Random Thoughts: June, 2014

It is strange on how time not only heals all wounds--- which, by the way, it doesn't--- but, how with the passage of a certain amount of time, a controversial person somehow gets his or her own image all cleaned up and polished. I say this because this morning I saw the new and improved Bill Clinton on TV. He was talking as the elder statesman, commenting on world affairs and his opinion on life. That is normal for an ex-Commander And Chief. Many refuse to surrender the spotlight and go around courting attention to feed their massive egos. And, no one better has ever exhibited this practice than William Jefferson Clinton. His record in office can now be judged, for it is common procedure for historians to measure a President and his job performance twenty or so years after leaving office. Clinton has been gone around thirteen years but it is fair to start judging what he did and how he did. Naturally, what strikes us right up front is his sex scandal. There are those who still insist that they do not know what he did wrong and still blame the Republicans for a witchhunt. What he did wrong is simple: he lied under oath during a deposition involving a sexual harassment case from a woman, Paula Jones, that was suing him. This affair, along with many others that he had, including his most celebrated liaison, Monica Lewinsky, are no offenses to the law. They were personal decisions made that did not affect his job performance. But, and this is where he was in the wrong, he did lie about it with his left hand pressed on the Bible and his right hand up in the air stating that he would tell the truth, and nothing but the truth. Well, he didn't tell the truth and this was a felony. Whether he lied about his affair, or, he lied about cheating on his taxes, or whatever reason someone will lie under oath, constitutes a crime. And, just because he was President does not mean he was above the law [shades of Richard Nixon and Watergate]. He was rightly impeached but not thrown out of office. Many people in history have gone to jail for the illegal act of lying under oath, so, it was completely appropriate that the Republicans---- who, granted, had a political agenda against him, as the Democrats had an agenda in saving him from removal from office---- applied the Constitutional right of impeachment of a sitting President. He escaped being thrown out of office by his fingernails and served the rest of his term, about three years, as a wounded and much-maligned and much-hated President. And, his wife, Hillary, the Yoko Ono of politics, was even more hated. She was seen, rightly, as a lying, cold-hearted, devious person, who would trample over anyone who might get in the Clintons path. Throughout her husband's eight years in office, she was always right there, beside him [unless there was an intern by him] looking with that Manson Family look to her, like she was a shark about to pounce on the tasty swimmer who was floating by. Her list of scandals tops his: Whitewater and the illegal land deals, the disappearing and sudden reappearing of White House records of the people who were political enemies of the Clinton Regime, her much-bungled handling of Health Care Reform, the mysterious and still unsolved death of close family friend, Vince Foster, and her rush to judgment in the Lewinsky scandal by blaming the ''vast right-wing conspiracy'' against Victim Bill. All of these, along with her personal demeanor of looking like a bitch, polarized her with much of the world. To her credit, she did become a Senator from New York after her husband left office, and later, Secretary Of State under Obama [ Barack may have been practicing the old ''Godfather'' saying of, ''Keep your friends close but your enemies closer'']. So, these two, always slimy to listen to, are now being made over by the media--- mostly, liberal--- in an attempt to position Hillary for another Presidential run in 2016. The audience this morning was in full support of her and him. Clearly, what they are both saying is that if we elect her, we get him again. She is the only viable candidate so far among the Democrats. Stranger things have happened. We may very well have the Clampetts again riding high in the White House........As I write this, The Gay Pride Parade is going on in Chicago. This parade seems to get stronger every year, but, especially, this year is a watershed for it because the Same-Sex Marriage bill was passed by the State Of  Illinois in the last year. Now, more than any other time, gay and lesbian people are more open about their sexuality. And, that is how it should be. To tell someone who they should fall in love with according to societies standards does go against the principals of freedom of expression that is in our Constitution. As a heterosexual man, I never really had problems with someone being gay. Sure, it goes against my feelings towards love and sex but gay and lesbian people, I'm sure, scratch their heads for my choice of sexual preference. To each his own, I say. There are those who violently oppose this lifestyle of same-sex love. Usually, they quote The Bible to further their views. Well, yeah, it does say that marriage is between the man and woman. The Bible also has many absurd stories about magic happenings [does anyone really believe that Moses parted the Red Sea?]