Simon & Garfunkel Concert Albums

1. Live from New York City, 1967

2. Live 1969

3. The Concert in Central Park (1981)

4. Old Friends: Live on Stage (2004)

Most of the following information is from Wikipedia:

1st Live from New York City, 1967 Live from New York City, 1967 is an album by Simon and Garfunkel, recorded at Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City, on 22 January 1967. The album was released on the Columbia Legacy on 16 July 2002.

The performance is noteworthy in that it is the first official live release by Simon and Garfunkel recorded in the 1960s. As it was recorded in 1967, before Simon and Garfunkel gained fame with the movie The Graduate, it features many of the duo's early hits and album tracks, such as "Leaves That Are Green", "He Was My Brother", and "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her".

Four of the songs from this album were previously released on 1997's Old Friends box-set. However, one track from that set, "Red Rubber Ball," was not included in this release, thus leaving it somewhat incomplete.

Unlike their other official live albums, The Concert in Central Park and Old Friends: Live On Stage, this recording features Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel performing alone. As may be expected for a live performance from 1967 the sound is somewhat primitive by today's standards. Nevertheless it's important for the reasons set forth above.

Track listing
"He Was My Brother" –3:21
"Leaves That Are Green" –2:57
"Sparrow" –3:06
"Homeward Bound" –2:39
"You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies" –2:06
"A Most Peculiar Man" –2:59
"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" –1:49
"The Dangling Conversation" –3:01
"Richard Cory" –3:23
"A Hazy Shade Of Winter" –2:37
"Benedictus" (Traditional, arr. Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel –2:45
"Blessed" –3:45
"A Poem on the Underground Wall" –4:45
"Anji" (Davy Graham) –2:28
"I Am a Rock" –2:57
"The Sound of Silence" –3:25
"For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" –2:40
"A Church Is Burning" –3:43
"Wednesday Morning, 3 A. M." –3:35

2nd Live 1969 Live 1969 is a live album by Simon & Garfunkel released through Columbia Records. It consists of recently discovered live recordings captured on the duo's final tour before the release of their Bridge over Troubled Water album. Live 1969 saw initial release as a Starbucks exclusive on March 25th 2008, preceding an expected full retail release the fall. A live album of Simon & Garfunkel at their best. Not as polished as a studio album but more personality. I saw then live a year earlier at a concert at the University of Oregon.

Track listing
"Homeward Bound" (Paul Simon)
"At the Zoo" (Paul Simon)
"59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" (Paul Simon)
"Song for the Asking" (Paul Simon)
"For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" (Paul Simon)
"Scarborough Fair" (listed as "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", but does not contain the "Canticle" section) (Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel)
"Mrs. Robinson" (Paul Simon)
"The Boxer" (Paul Simon)
"Why Don't You Write Me" (Paul Simon)
"So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" (Paul Simon)
"That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine" (Jimmy Long, Gene Autry)
"Bridge over Troubled Water" (Paul Simon)
"The Sound of Silence" (Paul Simon)
"I Am a Rock" (Paul Simon)
"Old Friends/Bookends Theme" (Paul Simon)
"Leaves That Are Green" (Paul Simon)
"Kathy's Song" (Paul Simon)

3rd The Concert in Central Park (1981) The Concert in Central Park is a live album by Simon and Garfunkel. On September 19, 1981 the folk-rock duo reunited for a free concert on the Great Lawn of New York's Central Park attended by more than 500,000 people. They released a live album from the concert the following March

A video of the concert was also released. The video contains two songs that were omitted from the live album: "The Late Great Johnny Ace" and "Late in the Evening (Reprise)". The song about Johnny Ace had been disrupted by a fan rushing the stage. However, in the recent DVD release, the song has been omitted as well.

Our first concert album. Our family wore out two cassettes of this album as our children grew up. It was a family favorite on car trips.

Track listing

"Mrs. Robinson" – 3:52
"Homeward Bound" – 4:22
"America" – 4:47
"Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" – 3:22
"Scarborough Fair" (traditional, arr. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel) – 3:52
"April Come She Will" – 2:37
"Wake Up Little Susie" (Felice and Boudleaux Bryant) – 2:19
"Still Crazy After All These Years" – 4:04
"American Tune" – 4:33
"Late in the Evening" – 4:09
"Slip Slidin' Away" – 4:54
"A Heart in New York" (Benny Gallagher, Graham Lyle) – 2:49
"Kodachrome/Maybellene" (Chuck Berry, Russ Fratto, Alan Freed) – 5:51
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" – 4:48
"Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover" – 4:23
"The Boxer" – 6:02
"Old Friends" – 2:57
"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" – 2:01
"The Sound of Silence" – 4:13

4th Old Friends: Live on Stage (2004) Simon & Garfunkel's Old Friends Live On Stage is a live document from their highly successful "Old Friends" reunion concert tour of 2003, with The Everly Brothers as special guests. Both the CD and DVD were released in November 2004.

The CD and DVD were taken from a series of shows at New York's Madison Square Garden in early December 2003.

Both the DVD and the double CD set include a new studio song, "Citizen of the Planet", written by Paul Simon in the 1980s and recently completed with Art Garfunkel. The DVD contains two Simon and Garfunkel songs that were omitted from the double CD set: "Keep the Customer Satisfied" and "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)". There are also two additional songs performed by The Everly Brothers, which are not included on the CD. The DVD includes a series of clips from Simon and Garfunkel's rarely-seen 1969 TV Special, as part of its extra features.

My wife, son, sister and I went to their Portland concert at the Rose Garden on this concert tour . Our daughter saw this concert tour when they appeared in in Washington DC. The Everly Brothers were a nice addition.

The Complete Song List

Act 1"Opening Montage - America" (instrumental) (DVD only)
"Old Friends/Bookends"
"A Hazy Shade of Winter"
"I Am a Rock"
"America"
"At the Zoo"
"Baby Driver"
"Kathy's Song"
"Tom and Jerry Story"
"Hey, Schoolgirl"
"The Everly Brothers Intro"
"Wake Up Little Susie" (DVD only)
"All I Have To Do Is Dream" (DVD only)
"Bye Bye Love" (The Everly Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel)
"Scarborough Fair"
"Homeward Bound"
"The Sound of Silence"

Act 2"Opening Montage - The 59th Street Bridge Song" (DVD only)
"Mrs. Robinson"
"Slip Slidin' Away"
"El Condor Pasa"
"Keep The Customer Satisfied" (DVD only)
"The Only Living Boy in New York"
"American Tune"
"My Little Town"
"Bridge Over Troubled Water"
"Cecilia"
"The Boxer"
"Leaves That Are Green"
"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" (DVD only)

Note: the albums were not released in the order listed.

Paul Simon's Song Book (1965)

From Wikipedia:

The Paul Simon Songbook is an album by Paul Simon. It was recorded in London and released in the United Kingdom in 1965 and was supposedly deleted in 1979 at Simon's request. It was made available in the USA as part of the LP box set Paul Simon: Collected Works (1981). The Paul Simon Songbook was recorded while Paul Simon, who had previously worked in the rock-'n-roll genre, was in Europe trying to make a living as a folk singer in the mid-1960s. Simon made several trips to England in 1964 and 1965, spending most of his time performing in small clubs and theaters. During 1965 he is known to have played in Paris and Copenhagen, along with London and numerous other locations in the United Kingdom.

