Why the name Ranch Chimp? it was in humour because, science says that humans have similar DNA to a chimpanzee,so I felt some way related biologically to a chimpanzee. 2nd, everytime I was out of Texas on a vacation or for whatever reason I’m always asked things like, do I live on a ranch?,or have cattle? so I commonly call Dallas the Ranch. "Politically Depressed" was also humour inspired by the 1993- 2002 Bill Maher TV/ tele show "Politically Incorrect".
Cheap Trick: SXSW Interview | Music 2010 | SXSW ... Thanx to SXSW
This selection for this journal's music/ arts honour roll society will be to showcase "Cheap Trick"(wikipedia), out of Rockford, IL ... a band I been intending to post on for a few years. An opening video interview above, that was 2010 down in Austin at SXSW. This crew been at it for over 4 decades, and was constantly on the road touring for many of those years ... 5000+ shows? ... geeez. I have been a fan of Rick Nielsen's guitar work for many years, he is a guitar collector, and playz them all ... and Rick has been the songwriter of the crew. But Rick was born into music, both his parents were opera singers, worked with so many folks, his dad directing symphonies and choirs, his dad had a music store in Rockford too. This is just an outstanding crew, Rick and bass player Tom been together since high school, they formed the band "Fuse" together in 1967. I have alwayz loved Robin's vocal work too, I miss drummer Bun E. Carlos, but Rick's son Daxx is drumming for them these dayz on tour. Years back I alwayz looked at them, as one of the most underrated bands around, despite all the popular songs they had and radio play ... finally in 2016, they made it into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". But they deserve all the credit they got, it was a long road playing in places like bowling alleys of the midwest, 4 gigs a night, 6/ 7 dayz a week ... and their big breakthrough was Japan, not the U.S., that really got them recognized big time, what a craze they started there! I have seen them years back in a large open air stadium as well as a small venue, and they just had such a great live sound. Although they are considered as a hard rock band, I have alwayz looked at them as having an element of punk rock to them ... depending on the songs too. I'm sure Joey, lead singer and songwriter of the Ramones would agree with me, as far as the punk sound, since Cheap Trick was a favourite of his ... but they influenced so many. I'll let the links handle the rest. Some vidz below, opening with the 1955 Fats Domino cover of "Ain't That A Shame", that Fats himself, said Cheap Trick done his favourite cover of it ... and the last song, I also wanted to include their cover of the 1965 Beatles song "Day Tripper" too. Thanx to these guyz for all the great music over the years ... Enjoy!
Ain't That A Shame- Houston Astrodome 1989 (Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show)- Cheap Trick ... Thanx to Cheap Trick
Surrender- Cheap Trick- Live Rockpalast (Germany) 1983 ... Thanx to Cheap Trick
I Want You To Want Me- Cheap Trick Live 01- 21- 89 (Palace of Auburn Hills/ Detroit) ... Thanx to Cheap Trick
Survivor to Rubio: Will you reject NRA money? ... CNN
This posting is for the survivors, victims, and their families, of the recent Stoneman Douglas High School terror attack in Parkland, FL (Miami metro). Much credit to these students in particular for standing up for gun reform, and challenging business as usual. I call it "reform", because politicians alwayz use that word, when they want to take more money from us ... so add this to y'all's reform list, eh? I also wanted to do a posting here, because this has been one of the most difficult things for me to even talk about ... and I dont have answers ... I point out much here, back in 2012, concerning the Sandy Hook School attack. I'm a person, that has alwayz supported and defended the 2nd Amendment, NRA, and even the well regulated militia part, I still feel strong organized militias are importante, and support it ... I cherish all my rights, and the Constitution. I never had ANY issues with what types of firearms are sold to folks, or what folks choose to possess and purchase, I was for no limits, which is clear in the "Self Defense" series of this journal/ blog. I myself started using firearms as a kid, and have alwayz been comfortable around them ... whether for hunting, recreation, competition, or packing defense. I used to do postings in this series of firearm reviews, which I havent done in a while, strictly because of these attacks, even though I still keep up with firearms, gun shows and such. I feel as a firearms and defense advocate, that I have a responsibility in this public blog, and in my community, to do this posting ... and feel that all firearms and defense advocates, including the NRA, should also feel a responsibility too. I am forced to change my stand on those limits, as far as sales to who, since we have such a serious problem, the amount of attacks, whether it is in schools, or public venues, workplace, etc ... is just too much, and not a thing has been done to change a thing. Listening to these victims, families, survivors, especially the kids, being a father and grandfather myself, breaks my heart too. I chose to open above with a quick video, of Cameron Kasky, face to face with Senator Rubio, this is the questions you ask, period. There is a petition above the top video too. Below, I included video and full transcript on President Trump's meeting with these folks to discuss the issues, and a couple videos below that of Emma Gonzalez face to face with NRA Spokesperson, Dana Loesch ... and the public rally speech Emma gave. This is about the American people, more than political highsiding ... after, I will add my input below.
