The pollution has gone too far now, Booman. The many people here who cannot form an intelligible sentence outnumber the few thoughtful posters, and those several fools essentially rule by negative ratings and mutual moral masturbation.
You have taken your hands off of the site to a great degree and thus you have allowed this to happen…for your own reasons, no matter what they may have been. Sooner or later you will lose Oui, TarheelDem, Marie and the few others who make some kind of real progressive sense in their posts.
Shame on the Booman who originated this blog!!!
Real shame.
Barring a revolution in and on the site…which apparently would require a real revolution in the Democratic Party with which you have allied yourself (something that seems highly unlikely to happen any time soon) or an equally highly unlikely radical change in your own stated centrist viewpoint…you have lost one of the few truly interesting and original viewpoints on this site.
I’m outta here.
In the words of the immortal Bob and Ray Show, a Depression-era influenced radio program send-off:
Best of luck in the future.
Hang by your thumbs.
And call if you get work.
You really ought to be ashamed of yourself.
You’re better than this.
As Bob and Ray said…best of luck in the future.
You’re gonna need it.
Your continued alliance with a devolved Democratic Party argues against that eventuality.
So it goes.
Karma is real.
Bet on it.
Bet against that idea at your own personal peril and that of your family.
Watch.
Later…
AG
Use them on some other truthtellers.
That way they will have some positive effect, because they will drag this site ever-downward into the centrist tarpit that will bring this murderous empire to its knees.
Watch.
AG
What’s your twitter handle?
AG, I am sad to see this diary (someone just came and called my attention to it now).
I know I haven’t been much of an active presence on the site for a while, but over the last 10 years or so, many of the pond members have become an extended family to BooMan and I, and we count you among those members. You may be the contrarian sometimes (okay, truthfully, it’s quite often), but your voice has been a part of this place for so long that I don’t want you to go. I hope you’ll reconsider.
And back when I was active on the site, I know that troll rating was for actual trolls, not something to hand out like a donut overtime you saw a certain poster…and I don’t believe BooMan’s position on this has changed.
巨魔已經成功…悲傷看到AG離開
;
我也是. 🙁
If it hasn’t changed, why is he allowing this foolishness to continue?
AG
Hi AG … you just beat me to it!
A few months ago you came back on your decision … made me quite happy. I don’t always agree with you, but I know you are a good man AG. You have a life as a musician, as an artist you have a unique vision on society. You come from a tough neighborhood of New York city. You are a survivor.
Lessons I learned from my father’s experience during the German occupation of Holland during WWII. Do not trust your neighbour, watch for the collaborator, to survive mix with the blue-collar laborer, men/women who had to fight their whole life to survive. They are the toughest.
I don’t post comments because they are being downrated, most likely because I pursue a policy to uprate the dozens, and dozens of troll ratings done by just 2 persons.
I have decided I will not post an Evil World diary, but will just fade away when I’ve reached that cliff. I’m not there yet and CG’s comment is promising. Also Martin’s new fp story addresses the issue.
Yep … I had to change my sig line! A silent protest.
Marduk, what do you say now about “I don’t do trivial troll ratings”? Zero is reserved for offers of Viagra and such.
This sort of shit is at the heart of this diary.
AG, I have found your posts both thought provoking and maddening. I’ve never rated you, but then I’ve never rated anyone, because I don’t know why that stuff matters. I certainly have never read all your diaries, but I’ll miss the chance to at least read some of them occasionally.
Shamwari yepa moyo,
Tinokutendai kwemakore akawanda njere …
Avo musaonesesa kuramba.
Chisarai utsinye America.
8 yrs of toxic positivism has put us here. Tribalism destroys critical thinking.
The Dem Party became a salon congratulating one another on their virtue while allowing debate only on minor tactical matters. Just what this blog is being driven to.
They are fighting change despite losing 1000 offices and being unable to elect a dog catcher with their candidates.
By dialing Trump outrage up to 11 on virtually everything, they are excusing their own cowardice to self-examine and probably headed toward an even worse version of themself, imo.
After Altamount, esteemed poet Robert Hunter defined the road forward.
