NIXON THAT WERE CAUSING THE PROBLEMS.

WE'VE HAD ASSHOLES IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND IT NEVER TURNED OUT GOOD.

DONALD TRUMP IS AN ASSHOLE 
AND EVEN PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT HIM ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FACT......but they follow it up with "we need a tough guy in the White House not some pansy."

We need brains in the White House not a nutty narcissist who actually thinks that his hair looks good....and you know it's true.......he likes the way his hair looks and he thinks that orange is the new blond.

All I'm trying to say is.....during the upcoming Presidential election please do some minor research whenever someone starts throwing out their opinion.

WITH ALL THE AVENUES OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF US 
IT IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE 

TO 

BE

STUPID.

Brainwashing is also not acceptable....nor is hypnotism.

MICHAEL TIMOTHY MC ALEVEY

The man was bigger than sports

It is not often that a sports figure deserves the reverence that is being directed toward Muhammad Ali but he truly transcended his chosen field of boxing.

He simply was the most recognizable human being on the planet....and I think that truth has existed since he went to Zaire to battle George Foreman in 1974.   He was already a world figure but that "event" solidified his global identity.

There are so many ways to view his life, but the one thing I seem to know, that no one else does......

HE NEVER THREW A BODY PUNCH

EVERY PUNCH WAS DIRECTED AT HIS OPPONENTS HEAD.

I defy anyone to find one punch that he threw to any area of the body that wasn't above the neck...and you can pull up video's of almost every fight he had.

We shared some similar ideals regarding war and the military.

I had the honor of shaking his hand in 1978 and looked directly into his eyes......his soul
is
extrememly
bright
as was his
entire
physical life.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Harambe,Trump and a few other primates

Primates of different shapes, sizes and brain capacity captured the attention of most media outlets over the last few days.

The weekend started  Friday on the Bill Maher show when Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, a comic strip syndicated in hundreds of newspapers, explained how Donald( Adolph) Trump is using techniques that are utilized in hypnotism...and also displayed by the most famous dictators in history.

If you think back to the beginning of the GOP debates he virtually has done nothing except name calling and belittling everything and everyone.  

AND APPARENTLY THAT'S ALL IT TAKES TO GET MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO SUPPORT HIS ATTEMPT TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

I suggest listening to the interview more than once just to let it sink in.  The beta testing idea to see if his "style" plays well before moving on to the big crowds just freaks me out.

The Scott Adams blog actually gives a much better explanation of the entire concept regarding Trump's
"PERSUASION" techniques.....

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/145153992666/how-to-hypnotize-bill-maher

Donald Trump is a very scary primate and the fact that he knows exactly what he's doing makes it even scarier.

I JUST THOUGHT HE WAS A BUFFOON
Now
I'M REGARDING HIM AS AN ENEMY OF EVERYTHING THAT AMERICA REPRESENTS.

I realize that politicians have always used certain techniques to sway a voter's mind but it usually gets defined as SPIN or BS. With Donald Trump we have to remember that he's not a politician and he is simply a celebrity who is using concise short phrases of HATE to energize people and then always ends the negative dribble with " AND I'M GOING TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN."

This type of behavior cannot be accepted in the year 2016.......even if 70% of the American public is regarded as "uninformed" once they hear the explanation they will awaken. They might not run out and start reading the old masters and studying Quantum Mechanics but they will recognize that someone very dangerous is trying to control their minds and therefore control their actions.   

And the only action he wants controlled is a check, or a chad punch, in a very small box on November 8 2016. 

PLEASE DON'T FALL FOR IT 
AND BY THE WAY......NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO EXPLAIN HIS 
TOOLS OF PERSUASION 
TO THE PEOPLE, YOU PERSONALLY KNOW, WHO ARE SUPPORTING HIM.

**********
Yesterday Jerry Brown endorsed Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders.  He basically said that her lead was too big and that it's time for the Democratic party to unite for the general election in Nov. which he also explained is already underway because Trump is the GOP candidate and he is on the campaign trail.

I'm a bit disappointed in Mr. Moonbeam because it just proves that while being identified as a liberal politician he's part of that secondary liberal hierarchy which not only includes the Clinton's....but is most likely is run by the Clinton's.

Bernie Sanders is a legitimate first string liberal and has proven his substance regarding issues of the left since he first started in politics.

Have you forgotten what true issues of the left are about?   Don't feel bad.  As the years go by we settle in and adopt methods of behavior that allow us to not only survive but blend in without too much hostility.  (in case you are wondering...the main theme of being liberal is caring about what happens to EVERYBODY)

I'm pretty sure Jerry Brown has drifted so far to the center of the aisle that he no longer sees the need for believing in issues that drove him while he was Governor the first time in 1974, at the age of 36.

He had a chance to rekindle his liberal legacy and finish his political career with a flourish.
Had he not thrown Bernie under the bus, one week before the California Primary, those of us who supported him over the years would have spoken highly of him.