In 1964, Simon and Art Garfunkel had recorded a folk-inspired album for Columbia Records in the United States called Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., as Simon & Garfunkel. While Simon was touring and appearing on radio shows in England in 1965 (sometimes with Art Garfunkel), he began to receive attention from fans. At the time Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. had not yet been released in Britain (and would not be until 1968).
Simon recorded the album over several dates in June 1965. Most of the songs required several takes. He only had one microphone for both his voice and his guitar, which is why he can be heard stamping his feet to the rhythm on "The Sound of Silence" as well the alternate take of "I Am A Rock."

The album cover shows Simon and his then-girlfriend, Kathy Chitty, sitting on "narrow streets of cobblestone" in London, the city Simon had adopted as his home. In the 1970s, the album art was altered: the picture of Simon and Kathy was flipped horizontally, and the red script-like lettering eliminated in favor of an album title in white block print at the top.

I originally bought this record album in 1971 or 1972 in Eugene,Oregon at a record store at the Valley River Mall from a record bin labeled "imports" after I returned from the Army. Last summer while in England I purchased the CD. I love this album because of it's purity. Paul puts real emotion in singing some of the songs accompanied only by his guitar. True basic folk. Best version of "I am a Rock" ever recoded.



Track listing
All songs written by Paul Simon unless otherwise indicated.

"I Am a Rock" -2:52
"Leaves That Are Green" -2:41
"A Church Is Burning" -3:38
"April Come She Will" -1:55
"The Sound of Silence" -3:19
"A Most Peculiar Man" -2:26
"He Was My Brother" (Paul Kane*) -2:58
"Kathy's Song" -3:42
"The Side Of A Hill" (Paul Kane) -2:28
"A Simple Desultory Philippic" -2:25
"Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall" -2:27
"Patterns" -3:13
CD Bonus tracks (2004)

"I Am a Rock" Alternate Version -2:44
"A Church Is Burning" Alternate Version -3:10

Simon & Garfunkel's Fifth (and Last) Studio Album (1970)

From Wikipedia:

Bridge Over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album by Simon and Garfunkel. [ First released on January 26, 1970, it reached number one on Billboard Music Charts pop albums list. It won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, as well as for Best Engineered Recording, while its title track won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in the Grammy Awards of 1971. It has since sold over 25 million worldwide.

Track listing

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" – 4:52
"El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" – 3:06
"Cecilia" – 2:54
"Keep the Customer Satisfied" – 2:33
"So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" – 3:47
"The Boxer" – 5:08
"Baby Driver" – 3:14
"The Only Living Boy in New York" – 3:58
"Why Don't You Write Me" – 2:45
"Bye Bye Love"* (live recording from Ames, Iowa) – 2:55
"Song for the Asking" – 1:49

This album was release while I was in the Army.My favorite songs are "The Boxer" and "Song for the Asking" While I like "Bridge over Troubled Water" it has never been one of my favorite Simon & Garfunkle songs. I liked "El Codor Pasa" when it was first released but less so now. "Cecilia" is always fun along with "Bye Bye Love". I still remember buying this album at Pay Less in North Bend, Oregon while on leave from the Army. By then, they had broken up and since then have issued concert albums, compilations and greatest hits albums but never again have they together produced a studio album. In eight short years from 1964 to 1970 they produced five studio albums that have lasted at least a life time. How appropriate that the last song on their last studio album was "Song For the Asking:"

Here is my song for the asking
Ask me and I will play
So sweetly, Ill make you smile

This is my tune for the taking
Take it, dont turn away
Ive been waiting all my life

Thinking it over, Ive been sad
Thinking it over, Id be more than glad
To change my ways for the asking

Ask me and I will ply
All the love that I hold inside


"Ill make you smile"...... that they did and so much more.

Wright is Obama's Ticking Time Bomb! (Update)

Byron York of National Review makes a good point today when he says the Reverend Wright Story is probably not over for Obama He write:

"the threat from Wright remains, all the way until November 4. Wright knows the true nature of his relationship with Obama. He knows what they have said to each other. He knows whether Obama finds Wright’s views as offensive as he has said. There are more than six months left before the general election, and if Obama becomes the Democratic nominee, that is a lot of time for the voluble — and publicity-loving — pastor to remain silent"

(to read all of York's column click on the title for a link)

UPDATE; Bob Novak says the same thing:

The difficulty is Jeremiah Wright, thrown under the bus by his former parishioner, can re-emerge at any time he wishes and renew discussion of the Democratic presidential front-runner's real identity.

As I have said before on this blog, fact is almost always more interesting then fiction. Who could write a political fiction novel as interesting as the Reverend Wright and Barak Obama saga and if they did no one would believe that it was realistic. There is a reason Barak Obama, up until yesterday, use "kid gloves" on Reverend Wright and we shall find it out before November! BTW isn't the picture perfect!

Oregon Duck Football

After the Spring Football Game and going into Fall here’s the two deep lineup Oregon would field if the Ducks had a game today and everybody was healthy:

OFFENSE
WR
4 Jaison Williams
8 Terence Scott
LT
57 Fenuki Tupou
68 C.E. Kaiser
LG
51 Jeff Kendall
54 Jordan Holmes
C
60 Max Unger
51 Jeff Kendall
RG
71 Mark Lewis
63 Jon Teague
RT
78 Jacob Hucko
79 Mark Asper
TE
83 Ed Dickson
26 Malachi Lewis
WR
23 Jeff Maehl
89 Aaron Pflugrad
WR
18 Jamere Holland
10 Drew Davis
QB
7 Nate Costa
11 Justin Roper
RB
24 Jeremiah Johnson
22 Andre Crenshaw

DEFENSE
DE
39 Will Tukuafu
43 Mike Speed
DT
91 Ra’Shon Harris
50 Simi Toeaina
DT
97 Cole Linehan
95 Tonio Celotto
DE
49 Nick Reed
88 Brandon Bair
MLB
40 John Bacon
55 Casey Matthews
WLB
25 Kevin Garrett
35 Spencer Paysinger
SLB
13 Jerome Boyd
54 Riley Showalter
LCB
32 Jairus Byrd
17 Willie Glasper
RCB
6 Walter Thurmond III
37 Talmadge Jackson III
FS
2 T.J. Ward
14 Javes Lewis
ROV
15 Patrick Chung
1 Marvin Johnson

SPECIALISTS
PK
85 Matt Evensen
23 Morgan Flint
P
80 Josh Syria
26 Tim Taylor
KR
22 Andre Crenshaw
18 Jamere Holland
PR
23 Jeff Maehl
18 Jamere Holland
LS
62 Spencer Young
HLD
11 Justin Roper

Barak Obama ............I'm Shocked!

Rick: Howe can you close me up? On what grounds?

Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]

Croupier: Your winnings, sir.

Captain Renault: Oh, thank you very much.


Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!


All of a sudden Barak Obama has become shocked about the Reverend Wright as if he didn't know that the Reverend was a bigoted man who hates America!

"I’m outraged by the comments that were made and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday,” Barak Obama on Reverend Wright.

TO LITTLE TOO LATE!

What Oabama knew and when did he Know it!

Tom Bevan of Real Clear Politics has an excellent article on why Obama disinvited his minister, the Reverend Wright, from officiating at his Presidential announcement in Illinois. But, why has it taken him so long to denounce him? Obama knew the guy was a "nut case" who hates America and is a racist demagogue but chose to look the other way! The following is from the Bevan article

"We now know from Obama's answer at the last debate that he had seen Rev. Wright's remarks in Rolling Stone in Feburary of 2007 and deemed them to be enough of a problem to deep six the Reverend from speaking at his announcement. At the same time, Obama is now characterizing those remarks as "not of the sort that we saw that offended so many Americans." Go read the quote from the Rolling Stone article again. I doubt most Americans would agree, which only lends itself to the notion that Obama hasn't been fully forthcoming about what he knew about his pastor's incendiary language and when he knew it."

