Reflections on 9-11, Nine Years Later: American Empire

As on December 7, 1941 or November 22, 1963 a generation earlier, everyone can tell you were they were on September 11, 2001, another "Day which will live in infamy!" The day the towers came down was the day America was changed forever. Future historians quite likely may reflect that American Democracy crumbled along with the Twin Towers that day.

There are so many lingering questions about 9-11 that haven't been answered, and we will likely never know the awful truth about them in our lifetimes. Was it just Bin Laden as the report said?

Here we are nine years later and it is outrageous to me that Osama Bin Laden was never caught, nor is that failure even being discussed anymore. The guess here is that he's not in some cave in a godforsaken province of Pakistan but lounging on a beach on the French Riviera; hiding in plain sight with a new face and a new identity. The Bush Administration always acted as though catching him was never in their plans. After all, he was much more useful at large as a bogeyman they could trot out whenever they wanted to get their way. The Obama Administration barely brings up his name at all.

And yet the world we live in now is very much darkened by Bin Laden's menacing shadow. The threat of another "terrorist attack" (if that's indeed what it was) has been used to justify two wars (three if you count the shadow war being waged by mercenaries in Pakistan) with no clear purpose and no end in sight. The pretext was, as President Bush used to say, to "Fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here."

The aftermath of 9-11 was used to justify the systemic elimination of our Constitutional rights. The Patriot Act eliminated the basic rights of the accused to face their accusers and answer to specific charges. In its broadest interpretation, you no longer have any rights to privacy. The Government can arbitrarily declare you a "terrorist;" can subject you to surveillence and monitor all your electronic communcation with no legal recourse. The Military Commissions act gave the Government the power to jail you as an "enemy combatant" and detain you indefinitely with no legal recourse.

The DOD's Total Information Awareness project is intended to use data mining to monitor every digital artifact generated in America to monitor the populace. If they don't have the bandwidth and processing power to do it they're close - they have a location in San Antonio the size of the Alamo Dome. There is no transparancy, no governance, no way to see how much money is being spent. It's all on a "Need to Know Basis," and YOU don't need to know.

The spectre of another terrorist attack, this time with the, "Smoking gun as a mushroom cloud," to paraphrase Dick Cheney, was used as an excuse to invade Iraq. What did Saddam Hussein have to do with bringing down the WTC? I'm still waiting for an explanation. Meanwhile, the Neocons were talking about war with Iraq as early as 1998 in their Project for a New American Century think tank. Almost every major Bush Administration apparatchik signed onto their manifesto. Cheney, Wolfowitz, Scooter Libby, John Bolton, even Dan Quayle! One white paper even specifically discusses how the American People would not buy into war with Iraq unless there were "a Pearl Harbor-type event." Hmmm...

9-11 continues to be the justification for this bogus and heartbreaking war in Afghanistan. The Neocons are evil but they are not stupid and they know their history. They know that the British Empire and the Soviet Union both failed to conquer Afghanistan. They can't think our chances of winning are any better, especially after the debacle of Vietnam. Of course they know this war is unwinnable - it's unwinnable by design. This war is intended to be an ongoing enterprise so it can be a cash cow for Big Business.

After the bonanza of Iraq in which billions of dollars were misappropriated or simply stolen outright, they have another bonanza in Afgahanistan. Not to mention the "shadow wars" in Pakistan and Yemen that nobody seems to want to talk about. Chalmers Johnson, once a true believer in and an instrument of our foreign policy, put it much more succinctly than I.

The failure to begin to deal with our bloated Military establishment and the profligate use of it in missions for which it is hopelessly inappropriate will, sooner or later, condemn the United States to a devastating trio of consequences: imperial overstretch, perpetual war, and insolvency, leading to a likely collapse similar to that of the Soviet Union.

- from "Dismantling the Empire - America's Last Best Hope"

In other words, it's all about the money. Coming soon to a TV near you: "War with Iran!"

The GOP's "Pledge to America" - Same Old Same Old

Last week the GOP unveiled it "Pledge to America." Since not everybody speaks fluent "Republicese" I translated it for you

Well, the Republican Party unveiled its "Pledge to America" last week, which followed the format of their 1994 "Contract With America" that swept them into the House. Like a washed-up musician trying to recapture his past hits, the Republicans are recycling the same old tired riffs, hoping their fans will still buy them. Considering they totally failed to implement what they promised in 1994 even though they controlled the House, Senate and Presidency for eight years, that's pretty sad.

