Silent Sentinels to Walker's Injustice: Permits? WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' PERMITS!!!

A good friend and former colleague of mine sent me this editorial he wrote for the enemy state's widest circulation newspaper.  In a break from the  long standing policy of this site not to disseminate falsehoods or promote the bully tactics of the effete elite, I relent on this one occasion on the condition that I can add my editorial enhancements.  Plain Sense

 

 Capitol police are right (Police right? Yeah, right.)

Although I side with the Capitol rotunda sing-alongers' goals (With friends like you who needs Republicans?), I am forced to agree with conservatives that their means are self-centered, juvenile and, ultimately, ineffective.
As an attorney, (Look whose self-centered now, I mean come on , give me a break, at the rate we're going pretty soon everyone will be a flipping attorney.  Whoop tee doo.), it greatly frustrates me (if you think you're frustrated ...he's my friend remember)when my fellow citizens (Who is this guy, LBJ?)invoke constitutional rights that they do not fully understand. Time, manner and place restrictions on free speech rights have been in place for decades.
William Conley, the federal judge who upheld the permit requirement for groups over 20 people, is no puppet of Gov. Scott Walker. This is, after all, the same judge who granted a restraining order preventing implementation of Wisconsin's admitting privilege requirement restriction on abortion providers. Facts can be detestable little creatures (author a big Lady Gaga fan no doubt).
Although press members and mere witnesses should never be arrested, I cannot bring myself to even feign outrage that the very young, elderly, firefighters, politicians or others who actually participate without a valid permit are cited. Outrage would be appropriate if the Capitol police chose not to arrest certain classes of people based on age or profession.  (You miss the whole point my friend, Walker did not like the content of the message so he changed the rules by executive order to require a permit to assemble in the house of the people, the Wisconsin capitol.  When 22 instead of the maximum number of 20 assembled the Walker private Pinkerton army aka capitol security manhandled and used excessive force on 70 year old ladies who were doing nothing more than singing.}
But my chief complaint is that the sing-along seems to exist merely for its own sake. Name a policy that Walker has changed or backed down from due to these tone-deaf crooners. The off-key singing does nothing but distract from the larger social issues at hand.
In Minnesota, the DFL showed real organization and political leadership in legalizing gay marriage. This was accomplished by the people, through their elected representatives, not by court mandate. Information and ideas were spread door to door, over the telephone, via social media and, yes, through organized protests.
Protest if you can, sing if you must, but above all, be effective. The "Capitol Crooners" could learn a thing or two about the last bit from your neighbors to the west.

Shortly after Walker's version of the Tiananmen Square Massacre two Steve Earle fans conducted their own  protest:  

Silent Sentinels to Walker's Injustice:  Permits?  WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' PERMITS!!!

Drum World Misses A Beat: Joseph F. Pulice, Sr. May 19, 1928-August 18, 2013

If you play drums and grew up in Southeast Wisconsin during the 1970s or 1980s odds are pretty good you learned how to play from "Papa" Joe Pulice or at least had some lessons at his drum store, Pulice Music Unlimited in Racine.  A member of the Drum and Bugle Corps and Racine Music Halls of Fame, the beloved drum instructor and big band drummer passed away on Sunday, August 18, 2013, in Racine, following a brief illness. Joe Sr. was 85 years old.

Although a talented drummer who played part time professionally for over 60 years, Joe Sr. first love was teaching others to play the instrument he loved.  In an interview with the Racine Journal Times in December of 1999, Pulice reminisced about his music store:

"At one time, I had 11 teachers there and up to 90 drum students overall. Personally, I had 45 students per week at one time."

First and foremost among Pulice's talented and successful students are two of his three sons, Mark, long time drummer for Carmen McCrae and his youngest son, Joe who played in Woody Herman's Thundering Herd as well as  a veritable who’s who of music greats as one of the top on call drummers in the Twin Cities. 

Joe Sr.'s  other notable students include Victor  DeLorenzo of the Violent Femmes, Darrel Damrow of Dead Fly Boy and Level and Don Baldwin of Harry James and Frank Sinatra fame .

To read further about the life of Joseph Pulice Sr. along with quotes from his students and friends see Lee B. Roberts article in the Journal Times “Drummer remembered for his skill and his generosity”.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, August 24, 2013, at 11 a.m. at St. Rita Catholic Church, 4339 Douglas Ave.  Private interment with Full Military Honors will be held at the Southern Wisconsin Veterans' Memorial Cemetery, Town of Dover, at a later date.  Relatives and friends may meet with the family Friday at the funeral home from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. (Roma Lodge service at 6 p.m.) and Saturday at the church from 10 a.m. until time of Mass at 11 a.m.