University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer to Retire!

University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer has announced he will retire a year from this June.

Frohnmayer, first appointed to the UO’s top job in 1994, announced his retirement plans Tuesday in a letter to Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Oregon University System Chancellor George Pernsteiner. He is the third-longest serving president in the university’s history.


In the past I have been critical of President Frohnmayer , particularly over the WRC dust up but, all in all, my old law school professor has done a good job. When I was a first year law student I took his Torts class and on the second day of class I knew he wanted to be Governor of Oregon. He didn't make it but he did become a member of the Oregon Legislature and Oregon Attorney General. He is a liberal Republican who has one foot in the political world and on foot in academia. Thus, he was able to do a good job as University of Oregon President. When he made a misstep by alienating Phil Knight when the University of Oregon joined the Workers Rights Consortium he was politically astute to extricate himself from that mistake. It was his political skill that was able to ease Bill Moos out as Athletic Director and bring in Pat Kilkenny when Moos was not able to get the new basketball arena built. He then used his skill with the Oregon Legislature to get them to authorise 200 million dollars in bonds for the new basketball arena. We don't agree politically but The University of Oregon is a better place and school than it was before he took over. He also in person is a nice guy and grew up in Medford, Oregon. He and his wife have had some personal tragedies that make all of our hearts go out to him and his family. I still remember he and his young wife coming into Duffy's Tavern together many years ago when I was a law student and the tavern, a block from the law school, was a popular hang out for law students after a hard day of study!

UPDATE: Phil Knight issued a statement on Frohnmayer's announced retirement;"Dave Frohnmayer was simply the best president the University of Oregon has ever had." That says it all


Thanks President Frohnmayer.

A Time for Choosing for Obama!

Wall Street Journal Editorial:


Early in his campaign, Senator Obama earned support from many voters with the notion that he wanted to transcend racial politics. Rev. Wright is exacerbating them in a way not seen in recent years. Barack Obama cannot remain on both sides of this. He has to make a decision. He is not running for national Mediator. He is running for President. In time, that job brings tough decisions. He's there now.

Bob Herbert coumnist for the New York Times:

For Senator Obama, the re-emergence of Rev. Wright has been devastating. The senator has been trying desperately to bolster his standing with skeptical and even hostile white working-class voters. When the story line of the campaign shifts almost entirely to the race-in-your-face antics of someone like Mr. Wright, Mr. Obama’s chances can only suffer.

Beyond that, the apparent helplessness of the Obama campaign in the face of the Wright onslaught contributes to the growing perception of the candidate as weak, as someone who is unwilling or unable to fight aggressively on his own behalf.

Hillary Clinton is taunting Mr. Obama about his unwillingness to participate in another debate. Rev. Wright is roaming the country with the press corps in tow, happily promoting the one issue Mr. Obama had tried to avoid: race.

Mr. Obama seems more and more like someone buffeted by events, rather than in charge of them. Very little has changed in the superdelegate count, but a number of those delegates have expressed concern in private over Mr. Obama’s inability to do better among white working-class voters and Catholics.

Rev. Wright is absolutely the wrong medicine for those concerns.

Simon & Garfunkel's Fourth Studio Album (1968)

From Wikipedia:

Bookends is the name of an album and its title track, both recorded by Simon and Garfunkel, released April 3, 1968. (See: 1968 in music.) It was produced by Paul Simon, Roy Halee and Art Garfunkel.

Bookends was a #1 hit on Billboard's (North America) Pop Albums chart, as well as in the UK. Four singles charted: "A Hazy Shade of Winter", "At the Zoo", "Fakin' It" and "Mrs. Robinson", which peaked at #13, #16 and #23 and #1, respectively

All songs by Paul Simon, except * by Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel

"Bookends Theme" (Instrumental) – 0:32
"Save the Life of My Child" – 2:49
"America" – 3:08
"Overs" – 2:14
"Voices of Old People" * - 2:09
"Old Friends" – 2:36
"Bookends" – 1:16
"Fakin' It" – 3:14
"Punky's Dilemma" – 2:10
"Mrs. Robinson" – 4:02
"Hazy Shade of Winter" – 2:17
"At the Zoo" – 2:11


This album came out while a student at the University of Oregon. I can specifically remember them singing America as I sat in one of the top balcony's of Mc Arthur Court during their live concert there. No Simon & Garfukel fan should be without this album. I remember a discussion with a friend in the Fish Bowl at the University of Oregon about their 'Greatest Hits album. He said he would never buy such an album because each of their studio albums had the songs in an order that caused them to flow together and a greatest hits type of album would destroy the flow.

Barak Obama the Hypocrite!

Definition of "Hypocrite:"

1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings

Barak Obam originally invited his Reverend of 20 years to give a prayer at his public Presidential Announcement in Illinois. He then calls him and disinvites him because according to Obama, Wright is "kind of rough in the sermons." However, just before the public ceremony Reverand Wright meets with Barak Obama and his wife and children and he leads them in a private prayer.

Jeremiah Wright on Barack Obama, the man who mentored him for over 20 years:

"He’s a politician, I’m a pastor. We speak to two different audiences. And he says what he has to say as a politician. I say what I have to say as a pastor. But they’re two different worlds.”

From New York times News story dated March 5 2007

CHICAGO, March 5 — The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., senior pastor of the popular Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and spiritual mentor to Senator Barack Obama, thought he knew what he would be doing on Feb. 10, the day of Senator Obama’s presidential announcement.

But Mr. Wright said Mr. Obama called him the night before the Feb. 10 announcement and rescinded the invitation to give the invocation. ....

Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, said the campaign disinvited Mr. Wright because it did not want the church to face negative attention. Mr. Wright did however, attend the announcement and prayed with Mr. Obama beforehand.
“Senator Obama is proud of his pastor and his church, but because of the type of attention it was receiving on blogs and conservative talk shows, he decided to avoid having statements and beliefs being used out of context and forcing the entire church to defend itself,” Mr. Burton said.

Instead, Mr. Obama asked Mr. Wright’s successor as pastor at Trinity, the Rev. Otis Moss III, to speak. Mr. Moss declined.....

Mr. Wright said that in the phone conversation in which Mr. Obama disinvited him from a role in the announcement, Mr. Obama cited an article in Rolling Stone, “The Radical Roots of Barack Obama.”

According to the pastor, Mr. Obama then told him, “You can get kind of rough in the sermons, so what we’ve decided is that it’s best for you not to be out there in public.”

Part of the Transcript of Reverand Wright at the National Press Club today in Washington DC.

MODERATOR: Senator Obama has been in your congregation for 20 years, yet you were not invited to his announcement of his presidential candidacy in Illinois. And in the most recent presidential debate in Pennsylvania, he said he had denounced you. Are you disappointed that Senator Obama has chosen to walk away from you?

REVEREND WRIGHT: Whoever wrote that question doesn't read or watch the news. He did not denounce me. He distanced himself from some of my remarks, like most of you, never having heard the sermon. All right?

Now, what was the rest of your question? Because I got confused in -- the person who wrote it hadn't...

MODERATOR: Were you disappointed that he distanced himself?

REVEREND WRIGHT: He didn't distance himself. He had to distance himself, because he's a politician, from what the media was saying I had said, which was anti-American. He said I didn't offer any words of hope. How would he know? He never heard the rest of the sermon. You never heard it.

I offered words of hope. I offered reconciliation. I offered restoration in that sermon, but nobody heard the sermon. They just heard this little sound bite of a sermon.

