Live, From The Republic Of Gilead...Kavanaugh's Confirmation Makes Me Wanna...Ralph!

"Now, I'm not saying 

that this is 

any country for

creepy old men. 

It's not."

"Sexual harassment is wrong, 

and it goes on a lot.

 And the people who do it

 should be punished.

"But this is also no country 

at all without due process."

<Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) explains

why he's sticking with the team,

prior to the 50-48 vote

confirming Brett Kavanaugh

to the Supreme Court?>

“Yes, he will have this 

hanging over him, 

just the way Justice Thomas 

has had it 

hanging over his head 

for 25 years. 

"But I’m confident 

it will not affect him 

as a justice. 

He will not 

become a partisan hack. 

"He is a fair, principled 

and independent judge, 

and that’s exactly 

the kind of justice 

he will be.”

<And if you believe that...

Constitutional law expert

John Malcolm, 

Heritage Foundation,

sunnily outlining

why he thinks 

the furor

over Kavanaugh

is overblown>

"It is particularly worrisome 

that the Supreme Court, 
the institution

 that most Americans see 

as the principal guardian 

of our shared 
constitutional heritage,

 is viewed 

as part of the problem 

through a political lens."

<Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)

ponders the big picture

as she helps to confirm

someone whom critics 
fear will become....well,

part of the problem?>

"The Maine senator 

has reduced the choreography 

of legislative head-fakes

 to a sublime art, 

in order to preserve 

her bogus reputation 

as an independent-minded 

centrist. 

"When a contentious issue arises, 

Collins will elaborately explain 

that she hasn’t made up her mind yet. 

She needs to give the issue careful study. 

"And then, wondrously,

 after very careful 

and well-advertised study, 

she almost always votes with 

[Majority Leader]

Mitch McConnell. 

"Funny how her research 
invariably leads to that conclusion."

<Author, commentator, professor

Rubert Kuttner: 

"The Fraudulence 

of Susan Collins,

The Huffington Post,

10/08/18>

"Maybe Collins will be proven right.

"Maybe Kavanaugh will defy 

the experts and 

not join a series 

of 5-4 decisions 

like Citizens United, 

the 2008 case 

that eliminated 

the spending limits 

for electioneering

 by corporations... 

"Maybe no more witnesses

 will corroborate the accounts 

of the three women 

who have come forward so far 

with stories about their mistreatment 

at Kavanaugh’s hands. 

"Maybe he will never again show the angry, intemperate and partisan face he revealed to a national TV audience on Sept. 27...

 calling into question his capacity

to be an impartial and dispassionate judge.

"Maybe none of those things will happen. 

But if they do, Collins’ vote should be remembered for a long time.

<The Portland Press-Herald:

"Our View: With a 'Yes' Vote,

Sen. Collins Ties Her Legacy

To That of Brett Kavanaugh">

<Senator Collins:
See You In 2020>

<Remember In November:
The Reckoner>

<We Believe Christine Blasey Ford>

The Truth About Ayn Rand

<Blow up, to read more closely: 

that's the size, which I can't do anything about>

<i.>

This cartoon sums it up nicely, for me, anyway. For all the far right's rhapsodies about Ayn Rand, you rarely hear about what actually happened to her in later life, when her health began to fail, and she'd been abandoned by many of her so-called allies. She'd reached her peak with Atlas Shrugged (1957), which became an international best-seller, despite many negative reviews -- making neither the first, nor last, author to claim that feat.

My personal favorite is one by Whittaker Chambers, the former Communist defector who fingered Alger Hiss as a Soviet spy: "From almost any page of Atlas Shrugged, a voice can be heard, from painful necessity, commanding: 'To a gas chamber—go!'" You can practically see his contempt thundering off the page.

For all the debate about the impracticality and immortality of her Objectivist beliefs (see links, Rand did achieve -- unlike many of her critics -- a measure of pop culture success in her lifetime. It's one of the more fascinating (if overlooked) aspects of her career. Those distinctions included a courtroom drama, Night Of January 16th, that became a Broadway hit in 1935-36, undoubtedly aided by its gimmick (every night, a "jury" of the audience voted on one of two endings to perform).