I KNOW AT ONE TIME, NOT THAT LONG AGO, THAT EDMOND G. BROWN JR. BELIEVED IN THE EXACT SAME THINGS 
THAT
BERNIE SANDERS
BELIEVES.

I think he just chickened out at the end........kinda sad.

***********

AND NOW TO THE IMPORTANT ISSUE OF THE DAY

WHAT , WHO AND WHY DID EVERYTHING HAPPENED THE WAY IT DID AT THE CINCINNATI ZOO ON SUNDAY?

The debate seems to be regarding who was responsible?

I lost my son Sean in 1981 in the infield of the Santa Anita Race Track when he was 3 years old.

There was a space set aside for kids to play with swings and slides and all that good stuff.  I was sitting on a bench about 20 feet away when he started to come down the slide.....I looked down at the racing form and studied a horse for about 20 seconds.....I looked up and HE WAS GONE.

THE PANIC WAS EXTREME........IT WAS A FAMILY OUTING AND THE NEXT 15 MINUTES WERE HORRIFIC.  AFTER FINDING A SECURITY GUARD AND TELLING HIM WHAT SEAN WAS WEARING AND WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE WE ALL SPREAD OUT WITH EXTREME ANXIETY.

 AT ONE POINT I RAN TO THE OUTSIDE PARKING LOT LOOKING FOR THE KIDNAPPERS, CLIMBED UP ON A CAR AND SURVEYED THE ENTIRE LOT BEFORE JUMPING DOWN AND RUNNING BACK INTO THE INFIELD AREA.

I APPROACHED ANOTHER GUARD WHO WAS ON HIS RADIO AND STARTED TO EXPLAIN WHEN HE SAID THERE WAS A LITTLE BOY AT THE GUARD STATION AND SHOWED ME THE DIRECTION....I STARTED RUNNING.  

WALKING TOWARD ME WAS A SECURITY GUARD AND MY SON.  THE GUARD HAD SEAN'S HAND AND THE MOMENT OF EXTREME PANIC ENDED.

Sean explained that he came down the slide and didn't see anyone he knew and went to find a policeman to help him locate his parents and his grandparents. The goofy part of the story is that he found a guard right next to the play area and the guard immediately took him to the guard station which was on the other side of the infield.  I asked the guy, after thanking him, why he didn't stay in the immediate area for a few more seconds and he said there was official protocol to follow and he was just doing his job.

A VERY IMPORTANT FACT TO NOTE AT THIS JUNCTURE....

ONLY PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT INCIDENT IS TYPING THIS STORY RIGHT NOW.

Those parents of that little boy at that Zoo in Cincinnati are fully responsible for what happened.

What's probably going to happen next is that they will sue the Zoo for mental anguish and receive $5 million....and the Zoo will have to close because animals rights protesters will start trying to have all gorillas put back into the wild and then the gorilla hunters will have a green light and within ten years there wouldn't be Silverback Gorilla's left on the planet and ALL BECAUSE TWO DIPSHIT PARENTS WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION.

TAKE IT FROM A DIPSHIT....I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.

The other odd part of the story is gorilla's are advanced primates and they are vegetarians so that wasn't a problem.  
The video seems to indicate that Harambe, the 400 pound patriarch of the enclosed gorilla clan, couldn't quite figure out how the little gorilla lost all his hair and muscles.  

At one point you see him feel the child's arms and legs and maybe even his private parts......he seems baffled....but he seems protective.  I realize that he dragged him through the water but with all the people yelling and screaming he might have assumed that an attack was about to happen.

When you read stories about gorilla's in captivity, that have been taught 1000 words in sign language, you have to wonder why Harambe didn't have an interpreter close at hand.  Someone at that Zoo is very depressed today because they know they could have done something to save him.  He was 17 which turns out to be about half a life span for that breed.  He was also the father of a clan that included seven other members.  Those other gorilla's are also very confused right now and they better get a another big boy in that compound so the ladies can have a new leader.

One last point.....are you trying to tell me that we don't have a SEDATIVE that will instantly stop a 400 pound gorilla?
BUT
we have 30,000 Nuclear warheads available to wipe out the entire human population?

I'm just saying.....

Michael Timothy McAlevey

The Universe has some splaining to do......

Last week I had a short discussion with someone who was born in 1960 and she was wondering why there was so many "hallucinogenic experiences" going on in the late 60's and early 70's.

Much has been written and about this unique time period but there is also a large number of baby boomers choosing the denial route when talking about their "personal experiences" from 1968 to 1974.

What you are about to read is a short Mind Jazz summary of a time period that is truly "one for the ages."

The question asked by my friend is a valid question and I previously answered that question in December of 1992 with a short paper, which was directed toward a younger woman who was born in 1970, that I was dating at the time.  It was more than dating but that's all history will remember, so dating it shall be.  That young woman was mainly questioning why so many people would risk "frying" their brains on such a "unstable" drug like LSD.