First off, concerning Senator Rubio's response to Cameron Kasky ... this is NOT an answer, you have a responsibility as a Senator, to the people, to answer straight ... this was just dancing around the question and fucking around, political player talk, which is why Kasky said he expected it. It's refreshing to see so many younger people, that are aware enough, and have the gumption to get straight to the point ... asking straight up where these folks stand on donations. The answer should be a simple yes or no, and as Cameron points out ... they can get the people to fund his campaign. After all Rubio's sales talk, he chose NOT to turn down NRA money, even if people supported him financially. Politicians on both sides, choose corporations and banks over the people, bottom line ... if they dont do what voters ask, vote them out ... no excuses. If the NRA is not doing anything to take responsibility and make needed change, and if you want change, as a candidate, since it is part of that same agenda ... you simply tell the NRA, that you are sorry, but if they cannot contribute to that change that a majority of people want ... you cannot accept their money, period. The NRA spent $50 million just on the presidential race in 2016, and 10's of millions more on lobbying/ legislation and other races, and spend in the 100's of millions annually across the board. In the $50 million presidential, they spent $31 million of that, strictly on the Trump push, being $11,438,118 in Trump support, and $19,756,346 to oppose Hillary Clinton ... that's a Hell of an expenditure. I was listening to NRA CEO, Wayne LaPierre yesterday addressing this, for being a CEO, he had nothing much to say or contribute, other than, basically arming teachers and putting armed officers in schools, saying there was a socialist conspiracy to disarm everyone, abolish the 2nd Amendment, etc, etc. There was an armed Sheriff's deputy at the school when the shooting was going down, he declined to intervene, while unarmed teachers put their lives on the line for these kids, that deputy resigned after. Good he resigned ... you take a job, you do and get the job done, eh? ... you have the experience, training, etc ... you dont fuck around and back down ... or just dont take the job, simple.
There are laws on the books, that are not even enforced as far as guns/ ammo sales, many loopholes, there is not enough safeguards and regulations. Putting some in place, and reforming legislation for such, IS NOT abolishing the 2nd Amendment, or taking away any rights of existing gun owners. Trump also in his meeting with folks, pushed the arming teachers thing (everyone was briefed before they went into the meeting), and this is the popular NRA and political solution/ stand. In a country this large ... where in Hell are you going to get the money? I mean, y'all are spending out the ass as it is, conservatives at that ... and pushing the only budget/ spending solutions, is to get deeper in debt, take it out of old folks Social Security or Medicare, milk working families more, etc ... while y'all are shelling out much of our taxes to CEO's, multinational billionaires and corporations, fighting wars for Arabs and oil companies, selling off our rights, lands, national treasures, and assets to multinational investors, etc. Be realistic, we dont have the money to lock down and arm all the schools, and teachers have enough of a job to begin with, than having to now also be unpaid cops/ soldiers. And if you did lock them all down, you would have what's like a communist state ... certainly y'all wouldnt advocate a commie agenda, eh? This should be no problem, to get legislation passed, with republicans having a majority, and a deal maker President, with a popular House Speaker and party organizer, Rep.Paul Ryan... that say, everything they want to do is for the "American People". You should be able to pass through reform, without one bit of democrat support ... even easier, than the trillion dollar tax reform and massive debt increase, that y'all were able to push through at lightning speed.