That was not the whole question. There was something else in the first part of the question that I wanted to address.

Oh, I was not invited because that was a political event. Let me say again: I'm his pastor. As a political event, who started it off? Senator Dick Durbin. I started it off downstairs with him, his wife, and children in prayer. That's what pastors do.
So I started it off in prayer. When he went out into the public, that wasn't about prayer. That wasn't about pastor-member. Pastor- member took place downstairs. What took place upstairs was political.

So that's how I feel about that. He did, as I've said, what politicians do. This is a political event. He wasn't announcing, "I'm saved, sanctified, and feel the holy ghost." He was announcing, "I'm running for president of the United States."

Do we really know what Barak Obama belives ?

Reverend Wright is a Racist and Demagogue!

Victor Davis Hanson writing in National Review online on Wright's speech to the NAACP:

In short, Wright's speech on black-right brainers, white-left brainers — replete with bogus stereotypes and crude voice imitations — was about as racist as they come and at one time antithetical to what the NAACP was once all about. Again, the Obama campaign and its appendages have set back racial relations a generation. Just ten years ago, any candidate, black or white, would have rejected Wright making a speech about genetic differences in respective black and white brains. Now it's given to civil rights organizations by the possible next President's pastor and spiritual advisor — and done to wild applause for an organization founded on the idea that we are innately the same, while being gushed over by ignorant "commentators."

As I said before, between Wright's racism and hatred, and Obama's contextualization of what he has said, we have so lowered the bar that the next racist (and he won't necessarily be black) who evokes hatred of other races and then offers a mish-mash pop theory of genetic differences will have plenty of "context" to ward off public fury.

(To read more click on the title for a link)

Also Joe Klein of Time Magazine:

I've been to dozens and dozens of African-American church services over the years, including the investiture of one of my friends as an AME minister two years ago, and I have very rarely, if ever, heard the kind of rants that are part of Reverend Wright's canon. Yes, as many have pointed out, Martin Luther King Jr. gave some angry, angry sermons--especially about the obscenity of the war in Vietnam--but for Wright to say the attacks on him are an attack on the black church is to offer a straitened and solipsistic view of that grand institution. Black liberation theology is not the black church.

And worse, Wright's purpose now seems quite clear: to aggrandize himself--the guy is going to be a go-to mainstream media source for racial extremist spew, the next iteration of Al Sharpton--and destroy Barack Obama.

Dana Milbank , of the Washington Post:

Should it become necessary in the months from now to identify the moment that doomed Obama's presidential aspirations, attention is likely to focus on the hour between nine and ten this morning at the National Press Club. It was then that Wright, Obama's longtime pastor, reignited a controversy about race from which Obama had only recently recovered - and added lighter fuel.
Speaking before an audience that included Marion Barry, Cornel West, Malik Zulu Shabazz of the New Black Panther Party and Nation of Islam official Jamil Muhammad, Wright praised Louis Farrakhan, defended the view that Zionism is racism, accused the United States of terrorism, repeated his view that the government created the AIDS virus to cause the genocide of racial minorities, stood by other past remarks ("God damn America") and held himself out as a spokesman for the black church in America.
In front of 30 television cameras, Wright's audience cheered him on as the minister mocked the media and, at one point, did a little victory dance on the podium. It seemed as if Wright, jokingly offering himself as Obama's vice president, was actually trying to doom Obama; a member of the head table, American Urban Radio's April Ryan, confirmed that Wright's security was provided by bodyguards from Farrakhan's Nation of Islam.

George Will:

He is a demagogue with whom Obama has had a voluntary 20-year relationship that implies, if not moral approval, certainly no serious disapproval. Wright also is an ongoing fountain of anti-American and, properly understood, anti-black rubbish. His Monday speech demonstrated that he wants to be a central figure in this presidential campaign. He should be.

Simon & Garfunkel's Third Studio Album (1966)

From Wikipedia:
Studio album by Simon and Garfunkel


Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme is an album by Simon and Garfunkel, released in the United States on October 10, 1966. Its name comes from the second line of the album's first track, "Scarborough Fair/Canticle," an English folk song from the 16th century, paired with a countermelody and text about a soldier. It peaked on the U.S. charts at #4.

The album can be seen as having a protest element in it: the closing song, "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night", contained clips of a news broadcast about the Vietnam War. Based on the fact that the broadcast carries the news of the death of comedian Lenny Bruce that day, it can be dated from 3 August 1966.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 201 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The voice of the newscaster on 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night was that of Charlie O'Donnell, then a New York disc jockey.
All songs by Paul Simon except track 1 (traditional, arranged by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel), track 3 (Paul Simon and Bruce Woodley), and track 12 (Josef Mohr and Franz Gruber).

Songs on the Album

1."Scarborough Fair/Canticle" – 3:10
2."Patterns" – 2:42
3."Cloudy" – 2:10
4."Homeward Bound" – 2:30
5."The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine" – 2:44
6."The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" – 1:43
7."The Dangling Conversation" – 2:37
8."Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall" – 2:10
9."A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)" – 2:12
10."For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" – 2:04
11."A Poem on the Underground Wall" – 1:52
12."7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" – 2:0

As I wrote several post below this is my favorite of the studio album's.

More on Oregon's Spring Game

Yesterday at Oregon's Spring Game (see post below) one of the high points was when the folks on the sunny side of the field began to yell "GO" and the people on the shady side answered with "DUCKS" The crowd of 14,000 + continued to yell "GO....DUCKS" for a a few minutes in a spontaneous show of enthusiasm.. How long till the Washington game?

Dennis Dixon to Pittsburg

The Pittsburgh Steelers picked University of Oregon Quarterback Dennis Dixion as the 156 overall pick of the NFL Draft today. Dennis tore his ACL in a game against Arizona State last season. But for that injury he would have won the Heisman Trophy. Good luck in the NFL Dennis!

Simon & Garfunkel's Second Studio Album (1966)

It's easy to forget with all of the Simon & Garfunkel albums out there that the only did FIVE studio albums together and "Sounds of Silence" was the second.

From Wikipedia:

Released on January 17, 1966. The album's title is a slight modification of the title of the duo's first major hit, " The Sounds of Silence", which was released previously on the album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., and also on the soundtrack to the movie The Graduate. It was taken from their debut and electric instruments and drums were overdubbed by Bob Dylan's studio band on June 15, 1965 and released in September 1965 as a single.

[edit] Track listing
"The Sounds of Silence" (Paul Simon) – 3:08
"Leaves That Are Green" (Simon) – 2:23
"Blessed" (Simon) – 3:16
"Kathy's Song" (Simon) – 3:21
"Somewhere They Can't Find Me" (Simon) – 2:37
"Anji" (Davey Graham) – 2:17
"Richard Cory" (Simon) – 2:57
"A Most Peculiar Man" (Simon) – 2:34
"April Come She Will" (Simon) – 1:51
"We've Got a Groovey Thing Goin'" (Simon) – 2:00
"I Am a Rock" (Simon) – 2:50

I love "I am a Rock", "Kathy's Song," "April Come She Will" and of course "The Sounds of Silence." "Kathy's Song" was about Paul's girlfriend "Kathy" who he met in England were he went, after the group broke up for a short time, after Wednesday Morning #AM was released released in 1964 with disappointing results. While in England he recorded "The Paul Simon Song Book" album with Kathy on the cover. The most disappointing thing about the new "Best of Simon & Garfunkel" is it omits "Kathy's Song." I dislike "Richard Cory" and "A most Peculiar Man" not because they are not well done and thoughtful but because they are so depressing. The song "Sounds of Silence" and the album made them stars.This is the first Simon & Garfunkel album I ever purchased. However, in those days (1966) I was still buying 45 records. (Kids those are the small records with the big hole in the center) So my first Simon & Garfunkel records I purchased were 45's of "I am a Rock" , "Sounds of "Silence" and "Homeward Bound". I purchased them at a variety store I was working part time at called Sprouse Reitz in Coos Bay Oregon. The store had a small rack of records and the weeks hits were put on the top of the display. The first time I heard them I could not believe how good they were. I worked part time on Saturdays and two hours after school week neights. That was 42 years ago!