1)....LSD wasn't unstable until people started blending the components.
2)....Certain human beings have always been unstable and the uncertainty doesn't usually get determined until an outside particle or event enters the arena.  Drugs, love, money, sex and religion can all create a platform for erratic behavior....and that applies to both the acquisition and the removal of drugs, love, money sex and religion.
3)...History allows us to look back and do extensive analysis of events that result in other events BUT while those events are fresh, and one is in the middle of either participating or being affected, then it's not easy to analyze.

ONE DOES WHAT ONE MUST DO TO EITHER SURVIVE OR THRIVE

In 1954 America had 6% of the world population and
60% of all the cars
58% of all telephones
45% of all radio sets
34% of all railroads
and on the verge of having 100% of the world's Rock and Roll
thanks to
The King

From July of 1953, when the Korean War ended, to 11/22/63  what America experienced was
26 top 100 Elvis Presley songs along with......

......hit tunes like Purple People Eater, The Chipmunk Song. Some of the greatest musical movies of all time like West Side Story and Sound of Music....and a new term and concept called Beatniks and the Beat Generation.   But mainly Rock and Roll was being born and learning to kick it's heals big time. Television was a mainstay in every American home by 1958 and shows like I Love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriet, Jack Benny, What's My Line and The Ed Sullivan Show were entertaining us and generally making us laugh.

The under the desk five minute drills at school in case of a Nuclear attack didn't really phase us because the 3 network news shows weren't giving us nightly replicas of what a Nuclear explosion looked like.  As kids we figured a two inch wood desk would stop any serious damage....and it was just mainly an interruption in our constant search of having....FUN. 

On January 20 1961 the youthful and handsome JFK was inaugurated President of the United States. (It was an epic visual change from Dwight D. Eisenhower)
On April 17 1961, JFK green lighted a plan initiated by IKE to overthrow Fidel Castro

The number one song on Billboard was "I'm leaving it up to you"  by Dale and Grace.

I was 17 years old and a freshman in college the morning that John Fitzgerald Kennedy visited Dallas, Texas on November 22 1963.

On November 29 1963 The Beatles released "I want to hold your hand" in the UK.
On December 26 1963 that song was released in the USA.
On my 18th birthday, February 11 1964 the Beatles performed their first concert in the USA at the Washington Sports Arena in Washington D.C.

The Universe took JFK 
and then gave us the Beatles.

Odd trade off to say the least....but it got the party started.

The Viet-Nam fiasco begin to interrupt our lives in 1964 and then we were given a temporary resurgence of Camelot when Robert Kennedy decided to run for President in 1968.

THAT RESURGENCE OF HOPE WAS BADLY BRUISED 
ON APRIL 4 1968 

WHEN THE GREATEST CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER IN HISTORY 
WAS GUNNED DOWN IN MEMPHIS.

AND THEN COMPLETELY SHATTERED  ON JUNE 6 1968 
WHEN BOBBY
WAS MURDERED IN LOS ANGELES AFTER WINNING THE CALIFORNIA PRIMARY.

RICHARD NIXON BECAME PRESIDENT AND THE WAR  IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
BECAME ONE LARGE FUNERAL.

BASICALLY OUR (the infamous collective we) CORE BELIEF SYSTEM WAS BEING CHALLENGED AND WE RESPONDED BY SAYING...

FUCKIT!

Turning to mind altering drugs wasn't done because we were happy campers....it was done to remove the pressure of knowing that we really had no say in how society was operating.

EVERYTHING WAS OUT OF CONTROL and we were going to be in control come hell or high water.

A WAR THAT NOBODY WANTED WAS TAKING THE YOUTH OF AMERICA AND DROPPING THEM IN THE MIDDLE OF BUM FUCK NOWHERE TO PROTECT WHO THE FUCK KNEW FROM WHATEVER THE FUCK IT WAS THAT A FEW SELECT LEADERS IN WASHINGTON WERE SAYING WAS IMPORTANT.

THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH WAS BEING CHALLENGED.

WOMEN WERE BECOMING SELF ACTUALIZED LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

MINORITIES WERE WONDERING WHAT CIVIL RIGHTS ACTUALLY MEANT
AND ON TOP OF THAT
SOME OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE MUSIC IN HISTORY WAS BEING CREATED
AND
IT
WAS
LOUD
AND
IT
WAS
DANCING
MUSIC

AND THE HIGHER ONE COULD GET THE BETTER ONE COULD DANCE
or at the very least, think they could dance.
I just happened to be one of those dancers
that made other good dancers
dance
better

Now, I'm not saying that I took LSD so that I could dance
but dancing was a special link
in helping to make the party a little bit more entertaining.....

Being high at a club on LSD and dancing to Otis Redding, Three Dog Night, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Who, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin truly made one become instantly unaware of The Draft, Viet-Nam, assassinations and political paranoia and corruption.

THE COLLECTIVE WE KNEW 
THEY WERE WRONG
AND THEREFORE
THEY 
WEREN'T INVITED TO THE PARTY
THAT
WE
WERE THROWING

IN OTHER WORDS.....LIKE I SAID BEFORE

FUCKEM!