Forget Manning, Snowden and NSA, Reuters Blows Lid Off of Secret DEA Program Aimed at Covering Up Source of Intelligence Used In Investigations of Americans

Reuters News Agency reporters John Schiffman and Kristina Cooke in a series of exclusive articles filed last week uncovered a secret program run by the Special Operations Division (SOD) of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) which had as its purpose the reverse engineering of probable cause trails in criminal and drug forfeiture cases to conceal the real origin of the intelligence information which initiated the investigation.

Through a process the government agents euphemistically referred to as "parallel construction", past and present members of the DEA admitted to retroactively creating parallel probable cause trails through the use of such things as pretextual stops of motor vehicles known to be transporting controlled substances.  After effectuating a stop of the vehicle by traffic units, drug sniffing dogs were then called to the scene who would alert on the vehicle thereby justifying a search.  While it may be somewhat common in drug cases to do these type things to confuse and mislead a defendant so that the defendant would think the investigation originated out of what appeared to be routine traffic stop and thereby protect confidential sources, where the program became an absolutely illegal conspiracy was when the DEA coached its and other government agencies' agents from agencies such as  the IRS, to continue the deception in official court filings or discovery submitted to defense counsel, prosecutors and judges.  These illegal actions had the effect of depriving American citizens of their constitutional rights including due process and right to a fair trial.

Perhaps most chilling of all was the fact that approximately half a dozen past and present members of  law enforcement and the DEA thought these actions were legal.  We have a real crisis here folks when members of the executive branch, those charged with defending the constitution and enforcing the law, cannot recognize something so blatantly unconstitutional and illegal.  My fellow citizens, forget Manning, Snowden and the NSA, and pay attention to these stories and write your elected officials.  This illegal conduct must not be ignored, overlooked or lost in the noise of the 12 hour news cycle.  The time is now America.  Stand up for your rights before out of control government agents euphemize them away.

Please take the time to read the following articles from Reuters destined to win their authors the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism:


Exclusive: U.S. directs agents to cover up program used to investigate Americans

 How DEA program differs from recent NSA revelations

 U.S. defense lawyers to seek access to DEA hidden intelligence evidence

The "Low Highway" Comes to Wisconsin with its Message of Truth, Hope & Solidarity

I wish I could of brought with me last night, August 3, 2013, to the Mastersons and Steve Earle & the Dukes show at the Barrymore Theater in Madison WI, anyone who had ever asked me "who is Steve Earle?" or more likely the feigned "Oh yeah, Steve Earle. What does he do again?" Better yet, if I had the dictatorial power of say, for instance, an overreaching Gov. Walker, I would have ordered my capitol security to forcibly deliver those cracker barrel bonobos on sites like ticketmaster.com which provide space for social media concert "reviews" whose users use the opportunity to spew their ridiculously ignorant invectives at artists like Earle (e.g. The review by a member of the Le Leche League or perhaps a fan of one of Steve's early side projects, The Supersuckers: "...steve earle sucked. was deeply disappointed...didnt stay for the whole thing...broke my heart with his suckiness" and apparently the review by a fashionista: "...I was shocked to see the way these guys dressed, like slobs actually..Steve Earle wore a hot denim long sleeve shirt and was sweating profusely by the end of the show. Maybe drop a few pounds would help. The rest of the band wore dirty tee shirts and jeans...".

"But what could Bozos like those have possibly learned?", I hear you say. Well for one thing, they would have learned that Steve and his band work long hours and that he is genuinely proud of being a 58 year old Dad to a beautiful 3 year old son named John Henry. They would have also learned that Steve is also very proud of his latest version of the Dukes, which gave him every reason to be proud last night.

Although some friends kid me that I some times lose perspective in my music reviews. That my friendship with an artist or band may affect my reviews. That I am more of a cheerleader than a critic sometimes... Oh Hell, I could accept all that were it not for those disturbing images of our former President in his prep school male cheerleader uniform looking, well, unleader like, to put it politely. I admit it. I may be influenced by the fact that Steve and the Dukes, despite having just performed some 3 plus hours (including the Mastersons masterly opening set, a set introduced by Steve himself, no less) waited in a friendly and patient, if not somewhat drained manner, to meet every last one of the couple hundred fans who had lined up to get something inscribed, take a photo or just share a word with one of their favorite hardcore troubadours. I know this for a fact because my son and I were the second to the last in that line and did not leave the theater until the early hours of the next day.

