Is Trump Another Joe McCarthy? Red Hot Riot

[Editor’s Note:  This is the latest edition of Tick’s Notes and Tunes. It is a transcript of a fictional radio broadcast with direct links to the tunes being played.  The transcript is in 3 parts.

(1.)The first is the first half of a transcript of the radio broadcast with tune links; (2.) The Editorial: (which normally deals with the subject in the title of this post) Today the subject is: Trump and whether he’s pulling another Joe McCarthy Red Scare on Us?  \; and (3.) The second half of the radio broadcast with tune links.

The purpose of this blog is to discuss, enlighten and educate the reader about relevant political, economic and business matters and to help maintain both a record and an appreciation for good old man-made music before AI makes man and real music a mere afterthought. ]

 

Good evenin’ folks

Stony and the gang here

Been a little under the weather.

But we’re not gonna let that hold us back

 

Our first artist tonight

was a Jamaican

from back in the glorious 60s

He was a welder

And, according to the Oracle of Wiki

For that reason befriended

A younger Bob Marley whom he mentored

 

This was unquestionably Desmond Dekker’s greatest hit

Guru took a stab at this one night many moons ago

During one of his tours

..almost got it but….

But..but…

 

Don’t get me wrong

It wasn’t embarrassing or anything

but…

 

Oh well.

 

For better or worse

I’m sure he’ll try again

 

By the way.  We aren’t making any political statements

In selecting this tune.  We just like the way it sounds.

 

Anyway.  Let’s all enjoy

 

Desmond Dekker performing his eternal hit

the Israelites

https://youtu.be/r5JHGi0awgc?si=kyHpqMeyLmewTzFD

 

This next group has really found a place

in Stony’s musical heart

Formed in 2008…

They are from Los Angeles

We’ve played em before

And I’m sure we’ll play em again

 

Here’s what the source of sources says

..referring of course to the Oracle of Wiki

 

“One reviewer commented that

“their sound is steeped in the pop sensibilities

of the Zombies, the Kinks, and the Yardbirds,

laced with Northern Soul, lo-fi funk and the

ever-enduring influence of

Arthur Lee and Love. “

 

Well, how can ya beat those influences?

 

So let’s give a listen to…

 

Allah Las  and    Strawberry Jam

https://youtu.be/fOCZ-TbZwHc?si=cphdx9AP-ps-azVn

 

 

Well, I’m pretty much convinced now that our next artist

Is in fact a genius

A troubled one very probably

But a genius nevertheless

 

I was watching a video of her describing

a drug overdose she experienced

Where she went out of body

saw a bright light etc etc

 

I don’t know what she’s even playing here

But it’s one of many types

Of instruments she plays.

 

And her voice is so good

And so versatile

That I really think this is one of her lesser  vocal efforts.

…and still, it’s great.

 

We’ve had her on before

And I know we’ll have her on again

Here covering an original classic done

By Wanda Jackson, way way back

in Elvis days.

In fact to me, Wanda Jackson could almost be described

as the female Elvis.

 

But all that’s a long story

Here’s the one and only

Ms. Sarah Farrell singin

Wanda Jackson’s original

 

Funnel of Love

https://youtu.be/95cmAHL3BgU?si=vGuenRZBlsn6aH7X

 

By the way…I think that strange thing

Sarah is playing is a Flexatone

 

Well.. that’s it for the first half of tonight’s show

And Yinz all know what that means

Yes, yes, yes.

It’s time for the

All knowing

The all seeing

Station manager

Here at DJ Ltd

To once again

Bestow upon us his gracious

Wisdom and insight into

All matters

Whether we care about them

Or not

 

Here’s Rufus Coldwater

Take it away Rufus….

————————————————-

I hate to ruin the festive vibe Stony but I’m feeling a bit distressed right now.

 

I’ve got so much to say, but not enough time to say it.  So, I’m going to just make some quick bullet points.

 

I literally cannot come up with the material fast enough to keep up with the seeming machine gun-like burst of outrageous comments coming from Trump.

 

  1. It’s both very scary and very sad that there is now almost an entire generation of newer/younger voters who have not experienced what politics was like before Trump. Believe it or not there was a time when candidates on the opposite ends of the political spectrum treated each other with a certain amount of respect that is sorely missing these days.  To those younger voters I say.  Trump is not normal.  There was a time when campaigns were conducted on a much more civilized level than they are now.   I can’t emphasize enough how badly this country needs to get back to a political environment like that before Trump came along.  Trump has only divided families and divided America.  That means that he’s weakened it and has thus done a great disservice to it.

 

And if you don’t believe me, there are some videos out there of former President Nixon, a Republican, talking about his old Democratic rivals, John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.  Listening to Nixon you’d think that they were all old pals.  Also, consider the way the Barrack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush get along.  In short, they do.  And, regardless of whether Russia has any clandestine relations with Trump  or not, they could not possibly have come up with a better “plant” in American politics to do their dirty work than Trump.

 

  1. For too long, Trump supporters and MAGA followers have enabled Trump to say anything he wants without consequence. There’s no question that in the heat of political debate its somewhat normal for a politician to make an occasional slip and engage in a little vitriolic hyperbole.  However,  Trump has gone well beyond overboard on numerous occasions.   He has repeatedly gone way beyond what might be called the occasional slip up of a slight exaggeration.  He  has said the same outrageous and threatening things so many times that it’s well past the time to take him at his word.  It’s now past the time when everyone should take him seriously and hold him responsible.