. The argument about the accuracy about events in The Bible is open to further discussion at some other time. But, my argument to those that oppose a person's right to live life as they please without hurting anyone has always been this: while going through The Bible to support your prejudice against an issue, also take time to read and sustain the more personal parts. Such as, tolerance and understanding and loving thy neighbor regardless of whom they are and how they act. This includes sexual choice. If you believe everything in this book, then, you should also love thy neighbor as you would yourself. I never like to speak for God but I'm pretty sure God does not want you to hate your fellow man and woman for their sexual choice. This has no affect on your life and how you run it. Do not worry, gay people do not want to hurt your child if little Billy goes near them. No, they aren't looking at you in a menacing predatory way if you are showering next to them. They will not bring down the property value in your community if they move in next door to you. They don't want to hurt you or make you uncomfortable. What they want is to live a peaceful life with the person they love. Sound familiar???? As for the parade, I do have an issue with how it is run in parts. I have never seen it but the parts I have seen on TV---- which, shows the weird and absurd----- does not show the parade in a positive light. Tone it down, do not show the leather people and the people made up in a bizarre fashion. This is inviting derision and contempt, two areas you want to eliminate. If I was gay I would be highly insulted that these freaks do not further the cause of acceptance that you are holding the parade for. Cool the freakshow and show the happiness of finally being yourself. This will go a long way to building that bridge to the heterosexual world......... I used to do improv back in my acting days. It is a form of performing that I never really liked to do. The batting average of doing this type of comedy usually breaks down into thirds. One-third of the time, you hit a home run. One-third, you get a mild reception. And, the final third is bombing like Berlin in World War Two. Surprisingly, this last third never really shook me. If you can bomb in front of 150 people in a dive theater----- and Second City, regardless of its gloried history, is a shit-hole theater--- then, you can pretty much brave any foe of an audience and its reaction. I only took improv classes because, me being me, I wanted to jump into the deep end of the acting pool and see if I would drown. Well, I never drowned but I gasped for air more than I ever was successful. When I took classes at Second City around 1989/1990, it was a once a week deal, Saturday afternoons, where the class would perform improv games and exercises for three hours. Sometimes, with whatever suggestion you got from your fellow classmates, you would strike comic gold and you would file away the scene for consideration for the end of term public show you would put on. Every eight weeks you would advance to another level. There were five levels. At the end of that fifth level, you would put on a show for the public, once a week. Naturally, Second City would not give us poor students a taste of the gate, so, we did it for the pure joy of performing and maybe, learn a thing or two that would help us in the future. And, it was fun!!! A joyful time. We had our prepared skits that we perfected in our classes and then we would take the suggestions from the audience. These suggestions would make up our improv set. Generally, you would be given twenty minutes backstage to come up with something. We had tried-and-true formulas, little jokes and bits that we knew would work. After twenty minutes, you would brave that dark and lonely stage trying to make something work. Usually, the suggestions really weren't that good. Some joker, thinking he was clever, would yell out ''vibrator'' to us when we were looking for something. This genius would believe he is being funny and original by throwing this out, like performers throughout generations haven't heard this jewel of an idea. Sometimes, there would be a comment back towards this most sophisticated of fellows and one of us would spout, '' Mr. Originality in the front row has deemed the brilliant suggestion of vibrator for us to use onstage. How lucky that you are here tonight for this historic moment!'' You would usually ask for an occupation, location, and emotion, of which, after the vibrator fiasco, you would get some good things and some unworkable things. That is the secret, audience. Always give the performer something to work with instead of trying to trip them up. This does no good to give a difficult time with a difficult suggestion. It wastes the audiences time and the actors. Give the Cubs, or the Bears, or Skokie. A starting reference in which to build on. Improv needs the perfect marriage between the audience and said performers. Improv is instant feedback: either you hit or miss. Not very often is it flawless. There is the very funny TV show, ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' that is built on suggestions but it is heavily edited and sanitized for the viewing public. They hit the home run almost always. They are very talented people, especially, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie, but, as every comedian knows, you aren't a hit most of the time. Their show is only given a certain amount of time to make gold. The audience is there for hours, sitting through the bad parts. You don't see that on the broadcast because who wants to sit through dreck in order to get to the goods? Still, they do nothing wrong on the show and I am a big fan of the series. I know what performing without a net is like. And, it is hard. Also, damn fun!!!!!......... Finally, we are approaching another 4th of July. I, like you, I'm sure, am going to be doing my fair share of eating and drinking and laughing at these get togethers. It is a chance to blow off steam and have fun with the people you care about the most. But, as with all holidays, we seem to forget the basic message and reason of why we are off. In our rush to grab the next beer or braut, let us always remember that brave men and women fought and died for our right to do this. It was a dangerous thing to align yourself with the Rebels in 1776. They were going up against the mightiest army in history, The British Army. There were no promises of tomorrow for them, no riches or safety guaranteed. No, they put, as the phrase went at the time, ''Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred Honor'', on the line. They wanted independence and freedom. They wanted their children to live in a better land. And, many of them paid the ultimate price. Never again would those that gave their lives enjoy what we enjoy. Never would they live to see the great country that we have. They did not fight for financial reward but fought for the right to live life like we all do. As we prepare to party, let us all remember those who gave us this liberty...........