And I mentioned earlier but it bears repeating........ there were obviously people who weren't equipped to handle mind altering drugs but it turns out that those certain people weren't equipped to handle many many many aspects of life.

THE ANGER TOWARD THE EXISTING POWER STRUCTURE IN LATE 1968 AND EARLY 1969 WAS BUILDING and then suddenly the FUCKEM AND HATEEM attitude turned to....

LOVEEM

and one can say whatever they want regarding the change of heart but one cannot ignore the chemical implementation aspect while trying to understand the paradigm shift that was obviously taking place.

THE ANGER ASPECT RETURNED  WHEN RICHARD MILHOUSE NIXON WAS ELECTED TO A SECOND TERM AFTER TROUNCING GEORGE MC GOVERN IN THE 1972 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

GLOVES OFF
PROTESTS INCREASED
and civil disobedience and social unrest brought the protest game to the street and 
was extremely helpful in changing the perception of what the US was doing in Viet-Nam.

As the war was ending in 1975 the LSD experience was no longer wide spread and while hallucinogenics will always be present in different forms.....the participation will be limited 

to those seeking serious mind expansion( which presently in the country doesn't appear to be a priority.....case in point....as of today Donald Trump is officially the GOP candidate for President) and a limited amount of serious party peeps.

And besides....mushrooms are so much more Organic.

I do believe that LSD should be used in certain types of mental health problems.....it does open windows so one should always be on the ground floor when experimenting....or on a mountain top, or at a great concert, or in the desert, or after a good meal, or while trying to write a piece explaining why an entire generation of baby boomers needed to get

high.

I'M HAVING PROBLEMS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY THAT PARTICULAR GENERATION ISN'T SUPPORTING 

BERNIE SANDERS.

I'm not suggesting that Bernie was an LSD experimenter but he was right in the middle of 

the protest concerning civil rights, and the Viet-Nam war.

I'd like to explain more but my teeth are starting to feel numb and I just put on a WHO video so things are getting 

seriously

entertaining and OMG

the

colors

are

SPECTACULAR

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Hillary picks the Bern

I try to keep informed using various methods, ranging from on-line news to broadcast news and various print media forms, including the previously discussed dying dodo bird entity commonly known as the "morning paper."

I'VE YET TO HEAR A SERIOUS DISCUSSION REGARDING THE POSSIBILITY OF HILLARY CLINTON CHOOSING BERNIE SANDERS AS HER VP.....IF INDEED SHE WINS THE NOMINATION.....which in all practical realities that I can see....is going to happen on June 7 at the California primary.  

Bernie would have to win 65% of the vote and whereas I see him winning California there's no way the margin will be high enough for him to claim all the delegates.....and then his only hope would be to convince all the super delegates to change their minds and that is about the same as believing Star Trek was a documentary.

SO....accepting the given reality of Hillary Goddamn, er....I mean Rodham Clinton being the Democratic nominee for 45th President of the United States, wouldn't it make perfect sense for her to choose Bernard no middle name Sanders as her running mate?

IS THAT TOO LOGICAL?

It would absolutely guarantee a victory in NOVEMBER.....

Having watched all 4 seasons of House of Cards and having observed the Clintons since 1991 I'm a little bit worried that she might pick Bill as her running mate.  

IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? 

( I just did some research and believe it or not there are some legal ambiguities with the wording regarding any previous two term President being eligible for an appointment as VP)   
AND 
IF WE'VE LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT THE CLINTON'S WE'VE LEARNED THAT MANIPULATING THE SYSTEM IS ACTUALLY THEIR OFFICIAL MO.

OK....FANTASY TIME OVER.....

SHE WON'T PICK BILL BECAUSE SHE CAN'T.
SHE WON'T PICK ELIZABETH WARREN BECAUSE EW WON'T DO IT.
SHE CAN'T PICK AL GORE BECAUSE THAT'S TOO WEIRD
SHE WON'T PICK JERRY BROWN EVEN THOUGH SHE SHOULD
SHE WON'T PICK SETH MACFARLAND BECAUSE WE AREN'T ALLOWED TO LAUGH THAT MUCH
SHE WON'T PICK ELLEN OR OPRAH OR ANGELIQUE BECAUSE THEY HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO
SHE CAN'T PICK TAYLOR SWIFT BECAUSE SHE'S TOO YOUNG

SO

LOOKING AROUND AT VARIOUS OPTIONS AND TRYING TO FIND SOMEONE WHO HAS MILLIONS OF LOYAL FOLLOWERS..... 

SHE HAS TO PICK THE BERN

He is not too old to be VP if he's not to old to be President....and there are millions of young people in this country that are already on the Bernie train.


I'm pretty sure that this issue is being discussed among the "insiders" but I don't see any discussions in the media.  I've probably just missed those moments and this entire posting was a complete waste of time.......

Seriously, what would you have been doing with the last 10 minutes instead of reading this dribble?  If I stole those ten minutes from you and it prevented you from figuring out how to cure cancer or  reduce the national debt or fix the Dodgers pitching staff...then I truly apologize.