Simon & Garfunke's First Studio Album (1964)

From Wikpedia

Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. is the debut album by folk duo Simon and Garfunkel, released October 19, 1964. It was produced by Tom Wilson and engineered by Roy Halee. It initially flopped, but was re-released in January 1966 to capitalize on their newfound radio success and reached #30 on the Billboard pop charts. It is perhaps best known for the acoustic version of "The Sound of Silence" (then titled "The Sounds of Silence").


[edit] Track listing
"You Can Tell the World" (Bob Gibson/Bob Camp) – 2:47
"Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" (Ed McCurdy) – 2:11
"Bleecker Street" (Simon) – 2:44
"Sparrow" (Simon) – 2:49
"Benedictus" (traditional, arranged and adapted by Simon and Garfunkel) – 2:38
"The Sounds of Silence" (Simon) – 3:08
"He Was My Brother" (Paul Kane*) – 2:48
"Peggy-O" (traditional) – 2:26
"Go Tell It on the Mountain" (traditional) – 2:06
"The Sun Is Burning" (Ian Campbell) – 2:49
"The Times They Are a-Changin'" (Bob Dylan) – 2:52
"Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." (Simon)

This is the most political of their albums . It was made during the civil right struggle in the American South. Only 5 of the songs are by Paul Simon. This album is only for hard corp fans of Simon &Garfunkel or early 60 folk.

Trip to Oregon Spring Game

It was a perfect day for a spring game. My wife woke up with a sore throat so we decided she should stay home and get some rest. I left the house about 9 am and picked up a new Simon & Garfunkel CD at Fred Meyer on my way out of town .... "The Best of Simon & Garfunkel" a one disc set with 20 of their best hits to play on the trip to Eugene. To pass time on the three hour trip to Eugene I decided to play the new CD after which I played in order their 5 studio albums together in the order they were released. More on that above. I stopped at the 7 Feathers Travel Store in Canyonville and got to Eugene about 12 noon. My wife had packed some sandwiches for me so I parked in the Autzen parking lot and enjoyed the day and the tail gate parties. One large RV had a sign "Last Tail Gate Party " a reference to the new parking rules at Autzen that go into effect next season. (see earlier post below). While in the parking lot I was listening to the NFL Draft on the radio. Oregon's Johnathan Stewart was picked 13th in the first round by the Carolina Panthers! Yes!
I then walked over to the "Duck Store" and ran into my friend from Medford, Bob. I did some looking at the "Duck Store" but didn't buy anything. Bob and I then went into the stadium and found seats in the big donor section just in front of the covered section. I met a nice couple from Portland who were as in to the Ducks as Bob and I. I had pre printed off the Duck team rosters both numerically and alphabetically as well as the roster's of the "White and Green" teams for the inter squad scrimmage. The weather was perfect and there was a good crowd o 14,000+. QB Justin Roper looked good like he did in the Duck's Sun Bowl Win over South Florida last New Years Eve Day. The cover of the "Ducks Illustrated" Spring Game issue had a joint picture of the 6 potential Duck QB's for next season. Nate Costa did not play due to his still recovering from his injury from last season. Freshman QB Chris Harper from Kansas looked like a young Dennis Dixon with bigger legs. He graduated from high school early so he could come to Oregon for spring practice. So while his high school class is preparing for the Senior Prom he was looking good for the Ducks. He needs some work but could be a great player. Cade Cooper a transfer from BYU and Cody Kempt from Beaverton looked just OK. Darron Thomas another high school kid who graduated early from Texas showed some potential.Running backs Andre Crenshaw and Renee Alston had some good runs. JC transfer LeGarrette Blount had some great runs and could be another Ruben Droungs. I love the Spring Game. After the game It took me about 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot and on I-5 South. A good reminder of why during the season I park on the campus side of the Willamette River and take the foot bride to the game. On the trip home I listened to some of the NFL Draft on the radio until I lost the signal just south of Cottage Grove and then finished the last two Simon & Garfunkel Studio CD albums. It was a nice trip home but I got a little tired. It is now four months till Oregon's first game with the hated Washington Huskies in Eugene on Saturday August 29th. Go Ducks!

PS as I type this I am listening to the NFL Draft on TV. I said to my wife "isn't it nice to listening to sports rather than politics?" and she replied I hate to say this but I think I prefer politics. Ha!

`

Obama's Problem... ." fullness" of his patriotism! by Peggy Noonan

A quote from Peggy Noonan's column in today's Wall Street Journal:

"Main thought. Hillary Clinton is not Barack Obama's problem. America is Mr. Obama's problem. He has been tagged as a snooty lefty, as the glamorous, ambivalent candidate from Men's Vogue, the candidate who loves America because of the great progress it has made in terms of racial fairness. Fine, good. But has he ever gotten misty-eyed over . . . the Wright Brothers and what kind of country allowed them to go off on their own and change everything? How about D-Day, or George Washington, or Henry Ford, or the losers and brigands who flocked to Sutter's Mill, who pushed their way west because there was gold in them thar hills? There's gold in that history.

John McCain carries it in his bones. Mr. McCain learned it in school, in the Naval Academy, and, literally, at grandpa's knee. Mrs. Clinton learned at least its importance in her long slog through Arkansas, circa 1977-92.

Mr. Obama? What does he think about all that history? Which is another way of saying: What does he think of America? That's why people talk about the flag pin absent from the lapel. They wonder if it means something. Not that the presence of the pin proves love of country – any cynic can wear a pin, and many cynics do. But what about Obama and America? Who would have taught him to love it, and what did he learn was loveable, and what does he think about it all?

Another challenge. Snooty lefties get angry when you ask them to talk about these things. They get resentful. Who are you to question my patriotism? But no one is questioning his patriotism, they're questioning its content, its fullness"

Does he get a chill down his back when he hears the Star Spangled Banner, did he teach it's words to his children? Does he get misty eyed when he goes to Arlington Cemetery or walks by the Iwo Jima Memorial. How does he feel when he visits the Lincoln Memorial or Gettysburg where men "died to make men free?"

Oregon's Spring Game

The University of Oregon always ends spring football practice with the "Spring Game" this year on Saturday April 26th.It's actually a scrimmage between the team with the coaches dividing the team up into two groups . Usually 5 to 10 thousand football hungry fans show up to watch and see how the team is doing. My wife and I drive the three hours up I-5 from Medford to Eugene to watch the game at Autzen Stadium. Where else are you going to find a football game in April? As I have said before the season never ends. Also the Ducks always win the Spring Game. Go Ducks

Wild Bill Clinton in North Bend, Oregon

Yes, Bill Clinton will speak tonight at the gym at North Bend Middle School in North Bend Oregon on behalf of Mrs Clinton's Presidential campaign. I have special interest in that I graduated from what was then called North Bend Junior High and spent many hours in that gym watching the North Bend High Bulldog Basketball team. Back in my time the high school varsity played their games at the junior high gym because it was much newer than the dilapidated high school gym. I wonder if Dana will be there tonight?