The results prompted a movie adaptation, Ideal (1941), in which Rand didn't participate, and didn't like. Still, that's hardly a shabby outcome for someone who wasn't a household name, and worked for a time at RKO Pictures' costume department. Other achievements included the reprinting of a novella, Anthem, in Famous Fantastic Mysteries' June 1953 issue.

Fittingly, at the time of her death, in 1982, she was working on a TV adaptation of Atlas Shrugged. Barton Fink, she wasn't.

Ayn Rand's first published work, a 2,500-word 

monograph on actress Pola Negri (1925).Pola who?

We'll have to explore that issue another time.

<Public Domain>

<ii.>

Alas, real life rudely interrupted Rand's unfettered laissez-faire visions. After Atlas Shrugged, Rand turned to nonfiction, publishing several collections of essays that received the same degree of hostility -- such as Gore Vidal, who slammed her efforts in this arena as "nearly perfect in its immorality" -- and far less attention. In 1974, she underwent surgery for lung cancer, following decades of heavy smoking. Two years later, she retired from editing her newsletter, and went on the social programs that she so abhorred: Social Security, and Medicare.

Ironically, the person who convinced Rand to make such a giant leap of faith was someone she already knew: Evva Pryor, an employee of her attorney. As Pryor recalled (see below), whether Rand agreed or not wasn't the issue: "She saw the necessity for both her and (her husband) Frank." Her husband, now struggling with dementia, needed specialized care that would exceed whatever resources she could contribute. She had own health issues to consider, too.

"She had to see that there was such a thing as greed in this world," Pryor stated, in Gary Weiss's book, Ayn Rand Nation: The Hidden Struggle For America's Soul. "Doctors could cost a lot more money than books earn, and she could be totally wiped out by medical bills if she didn't watch it."

The irony of Objectivism's founder allowing herself a philosophical carve-out needs no more elaboration. For Weiss, Rand's decision is less driven by total hypocrisy, than the response of someone with their back against the wall: "Contradictions, and ideology, fade away when one's own personal interests are at stake. Only the very wealthy, a category that did not include Rand in her golden years, can afford Objectivist ideological purity."

The far right, of course, will claim that Rand got the last laugh. They'll cite her influence on  Reaganomics, for instance, and the growing posthumous interest in her writings, which have sold an estimated 29 million copies worldwide, as of 2013, and impact on pop culture figures like Rush's drummer, Neil Peart. It's not hard to imagine the Trumpist acolytes who are out gleefully celebrating the shoehorning of Brett Kavanaugh -- who, beyond the accusations of sexual predation, has justly earned his stripes as a hard right ideological warrior -- onto the Supreme Court.

True enough, on the surface, and yet...and yet, I doubt any of those notions mattered when Rand swallowed hard, signed those forms, and became a recipient of the government help she so despised. Her colleagues could only look on from afar, it seems, and shrug, having watched their dog-eat-dog beliefs spin out to their final, logical, if unsatisfactory conclusion, as Weiss writes: "Reality had intruded upon her ideological pipedreams." As an epitaph, that works well enough for me. --The Reckoner

Links To Go (Hurry, Hurry,
Before They Tip You Out Of The Lifeboat)
(Cut and paste into your browser, if needed, or just type in the title)

Google Books
Ayn Rand Nation: 
The Hidden Struggle For America's Soul:
https://books.google.com/books?id=oJVLHvEPdrQC&lpg=PP1&dq=Ayn%20Rand%20Nation%3A%20The%20Hidden%20struggle%20for%20America%27s%20Soul.&pg=PT60#v=onepage&q=social%20security&f=false


Open Culture: When Ayn Rand 
Collected Social Security & Medicare,
After Years Of Opposing Government Programs:
http://www.openculture.com/2016/12/when-ayn-rand-collected-social-security-medicare.html

Punk Rock Art Corner: Live, From The Republic Of Gilead, It's...KAVANAUGH-MANIA!!!