But here they are again, with their new promises that sound suspiciously like the same old policies that drove America to the precipice of depression and has immersed us in multiple wars after eight years of Republican rule. To paraphrase President Obama, they drove the car into the ditch and now they want us to give them back the keys.

In recent years the GOP has gotten really good at code talking to their right-wing constituency. Happily, coming from a mixed political family I speak fluent "Republicese," so let me translate their "Pledge to America" into plain English for everybody.

“Dear America:

Our Great Nation is in trouble. The failed policies of out-of-touch elites have brought the country to the verge of bankruptcy and left us deeply divided. Therefore, to help us out of the hole we're in, we solemnly pledge the following:

1) Continued tax cuts for the Rich.
2) Zero oversight and regulation of Big Business.
3) Continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and "shadow wars" fought by mercenaries in Pakistan and Yemen. We promise war with Iran.
4) Not to prosecute corporate crime or financial misconduct.
5) Give banks free reign to hold on to bailout money and not lend it.
6) Not to rest until we destroy all labor unions.
7) Gut every environmental regulation so our energy companies can render our water undrinkable and our land uninhabitable. We will block every "Green" legislation. Global Warming doesn't exist.
8) Continue to appeal to people's baser instincts - their religious, ethnic and socioeconomic prejudices - and keep America divided so we can prevail.
9) Block any Democratic legislation - no matter what it is and regardless to whether the people will benefit. We promise to introduce ever more draconian, Right-wing legislation - because we believe in less government.
10) Above all, we pledge not to rest until the Negro President and every single one of his policies has been vanquished, and the inhabitant of the White House has been returned to its proper color.

Signed, The Republican Party

P.S. It's what we've always done.”

Let's Hear it for Michael McDonald!

If I could sell my soul to the Devil to sing like any one male artist, it would be Michael McDonald!

If I could sell my soul to the Devil to sing like any one male artist, it would be Michael McDonald. I guess all musicians have their heroes that they look up to and he is definintely one of mine.

Although the Jones Beach "Dukes of September" show got canceled because of Hurrican Earl, I was thinking of all the recordings and concerts I've seen of his and what the highlights were. Maybe you want to share yours too.

The Doobies were always great but this is their best period IMHO.

In Concert:

Doobie Bros. at Belmont Park, 1981? They just blew me away with what a well-oiled machine they are, getting in over 20 songs in about 80 minutes.

Doobie Bros. Farewell Tour, Radio City 1983 The Doobies pulled all the stops, Edgar Winter guests on sax for the encore.

Steely Dan/Jones Beach 2007 - McDonald does double duty singing his solo material and sitting in on the last half of Steely Dan's set, reprising his role as keyboardist and backing vocalist.

Recordings:
Little Feat: "Red Streamliner" - Supposedly the first time McD and Pat Simmons sang together.
Bonnie Raitt: "Runaway" - McD as a session singer
Steely Dan: "Bad Sneakers" - "Yes I'm GOOOOINNNNN INNNNNN SANNNNNE" Awesome.
Steely Dan: "Rotoscope Down" Bootleg - Early Seventies Steely Dan show with MM as a sideman. "Well I stepped up-pon the PLLAAAATTTFORRRRMMM..."
Steely Dan: "Peg" - My brothers and I argued about what processing was on the backing vocals to make them sound like that until we realize it was the "McDonald Process!" LOL
Doobies: "Takin' it to the Street" - A classic.
Doobies: "How Do Those Fools Survive" - McD co-wrote this with Carol Bayer Sager and I would love to hear him put this back in his solo repertoire. I doubt the Doobies do it live anymore without him. A great song that I always thought got short shrift.
Doobies: "Minute by Minute" - Another classic.

"Running Sacred:" OK movie, great song!

Solo: "Sweet Freedom" - Movie song from "Running Scared" with Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines. OK movie, great song.

Solo: "Jah Mo B There" - Great duet with James Ingram
Solo: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Best of his Motown phase.
Solo: "I Was Made to Love Her" - Another highlight of Motown phase
Solo: "Love TKO" - My fave track on "Soul Speak"

That's a lot of years, a lot of music. Looking forward to more from the great McD.

(cross-posted from Michael McDonald message board)

Woodstock Reunion - Parr Meadows 1979

I went to this show and I have to say, the passage of time has been kinder to the recordings than my memories of the show had been. To me, it was a pale imitation of the original Woodstock with Steven Stills instead of CSNY, Leslie West instead of Mountain, Jorma instead of Jefferson Airplane, etc. Plus the ticket cost an unheard-of $35 (I smirk to myself as I write this).