How appropriate. I still remember how angry I got when our North Bend Junior High principal wore a John Kennedy button during the 1960 presidential campaign. I was supporting Richard Nixon. I still have my Nixon buttion!

HE'S BACK!

Was the Reverend Wright taken out of context when he said:

– September 2001: “The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. The government lied.”

– September 2001: “We bombed Hiroshima. We bombed Nagasaki. And we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted an eye.”

– September 2001: “We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because of stuff we have done overseas is now brought back into our own backyard. America is chickens coming home to roost.”

– April 2003: “The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes three-strike laws and wants them to sing God Bless America. No! No No! God **** America … for killing innocent people. God **** America for threatening citizens as less than humans. God **** America as long as she tries to act like she is God and supreme.”

– December 2007: “Barack knows what it means living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich, white people. Hillary would never know that.”

– December 2007: “Hillary ain’t never been called a n***8r. Hillary has never had a people defined as a non-person.”

– Jan. 13, 2008: “Hillary is married to Bill, and Bill has been good to us. No he ain’t! Bill did us, just like he did Monica Lewinsky. He was riding dirty.”

– “Fact number one: We’ve got more black men in prison than there are in college. … Fact number two: Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run.”

– “We are deeply involved in the importing of drugs, the exporting of guns and the training of professional killers. … We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God. … We conducted radiation experiments on our own people. … We care nothing about human life if the ends justify the means.
And … And … And! God! Has got! To be sick! Of this sh*t!”

On Bill Moyer's Show on PBS April 24, 2008 on Obama:

"He’s a politician, I’m a pastor. We speak to two different audiences. And he says what he has to say as a politician. I say what I have to say as a pastor. But they’re two different worlds.”

The left is attempting to use "The Race Card" against anyone who speaks out against Obama and his 20 year relationship with Reverend Wright but It will not work. Reverend Wright is the racist!

Time with an Old Friend

Tonight I had to make a short business trip and I grabbed my CD of Simon & Garfunkel's album "Parsley,Sage,Rosemary and Thyme" to play in the car and it took me back to the 1960's when I first bought an 8 track tape of this album to play in my car.It's probably difficult for younger people to understand that before the 8 track player the only music in a car was the radio. I also bought the record album and played it through college, the army and then on to law school. I had other Simon &Garfunkel albums but this was my favorite. I would play the 8 track over and over. Well, The 60's turned into the 70's and 80's and I played records and the 8 tracks less and less. We bought a cassette tape of their "The Greatest Hits"album and then their "Concert in Central Park." album As our kids grew up we wore out at least two cassettes of their "Concert in Central park" before we started to convert over to CD's.A year or so ago I found the "Parsley, Sage..." CD at a bargain price but until tonight I hadn't played it very much. Well, playing it tonight it brought back a lot of memories and reminded me of what I have been missing only playing their "Greatest Hits" or "The Essential Simon & Garfunkel"CD's. With the exception of "The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine" there isn't a bad song on the CD. The "7 O'Clock News" is still powerful even if I disagree with the political message. I love the "How I Was Robert McNamara'd into Submission" and I can play "Scarborough Fair" over and over and not get enough. It was a good time with an old friend.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme is an album by Simon and Garfunkel, released in the United States on October 10, 1966. Its name comes from the second line of the album's first track, "Scarborough Fair/Canticle," an English folk song from the 16th century, paired with a countermelody and text about a soldier. It peaked on the U.S. charts at #4. The album was produced by Bob Johnston as Columbia Records LP CL 2563 (mono); CS 9363 (stereo); CD CK 9363; Remastered CD CK 66001. "Homeward Bound" was excluded from the album in the UK.

The album can be seen as having a protest element in it: the closing song, "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night", contained clips of a news broadcast about the Vietnam War. Based on the fact that the broadcast carries the news of the death of comedian Lenny Bruce that day, it can be dated from 3 August 1966.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 201 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

SONGS
"Scarborough Fair/Canticle" – 3:10
"Patterns" – 2:42
"Cloudy" – 2:10
"Homeward Bound" – 2:30
"The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine" – 2:44
"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" – 1:43
"The Dangling Conversation" – 2:37
"Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall" – 2:10
"A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)" – 2:12
"For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" – 2:04
"A Poem on the Underground Wall" – 1:52
"7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" – 2:01

DVD of Movie "Charlie Wilson's War"

As promised I bought the DVD of the movie "Charlie Wilson's War" on Tuesday, the day it was released on DVD. I haven't had time to watch the movie, (I saw it at the theater at Christmas) but last night while I was doing our laundry I watched the "Special Features" of the DVD which consisted of a documentary "On the Making of "Charlie Wilson's War" and a documentary on the real Congressman Charlie Wilson's efforts in Congress to get appropriations to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. The documentary featured the real Charlie Wilson played by Tom Hanks in the movie. It also feature the real Joanne Herring played by Julia Roberts in the movie. On first blush it appears that Julia Roberts played her role "over the top" but after seeing the interviews with Joanne Herring she was "dead on!"

The movie was directed by Mike Nichols (Diane Sawyer's Husband for you young folks) and I believe it's his best movie since "The Graduate." The Graduate is superior only because of it's Simon and Garfunkel sound track.

As the documentary points out the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War began with the Soviet's defeat in Afghanistan. We owe a big thanks to Charlie Wilson and the Texas socialite, Joanne Herring, who encouraged him.

We should also not forget Gust Avrakotos (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) a blue collar CIA agent who did more to defeat the Soviets than most of the ivy league bureaucrats as the CIA.

More Pictures of Movie "Charlie Wilson's War"

Bottom picture is picture of the real Charlie Wilson at a "Tribute" to the former Congressman given on Capitol Hill just prior to his retirement as a lobbyist and return to Texas. After he retired from Congress he continued to live in Washington DC as a lobbyist.

Oregon Duck Football Tickets.

Today I paid and sent in my application to renew our season tickets for University of Oregon Football for 2008. We have tickets on about the 30 yard line in section 13 behind the Oregon Bench. We have had season tickets for 18 years. In addition to the cost of the tickets we are required to make a donation to be able to buy the tickets and every few years they are raising the minimum required. We are "grandfathered in" so our increase is less but it is still getting expensive to be a Duck fan. These seats (bench) are not covered and are about a foot and 1/2" long piece of plastic bench. It's a long walk up some steps to the nearest crowded restroom but on game day there is nothing like the experience of yelling for the Oregon Ducks. The following is the 2008 season schedule:

8/30 Washington
9/06 Utah State
9/13 @ Purdue
9/20 Boise State
9/27 @ Washington State
10/04 @ U$C
10/11 UCLA
10/25 @ Arizona State
11/01 @ California
11/08 Stanford
11/15 Arizona
11/29 @ Oregon State TBA

This is the year we go to Corvallis and beat the Oregon State Beavers. Let's Go Ducks!

Debate!.... Debate!....Debate!

Hillary Clinton has challenged Barak Obama to two debates in Oregon before the Oregon Primary. He has already ducked out on a debate in North Carolina..... what is he afraid of? Will he continue to hide from Hillary?

Shirley Temple's 80th Birthday

Today, April 23rd,2008 is Shirley Temple's 80'th Birthday. Picture above is from John Ford's "Ford Apache" with Shirley on your far left and Henry Fonda as her father on your far right. In real life the were just the opposite politically. My favorite Temple movies are "Wee Willie Winkie" (1937)Directed by John Ford,"Since You Went Away" (1944) and the pictured "Fort Apache" (1948). (Other members of the John Ford "Stock Company" in the picture are Ward Bond and Irene Rich) Happy Birthday Shirley Temple!