Bans on bump stocks, or restricting sales, tightening regulations on certain advanced rifles, to just any Joe/ Jane that walks in the store door or gun show, is not going to infringe on folks rights and ability to well arm themselves, simple. Not even raising the age for purchase from 18 to 21 is good enough, which the NRA even opposes ... it gives one determined to do a mass killing, an extra 3 years to plan and better detail, and psych themselves up, for their attack, and unfortunately as I write this, others are planning attacks too. As for the other talk about putting all the nut cases in mental health joints or whatever, again, where's the money and manpower to do it? And each shooter is different, even though this shooter (or terrorist), Cruz, was looked at as a lunatic ... he was also a Junior ROTC cadet and marksman shooter, he even targeted and killed fellow JROTC in his rampage, the NRA contributes equipment and related finance to the JROTC as well, for grooming and recruiting potential young officers for future military. Red Flags were a dime a dozen in this, and everyone from locals to the FBI, and the NRA missed it ... what is the problem there? Some folks just do not have the discipline and what it takes to be armed, even if they dont have a documented mental illness or criminal history, and should not even be recruited into military or law enforcement ... or even have access to arms, that is our problem as well. I dont have answers, but we have many folks with the will to demand change, and many ideas as well. We have a serious problem, and hundreds of millions of firearms, in this country alone. We have a pressured and angry society, who are squeezed, cheated, and pushed into a ratrace controlled by an oligarchy, with many social and economic issues, putting folks on the edge. We are not going to successfully get rid of arms, but we can really tighten ship and clean house. And we dont need politicians dancing around shit for more years, playing the same record with no results, and only talking about it for their political aspirations, it needs IMMEDIATE action, not years of debate. This is about the people of this country, and our children, which are our future.
Trump's Budget Cuts Trillions From Programs For The Needy To Pay For His Tax Cuts ... Thanx to The Ring of Fire
First off, Happy Valentine's Day to my wife, daughters, granddaughter, and ladies across America. Part of this posting's title was inspired by the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre (wikipedia) in 1929 Chicago. This posting will focus on this proposed 2019 budget of the Trump crew, and will serve 3 series of this journal/ blog. I chose Farron Cousins above for an intro rant, because he's right on the money ... and a couple petitions above that. It's in the "SNAP Challenge" series, because I am 100% opposed to ANY cuts whatsoever to SNAP (Food Stamps) especially, to help those with nutritional needs, and because SNAP is vital to our domestic economy and business across America ... I support, especially in this economy, even the expansion of SNAP. We should NOT have to depend on food banks, churches, and panhandling in the streets, to feed our own people, that's what we have taxes, fees, and people's government for. It's in the "Poverty & Despair" series, because this constant cuts to pay for giving more welfare to multinational corporations, that are drowning in record breaking profits as it is ... which is insanity, and putting the most vulnerable citizens/ workers of America, and our government/ voice/ democracy, into even a deeper rut. We alwayz hear from the wealthy, whining that working poor dont pay taxes ... they pay taxes on everything they do, buy, and spend, while fueling the economy, and more than most of y'all percentagewise. It's in the "How to Privatize America" series, because it is forcing us into a socioeconomic disaster, and making America weaker, and now having to depend on those who steal and recklessly use, or waste, much of our tax revenues ... to start dictating our lives and spending priorities more than ever, and removing all ownership of our country from the people.