Maybe a nice tune to help offset the wasted time......unless of course you hadn't thought about The Hill picking The Bern and in that case.....no apology needed.

But I still think you should listen to this song......

And if you need some gentleness in your life.....watch "Going my Way."  
I Promise it will make you softer and calmer.....two things that the current election season will most definitely 
not do.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Sunday columnist.....not communist

I've notice over the last few years that I'm doing an average of one post a week on Mind Jazz. That's mainly due to energy directed toward visual artwork instead of l  e  t  t  e  r  s normally grouped together on a blank computer screen, except of course I don't always follow normal rules of literary engagement.  That might be due to a few different agenda's.  ONE being I'm not smart enough to be literally exact, TWO I don't have an editor and THREE.....I like things to look unique.  That personal style doesn't always translate to looking better but it does spice up the page.

I think I've  always wanted to have a weekly Sunday column that dealt with current events.  Of course I would prefer that the column appear as a nationally syndicated "event"....like Doonesbury. I'm never as funny and never as colorful as Garry even though I do utilize color when making certain points.  One of the benefits of posting like this is that I can actually create
as
much

negative

space

as

I

want.....
something that could never happen in a weekly newspaper....and besides, the newspaper seems to shrinking in size as well as influence, even though some of us will never not enjoy the holding of a paper at the beginning of each day.  We are shrinking along with the newspaper business.

BEING ABLE TO STRESS A POINT BY USING THE DIFFERENT TOOLS ON A KEYBOARD
AND HAVING NO RESTRICTIONS
ON
SPACE
or
TIME
is
a plus

The fact that I only have between 60 and 100 readers
is less than a plus
BUTathisstageofmylife
itiswhatitis

SIDEBAR:  Within ten years will conversations be like text messages with simple abbreviations only?  "Omg Wtf Dystp?  Pronounce those letters and listen to your self.  That could be one the results from text messaging.

I'm pretty sure that this song by Roy Orbison from 1967 was his anti Viet-Nam song.  Don't know for sure but love the song.

All of us that were against the war in Viet-Nam were called commies, pinko's and hippies and now one of those dudes is trying to be President of the United States.  That's kind of amazing when you think his supporters are generally under the age of 30.

I'm on board until it flips over.


Michael Timothy McAlevey

Maybe Trump is a conspiracy theory.....or maybe he's just a theory

Whenever I hear the word conspiracy I think of the Mel Gibson movie and I remember how much I liked it even though I thought it was truly fictional.  There's no way our government has alternative plans and schemes that would harm the American public.

I'm going to repeat that one more time...

There's no way our government has alternative plans and schemes that would harm the American public.

When you have time watch the following talk.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD2lABk16qE
and then
spend a little more time and visit......

http://www.geoengineeringwatch.org/

One thing that is truly crazy is believing all the conspiracy silliness.

But one thing that is even crazier is believing
that there aren't ANY
conspiracies.

If you think that our government isn't capable of making decisions that are just simply wrong and detrimental......then you really are living in a bubble.

It's probably a pretty nice bubble with a some great fun and tons of fabulous food and top notch entertainment....but it's a bubble and it will burst if you aren't paying close attention to what goes on around you....and the real problem is it will probably burst anyway no matter how much attention you pay.

Now just imagine for a sec that the government admitted that it made a mistake by using the United States Air Force to spray chemicals on ANYONE ANYWHERE ANYTIME in order to achieve ANY TYPE of solution to ANY TYPE of problem.

THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IN OUR LIFETIME.....AND I'M TALKING TO ALL 2 YEAR OLDS AND UP.

I have no idea if the CHEM-TRAIL EVENTS are in fact true but listening to some of the people involved, like David Keith, I have to acknowledge that "something is rotten in Denmark."  I don't ever remember quoting Shakespeare on a Mind Jazz post but I guess there's a first time for everything.

I'm starting to think that Donald Trump might be the latest conspiracy theory.

He admits to having given a ton of cash to Hillary and Bill in the past so what if they are working together to assure her of being the next President of the United States?  And then she makes him Sec of Commerce and he's in charge of making the economic deals.

What if Dow Chemical makes the stuff to fill up the Halliburton barrels to use the Bechtel distribution systems that fit into the Air Force planes that are constantly dumping chemicals in order to achieve some goal that is only shared by elite members of the government?

What if the Bees disappearing is a result of that effort?

What if the increase in Autism is a result of that effort?

What if Donald Trumps egotism is a result of that effort?

What if ISIS hatred of everybody is a result of that effort?

What if Mel Gibson's attitude toward Jews is a result of that effort?

What if my being poor is a result of that effort?

What if Donald Trump is actually the illegitimate child of Jimmy Carter's brother Billy?

SO MANY THEORIES

SO MANY GAMES TO PLAY

SO MANY TROUBLES IN THE AIR

AND SO MUCH

PAIN ON THE WAY

I honestly can't tell you what is stranger......the fact that our government has made a decision to spray the atmosphere with chemicals

or

that Donald Trump 

believes he would be a good President.