"The initial impression 

was of naked emotional vulnerability, 

but Kavanaugh was setting a tone. 

Embedded in the histrionics 

were the unmistakable notes 

of fury and bullying."

"Brett Kavanaugh’s 

Adolescent Tantrum 

Before the 

Senate Judiciary Committee"
<The New Yorker>

"So my friends, 

keep the faith, 

don't get rattled 

by all of this - 

we're gonna 

plow through it 

and do our job."

<The ever-tactful

Senate Majority Leader

Mitch McConnell,

rallies the 

far right faithful>

”When you see Sotomayor and Kagan,

 tell them that Lindsey said hello,

because I voted for them.” 

<Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC),

once a prominent Trump critic,

clears up a small point

during last Thursday's

Kavanaugh hearing.>

(Note: Neither 

abovementioned

Supreme Court Justice

has been accused

of sexual assault.)

"I'm really grateful 

for the White House,

for the effort of President Trump

and what he has done,

and the excitement

that we have."

"We got a little hiccup here 

with the Kavanaugh nomination, 

we’ll get through this 

and we’ll get off to the races.”

<Senator Dean Heller (R-NV)

breezily handicaps

the nomination slugfest

so far...>

 “It is good that 
many female victims 

of sexual harassment 
and sexual assault 

are coming forward
 and being heard 

and I am happy for them,

but this man 
doesn’t deserve

 to have the weight 

of decades 
of a pent-up 

#MeToo movement
on his shoulders, 

and that’s 
what’s happening here."

<Trump adviser

Kellyanne Conway,

feels the heat of 

pent-up resistance

to one B. Kavanaugh>

<wat-if.com>

When Kavanaugh is not 

crying or shouting,

 he uses a distinctly adolescent tone 

that might best be described 

as “talking back.”

If Kavanaugh 

is trying to convince 

the public 

that he could never have 

been capable, 

as a teen-ager, 

of aggression 

or peer pressure, 

this is an odd way

 to go about it.

<The New Yorker>

<Remember In November:
The Reckoner>

<We Believe Christine Blasey Ford>

Life's Little Injustices (Take XIV): "Nobody Takes Them On"

<:Company Town (Cover)

By Madeline Ashby>

Company towns brim with their own distinct rhythms, though not always for your benefit. The latest reminder, for me, came during my weekly Tuesday trip to the bank, to withdraw my $200-plus weekly transcription money that helps (just about) tread water at the moment.

Here at this branch, you'll always see a new face, and this Tuesday's no exception. In this case, it's a mid-sized woman with reddish-blond hair, tortoiseshell glasses, close to my six-foot height. "Oh, hi," I tell her. "You must be new. You here to stay, or on loan from another branch?"

"No, just started, so this my second week."

"Well, hello from the rest of us," I said, and handed her my withdrawal slip. "Where are you coming from?"

Her mouth froze into a taut, almost-there smile. "Well, I used to work at SpinStream, as an intellectual property attorney." (Reckoner's Note: In this case, a mystery corporation of international repute that produces all manner of stainless steel dryers, refrigerators and washing machines, among other home appliances.) 

"Okay, so what happened, then?"

She walked to the drive-up window, to pull up my account, and get the money out of the drawer. "Well, I was there for almost 10 years. Then I got this notice. They were rolling our department into another one, so I was getting laid off, essentially, and oh, yeah, here's your severance." 

She walked back to her booth, and passed out my bills: fup, fup, fup. "Funny thing, though. There were five of us in that department, and we all got that notice. We're all over 50, too. Imagine that."

"Well, you definitely don't look it..."

"Thanks."

i tucked my bills into my wallet. "Well, I know these things are moonshots, but did you check with a lawyer, and figure out your options, if any?"

Her almost-there smile froze back into place. "Oh, yeah, I talked a couple. Nobody takes them on." She paused for effect. "Nobody. And it's not like I can go back, because there's one firm in this town that handles intellectual property, except..."