Before I forget, let me say this about the venue, the Barrymore Theater is the venerable funky matron of the Madison music scene. You can keep your "Majestic moments" because not only is the Barrymore one of Mr. Earle's favorite places to perform (you could tell by how comfortable he was and how much fun he was having by his performance, the best i have personally witnessed) but the Barrymore is truly the theater in Madison where things get real. My personal thanks to the incredibly cool staff that served my son pop long after the show and concession stand closed. This kept his incredibly dehydrated father from passing out after a very long day including extended sampling following our tour of the Capital Brewery in Middleton.


But whoa, I get way ahead of myself. To begin the beguine, the day did not get off to a very auspices start. Being somewhat of a considerate Dad myself, I did not want to subject my 18 year old son to riding bitch on the back of my bike for the four plus hour trip from Minneapolis to Madison. Not because of some ignorant sexist notion but rather because my son is a rider himself and I know from personal experience how awkward and uncomfortable it is when you are accustomed to being the operator. So I went onto one of those William Shatner sponsored websites to negotiate a deal on hotel and car rental. While the hotel part worked out nicely if not ironically, we got a very nice room in brand spanking new chain hotel in a quiet corporate office park about 4 miles from the gig, for $68. Although the price was right, the surroundings did seem somewhat hypocritical, being the "Low Highway" tour and all. It should come as no surprise to any of my fellow travelers on the "Low Highway" that corporate America would not settle being out negotiated and absolutely raped me on the rental car. In its continuing war on the lower classes, corporate America, specifically the rental car agencies have divined that if you use a debit card instead of a credit card to pay the security deposit the 3 day rate goes from not $77, not $124 but to $205. By comparison, the Japanese occupation of Nanking seems like just a bad date.

So after riding the light rail out to the airport to pick up my overpriced economy sized nerd mobile (in retrospect I should have taken my 1973 Boattail Riveria, which even at 8 mpg probably would have not cost much more than my Taj MaHertz rental car)it was off to the Home of the Jolly Green Giant to pick up my boy. My son seemed somewhat relieved that I was spiriting him out of his mother's adopted place of residence which was setting up for the "Giant Days" parade across the street. The fact that the local police chief (Wiggum) and next door neighbor had parked his ramshackle camper trailer in their driveway only added to the festivities. Before taking off, my son and I gathered in his mother's kitchen where I gave my customary pep talk that I give before all road trips: a mixture of John Belushi's road trip speech from Animal House mixed with some "physical" inspiration ala former Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes (i.e. breaking watch crystal on my forehead, ripping brim off baseball cap etc.) I ended with the customary taking a knee to deliver the Lord's er I mean Santorum's Prayer: "God grant me the strength to gain weight so that I don't blow away even in the most mild of breezes.." at which point we placed our hands over each others hands breaking with a raucous "Yea God!"

Before long we had cleared the state line and had successfully escaped to Wisconsin. After a couple of hours we relented to the Culver's Custard billboards which constantly bombard you on I94 for a couple of Butterburgers and banana malts. While eating lunch I took advantage of the free copy of the La Crosse newspaper only to be confronted by a very troubling story on the front page about the sentencing of a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student on a ridiculously reduced charge. The troubling part was that the perp, a wrestling team member, got off with a hand slap for what in reality was a criminal sexual assault on a fellow male student using a lint roller. (Please fill in the double entendres yourselves.)

With enough saturated fat under our belts to clog the plumbing of...(e.g. UW-LaCrosse student?)it was off to Middleton home of the famous Club Tavern (subject of Alejandro Escovedo's song "Dear Head on the Wall") and home of the Capital Brewery, makers of one of this country's finest seasonal brews, the doppelbock Autumnal Fire, where we had reservations for the 3 pm tour. Arriving one-half hour early, (I know, I know, my work colleagues are reaching for their smelling salts to fight off their incredulity) we took advantage of the beautiful beer/hospitality garden and the wonderful weather. Following the tour and complimentary beer sampling I was able to finagle a couple of 4 packs of my favorite flavor which technically is impossible as sales of said doppelbock does not officially begin until September and ends in December.

Opening Act:  The Mastersons:  Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore

The husband and wife duo who also comprise 1/2 of the Dukes.  Performed material from their debut cd "Birds Fly South".  Beautiful harmonies mixed with stellar playing.  Ms. Whitmore had me forgeting all about Lucinda on "You're Still Standing There" from Dukes set and Chris Masterson can do it all.  A nuanced, subtle monster on guitar.  Thoroughly enjoyable set by two very talented artists.  I am looking forward to their next disc.