WE'VE CREATED THIS MONSTER WITH OUR DEVOTION TO CELEBRITY

while

at the same time

WE'VE REMOVED THE CHECKS AND BALANCES FROM THE TWO BRANCHES OF OUR GOVERNMENT....MAYBE ALL THREE.

and somehow we've managed to not only be the greatest country in the world but the place everyone wants to be.

Maybe some of these conspiracy theories need to come true so that we aren't the only destination on the planet.

MAYBE THAT'S WHY  THE DONALD  SHOULD BE PRESIDENT.

PEOPLE WILL THINK TWICE OR THREE TIMES BEFORE TRYING TO COME HERE.

And the conspiracy theories just keep on coming.

I absolutely love Presidential election years.......and this one has some very unique algorithms.......which I'm pretty sure was a phrase never spoken by William Shakespeare....

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Donald and Hillary or Mrs Clinton and Mr. Trump......or WTF and OMG.

Even though I think there will be some form of sanity adjustment during the GOP convention I have to start actually believing that  on November 8, 2016 there will be a ballot that gives you the choice of selecting the first female President of the United States or the first celebrity.

(Ronnie was a celeb....but before running for the highest office in the land he was President of the Screen Actors Guild and served two terms as Governor  of the California....Donald is trying to go from celebrity to President with no POLITICAL experience and apparently millions of people think that's a good thing)

There is also a possibility that if the GOP throws Donald under the bus he might just form the Trump Party.  And it's not impossible that Bernie also might form the Rooseveltsolutism Party and we could have four choices.

PROBABLY NOT but this is one of those elections where people keep saying things like............
...."I can't believe, what is going on, how is this possible, there's no way and WTF?

One of the side notes from a Donald Trump candidacy is the awareness that certain celebrities, who are politically involved and aware, or not, are now realizing that maybe ANYONE can actually be President....as long as they have a large Twitter, Facebook, Tumbler, Linkedin or Instagram following.

That makes someone like Bruno Mars or Taylor Swift rethink what they might want to do in the future.

Bruno's 30 so he could be looking at 2020 when he turns 35 in October of that year.  (35 is the age requirement)  Taylor would have to wait until the 2028 election but by then she'll probably be married to Prince Harry and who wants to be President when you can eventually be Queen.

Is there any chance that celebrity worshiping will peak any time in the near future?  It seems to be getting stronger and stronger and the odd element involved is that you don't necessarily need to be gifted with incredible talent.

Prince deserves every form of praise that can possibly be bestowed on his memory because he was a seriously gifted musician and, as we are now learning, a very caring humanitarian.

Donald Trump is wealthy and he hosted a TV show which are apparently  good enough reasons to have 40 million people support anything you might want to do....including RUN THIS COUNTRY.

The celebrity status obtained by certain reality TV show participants makes NO SENSE.

I'm not about to list them because first off I'd misspell their names and second off because I've never watched those shows so I actually have no idea what talent they possess, if indeed they do possess some unique talent.  Do they?   Do the people on Survivor actually know how to do anything except survive?  Do the contestants on The Bachelor know how to do anything except.....date?

Hillary is also a celebrity but it's based on political aspirations from very early in her life....and that form of political celebrity is something we have faced many many times before.

WE HAVE NEVER FACED WHAT WE ARE FACING WITH A DONALD TRUMP CANDIDACY.

And to be honest, I'm not sure the celebrity aspect of this endeavor is the main reason he is so popular.  It's very possible that 40% of the American public is flat out.......uninformed.   Now I wanted to say stupid but that's too easy.  I have to remember that every Presidential election only generates participation from 60% of the eligible voters.

SO 40% IS ALWAYS ON THE SIDELINES.....and maybe that's the Trump base. People who don't vote and only watch TV for their news and entertainment.   It would be interesting to take a poll of Trump supporters and find out what novels they read....or if they actually read anything except for those magazines setting next to the check out stand at their markets.  Maybe they only look at the covers....I'm sorta being sarcastic but then again....I'm sorta not.

IT'S A BAFFLING AGENDA THAT DOMINATES THE CURRENT POLITICAL ARENA AND IN MY HUMBLE OPINION IT ALL STARTED WHEN JOHN McCAIN SELECTED GOVERNOR PALIN FOR HIS RUNNING MATE IN 2008.

THAT OPENED A SPECIAL CAN OF WORMS THAT WAS LABELED.....WTF?

I will say one thing about a Clinton/Trump election....the three debates that would take place might be some of the most entertaining debates in history.  Not necessarily interesting but for sure entertaining.   

DT....."so listen lady.....where do you get your hair done......I have someone that can help you."

HC...." If we weren't on national TV I'd walk over and bitch slap you silly."

DT...."and those pants......do you actually have any legs?

HC...."That's it......Bill....will you please come out here and knock this asshole out?"

BC....."I can't honey, he gave $250,000 to my campaigns and another mil to OUR foundation."

DT...."And...I want it back or I'm going to sue both of you."

