I am going to take a break today from the hilarious analysis of the Biden Problem to examine two artifacts of Left discourse. The first is something provoked by Ben Norton in an interview with Briahna Joy Gray.

The radio in my old Mazda pick up finally gave out a couple of months ago. It was stuck on one station for years before that, but even that quit working altogether. The station it was on was one of those loops that played the same songs over and over. It got to the point that I had the loop memorized and knew which song was next.

Beginnings and Ends

I won't be around today. We're going to Birmingham to celebrate my Mom's 92nd birthday, and attend our great-nephew's high school graduation party. Given the state of the US, I'm glad to be at an age closer to the end than the beginning. I think regardless of where we are on the spectrum, the objective is to treasure and appreciate every day. In the big picture we are experiencing the end of the US empire, and the beginning of a BRICS+ global system. The West projects onto China its own goal of global domination rather than China's goal of global cooperation. The sun sets in the west and rises in the east.

Afternoon folks!

This week we've got a couple of great blues albums from Albert Collins and Lonesome Sundown. In the blues-rock vein, we've got albums by Bonnie Raitt, Santana and Steppenwolf. There's a fabulous acoustic guitar album from Norman Blake and albums by Richard Thompson and Be Bop Deluxe.

Enjoy!

This is a detailed response to Daniel Warner's short piece in Counterpunch this weekend, titled "Biden’s Physical Age is Not the Real Problem."

Warner argues that the real problem with Biden is that "beyond his physical and mental states are his inability to react to a changing world" and that

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

Morning.

One of the books I have been reading is Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto. A bit of American history hidden in the mist of time after official records had been destroyed. The original Dutch land claims originating from a search for a Northern Sea passage to Asia became the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and included parts of Pennsylvania and Delaware.

The religious and political conflicts of the 1600's England was reflected in her North American colonies. Virginia territory supported the Anglican King, Maryland the Catholics and New England was settled by Puritans and Separatists. No English colony wanted the Quakers. Religious tolerance was part of the Dutch colony communities, including New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island.