A few links below on this recent budget proposals, and slippery transformation of SNAP ... of giving food boxes to SNAP recipients, of shelf- stable government canned and packaged foods, milk, meat, beans, fruit, etc (who will get that contract?) ... not fresh produce, as they are trying to paint this as, or the person receiving it, getting to choose foods. The NY Times piece has a view of the budget linked in it too. Also a link from the Philly Tribune, for those like myself, that remember the dayz of folks in lines to get their government surplus foods. And an importante video message below that, on how SNAP makes America stronger ... and for some bipartisan history, on how beneficial both Republicans and Democrats felt that the Food Stamp programme is to America, and why it was started. I will add my part below, and a closing music video from Svetlanas ... the song title "I Must Break You", is simple, as to what the people of this country need to do, as far as breaking the current political cesspool in Washington, to put up some kind of roadblock to this rape of America.
Thomas Hudson Pickering/ Ranch Chimp & wife, Rosalie
I havent read all the orange fox (Trump) budget, but just the first 32 pages I read earlier in the NY Times link, can be deceiving, with all kinds of talk about families, kids, workers, veterans, and being all about love for everyone. They say it's all about saving taxpayers money from excessive spending and waste ... this budget is exactly opposite of what it's being showcased as, and more full of shit than a sewage treatment plant! We are not going to save a buck, in fact, damn near every buck that we do get, will be also taken by the corporations. This recent, so called tax reform, and the couple thousand dollars or whatever we get cut from our taxes this year (if we do see much, or any ... usually that's bullshit too), will go in our pockets, and come out of our other pocket with lightning speed, because of all the rest it is going to cost us, just to please the big money that drafts all these proposals. You'll be lucky to get a month of child care expenses and some Happy Meals for the kids a couple weekends out of it. As far as reducing our debt ... not a damn thing they are doing will reduce our country's debt, and only dig us deeper into debt by the trillions if anything ... we'd be lucky to pay the interest alone ... everything is specifically designed to get us and other countries, deeper in debt.
This $200 billion for infrastructure is nothing but a teaser, it is designed to put damn near all the burden on the states individually. With state, county, and city budgets already strapped for cash on budgets in the red ... it will only lead to having the states have to raise even more taxes, fines, and fees on the people/ consumers, and much of that going to the mega investors, many being foreign investors, who will have almost exclusive ownership throughout America, of infrastructure, and much of our national treasures and assets. At the same time, it will depend too much on private investment from those who have all the money to invest, in turn, they will also have a whole list of fees, tolls, etc, that we will have to also pay, just to have access to the new infrastructure ... and they'll nickel and dime you to death. With government spending cuts to transportation, environmental, consumer protection, regulation/ oversight, public media access, and to even cut our ability to challenge in the courts any lawsuits or grievances we have. They are pushing the U.S. Supreme Court, to get rid of most negotiating power, and hand everything over to their corporate arbitration panels. It's a stab in the back to so many graduate students across America as well ... and to me, especially because of the global arena of competition we face, we should be giving 16 years of public education paid for to those who need it, as a necessity. When I was a kid, we knew it was importante to have 12 years of education, and we paid for it in government spending, 16 years is importante today, for decent paying jobs of today. This will NOT put private schools/ colleges out of business, but force them to be even more competitive.
The talk we will hear most, is that there is no need for concern, because this budget as presented will never get passed. The concern though is, that such a massacre budget, will get many revisions, and without a strong challenge, will at least be a severe assault on America. Republicans in particular been planning for years, and publicly stating what they plan to do ... so this should be of no surprise to anyone who's paid atencion. They present such a drastic spending cuts proposal, not intending to get it, but to get as much of it as they can. Look at it like when you go into a court with a lawsuit with your attorney ... you ask for $5 million, but dont expect it, and know you're ready to accept half. Whatever they do get ... will be bad enough for us ... which is why I hope, that not a damn thing gets done up there ... cause anything will only be to favour corporate billionaire interests, with a few dog biscuits and leftover crumbs given to us. I agree that we need drastic spending cuts of the pork, but they can cut much of the welfare to billionaires and corporations, and those will still be billionaires ... and still raking in good profits. While they are handing out all these food baskets (America's Harvest Boxes) to even more families that get put out of living wage jobs ... they in Washington, sure as Hell are not going to cut their caviar, expensive wines, and steak luncheons, or their 10's of thousand dollar travel expenses, eh?