Either you understand, or you don’t.
That poem is pretty good.
“I don’t know but I been told
if the horse don’t pull you got to carry the load
I don’t know whose back’s that strong
Maybe find out before too long”
To his point, I saw this the other day and laughed at its wisdom…”The Democratic Party is like a horse that refuses take commands from its owner and stubbornly refuses to carry him.
The owner does not go out and get a new horse, but picks up the horse and carries it on his own back in the belief that, eventually, the horse will change its mind.
Years later, the horse is thinking, “I’m a genius!”
It was written very quickly. Altamont was on Dec. 6th, article criticizing the Dead by Ralph Gleason was published on the 12th, and song was first performed in concert on the 20th.
Hunter wrote the song in response to the Gleason article.
Key is, “Who can deny it’s not just a change in style? (from Woodstock, Haight-Ashbury)
One step done and another begun, in I wonder how many miles?
Do we keep on coming or stand and wait, with the sun so dark and the hour so late?
One way or another, this darkness got to give.
The analogy to Obama’s departure and Trump’s election is obvious.
Well, you obviously believe the New Democratic party has been responsive to its putative owners.
You might as well have written something like this: 我说废话，认为我很聪明
The poet eliminates the other party when he says…
“You can’t overlook the lack Jack
of any other highway to ride”
So he is addressing Dems in that stanza, imo.
The movement of which the Grateful Dead were, and are, a central part, was not wedded to a political party. The highway was not LBJ’s or Humphrey’s party. The highway was a progressive vision of racial and religious inclusiveness, women’s rights, diplomacy before war, psychic enlightenment and ecological awareness.
They had just self-injured themselves in a very public and humiliating way, and were on the defensive.
Try to keep up.
Yeah, I was checking the dates for that song. Not a DeadHead, so your take is new information to me.
But poetry is intended for all audiences. This will lead to fresh interpretations in different times. And from different viewpoints. Poetry is not encased in amber.
If you try too hard to fit the analogy into our current box, it breaks down.
Basic analogy is that in the face of a game-changing setback, do you run away, stand still or go forward.
The answer is that you have no alternative but to go forward.
Things went down that we maybe don’t fully understand, but in time we will. Yet, even though me must run forward, we can’t do it burdened with the dead weight of either lead or gold. We have to leave much of our baggage behind.
Of, if we can’t avoid carrying it, we must realize that most people’s backs aren’t that strong.
It’s a solid analogy.
AG写的也是废话吗?
更像我吃了我自己的粪便
Not really. Misogyny and attraction to violence were very much present among fans of some rock bands. The “psychic enlightenment” for most was getting high. The “peace and love” folks didn’t touch meth and didn’t drink much alcohol. And hippie weed was mild.
The (unintended) message of Altamont was that the ’60s were over. No rewind. The war (with Nixon in the WH) goes on. Fred Hampton was dead (December 4, 1969). The days of free and low cost tickets for outdoor rock concerts were over — free/low cost venues could no longer accommodate the increasing size of the audiences that would show up.
Had it been a smashing success, RS could have used the same photo:
I have no idea what any of this means, but you know nothing about the culture or movement I am talking about, which is clearly evident by the total illiteracy with which you characterize it.
Oops — meant to respond to your third comment — specifically:
You weren’t there and some of us here were. I know you love The Dead, but it’s historically inaccurate to associate that band with that list, but you’re correct that they weren’t political.
The Nation, December 2015
I opted not to go to the Altamont concert because there were too many easily recognized negatives about it, but wouldn’t have considered it for a split second had it been known that the Hell’s Angels had a “security” role.
This is pure foolishness.
You’re conflating the ethos of the “counterculture,” as you put it, with the ethos of the Hell’s Angels.
The Dead and the Angels met at La Honda on Kesey’s property. They got along well enough that Garcia recommended them for security at Altamont. But the Angels actually threatened them at Altamont and scared the shit out of them. They beat on Jefferson Airplane.
It seems that the rupture occurred there and perhaps Thompson foresaw it.
Isn’t the whole point of seeing Altamont a turning point in history that it destroyed a lot of happy assumptions?