The ratings for a Clinton/Trump debate will top everything except The Super Bowl.

Again I'm pretty sure the GOP will somehow curtail the Trump bandwagon but if they don't....August, September and October of 2016 will be off the charts for political weirdness.

Forget the candidates for a second.....think about your family,  friends and neighbors and the type of debates you will be involved in.  Now think about the conversations with people that you don't really like, and are on completely different political sides of the coin, but that you can't avoid.......co-workers, family and friends that you only like when they aren't talking politics or religion.

IT COULD BE  APOCALYPTICALLY  EVENTFUL.

I hope I'm wrong and I hope that everyone keeps calm.....but so far Trump has done nothing to indicate that calm might be part of his persona.

My faith is that the GOP will make the right choice.......

But....when was the last time that happened?

And if you are a Republican your answer is........"EVERY SINGLE TIME."

And there in lies the rub.......and allows me to simply say....

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

DONALD TRUMP VS HILLARY CLINTON

GOD HELP US!

Michael Timothy McAlevey

EARTH DAY 2016........

written 13 years ago

There's a soul in the life of the land where we live

IT'S CLEAR

IT’S CLEAN

IT’S FRESH

AND IT’S OURS

IT DOESN’T CARE WHERE WE’VE COME FROM

IT DOESN’T ASK WHO WE ARE

JUST

DO WE LOVE

WHERE WE STAND

AT THIS TIME

WE CAN DRINK ALL THE WATER

AND MINE ALL THE COAL

BUT WHEN WE MIX THE TWO TOGETHER

IT TROUBLES HER SOUL

WE CAN TEST ALL THE BOMBS

AND DESTROY EVERY LAST TREE

AND THE ONLY THING IT REALLY DOES

IS ELIMINATE YOU AND ME

THE HARM THAT WE BRING

DOESN’T BOTHER THE LAND

WE ONLY HURT OURSELVES

BY FAILING TO UNDERSTAND

THAT THERE’S A SOUL IN THE LIFE OF THE LAND WHERE WE LIVE

IT’S CLEAR

IT’S CLEAN

IT’S FRESH

AND IT’S OURS

IT DOESN’T CARE WHERE WE’VE COME FROM

IT DOESN’T ASK WHO WE ARE

JUST

DO WE LOVE

WHERE WE STAND

AT THIS TIME

WE ARE GIVEN ALL THE TREASURES

THAT ANYONE COULD USE

BUT IF WE DON’T HAVE VISION

THEN ALL WE DO IS LOSE

WE DUMP OUR PROBLEMS

IN EVERY OCEAN, RIVER AND STREAM

WE LIVE BY A CODE OF COMSUMPTION

THAT DARKENS EVERY DREAM

WE THINK THAT OIL IS OUR GOLD

BECAUSE IT MOVES MACHINES AND MAN

AND ALL IT REALLY DOES

IS REMOVE THE SPRINGS OF LAND

WE NEED THAT SPECIAL CRUDE

BECAUSE WE’VE IGNORED OTHER WAYS

AND ALL WE’VE ENDED UP WITH

IS COUGHING THROUGH A HAZE

OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN

WILL REALLY PAY THE PRICE

AND JUST THAT THOUGHT ALONE

DOESN’T MAKE US VERY NICE

AND WHEN THE DUST HAS FINALLY SETTLED

AND ALL THE BILLS HAVE BEEN PAID

IT IS ONLY THE SIMPLE FACT

THAT’S THERE’S ONE MISTAKE WE’VE MADE

WE THOUGHT WE CONTROLLED THE EARTH

BY DOMINATING THE LAND

AND IT SIMPLY COMES DOWN TO ONE THING

THAT WE JUST DIDN’T UNDERSTAND

THAT THERE’S A SOUL IN THE LIFE OF THE LAND WHERE WE LIVE

IT’S CLEAR

IT’S CLEAN

IT’S FRESH

AND IT’S OURS

IT DOESN’T CARE WHERE WE COME FROM

IT DOESN’T ASK WHO WE ARE

JUST

DO WE LOVE

WHERE WE STAND

AT THIS TIME

Have a nice Earth Day

Michael Timothy McAlevey

A rare movie and literary discussion based on adaptation.

I left the Rooseveltsolutionism article up a bit longer because I regarded it as slightly more important than most of my political observations.  The "odd" unfolding of this Presidential race will peak during summer as both conventions take place and I foresee some unprecedented developments but in the meantime.....I would like to discuss books and  movies and  it starts with a question.

WHAT IS THE GREATEST FILM ADAPTATION OF A LITERARY WORK?
I fully realize that  greatest is very subjective word..... but deal with it.

There should be an award show every 20 years just to see how the public's viewpoint changes on this topic.

One of the main prerequisites for GREATEST, and there are numerous parameters, is that there will be NO REMAKE.  Not in 10 years, not in 20 years, not in 50 years and not in 200 years.

So many film adaptations from a literary source are always subject to someone thinking they could do better or something was over looked or someone different could have played a key character.

So basically......character driven novels/films would not be eligible.

