(no subject)

More proof that my family is somewhat mad. You see, my brother Jason--the lawyer who wrote the incredibly detailed quasi-rebuttal to my political explosion the other day--now gives us his next masterpiece. He plays the organ for the Episcopalian church in Hannibal Missouri, and last week he sent me this. Stick with it:

-----------------

Ben--

This Sunday, my postlude is:  Marche Solennelle, by E. Ketterer, whoever that was.

It's a piece of turn of the century fluff, and not particularly solemn.

It starts off solemnly enough:  1 triplet 3 4; triplet triplet 3 4; 1 triplet 3 triplet; 1 triplet 3 4.  Solemn, if somewhat gallumphing.

Then it goes into 1    3  4; 1 2 a 3 4; etc. with the accompaniment going 1 and 3 in the pedal and 2  and 4 in the left hand.  A solemn boom-chick.

Then, the boom-chick goes into double-time, on the and's of the beat, underneath the melody.

The other day, I finally figured out what it sounded like.

Hippos on parade.

Big, fat, blue, animated hippos.

Swinging their behinds in time with the boom-chicks.

And then getting up on their hind legs for the double-time boom-chicks.

All the while smiling big happy hippo smiles.

Then, into the trio, and the hippos are back on all fours.

Then the D.C., and the madness starts over.

Then into the coda, where bedlam ensues, which, mercifully, has been hidden from my merely human eyes.

Get this straight ! !

I

DON'T

WORK

FOR

TOONS ! ! !

J

Jason P. Stone
Quincy, Illinois

(no subject)

A reply to Jason's reply to this other post:

[Name Withheld By Request]

And now for something completely else:

Speaking as someone who had to have a habeas corpus written for him to get out of the clutches of the infamous Chicago "Police Riot" of 1968 Democratic National Convention fame [no, I wasn't there for to impede the convention, or even comment on it, I just lived there in the area and was going about my normal activities but I LOOKED like a hippie, well, there is more, but that would be too much for now.]

So, I can personally tell you that unless the system has reasons to let you go, even if that reason is simply that they don't want more money paid in incarceration fees, they will sometimes keep a person in custody for months, even years at various levels, without any of the normal attempts to bring anything to trial, just hoping persons will eventually give up or give in, as per the opening two hours LA LAW television show in which this was done to Alfre Woodard. I can vouch for this being part of the real world, not just television.

[benjamin: He adds that the only reason he was let out of "Don't Leave The State" status, after a ridiculous number of continuances, is because they eventually caught the "real guy" they were looking for.]

It doesn't have to have anything to do with anything, it's just one big part of the corruption of the American judicial system, not the personal purview of The Republican Party, Bush White House, etc.

However, as such, I must content that habeas corpus is invaluable--and should never be treated lightly.

The trouble is the mostly only lawyerly types know this, along with a small number of people who have actually used habeas corpus.

Interesting that 5-4 splits on the topic seem prevalent in history.

My own case before the Supreme Court started out 5-4 against, but a severely incompetent team of lawyers ended up 7-2 against. I would not bother looking, I had my name removed from the case beforehand, as it became obvious that "we" were not trying to win. Too bad the lawyers still get that quill pen pin to wear even if they lose: not like the Super Bowl, eh?

Also interesting that habeas corpus and other rights can be killed, just by calling something a rebellion.

What happened to the right to alter or to abolish government?

Loved your example of Cincinnatus!

Do you also remember Sinestra? ["Lefty," for those without Latin.]

Using your Roman Empire example, it would seem obvious that the US, such as it is, passed out of the growth phase into decadence phase, perhaps somewhere around 1955???

"Beware the military-industrial complex!"

Are you aware it originally included Congress in that evil axis?

As for your last paragraph:

There is no plan for an "end of the emergency," in fact it is plain opposite of that. . .if the Republicans can stay in power. . .their plan is to not only keep these  emergency powers, but to add to them for as long as they can get away with it; this has been done before in the United States, and hopefully we will last long enough to see it go and come back a few times before we rot the final time into a total has been awaiting Rocky's final comeback.

As for what US generations were/are the "me, me, me" generation, it seems that all started bigtime with J.R. and Ronald Reagan, actors, and continued on through "Greed Is Good," to the savings and loans, which never got enough press as perhaps did Enron, MCI, and now the "K Street Project."

For those who said this was never clearly written on the walls:

Three Days Of The Condor [Six Days, before the movie]
1984 [A permanent war to endow permanent emergency powers]
Not to mention Sounds Of Silence, For What It's Worth, Kent State--
Four Dead In Ohio, Watergate--All The President's Men. . . .

*message ends*

(no subject)

Going to see FEARLESS.

Finally.

Beverly Cinema, 9:30 show.

New Sir Reginald tomorrow?

If I'm awake enough to write later.

Cause it's already written in my head.

b

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