Steve Earle & the Dukes Set List Barrymore Theater 8/3/2013

The Low Highway
21st Century Blues
Calico County
Taneytown
Hard-Core Troubadour
I Thought You Should Know
That All You Got?
 Love s Gonna Blow My Way
 After Mardi Gras
 Pocket Full Of Rain
 This City
 (Devil?)
 You're Still Standing There
 Invisible
 Burnin It Down
Guitar Town
Copperhead Road
Warren Hellman's Banjo
Freeman
Billie & Bonnie
(The Mountain ?)
The Galway Girl
Down the Road Pt II
Remember Me
City Of Immigrants
Harlan Man
Nobody But You / Continental Trailways Blues
The Revolution Starts Now


From the opening strains of "The Low Highway" to the closing roar of fuzz guitar on "The Revolution Starts Now" Steve and the Dukes came to play and were invested in their performance.  From the brilliant lyrics of "21st Century Blues" to the meth scourge of  "Calico County" there is little doubt that the mantle of most intelligent and relevant singer songwriter has been passed to Mr. Earle.  I don't think I have ever enjoyed myself at a concert as much as when they played "Hard-Core Troubadour" only to be followed with a mesmerizing a cappella incantation that is "I Thought You Should Know".  When Steve slammed his mike stand down at the end of "I Thought You Should Know" indicating he had nailed it, it was at this point that most in the audience realized they were in for something really special.

While the set list was clearly meant to showcase “The Low Highway” which in its low key but perceptive manner may be his most realized work yet, Steve and the the Dukes gave the appreciative audience a complete retrospective of his long and varied career. Most importantly, this was not just some hackneyed greatest hits medley but carefully chosen songs which delivered a message and performed, to a song, better than the originals.

It was fun too. When he was walking over to the piano to play “Pocketful of Rain”, one of the album’s quirky but charming sleepers, someone in the audience yelled out a song request to which Steve replied firmly, but with good nature “we’re only 20 minutes into the show I think I am still in control of my set list”. “Pocketful of Rain” is one of those unique little oddities on an album that for some strange reason really ties the album together and almost defines it by being off topic (Tom Waits comes to mind.) Steve made it even more memorable by telling a story about back in his drinking days, when he got really tight, he thought he could speak Spanish really well but he really couldn’t. Steve also observed that there is something about New Orleans that makes normally sane individuals think they are piano players. (Which brings up one of my pet peeves: Hugh Laurie, nuf said)

There were so many high points, so many moving moments when the artist truly connected with his audience, you just luxuriated in the moment. Steve’s expressed several times during the performance his admiration and support for the workers and people of one of his favorite places on Earth, Madison, Wisconsin and reminded everyone in attendance that we are living in historic times. While we might not win every battle it is important to fight the good fight and to be good to each other as we are all Americans.

I will never forget as long as I live when Steve introduced the song he wrote for his 3 year old son John Henry, entitled Remember Me. Hearing another father talk about facing something as personal as his child suffering from a disease for which there is currently no cure, Autism and which we know so little about was incredibly moving. But to be listening to this next to your healthy 18 year old son, who suffered as a young child from such severe and mysterious health problems that at one point they misdiagnosed him with cystic fibrosis,  this was life sending me a marker.

I wanted to tell Steve that story when I introduced him to my son later that night but due to the hour and sensing the condition of the people who had just spent the last 3 plus hours pouring everything they got out for us, for once I had the good sense to keep my big mouth shut.

I am pissed that I forgot to tell Steve that the whole time we were driving to the show, some four plus hours, I was working out an imaginary set list in my head. With God and my boy as witness, I said several times, my favorite song of Earle’s is an obscure classic called “Nothin’ But You” which was aptly covered by Mark Wenner and the Nighthawks way back in the mid 80’s but that I was unaware of Steve recording it .  (I now know it was originally on Steve’s 1982 EP Pink & Black on Epic.)   Well let me tell you, my son now knows what it must have been like to be at one of the early Beatles concerts the way I went nuts when he and the band launched into what else, Nobody But You / Continental Trailways Blues as the second to the last encore only to raise it up one more notch, if that was possible, ending with a full tilt version of “The Revolution Starts Now”.   Music with a Message Indeed!!!

My last unforgettable moment from that night came when August and I were walking up the aisle a good 10-15 minutes after the show had ended. Making eye contact with a couple of fans in one of the last rows of the main floor, still sitting in their seats, frozen in awe and mouthing at each other and us “Was that the best f____king concert you have ever seen!” We could only nod our heads in agreement.

Author's Note:  A truncated version of this review was selected as among the best reviews on No Depression and appears without author attribution at Steve Earle & the Dukes at their Apex: The “Low Highway” Comes to Wisconsin with its Message of Truth, Hope & Solidarity