Now it was my turn to fill in the blank. "It's run by our former mayor, who basically is the firm."

"Exactly." She needed. "But that's okay. I like this job better now, anyway. Less drama." 

Really? I wondered. I sure hope so. As of mid-September, she's still here, so time will tell how her experience works out.

But fall I could hear, as I replayed the conversation, over and over in my head, were the sounds of good old boy back slaps, followed by the metallic clink-clink of golf clubs and wine glasses, as yet another sweetheart deal roared to a giddy conclusion, amid the anticipatory thrum of a town power broker's cellphone stirring to life, throbbing with the promise of yet another hustle beckoning over the horizon.

Like I said: company towns hum with their own distinctive rhythms. But not for the better, and never for your benefit. --The Reckoner

Links To Go (Hurry, Hurry,

Before Pullman's Ghost Eats Your Soul....

...Just Kidding, Boys 'n' Girls)

ARS Technicia: You Want Some Weird Futurism?

Start Reading Company Town:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/06/company-town-is-one-of-the-weirdest-science-fiction-novels-of-the-summer/

Punk Rock Art Photos: Sights & Sounds, New York City Style

<\After midnight: The view down 8th Street, Take I

...All Words/Images: The Reckoner>

Now there ain't no sheets upon my bed,

just a mattress and some wine.

The rain is pouring through the night

and I'm glad my life is mine.

When Frank Carillo plays guitar

trying to get it off his chest.

He gets the words he needs tonight

on Central Park 'n' West.

Ian Hunter: "Central Park 'N' West"

<After midnight: 

The view down 8th Street:

Take II>

And we all want just someone just like me
in the city we call home.
She leaves me sometimes when I write,
'cause I write better on my own.

Bag ladies take my dollars)
put my conscience to the test.
But waitresses give me coffee free
on Central Park 'n' West.

And I think, I think, I think, I think, I think it's the best,
when I'm locked in the middle of New York city 

on Central Park 'n' West
and I know, I know, I know, I know, I know it's a mess,
but you've got to be crazy to live in the city, 

and New York city's the best.

<Yer Humble Narrator, in silhouette...>

When we left off with these little photo collages, I had one more stop on my business trip road show, and that was New York City: The Big Apple, The City That Never Sleeps, The Naked City, and so on. (But the second label is definitely true, as the above shots tell you -- if this was the action going on after midnight, just imagine what you'd catch during the daytime, or early evening, right?)

There was a hitch, though. My partner couldn't travel with me from Washington, D.C., where we'd returned after our night in Philadelphia. He duly paid for me to catch the Bolt Bus -- one of these many no-frills companies that have entered the business, so the ticket was just $26, I think -- to meet him later. 

Four hours later, I made it to New York. After a half hour crawl through the Lincoln Tunnel, I got out racross the street from the Javits Center, on 34th Street, where doomed Democratic presidential Hillary Clinton planned on hosting her victory rally -- y'know, 'cause it had a glass ceiling -- a bit of leaden symbolism that sptly describes why she didn't make it. Anyway, the above shot is down the block from the Javits Center. I snapped furiously as my partner walked ahead of me, since we had a subway to catch for our Brooklyn meeting.

As we continued down 34th Street, I had to grab this example of graffiti art -- which may feel like a cliche now, but it's easy to forget how brash and new it seemed back in the early '80s, when any tagger armed with a can of spray paint climbed a chain link fence (like this one) after dark, hunting for an empty space where he could make a name for himself. I shot numerous tag photos on this trip, because I'm still fascinated by it. As you can see, it hasn't died out.

Here's a slightly better shot of the above-mentioned photo, as we're hurrying down 34th Street. I'm not an art technician, nor a stickler for perfectionism, but if you can do it better, and it takes half the time, why not go for it?

Here's the last in this series of photos, as we're getting ready to cross 34th Street, and head for the subway. All good stuff, as far as I'm concerned, and maybe I'll break out some more of these shots when I have more free time, and dedicate a collage to them. Sounds like a good idea, actually, so I'm sure I'll get back to it.