In the "Spirit of the Original Woodstock," my friend GH and I were determined to get in free. We climbed the fence and ran in, under the nose of at least a squad of disengaged Suffolk Co. cops who barely looked up from their donuts.

Canned Heat's set was one of the highlights.

The show itself was mixed. I arrived at the end of John Sebastian's set.

Jorma Kaukonen had recently been estranged from Jack Casady so he and drummer Bob Steeler were playing Hot Tuna gigs as a duo. He'd gotten this Punk haircut and dyed his hair platinum blonde. Fans yelled "WHERE'S JACK?" through the whole set. They felt cheated, and rightfully so, that only 2/3 of Hot Tuna had shown up.

Michael Shrieve played this incomprehensible percussion/synth jam with synth genius Larry Fast. Technical difficulties kept several other members of the band from playing.

Many highlights, though. Stephen Stills played an impeccable set that made everybody forget about CSNY and focus on what a great guitarist and dynamic solo performer he was in his own right.

I remember being real impressed with Paul Butterfield, who was playing with Rick Danko of The Band. They played a mixed bag of Band songs and Blues, as I recall. They did a lot better with the Blues standards.

Paul Butterfield's playing really impressed me.

Leslie West solo wasn't Mountain but still damn good, although his set was not included in the King Biscuit recordings. I forget who he was playing with. I remember seeing him during this period at another gig at Ubie's OTJ (a local Rock club) with Busta C. Jones (later of Talking Heads) on bass and Dino Danelli from The Rascals on drums. He was a guitar god then, and remains so today.

Canned Heat really tore it up, as you can hear on the King Biscuit tapes. They were a band that were just consistently great whenever they played. They really don't get the credit they deserve and should be more popular than they are now. I think they're still playing gigs...?

But by far the best set of the day was by Johnny Winter who at this time was a headliner, at the peak of his popularity and his playing. He had the crowd eating of his hand and enjoyed interacting with them. When I recall how good Johnny was that day I have to smile, even so many years later.

Johnny Winter's set was easily the best of the day.

There were zero amenities or vendors that day at Parr Meadows, an unused, forgotten attempt at a racetrack in Suffolk County. It had never hosted a concert before and as far as I know, never did again. No food for an all-day show was not fun!

By the time the evening came most of the crowd had been without food and water for quite some time and were in an ugly mood. This was not helped by the obviously amateur concert Security staff, who roughly shoved people off the stage.

During Johnny Winter's set I had my elbows on the stage and some security goon roughly threw me off and I hit the ground with a loud, painful THUD! I got back up and latched on to the guys leg, fully intending to pull him off the stage and beat him. In hindsight I'm glad I didn't succeed.

By the time Michael Shrieve came on, the security staff and the audience were clearly at odds. There were significant technical difficulties during the transition and the crowd was close to open rebellion. Eventually they decided to start playing without guitar, bass and whoever else didn't play. As documented on the tapes it turned into this annoying free-form synth and percussion jam that did nothing to calm the crowd.

I guess a quick deal was made because by the time Shrieve had gotten three songs into his set there were members of the Pagans motorcycle gang lining the stage, replacing the concert security. They were the baddest guys going in those days and nobody with a lick of sense wanted to mess with them. My friend GH said that it looked more like an Altamont reunion than an event comemorating Woodstock.

Peace and love to all of you who were there. - GG

Crosby Stills & Nash - Jones Beach 8/20/10: Everything a Great Rock Band Should Be!

You would think, after more than forty years on the road, the Crosby Stills and Nash would lose their edge or their love of playing. That at some point gigs would become "Just another day at the office." That they would lose their desire and just live on their laurels as so many of the older Rock bands do. Well, if you did you'd be wrong. Judging by their show at Jones Beach last night, CSN aren't in danger of doing that anytime soon. To me they are, and remain, everything a great Rock band should be.

CSN have been idols of mine since the first Woodstock album came out.

"Great" is a word that is thrown about much too easily these days, especially when it comes to Rock and Roll. There are many young (and older) bands out there aspiring to the mantle, but last CSN showed once again while they are the template for a Great Rock band.

First, let's contemplate what makes a great Rock band.

Let's talk about songwriting. A great band has great songwriters and a large body of work. CSN easily qualifies in this category. They could play three nights in a row, never repeat a song and still put on a satisfying show. They have so many signature songs and so many huge hits that everyone knows they can't play them all in one night.

No other Rock band gets cheers specifically for their vocal harmonies!