 

This means, very roughly speaking, that according to Trump:

  • Democrats are the enemy;
  • America needs to purge the enemy and that therefore, America should purge itself of leftists, progressive and/or liberals;
  • Putin and/or Hitler are or were effective world leaders whose conduct should in many instances be copied or emulated;
  • Implying that U.S generals should be loyal to him (instead of the U.S.) much like Hitler’s generals. (in this regard, it might be worth studying up on Hitler’s demand that the German army pledge loyalty to Hitler personally instead of to the German nation.)
  • That the National Guard or the military be used to round up his political opponents;
  • That he will in fact seek revenge against political rivals if elected.

 

Statements like any of the foregoing would never have been uttered by any American politician before 2015 when Trump came on the national stage—and for good reason—the American public itself would not have tolerated it.   Why is it tolerated now? Great question, but one cannot help to think that some of the answer may be found in point 4 below. But, in any event, offensive statements like the foregoing can no long be tolerated as typical “Donald-speak”.  Long ago, it started sounding like an actual threat, and folks on the opposite side of the political spectrum have every right to feel very uneasy by Trump’s rhetoric.  You can’t expect people to let such language pass forever.  It must stop and stop now.

 

  1. Speaking of Trump, what ever happened to the notion that a President represents all Americans?  Trump makes absolutely no attempt to act as though he’s trying to bring us together. His speeches sound like a locker  room pep talk to go out an  annihilate people who do not share his political philosophy.   Trump reminds me of unseemly days of the Senator Joe McCarthy era and the “Red Scare”.  In fact, like Trump’s reliance on the “loyalty oath” concept employed by Hitler for his generals, he’s also apparently gone back to disgraced Senator Joe McCarthy’s coinage of the term the “enemies within”.   Thank goodness, McCarthy’s efforts at dividing the nation were finally exposed as a self-serving fraud.  Perhaps it’s time for a modern day Joseph Welch, the then attorney for the Army, who famously asked McCarthy, “Have you no sense of decency, sir?”  But the point is, why don’t the MAGA folks ever pick up on Trump’s use of tactics which harken back to those used by history’s bad guys.

 

I am running out of time.  So, I’ll just make one more point.

 

  1. Fox News is a metastasizing cancer, that has just about killed this country. And it’s Rupert Murdoch’s fault.   He is not a native American, and has brought his sleazeball, profit-driven, tabloid propaganda-style news style to America, put some makeup on it, given it a dash of cologne or perfume, and made it mainstream. And, it has just about turned this country into a country now willing to follow a guy who demonizes all who oppose him and speaks in glowing terms of other dictators, Putin and Hitler included.

Such talk would have never been tolerated of an American politician in the past, but now Fox just fans the flame and it now must stop.  We are now well past the point where all of this can be called a simple  airing of reasonable differences of opinion.  Why?  Because Trump has consistently demonized, denigrated and dehumanized the folks who disagree with him.  This was/is a common tactic of dictators before they start some kind of pogrom against the group that they’ve falsely accused of being internal threats.  (Consider the situation faced by the Jews in pre-WWII Germany)  People who disagree with Trump can’t reasonably be expected to sit idly by while he, over the course of many months now, has threatened their safety, freedom and/or well-being.

 

  1. MAGA folks need to re-read their history books, instead of acting like morons who cut history class to go smoke in the boys room.

 

 

Back to you Stony

————————————————-

Oooooookay

We’ll just turn the page here and

Move right along.

 

This next band is British

They formed in 1985

And are best known for

“So Alive”, which I almost played

For tonight’s show

 

But I always strive to bring somethin’

a little extra to the show

 

and in doing so I ran across our next tune

 

Frankly given the affect that So Alive

Has on a listener

I was a bit surprised at the sound that

Love and Rockets…our next featured band

produces here.

 

But I really liked this tune

And I hope you do too.

 

Love and Rockets   No New Tale to Tell

https://youtu.be/d_HvoEAilaw?si=5kQcy6LtgC2xs77p

 

Woah! Woah!

Suzi, I’m so sorry

You’ll have to forgive me

I really need to clear up the clutter here

on my desk

I got too much goin’ on.

I’m getting’ forgetful

 

Folks

I have to apologize to everyone

But particularly to Suzi

I almost forgot about our garage segment

 

But Suzi… bein’ Ole Miss Reliable

In addition to the

Executive Assistant Producer of Everything

Here at DJ Ltd

Has brung us a gift

 

This, of course, is from our garage

Its by a band from California

That formed in 1965.

 

This almost sounds flower power like to me

And at times the vocals sound

A little like Mick Jaggar

 

In any event, it’s a good tune

 

Folks, please enjoy

The Chocolate Watchband here performing

I Ain’t no Miracle Worker

https://youtu.be/w-7kd0FONmA?si=fLpFlmIz1aM9kAVt

 

I hear ya   I hear ya

 

Folk’s Buck’s tellin’ me to wrap it up

Seems like

He’s always tellin’ me that

Just When we’re getting cranked up

 

But I’ll tell yinz

Time or no time

I absolutely gotta play our clean up tune

 

Amazingly,

I just discovered this tune right

before we went on the air.

And I was absolutely blown away!

 

I mean I know nothin about this group

But this tune just kicks butt

In fact it just had me dancin’ on the clouds.

 

What more can I say.

I love everything about this

That beautiful red Gretch geetttarr

The guitar playin’

The singin’

 

But sometimes its just the little things

That really make somethin

Extra special

 

See if ya can tell me what it is here?

This is…

 

Red Hot Riot  with   Life You Get

https://youtu.be/QnSbWW1RHKk?si=ykGUuZblGg_X2whW

 

 

Yeah,  you’re right that little vocal chorus

That gets injected in there  …really just

The perfect icing for tonight’s

Scrumptious musical cake.

 

Well, that’s it folks

We got no more time

 

So until next time

For Suzi,  Buck,  Guru

And me…Stony Riva

 

Good night and don’t let them nasty bed bugs bite.

———————————————————————————————————-

END NOTES:

 

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