CNN's John King and his State Primary Maps

I am not a big fan of CNN but I have been enjoying their Election Night Presidential Primary coverage. In particular, John King's use of his electronic maps which breaks down the vote on a county by county basis is very interesting and gives a much greater understanding of the political geography for each of the states holding primaries. I keep switching between FOX NEWS and CNN so I do not miss John King's presentations. It's a gold mine for political junkies. Good job CNN.

The Emperor has no Clothes ! ....10% LOSS !

Hillary Wins Pennsylvania! Hillary Clinton beats Barak Obama in another big state the Democrats need in November! He out spent her 3 and 4 to 1. The Democrats are about to nominated Barak Obama a deeply flawed candidate.However, if they don't nominate him they will tear the Democrat Party apart. On the other hand he is the most liberal Senator in the United States Senate and that is a Senate that has Teddy Kennedy. Obama is more liberal than McGovern, Dukakis, Mondale and Kerry and less experienced. He had money, momentum and the press behind him and he still could not win. He is now refusing to debate Hillary and essential holding on to the ball to run the clock out. You Go Girl! On to Indiana!

Obama and William Ayers!

Obama on William Ayers: “This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who’s a professor of English in Chicago, who I know....

The question then becomes, are you comfortable with a president who looks at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and thinks, “Oh yeah, he’s that engineering student who was mayor of Tehran”?


Te read more, check out Andrew McCarthy's excellent article on Obama and the terrorist William Ayers by clicking on the title for a link.

All Eyes on Small Towns of Pennsylvania

145 years ago the eyes of the nation were on ONE small town in Pennsylvania awaiting the results of a titanic battle of the American Civil War at Gettysburg.. Today, the nation has it's eyes on ALL the small towns ( and large) of Pennsylvania awaiting the results of a different kind of titanic battle. The telegraph of 1863 has been replaced by the Internet of 2008. However, waiting for the results hasn't changed. Will the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary be the "high tide" of the Obama Campaign or will a defeat of Hillery Clinton bring about the end of the contest for the Democrat Nomination for President of the United States? Is Bill Clinton, Hillary's Jeb Stewart or is Governor Rendell her Joshua Chamberlain? If, Hillary doesn't win or win big enough will she be finished or will she be able to limp off to North Carlina and Indiana for their primaries on May 6. Hillary is already short on cash provisions and her troops are tired of the long contest and she needs a big win in Pennsylvania today to boost morale and give her a chance with the Super Delegates. Will she be able to go on to the Democrat Convention in Denver this summer? Will Denver be her Appomattox? Polls in Pennsylvania close at 5pm PDT and 8pm EDT.

The John McCain Store..... or.....Kid in Candy Store!

Just click on the title above for a link to the John McCain store where you can order your McCain gear. They have apparel, buttons, stickers, signs and accessories all made in the USA. Lots of cool stuff!

Election Night Guide for Pennsylvania Primary

Here is John McIntyre's of RealClearPolitics.com guide to election Night in the Pennsylvania Primary which I agree with.

Here is a quick guide to sort through the inevitable post-PA spin.

--Obama wins: Race is totally over.

--Clinton wins by 5 or less: Race is effectively over.

--Clinton wins by 6-9: Status quo, which favors the front runner Obama, particularly as the clock winds down.

--Clinton wins by 10-13: Clinton remains the underdog, but her odds of being the nominee will be considerably higher than the conventional wisdom in the media.

--Clinton wins by 14+: Totally different race, as Clinton will be on a path to claim a popular vote win that will give her every bit as much of an argument as the legitimate "winner". In this scenario anything could ultimately happen, including neither Clinton nor Obama becoming the eventual nominee.

This reminds me of when I watch a football game in which I am not a fan of either team. I tend to root for the underdog until that team get a lead in the score then I start rooting for the other team. I started out rooting for Obama in the early presidential primaries and now I am rooting for Hillary.

Get the popcorn ready. Politics is so much fun!

The old Williams’ Bakery is toast

From today's Eugene Register Guard, The old Williams’ Bakery is toast.

Crews have begun mobilizing to tear down the former home of the longtime local bread maker on Franklin Boulevard so the University of Oregon’s landmark basketball arena can rise in its place. Today, they’re expected to put up fencing around the structure. Once they make sure utilities are shut off and the site is fenced off, the big machines will get to work.

The UO is expected to seek final approval from state officials next month to sell $200 million in state-backed bonds that will finance the approximately 12,500-seat pavilion, the most expensive college arena ever. Approval is almost certain, but the university would end up clearing the site even if arena construction does not proceed.

But torn down doesn’t mean thrown away. The general contractor picked for the work hopes to keep 95 percent of the building’s bulk out of the landfill by deconstructing it rather than simply demolishing it.

(To read the rest click on the title for a link)

About Obama's Terrorist Acquaintance

Before Osama ben Laden tried to blow up the Pentagon William Ayres tried to do it and he and Barak Obama are "friendly"

Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune has a good column today about Willam Ayers and his association with Barak Obama:

"When William F. Buckley Jr. died in February, one of the things widely praised, by liberals and others, was his stalwart insistence on moral hygiene. Even when his conservative movement was small and embattled, he rejected the temptation to join forces with anti-Semites, the John Birch Society and other extremists.....

Among many liberals, extremism in the defense of "social justice" is no vice. When the folk singer Pete Seeger got a medal by President Clinton, no one cared that he was a veteran apologist for Stalin who still regarded himself as a communist. That indifference betrayed a double standard that conscientious liberals should reject....

When the issue came up in Wednesday's Democratic debate, the Illinois senator tried to duck it. "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from," he said. He added that to suggest "knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense."

Obama went on, "I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions. Do I need to apologize for Mr. Coburn's statements?"

This exercise in moral equivalence is unconvincing, if not dishonest. Would Obama be friendly with someone who actually bombed abortion clinics and defends that conduct? Not likely. But he is friendly with William Ayers, a leader of the radical Weather Underground, which in the 1970s carried out numerous bombings, including one inside the U.S. Capitol......

Obama minimized his relationship by acknowledging only that he knows Ayers. But they have quite a bit more of a connection than that. He's appeared on panels with Ayers, served on a foundation board with him and held a 1995 campaign event at the home of Ayers and his wife, fellow terrorist Bernardine Dohrn. Ayers even gave money to one of his campaigns.

It's not as though Ayers and Dohrn have denied or repudiated their crimes. After emerging from years in hiding, they escaped federal prosecution because of government misconduct in gathering evidence, but they don't pretend they were innocent. In 2001, Ayers said, "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough."......



All this is public record, and Barack Obama would have to be in a coma not to know it. Yet he showed no qualms about consorting with Ayers and Dohrn.

It's hard to imagine he would be so indulgent if we learned that John McCain had a long association with a former Klansman who used to terrorize African-Americans. Obama's conduct exposes a moral blind spot about these onetime terrorists, who get a pass because they a) fall on the left end of the spectrum and b) haven't planted any bombs lately.

You can tell a lot about someone from his choice of friends. What this friendship reveals is that when it comes to practicing sound moral hygiene, Obama has work to do and no interest in doing it."

No quetion about it William Ayers is an evil person !

(To read the entire column click on the title for a link)

Oregonian Newspaper... there they go again!