In any case, you think of the Dead as a “rock band” rather than as a massive decades old culture, which is your first mistake.
You equate the spiritual element of this with “getting high” and compare it with Meth and alcohol, which isn’t much different from equating Native American use of peyote with shooting smack.
You’re clearly not conversant with Hunter’s poetry and probably haven’t got the slightest clue of its deep and celebratory patriotism or the values he transmits.
Instead, they’re misogynists and lowlifes.
Racial and religious inclusiveness has been a core value of the Dead from the beginning. His name is Garcia, and he worked with black artists from the beginning. Mickey Hart is Jewish. The only time the band has even been political is to argue for diplomacy before war and to raise money to protect the environment.
Here’s a show I attended and a song I didn’t actually like. I’m possibly in the picture since I had good seats for one of these shows.
Anyway, lyrics…
Marie3 must be older than I am, but I did see The Grateful Dead once, in San Francisco in 1977. My Deadhead housemate and I must have been the only people in the audience who weren’t high….
And Booman, thanks for the commentary on “New Speedway Boogie”. I’ve heard that song many times, but never made the connections you point out.
Perhaps you saw this show:
And a review from this show:
I don’t hear Hunter defining the road forward, I hear him searching for it.
well, should we stand still and not go forward when the sun is dark and the hour is late?
First of all, how do I get your email address? I’m a fossil who doesn’t own a cell phone, forget about the “devices”, and I want to stay in touch.
Second:
Anyone who can come up with that phrase has my vote! Alliteration, right? Some of that Englishy crap from 50 years ago stuck. Ah, prosty Bosty … senior year English teacher … now doing her best work … a pile of bones in a little box in the ground. What a waste of land.
Arthur, Good luck. Yes, Donald Trump won the election, as you sensed would happen. And now we know from the Earth Goddess that The Future is Female no matter what happened. The backwardness of it all is stomach churning.
Hi Arthur,
Sorry to see you are going. I appreciated the different take you have on things. The amount of time I can spend here is limited and mostly related to my own diaries so I have not encountered any down rating issues which seem to have plagued you.
It’s a pity that a few negative posters can wield so much influence. Perhaps, if Martin’s time and energy is limited he could appoint a few more editors to help police the site. Managing a community blog site should be a community responsibility.
It is understandable that there will be much disappointment and some parting of the ways in the wake of such a devastating defeat by Trump (albeit by a tiny margin). We at the European Tribune have also been experiencing a decline in the wake of a general disillusion with the European project of European Union.
But it is so much harder to build things up than to tear things down. I have been trying to keep European Tribune going in the wake of that disillusionment and know how much effort and work that takes. You won’t get thanked for it, but at the end of the day if you don’t work for a more progressive Democratic party, it won’t happen.
What other game is there in town?
In the meantime I wish you all the best, and to Booman I wish better health. There aren’t a lot of places left that you can post on European issues and get an even mildly interested and informed response.
Keep the faith!
Frank
AG:
I hope you will reconsider. Your singular voice will be missed, and the site will be less insightful without you.
AG will come back just as he did before when My Left Wing crumbled.
there’s a place i hadn’t thought of in years…
That sounds like fairly safe bet.
AG, you are a sane voice in an insane political world. Also, your diaries and comments are thoughtful, informative and entertaining. Hope you reconsider your decision.
Whether AG comes or goes is a decision that only AG can make. Til then, I hope he kicks musical butt in Alaska.
Yes, the only option is to go forward. The door on the past is slammed shut and that’s all she wrote. The door on the present is slowly/rapidly shutting waiting for your decision of action. Which door opens in the future depends on a lot complex accounting to today’s decisions.
The decision that a lot of people are grappling with is “What follows the poltiical duopoly that Trump killed with a knife in each hand?” When the powers that be pick up the reins and rule themselves, the go-betweens disappear.
Who then actually stands with the people? No, what is the political form through which the people stand up for themselves?
At the moment it resolves to a bunch of movements in the streets and folks looking at it and saying, “Not this. Not this. Not this.” Too many critics and not enough activists motivated to move yet.