We got out near Franklin Street, in Brooklyn, where we were supposed to meet with some folks and discuss ventures that might lead to further writing gigs -- if there's any one  law that creative types should remember, it's this one: All gigs end some time. So that's why we were out there, having conducted similar business in Philly, and Washington, D.C.

And, just like in those cities, it doesn't take long to see how unpopular our commander-in-chief (so-called) is around these parts. We saw this graphic all over sidewalks on Franklin. I'm not a Spanish speaker, but I'm assuming it's inspired by the "zero tolerance" breakups of families and mass deportations dominating headlines at the time. Kids in cages, anyone? Here's how I responded.

How's this, Mr. Commander-in-Chef? Might even make a good album cover, in the grand scheme of things.

What can I say? Looks like this mailbox has definitely its share of better days. It's certainly proven an irresistible target.

This is a closeup of another graffiti-splotched box -- but this shot seemed like the big draw here, which is why I snapped it. Who knows, it might make a nice recurring graphic for this blog. We'll see.

We didn't have time to catch this event, which would have been interesting, as this book (We Are The Clash) looks into the twilight era of the self-styled Only Band That Matters, as they crash the mid-80s, minus their two "muso"-ey co-founders, "Topper" Headon (drums), and Mick Jones (guitar)...and while it's roundly ignored by the Clash franchise, it's a different story on the trading networks, where some 60-odd live shows from this era -- about half the gigs they played, I think -- continue to circulate. 

Anyway, I checked out these guys online, and they have a decent pedigree: Andersen, with Dance Of Days: Two Decades Of Punk In The Nation's Capital, a history of the D.C. scene, and Heibutzki, who has one previous book with a D.C. connection (Unfinished Business: The Life & Times Of Danny Gatton), plus a sprawling website that covers both those books, plus whatever musical and spoken word stuff he's doing at the moment. 

You can find it all right here: http://www.chairmanralph.com/communiques/. At any rate, We Are The Clash sounds promising, so I'll check it out when I've got 20 bucks to spare.

Here's a catchy bit of self-promotion in the WORD bookstore's front window, which is part and parcel of what it takes to survive in the cutthroat world of retail business -- and hosting events, like the above-mentioned one we couldn't make. I checked them out online: looks like they have a pretty full calendar. Stop by, if you're in the neighborhood.

After our meeting, and dinner at a Mexican restaurant,  my partner and i went our separate ways. I caught a ride back to where I was staying, on West 23rd Street...right in the heart of Chelsea, baby...but I just couldn't resist one more midnight walk around the area. I needed a snack, so what the hell, I figured, might as well see what's happening. So let's take one last look at the traffic roaring down Eighth Street (above), shall we, and then...

Why don't you follow me, plus my sandwich, chips and two-liter pop, back down 23rd Street...and if you're in the mood to get your palm read, or your future told, here's a place where you can stop. It's not my thing, but it might be yours, right?

Here's the view from the top of the Penn Station steps, where you'll also find plenty of homeless people sleeping...if you want another sad barometer of where we're headed as a nation, the official economic narrative notwithstanding. My train was leaving at 9:47 a.m. the next day, on Saturday, so I made sure to get up around 8:00 a.m., grab a cab, and make my way down here.

The only hitch was...this isn't where Amtrak sends its trains across the USA. That's across the street from these steps, where you can Madison Square Garden, and then, to the right, the entrance I needed to take. I felt exhilarated, having gotten a lot done, seen a lot of cool sights, but now, the touring grind awaited: four hours back to D.C., then, a 17-hour ride back to the Midwest. I was ready to go home. --The Reckoner

Links To Go (The Soundtrack
Of Your Life Goes Like This...)

Ian Hunter: "Central Park 'N' West"

(Short Back 'N' Sides, 1981):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uWj8ScktJg

"Central Park 'N' West"

(A Recent Live Version):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2InCmva36fg

...and I love this comment: "This would have been perfect if the show had actually BEEN in Central Park." But this version sounds good to me, anyway.