The Oregonian Newspaper continued it's rearguard action against the University of Oregon's plan to build a new basketball arena with the help of Nike's Phil Knight.Columnist Steve Duin in his "Commentary" column today calls Phil Knight "a benevolent despot" He writes that the Oregon Legislature are "yellow Labs" for not apposing Knight. He says the University of Oregon has "on any and all questions about the arena suddenly adopted the code of secrecy worthy of the KGB." He ends his column by writing "And we're blessed. We're blessed he doesn't care to be king when we're eager to bend the knee." The column's heading is "The lord of all he surveys." The best that can be said it's in a commentary column and not masquerading as news such as in the "news" story written by Rachel Bachman last week. However the language is so intemperate as to be self defeating.

The Oregon Ducks are lucky to have a fan like Phil Knight who loves the Ducks. With out him we would be like..... well......The Oregon State Beavers!

Snow in Medford

It's April 19th and we had snow falling in Medford Oregon a few minutes ago. It's not sticking as in the picture taken this last winter. Good thing I did my yard work last night. My wife and I drove to Shady Cove so I could perform a wedding ceremony outside next to the Rogue River. It actually hailed during ceremony and was very cold. After the ceremony we had a late lunch at the John Wayne Saloon at the Twin Pines Smokehouse in Shady Cove and then checked out the new Super Walmart store in Eagle Point and were impressed ... no yelling or crying kids! I was able to find a Bruce Willis DVD movie in the $5.00 bin... "Tears of the Sun."

"Charlie Wilson's War" on DVD

My pick for the best movie of 2007 is being released on DVD on Tuesday April, 22, 2008 at a store near you or click on the title above to order your copy from Amazon.com for $16.99. From Amazon.com:

Political movies about backroom negotiations need not be dry or heavy-handed, as Charlie Wilson's War delightfully proves. Based on the true story of playboy congressman Wilson's efforts to fund Afghanistan's defense against the Soviet invasion of the 1980s, the film is borne along on breezy attitude and a peppery script by West Wing scribe Aaron Sorkin. Wilson, played by Tom Hanks (who also produced), is the perfect hero for this kind of tale, because there's nothing perfect or heroic about him: He's a highball-swilling, fanny-pinching gadabout who becomes radicalized on the issue of helping the Afghans against their mighty aggressor. He has help in the form of a right-wing Texas anti-Communist (Julia Roberts) with a genius for raising money, and a sardonic CIA operative (Philip Seymour Hoffman, stealing the show) who lacks all the social skills Wilson has in abundance. Sorkin's syncopated speech is just the ticket for director Mike Nichols, who understands exactly how to keep this kind of political comedy popping (the complicated story comes in at a hair over 90 minutes, amazingly).

I normally wait after new movies are released on DVD until the price is reduced but not this one. I will be at the store early Tuesday morning to get my copy for my DVD collection. It's also a great book !

Click on this title to check out my DVD collection

It's the weekend..... time to take a break from politics.

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Obama.... treating religion as a negative !

Stuart Rothenberg of the respected non partisan Rothenberg report:

"Obama's great mistake was not in calling some small-town voters "bitter." Instead, it was in treating support for gun control and religion as negatives, as well as in equating "anti-immigrant sentiment" and support for trade with religion."

So Obama wants to talk about the real issues.... how about Taxes?

Some Quotes from today's Wall Street Journal Editorial

On Wednesday night Debate

The parsons of the press corps are furious with Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, which means the pair must have done a pretty good job moderating Wednesday's Democratic debate in Philadelphia. Barack Obama had an off-night, so his media choir wants to shoot the questioners.

We thought the debate was one of the best yet, precisely because it probed the evasive rhetoric we've heard from both Democratic candidates throughout the campaign. Nowhere was this more apparent than during the exchanges between Mr. Gibson and Mr. Obama over taxes.

On not raising Taxes on the Middle Class

Time and again, the rookie Senator has said he would not raise taxes on middle-class earners, whom he describes as people with annual income lower than between $200,000 and $250,000. On Wednesday night, he repeated the vow. "I not only have pledged not to raise their taxes," said the Senator, "I've been the first candidate in this race to specifically say I would cut their taxes."

BUT will raise the capital gains tax on Middle Class Americans.

But Mr. Obama has also said he's open to raising – indeed, nearly doubling to 28% – the current top capital gains tax rate of 15%, which would in fact be a tax hike on some 100 million Americans who own stock, including millions of people who fit Mr. Obama's definition of middle class.

Higher Capital Gains Taxes result in less Revenue

Mr. Gibson dared to point out this inconsistency, which regularly goes unmentioned in Mr. Obama's fawning press coverage. But Mr. Gibson also probed a little deeper, asking the candidate why he wants to increase the capital gains tax when history shows that a higher rate brings in less revenue.

"Bill Clinton in 1997 signed legislation that dropped the capital gains tax to 20%," said Mr. Gibson. "And George Bush has taken it down to 15%. And in each instance, when the rate dropped, revenues from the tax increased. The government took in more money. And in the 1980s, when the tax was increased to 28%, the revenues went down. So why raise it at all, especially given the fact that 100 million people in this country own stock and would be affected?"

Mr. Obama answered by citing rich hedge fund managers. Raising the capital gains tax is necessary, he said, "to make sure . . . that our tax system is fair and that we are able to finance health care for Americans who currently don't have it and that we're able to invest in our infrastructure and invest in our schools. And you can't do that for free."

But Mr. Gibson had noted that higher rates yield less revenue. So the news anchor tried again: "But history shows that when you drop the capital gains tax, the revenues go up?" Mr. Obama responded that this "might happen or it might not. It depends on what's happening on Wall Street and how business is going." And then he went on a riff about John McCain and the housing market.


This is instructive. The facts about capital gains rates and revenues are well known to our readers, but we'll repeat them as a public service to the Obama campaign. As the nearby chart shows, when the tax rate has risen over the past half century, capital gains realizations have fallen and along with them tax revenue. The most recent such episode was in the early 1990s, when Mr. Obama was old enough to be paying attention. That's one reason Jack Kennedy proposed cutting the capital gains rate. And it's one reason Bill Clinton went along with a rate cut to 20% from 28% in 1997.

Either the young Illinois Senator is ignorant of this revenue data, or he n't really care because he's a true income redistributionist who prefers high tax rates as a matter of ideological dogma regardless of the revenue consequences. Neither one is a recommendation for President......

Dirty little secret: 47% of capital gains taxes are paid by households with incomes below $50.000 and 79% from households with incomes below $100,000.

Both candidates would have voters believe that taxes on investment income only affect the rich. But that's not what Internal Revenue Service returns show. The reality is that the Clinton and Obama rate increases would hit millions of Americans who make well under $200,000. In 2005, 47% of all tax returns reporting capital gains were from households with incomes below $50,000, and 79% came from households with incomes below $100,000.

Another new tax on Middle Class.... Increase the Payroll Tax

By the way, a higher capital gains tax rate isn't the only middle-class tax increase that Mr. Obama is proposing. He also wants to lift the cap on wages subject to the payroll tax. That cap was $97,500 in 2007 and is $102,000 this year. "Those are a heck of a lot of people between $97,000 and $200[,000] and $250,000," said Mr. Gibson. "If you raise the payroll taxes, that's going to raise taxes on them." Ignoring the no-tax pledge he had made five minutes earlier, Mr. Obama explained that such a tax increase was nevertheless necessary.

In other words he dodged the question, as he so often does with impunity. But thanks to Mr. Gibson's persistence, for 90 minutes Wednesday night Mr. Obama didn't get away with it. The voters learned a lot about Mr. Obama, who needs to learn a lot more about taxes and revenue.

Yes, just another Tax and Spend Liberal.