But those who have historical views of the imposition of authoritarianism are saying that the door to reversing that without a lot of struggle? violence? catastrophe? is rapidly closing, locking a tyrannical government based on lies in power.
I suppose we can sing our new directions, but that requires new songs. And those are not here yet, but they will be.
Those waiting for THE Revolution will passively wait for the collapse and the chaos and hope something turns up.
Those peddling The Resistance ™ are adding insult to serious injury over a generation.
But there is opposition and resistance forming that is authentic and possibly helpful to making sure the authoritarians do not success. And that requires an authentic opposition party unlike anything that now exists. The Republicans has cast their fates with the authoritarians. The Democrats personally have too much to lose to form the wisp of an opposition.
Some folks are going to have to become creative. Some young and middle-aged folks, for now the boomers are starting to disappear and the “Greatest generation” is almost gone as the World War I generation is definitely history. I’m old enough to remember when the last Confederate veteran died. I think it was around 1961.
Maybe all those gen-Xers who were so enthused about Ronald Reagan have now realized their serious error.
The difficult part is holding two somewhat contrary positions in hand as a team moving forward. The headstrong principled ones deeply rooted in America’s promise for humane polity and the politically savvy practical ones who understand where the levers and wheels and legal fulcrums are. There are probably no more contrary coupling in politics. But up against people who lust only for power and wealth and cynically manipulated the letter of the law, one needs someone who can anticipate those manipulations and frustrate them and knows the reason why that needs to happen.
I doubt it. I think they are the ones that put Trump over the top. They are definitely more right wing than their parents or children.
Ordinarily I don’t comment on your posts or threads. We’ve largely tuned each other out over the last few years. I think that has been for the best. When you first started posting here, for a brief moment I thought I found someone who as just as jaded with mass media as I was. Although I do have plenty of outlets to indulge critiques of mass media, rarely do political blogs offer that opportunity. Those hopes were dashed long ago. Somewhere along the the string of rants (in the form of diaries and posts), plugging regressive politicians (Ron and Rand Paul), plugging websites run by stark raving pro-Russian anti-Semites (Saker, for example), the personal insults doled out at those who made the mistake of explicitly disagreeing with you, and the attention seeking, I lost patience and interest. Oddly enough, a lot of your blogging behavior would fit the definition of trolling (which is primarily aimed at attention seeking by getting a rise out of others on internet forums). Others whom I know and respect would disagree with me on that assessment. Some have perhaps met you in person, and for all I know your online persona and your real life behavior may be radically different. If that is what I get told, I am in no position to refute that. So I am a bit torn, I suppose. Maybe a break will do you some good. If some self-reflection happens, all the better. Did your cumulative body of posts here really “wake up” anyone, or did you succeed in either turning others off or causing them to double down in opposition? That’s a question you are going to have to answer for yourself. If you come back, so be it. I suppose we’ll go back to mostly (I hope) ignoring one another. It’s still a big enough pond that I think we can manage that with some degree of success. In the meantime, I do think a case can be made for tuning out the fearmongering apparent in most mass media products, turning off the TV and social media feeds more often, and dropping in to real life meetings and events. It’s done me a world of good. I imagine there are others with similar experiences. Onward.
The donkey is still dead.
Mike DeBonis, Washington Post: A Centrist is Addressing House Democrats, and Progressives are Furious
More than the headline.
The definition of craziness personified. Doing the same things over and over and getting the same results.
The Democratic establishment might have sold out but the buyers are not buying anything but ineffectiveness.
Not crazy if you don’t really care about politics, only your own wallet.
“Democratic aides say they will eventually shift to a positive economic message that Rust Belt Democrats can run on. But for now, aides say, the focus is on slaying the giant and proving to the voters who sent Trump into the White House why his policies will fail.” (Politico)
‘Jes carry that donkey a little longer, woncha?
IOW that populism fails and the dumb voters should realize they should vote for their betters because they are scum and all they should want is trickle down from their masters. That’s going to work, isn’t it?
With that attitude, I predict Trump’s failure will result in an even crazier Republican president and more (R)’s everywhere except the coasts.