Looking At The Man In The Mirror

 May 16, 1983. The event was on NBC and was a TV special honoring the history of Motown. ''Motown's 25th'' was billed as just that, a celebration of twenty five years of solid and legendary music coming out of Detroit. Motown based its core image on soul music, with a healthy dose of blues music aimed at both black and white audiences. Motown was a raging success, the counterpart to the ''British Invasion'' from England. Some very marvelous acts sprung from this company, headed by the brilliant showman Berry Gordy. He had Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and, a little known act from Indiana. They were called The Jackson Five. These brothers played and sang from all of the joyful energy of the young. And, the ringleader of the group, the one who got the sighs from the girls and the boys on the dance floor grooving their booties, was a shy, introverted young man with an incredibly strong voice for someone so young. He was, of course, Michael Jackson. Throughout the early and mid-1970's, the Jackson Five had an incredible string of hit singles that blasted from radios and record players all over the world. With success comes intense fame and money. Also, intense scrutiny. That a bunch of child performers are onstage with a dominating stage parent behind the scenes is a familiar story. Joe Jackson, the boys father, was a pop Svengali. He pushed and prodded, cajoled and threatened, boasted and preened, his sons to greater glory. Whatever his record as father you want to trod out and criticize, he did fulfill his ambition: to have his sons be rich and famous and admired........ The public did not choose its favorite Jackson brother like it had chosen its favorite Beatle. Michael Jackson was the focus, the drawing card, the magnet onstage. Not only was he blessed with a beautiful singing voice but he also had the moves. Dance moves that seemed to come so effortlessly to him. Truth be told, he did not have the vast collection of dance steps that all of the masters, like Fred Astaire, had. No, his sprung from the soul, the connection of dancing from one's central nervous system. It was a joyful body release from the gospel heavens, the exhilaration of dancing in the moonlight. Your eyes and ears were borne together when watching him......... Because of all of his publicity on being the star attraction of the Jackson Five, Michael Jackson soon began doing solo albums. This is not abnormal for a child performer when maturity comes forth. Just as he entered his twenties, Michael and the legendary producer, Quincy Jones, formed a bond in the recording studio and came up with the brilliant, ''Off The Wall' album. This album trumps his follow up release, ''Thriller'', in every way except sold copies. Combining the, then fashionable, disco sound with his roots in R&B and soul, Michael Jackson became more than a kid star. He blossomed into a mature and potent artist that would have long-lasting impact. Already, the seeds were planted for his greatest triumph.......And, we know that would be ''Thriller'', still the highest selling album in recording history. It was this release in late 1982, combined with his appearance the following May on the Motown special, that propelled him past ordinary stardom and made him pass into legend....... The Michael Jackson that the public viewed that night was performing poetry in motion. His outfit was worth the price of admission. He wore a fedora hat, black sequin jacket, and a glove. In time, this look would be ridiculed and used as an example of how far-gone he was from reality. But, on this night, it was revolutionary. Commencing with the opening notes of his current number one song, ''Billie Jean'', Michael Jackson riveted the viewer with his voice, look, and attitude. The audience in the theater could do nothing else but jump on its feet, a willing partner to what was happening on stage. While Michael sang, he threw out a new dance move that blew everyone's mind. He went on his toes and preceded to walk backwords in a straight line, almost like a chicken doing a carnival trick. This stunning move brought the house down. After he finished his song, Michael Jackson left a stage a historical figure........ He also left the stage a fractured human being. The fame he had experienced as a child was unreal. But, at least, he had his brothers around him to help carry the load. Now, some ten years later, his immense fame exploded into heights only reached by a few. With this fame, came changes in his already fragile being. He did the bizarre things that we all remember. He reportedly bought the bones of the ''Elephant Man'', who was a circus freak. He slept in an oxygen chamber. He build his own ''Peter Pan''-type ''Never NeverLand'', which he aptly dubbed, ''NeverLand''. He bleached his face white [ despite his denials that he suffered from a skin condition, those closest to him maintain he wanted his skin to look more white ], married Elvis's daughter in a truly creepy publicity stunt for both of them, and, most alarming, he began to have intense relationships with small boys........ This last item would haunt Michael Jackson to his dying day. At first, it was explained that, because he did not have a normal childhood, he was reverting to all of the things that kids do when they play together. Sleepovers. Pillow fights. Water gun fights. Tickling each other into hysterics. All of these things are practiced by very young boys but, certainly not by adult men. This behavior from a grown man in his twenties and thirties can only be described as being obscenely inappropriate. Sexual feelings are in the grown up that are not in the young child. Someone should had talked to Michael that he was courting danger with this type of behavior. Perhaps, someone, unknown to us, did approach the subject with him. Obviously, he ignored it. In time, it was bound to explode in a scandal. And, it did........ In 1993, Michael Jackson was brought up on child abuse charges by a ''playmate'' of his. The boy, wisely shielded from the public knowing his name, alleged that he was touched in his private parts by Jackson on several occasions. He also claimed that oral sex had been performed on him by Jackson. Michael Jackson railed against the charges. He was innocent, he claimed, the victim of an extortion plot by the boy's family. Exactly what did, in fact, go on can never be identified because Michael Jackson paid the kid off for his silence and dropping the charges. Rumors had the amount in the several millions. Was his behavior appropriate with kids has always been open to debate. Was he the harmless friend, the kids protector against the bad adults in the world? Or, was he, as veteran child abuse experts believed, the archtypical child predator who used his enormous power and fortune to buy his way out of going to jail? The verdict is in the mind of those involved in debating the issue. But, one fact does standout: Michael Jackson continued to have young boys as his ''playmates'' for many years after. By then, he had his own kids........ Like most things in the complicated life of MJ, the origins of how his kids were conceived are a fuzzy mystery. He had a woman, out of the blue, be the mother of his kids. The rampant speculation was that the kids were artificially inseminated. That is fine, many parents go this route when experiencing difficulty conceiving a child. But, as soon as the kids were born--- and, they are beautiful kids----- the mother was thrown offstage, like a prop no longer useful, and handed over all custody rights to Michael. This implies, again, vast money being exchanged, also known as a business deal. But, most disturbingly, it also left the raising of two small children in the hands of a questionable person with a growing history of bizarre behavior with kids.......... Throughout the 1990's and 2000's, Michael Jackson made more music. But, maybe, because of his seedy private life played out in the public eye, the quality of his music suffered. He still had his legion of followers that worshipped his every move and forgave [ or, overlooked ] his behavior. But, the mainstream was turning away. While his album sales would be the envy of anyone in the business, each album was greeted with less acclaim and less sales volume by the public. As the years sped by, Michael Jackson was losing his fame and fortune. The money spending, always outlandish, was now choking him so much that he was forced to sell out many of his assets, including the Beatles songwriting catalogue, the most valuable source of revenue in show business history. And, finally, when 2009 dawned and he announced a tour of the world come summertime, the ticket sales were highly disappointing. There was still heavy interest in him, but, more from the Freakshow viewpoint instead of a genuine musical icon......... Death would come to him before he started this tour. On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson was found barely breathing in his bedroom. He was rushed to the hospital but he could not be saved. He was gone to that NeverLand that he always wished he could have lived in........ When he died, there were the inevitable comparisons of his life and Elvis Presley's. Both achieved a fame that went beyond superstardom. Both were, at heart, little lost boys who let prescription drugs ruin their bodies and minds [ Michael Jackson's death was ruled an accidental overdose ]. Both lost control of reality and themselves as a person. Both were supremely talented but deeply flawed human beings. And, both, finally, could not be reached because they were also the victims of the people around them, the people who, supposedly, cared for them, but were, in fact, enablers who did nothing to save them. Like Elvis, Michael Jackson has his music and legacy that will go on without him. But, also like Presley, it is severely tarnished by the excesses of bizarre behavior.........