They say these food baskets are for concern over peoples nutrition, their love for us and our well being. Maybe some in Washington should divest from some of the junk food businesses they're invested in, and the pharma and insurance companies that capitalize off the sickness it brings, eh? Even food chain giants like Walmart and others are worried, and will be whining up a storm over these damn food baskets. Fear will spread throughout stock markets, sending some into sudden nose dives. The defense spending is even getting more insane by the year, and how much is actually defending us? We hear China is building up and may attack us, we need more nukes, etc ... China isnt going to nuke us, and these SOB's in Washington know it! ... the economic impact would hit China even worse than us ... this is silly shit! ... we have strong defense to challenge anyone as it is. Much defense spending is not to protect our country from attack, as much as it's to rape resources and fossil fuels, whether it's in the America's, Middle East, or Sub- Saharan countries in Africa. With the massive growing increase for demand of fossil fuels for energy needs, we are lucky to have enough to last for another 40 years, and they're NOT renewable. Take your budget scam book, and toss it in the paper recycle bin ... and dont waste any more of our time and money, printing more shit up like it.
The Courageous Life of Ida B. Wells #OrdinaryWomen ... Thanx to feministfrequency
This posting will serve the "Black History/ Harmon Loft" and "Public Patriots" series of the journal/ blog. This posting will focus on Ida B. Wells (wikipedia), who I wanted to have in this journal anywayz, as a past public patriot in particular, and still invigorates that spirit of democracy to this day. This series of black history, is in memory of, dedicated to, and inspired by a friend, Harmon Loft. I chose Anita Sarkeesian above, to do an intro video. I also been intending to have Ida in here, because years back when living in Chicago for a while, I met a girl, named Gail (Abigail) Barnes, who told me she was related to Ida Wells ... whether or not she really was, I dont know, but she sure as Hell knew alot about this woman and familia. One night after getting my paycheck, I asked Gail if I could take her to a pizza joint in Chicago that I liked, and she never been to, called Uno's. This is when she laid the name Ida Wells on me ... she told me she was related to Ida ... and I guess expected that I heard the name ... I had no idea who in Hell Ida Wells was, or ever heard the name before. Anywayz, after eating and a few beers, Gail started running down all this history stuff to me about this woman, Wells ... Gail was intense, and painted Ida, as this strong heroic type fighter for justice (which she is). Gail also was telling me, that so many of the black people that lived in South Chicago, were from the deep south, in particular, Mississippi, which I never knew either ... supposedly, Chicago was a popular place for freed slaves to run to, after the civil war.
Anwayz, what a life this woman Ida had, and really displayed that toughness and leadership quality, despite all the obstacles and fear of that time. Her outspoken wayz in journalism enlightened and motivated so many folks, and made women also take a hard look at themselves and their place in American society. Without all the political correctness that is so popular today in media, Ida laid it out straight. She was not like many of the figurine types you see today, that cringe in fear to those with power ... and she was one that you could not buy ... unlike so many even in politics you see today, this woman was born to lead, period ... and had the discipline. Even though we have came a long wayz in race relations today ... there is still much racism. I been online for 10 years ... and if you look online/ social media ... you can see clearly, just how much racism there still is in this country. Racism is also coming back out today more than it has in years, because we have a President who helps inspire it too. I have no proof that the President (Trump) is racist, or would even have reason to be, but some of what he sayz, heats up and inspires some of those who are, to come out of the closet. I wanted to add a taste below first, from "History is a Weapon", of what Ida has to say, you can feel the passion in it. And it may seem somewhat violent, but it needs to be violent, because that was the actual condition ... there is no logical reason to sugarcoat reality out of political correctness. I also added a piece from "The Real News", to let her great grandson, Daniel Duster, talk about Ida, and the kind of woman she was.