That particular prerequisite eliminates any work by  Shakespeare,  Williams,   Hemingway,  Fitzgerald, Melville, Stevenson, Cooper, London or Stephen King.  So many versions and so many possibilities of interpretation, depending on who preforms the work, that remakes are guaranteed.

Keep in mind that some people think The Shining could win that award but even though Jack was wonderful, there were too many eliminations from the book and within a few years it will be remade. The only reason it hasn't been done yet is because of Jack's performance.  Leaving those hedge animals out of the film was a huge Kubrick mistake.

Without you having any idea of how I participate in the Time/Space conundrum I just took a break and called a few friends to get a small sampling of what the prerequisites and parameters might be in establishing how the winner would be chosen and quickly realized that opinions on this matter have already been the subject at numerous dinner parties and other social gatherings.

Number one rule in voting....MUST HAVE READ THE BOOK and SEEN THE MOVIE.

THERE SHOULD PROBABLY BE TWO CATEGORIES

FANTASY (which includes science fiction)
with a separate subcategory for animation and comic book creations. 

and    

REALITY BASED  

with REALITY BASED having it's own subcategories of fiction and non-fiction....as an example, the first nomination my friend Dr. Francis J. Conlan said was.....TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.  A fictional story based on a very real situation.  His main basis of opinion is centered on the fact that no one could play the role of Atticus Finch better than Gregory Peck.

I think that is a character driven story and someday someone will remake that film in color with a different actor and whereas it might not be as good there is a strong possibility that it could be done.

The NO REMAKING  rule eliminates character based stories and thus To Kill a Mockingbird must be eliminated....or placed in a special category.

EVERYBODY'S A CRITIC

The next friend I called, Dermot Stoker, whose family linage dates back to Bram Stoker, immediately said he knew the two movies.  Lawrence of Arabia and Out of Africa.

I guess there should be another rule......

WHO WOULD WANT TO?

I'm not the biggest fan of L of A and O of A but I guess I understand the sentiment.  Of the two books that spawned those films I would wager large parcels of land, if I had any, on you or anyone else reading this piece to know who the author was on Out of Africa....or what was the title of the book by Mr. Lawrence?

I think Out of Africa could be remade because Meryl Streep and Robert Redford are replaceable by Ryan Goosling and Marion Cotillard.......or ? and ?  

Lawrence of Arabia might be harder just because Peter O'Toole actually looked like the real Lawrence...according to another friend Thomas J. Sullivan.

By the way...the author of Out of Africa.........Baroness Karen von Bixen-Finecke......and T.E. Lawrence's book was called The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

ANYWAY.....THE WINNER SHALL BE DETERMINED BY VOTING.

I'M JUST TRYING TO ESTABLISH ELIGIBILITY.....and am quickly learning to understand the problem the Academy has when organizing the Oscars.

There are also many films, not from literature, that shouldn't be remade, but probably will be....but of course that's another show.

I'm going to now place in nomination a film in the Fantasy category that I guarantee will never ever ever be remade.

ACTUALLY IT IS 6 FILMS but it's one story....and it starts with..."In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit".........

The Hobbit (3 films) and
Lord of the Rings(3 films) will never be remade because there is no way to improve on the production and nothing was left out of the books...and if you read those works by Mr. Tolkien then you fully know what I'm saying.

I realize that there are many people who don't read fiction, which basically eliminates almost every blockbuster movie ever made from their enjoyment portfolio.  I wonder  if people who don't read fiction even go to the movies?  Probably spend any spare time digesting the History Channel and PBS. A person who doesn't read fiction, but goes to the movies and watches TV most likely thinks Ken Burns is the greatest filmmaker in history......and oddly enough....they might be right.

Other nominations
Movies that will never be remade.

FANTASY

Harry Potter.....now that there's theme parks...Harry has become the new Mickey.
Shoeless Joe.....title changed to Field of Dreams for movie interpretation. Perfect movie.
The Godfather 1....you don't really believe there's a Mafia, do you?
Dr. Zhivago.......oh yeah....someone who looks like Julie Christe lives in Siberia
Shindler's List....a German who was helping the Jews.....seriously?  And did anyone read Keneally's book except for Speilberg?
Wizard of Oz..................variations don't count......nice try Michael Jackson.
                   
REALITY BASED

GONE WITH THE WIND......maybe could be redone by someone who really wants to show the worst time period in American history.  I mean 600,00 Americans lost their lives and Rhett says...."Frankly Scarlet, I don't give a damn."

AVATAR.......That book sold really well on the planet Zicron and Cameron announced the other day that five more sequels are coming.

LITTLE MERMAID............20 years ago USA did a nationwide survey and 30% of the people said the actress who played the Little Mermaid was their favorite actress.  (True story)


And on that note I'm going to sign off and get back to the political arena.....I'll work on the category breakdown and determine what year the award show will be introduced.

In the mean time....would love your nomination.....or click the waste of time box below.

Movies from Books that will never be remade.

OUT.

Michael Timothy McAlevey