Let's talk about singing. CSN have long been, and remain, the best-singing Rock band I've ever seen. OK, I saw them thirty years ago and their voices are a bit the worse for the wear and tear now. Their keyboard players have to carry the load on some of the high notes. But CSN still haven't lost their collective ability to harmonize and blend their voices with the unique beauty for which they are deservedly famous. In all the hundreds of Rock shows I've seen over the years, CSN is the only band I ever saw get cheers specifically for their vocal harmonies.

Let's talk about playing. While Crosby and Nash are certainly both competent instrumentalists, the real standout was Stephen Stills and his amazing guitar playing. When fans talk about the great Rock guitarists the name "Stephen Stills" rarely if ever comes up, but it really should.

Let's talk about showmanship. One thing that easily jumps out at you when you see CSN play is how they still love doing what they do. There is a lot of joy in their playing, maybe because they're older and they've learned to appreciate it more. But their enthusiasm comes across and it helps them engage the audience, who helped out on several sing-alongs.

But for all that, the thing that impressed me the most about CSN was how they have not been content to rest on their laurels. They are still writing new songs and performing new material. They are still very proudly liberal and anti-war, at a time when America needs to hear the message of peace. It needs to be said even more now than it did during the Sixties, because there are so fewer people out there saying it now. This was underscored by playing songs like "Chicago," "In Your Name" from the last tour and a new song, "Who Are These Men?" about the people who really run America.

To their credit though all three are two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, CSN are not content to rest on their laurels. Nor have they muted their message of peace and love.

As far as songs, they did pretty much what they've been doing on this tour. They served up an abundant helping of old favorites like "Wooden Ships," "Long Time Gone, "Guinevere," "Woodstock" and "Southern Cross." They threw on some solo songs like "Military Madness and Buffalo Springfield songs like "Bluebird" and "For What It's Worth."

A new wrinkle in the band's set is that they are performing cover songs. As David Crosby put it, "We're playing songs we wish we had written." Hey guys, YOU WROTE SO MANY OF THE SONGS I WISH I'D WRITTEN!!! CSN really has no need to play other peoples' songs but they're doing it, as Crosby quipped, "Because the record company wants us to." I read in Rolling Stone that they're putting together an album of covers.

The cover material was well done, although some of the songs lent themselves to CSN's vocal style better than others. Their unique harmonies gave the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" a whole new dimension. Another highlight was The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes." But CSN's treatment of The Stones' "Ruby Tuesday," Dylan's "Girl From the North Country" and the Allman Bros. staple "Midnight Rider" left me a little cold. It didn't annoy me as much as seeing Aerosmith spend half their show playing Blues standards, but to be honest would I rather have heard "Helplessly Hoping" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes."

But despite the minor flaws in the show, Crosby Stills and Nash remain everything a Rock band should be. They have a great acoustic thing, a great electric thing, and they're still relevant when many of their contemporaries have to play their hits in package shows like Hippiefest to get people to come see them.

It was hard to believe CSN couldn't sell out Jones Beach, because they are really a must-see.

Arcade Fire MSG 8/5/10 - Awesome in So Many Ways!

I cannot say enough good things about Arcade Fire last night at MSG (2nd night - thurs). The singing, the songs, the musicianship, the showmanship. The way the crowd seemed to know every word and sang along.

Their unique sound - "Stop Making Sense" Talking Heads meets "Think White Duke" period Bowie and ELO at Sonic Youth's house. In fact, David Byrne would probably agree because I saw him there Thursday night.

David Byrne from Talking Heads was in the audience, hobnobbing with fans.

My wife and I are not youngsters - we've been to literally thousands of musical events over the years, including many of the Rock legends. We are grizzled veterans and hard to impress. Arcade Fire had us spellbound.

We easily could have been the parents of most of the kids there but we still had a great time!

It's been years since I saw a band live and had to immediately go out and buy all their recordings but that's what I'm going to do today! That's how awesome they were.Hopefully they are the beginning of a long and stellar career.

Favorite moment: Encore when everyone in MSG was singing along. It gave me chills!

Opening act(s): Owen Pallett (eh) and Spoon (pretty good). Both acts would be much better in a smaller venue

If I Die Tomorrow (All Good Things)

Recently I got a phone call that my sister-in-law Liz had died. She was found slumped in her chair, her head down. Apparently she went peacefully. She had been sick for quite some time with a number of ailments but it was still a shock to learn of her death. My wife of course was devastated.

Funny thing about death. Once the initial shock of the news wears off, there is the sobering recollection of one's own mortality and the guilty relief that the Grim Reaper had come for someone else this time. Even so, it made me think about what I'd want to say to everyone when my turn comes. So, file this away for future reference.

IF I DIE TOMORROW

by George Gelish

I've enjoyed a rich, full life with most every important thing a man could ask for.