Cops And Robbers

Like any person who starts a new job, Peter brought to his chosen profession all of the zest of someone who is gonna change things for the better. He had picked the police department, not because of the overwhelming riches that being a cop awards you. And, certainly, not for the comfort level of a safe job. No, Peter, like most who go into law enforcement, was staking his life on trying to help people. And, he has. From the small things of solving a family dispute, to putting his life on line to deliver safety to his area. He has a tough road to hoe. Peter walks the mean streets of the West Side of Chicago...... We have all heard the stories about the new Old West that is now playing out in blood in this particular area of Chicago. It has always been dangerous, with its drug dealing and armed robbery history. Human life seems to be of precious little value to the ruthless gangs and amateur thugs that prey on the decent people of this area. Every weekend, especially, during summertime, there will be random shootings and other violent acts, such as rape, being committed. The community, predominantly black and Hispanic, are on the downside of economic fortune. With poor people, in many instances, comes crime. Many commit acts against the law simply to survive. You can have a moral debate about someone committing a crime to feed his or her family. I'm sure I would if my back was against the wall......But, the majority of crime committed in this area is by the animals who do not care who is hurt and how they get your hard earned money. Generations now have been raised to believe that society is to be trampled on and you do to them before they do it to you. And, there is the deep seated hatred directed towards the police. The police are The Enemy. They are viewed as a bunch of [ mostly] white racist bullies who pick on all ethnic groups that are not Caucasian. That is the view many cops have told me, along with many people I have known who have lived in that area in town and, fortunately, survived it. When there is a robbery or murder or sexual assault, or any other violent act, the police will arrive and be treated with outright hate because they are the larger problem, as perceived by the community. So, very little cooperation will be coming forth to solve the problem. The overwhelming feeling in neighborhoods is tell the police nothing........ Well, that is nothing new. All ethnic groups and neighborhoods have had the code of ''omerta'', or, silence, to live by. We will take care of our own, the prevailing opinion is.Tell The Enemy to go fuck themselves. It is a sad state of affairs in this world when the criminals have more respect than the heroes trying to do good. The most popular movie in this culture is ''Scarface''. It is watched over and over and its meanings driven into the violent culture as almost a religion. Never mind that the point of the movie is that the main character is a vicious thug who gets what he deserves. The movie was made as a cautionary tale of what not to do and how not to live your life. But, that meaning is bypassed by those who preach violence and hate. They see the glamour and sparkling cars and beautiful women and reams of cash being spurt out. They miss the point and accept the excess. This same misguided way of thinking has always been in the vile and hideous music called rap and hip-hop. If you can stomach listening to this drivel, check out the words of overwhelming hate that come forth at the listener. Lack of regard for human life--- women are ''bitches'', the police must be shot, etc. And, this garbage is the soundtrack behind the violence playing out in the streets.......... This way of thinking does apply to todays gunslinger roaming the streets. Todays brute murders children, does drive-by shootings at people sitting peacefully outside enjoying the nice weather, and, preys on any female to do sexual assault. The bastards control the decent people there, who want nothing more than to live their lives as best as they can without the madness going on around them intruding. The bastards pull children into their version of street gangs and ''initiate'' the child into the ways of the wild. For many children, they either join the gang or are murdered on the spot. This is called sending a message. I would think most kids have no choice and submit. Before long, they are pedaling drugs, which segues into robbery and, finally, finds a home in the sick world of murder. How many times have we seen a child on the news arrested for a violent act? A mere baby of ten or eleven? And, when they show the child, all traces of being a kid are gone. What is left in the eyes is the mind that has trained to become a monster. With that kind of training, who can ever bring stability to this region? Certainly, not The Enemy in blue...... The policeman, Peter, feels the pain and outrage in this area. Especially, the pain. He sees it the faces of the older people who live there. The brave who have seen terror come into their lives. They once fought the struggle for racial independence from prejudice. They marched and in many cases were beaten and some killed for the American and human right to be treated equal. Now, they tell Peter [ these folks are not afraid to talk to the police because they know that most officers are good, kind people who want to help] that all of the struggles in the past seem a wasted effort. They marched in Selma, Alabama, and in the streets of Chicago for what? So, that a gangbanger can drive by in an SUV blasting gangster music and create mayhem. They are at a loss on what to do. In private, these very wise older people come out and tell the police to kick the ass of the drooping drawer wearing gang members. ''Beat the shit out of them'', said one elderly man, tired of the struggle. Peter and his partners silently wished that they could. The old man was right. Two weeks after this comment, the elderly man was found dead in his home. He was the victim of a robbery. The talk on the street was that the kids who killed him knew he had nothing valuable in his home. They just murdered him for the joy of it. Peter and his fellow officers had a pretty good idea who did the killing but had no proof. The neighborhood also knew who did the deed. But, they weren't talking. Certainly, not to The Enemy...... And, then there are the kids. Little kids who give high-fives to the police officers. Kids too young to understand the war zone they are living in. Kids who want to play ball in the park and run around in the hot summer with the fire hydrant spraying the water to keep cool. Kids who are in the blessed bubble, even for a short time, of thinking that everybody is good and the world is not a danger. These are kids who are all pure kindness and love........ Recently, Peter was walking down the street patrolling his beat when he came across a young boy he knew from the neighborhood. The boy was walking with his father. The boy raised his hand to give Peter a high-five, as he had many times in the past. But, the father grabbed his son's hand before he could do it. He sternly lectured the boy that they should ''never be nice to a fuckin cop''.........