If I die tomorrow, I don't want anyone to be sad. I've always been a believer in the Gift of Salvation - I'll be headed off to a better place. I hope you'll miss me but believe me, life will go on. Keep me in your hearts until we meet again. There were so many of you that I've loved, although some not as well as I should have.

I've had a great run. I have some regrets but no complaints. I've enjoyed a rich, full life with most every important thing a man can ask for. I do not feel the least bit shortchanged. I really do hate to have to leave it all behind.

I was born into a wonderful family. My brothers Joe and Willee have been lifelong musical collaborators, not to mention my best male friends. I love you both so much. We've had some drama but only a fraction of what most families have. My parents were both extraordinary people. Helen greatly influenced me intellectually, especially in my Liberal political philosophy. Joe Sr. was a great role model - a strong, principled partiarch and someone I really looked up to. My love and gratitute to you both knows no bounds.

I've enjoyed the gift of friendship from so many people over the years. Even so, there were so many others I wish I could have gotten to know better in this life. The friendships I treasured the most were the ones that endured through the years - Rob and Craig, Wendy, Jay, Debi, Leo and yes you too Joel! Some I've lost touch with, some I've had fallings out with but In my life I've loved them all.

The two greatest blessings in my life are the two women in this picture.

My parents sent me not to one but two of the best schools America had to offer - La Salle Military Academy and NYU. C.W. Post was pretty good too. I've enjoyed being an educated man in the knowledge of my times. I enjoyed being at the birth of the Internet age when it really took off in the Nineties and growth seemed unlimited. It was the Gold Rush of our generation. I've had a lot of opportunities and enjoyed exploring many different things in my lifetime, some more successfully than others.

I got to live in the USA, which in my lifetime was the greatest nation in the world. I lived in a somewhat free society and enjoyed my place in it as one of the "haves." As an older white man of a certain socioeconomic station, people called me "Sir." I've never really been poor - I was broke at times but never impoverished. I was greatly blessed in that the times in my life when I had the least money were some of my happiest.

I worked a series of nice white-collar jobs that paid well, but I also worked at blue-collar jobs enough to appreciate how good I had it. I worked construction while I was going to graduate school, and learned at least as much on the job site as I did in the classroom. I learned what an honorable thing it is to carry a union card and earn a living with your hands. I learned how the amount of crap you have to take in your job is inversely proportional to how much money they're paying you. I used to say, "It's another fun day in the factory" at work to remind myself that I once did, how much it sucked, and how even a bad day at the office was better than working there.

I've graduated from not one but two of the greatest schools in America.

I lived, loved, laughed, partied and took care of business. I worked hard and played hard too. I got stinking drunk and high as hell. I took care of my responsibilities (mostly) and enjoyed guilty pleasures. I did good and I did bad; did right and did wrong; I won, I lost; grabbed the laurels and took the lumps. I've had ups and downs in my life but on the whole, mostly "ups."

I have loved and been loved by a truly extraordinary woman. What a blessing it was to have such a smart, loving, energetic, big-hearted wife - partner, lover, friend and muse. Terri was truly The Love of My Life and my Soul Mate. She bugged me, bossed me around, broke my balls, nagged me, challenged me, argued with me - she damn near drove me crazy at times. But in all the years we were together I was never, ever bored! Over a lifetime that is saying quite a lot.

I'm still amazed that any woman would ever have agreed to have my baby. Terri has been, to say the least, a wonderful mother. We bred and raised a fantastic daughter - truly the apple of my eye and my pride and joy. Of all the gifts I have been given in this life, I treasure Stephanie the most.

Over the years so many people told me how lucky I was, although I didn't really need them to. Well, sometimes I did. Although I didn't always show it no man ever loved a woman more than I loved Terri. Meeting her was the single biggest stroke of luck I ever had. What a loser I would have been without her!

I got to do my Rock and Roll thing and pursue my dreams to an age when most men had long given up on theirs. That's because I had a wife who "got it." She understood my passion - nurtured and facilitated it. She was both my inspiration and musical mentor.

Yes indeed, I was lucky. Whatever else people will say about me after I'm gone I hope they'll say, "He had a great life and he lived it well." Most importantly, I realized it. I knew how good I had it, and lived my life mostly in an "attitude of gratitude." Other people are richer, smarter, more famous, more charming, and better-looking. They live glamorous lives, jet-setting around and basking in the spotlight. I wouldn't trade my life for any of theirs.

My epitath.

If I wanted a tombstone (which I don't) it would have this inscription: "Here lies George - it didn't suck to be me."