Jazz pick of the week: Jack Purvis

 

Of all the wild characters in early jazz, Jack Purvis (1906-1962) may have been the wildest. Besides being a innate, brilliant trumpet player, arranger, composer and conductor of both jazz and classical music, Purvis spent much of his life as a pilot, cook, carpenter, radio repairman and South American mercenary. When really desperate, he performed as a busker - ...street musician.

He recorded with numerous jazz bands from 1929 to 1935. Wherever his band was performing there would be a spike in property crimes due to his compulsive thievery. In 1937 he was jailed in Texas for burglary where he conducted, arranged and played in the prison band which performed on Texas radio. It was the longest gig of his career till paroled in 1940, whereupon he promptly committed a serious crime so he'd be reunited with his prison band. Paroled for good in 1946, Purvis spent his last 16 years working at above mentioned non musical professions till he gassed himself to death in 1962. Featured 1930 recording is appropriately titled "Mental Strain At Dawn".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sau8nMtyhy4

Cong. Roskam's breathtaking cynicism on immigration reform

 

     

My Congressman Peter Roskam brought a new level of cynicism to the issue of immigration reform that tops previous cynicism he's brings to virtually every important issue facing Illinois' Sixth District. A week ago Roskam discussed the issue with reporters and its not possible to invent the foolishness he presented. As House Majority Chief Deputy Whip, Roskam is a prisoner of the ultra right tea party leadership philosophy that forces him defend refusal of the GOP led House to join 14 Senate Republicans who provided the difference in landmark Senate passage. This sensible, bi-partisan Senate bill is DOA in the extremist House but that refusal has to be spun to fool the electorate, including the Latino community, which has essentially deserted the GOP. 

According to Roskam, The White House really isn't interested in helping 11 million undocumented gain a path to citizenship, it merely wants the issue to both drown out attention from alleged current scandals, and not have it passed so Democrats can campaign on the issue in next year's Congressional elections. As Roskam put it: 

 

"If you're the White House right now,..and you have a signature law -- that is, Obamacare -- that is completely a legacy issue for the president, and it's looking like implementation is going to be a disaster, and if you're on your heels in terms of these scandals, and you're flummoxed by the NSA, there's one issue out there that's good for the White House. That's immigration. The question is: How much energy does the White House actually put into getting the legislation, or do they want to keep the issue for 2014?" Source: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/06/immigration-reform-driving-republicans-insane

This statement is 100% politics and 0% policy substance. The tens of millions being helped by Obamacare, something the very affluent Roskam would never need, are utterly ignored in dismissing it as a "legacy issue for the President,". And the 11 million undocumented, decent, hardworking folks vital to our economy, that are to be given a path to citizenship, are dismissed simply as pawns in the Democrats attempt to "keep the issue for 2014".

That is bunk, Mr. Congressman. Back in April, you had this to say about comprehensive immigration reform: "The longer I’m around, with the exception of tax reform — and I acknowledge that I’m speaking out of both sides of my mouth — “comprehensive” and “immigration reform” has not worked in the past and there’s a reason for everybody to vote against a comprehensive immigration bill. Source: http://roskam.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6545:roskam-tax-day-qaa-part-ii-comprehensive-and-immigration-wont-fly-in-house&catid=40&Itemid=100052. What truths Roskam ignores are: comprehensive immigration reform has not worked in the past because the Roskam led GOP does everything possible to derail it to please their anti immigrant, anti Hispanic base, and the "everybody" he refers to is that same ultra conservative and prejudiced base.

Another smart, but not cynically challenged former Illinois Congressman, once said: "You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time". Roskam has figured out if you fool enough of the people all of the time, you can earn millions staying in Congress for decades. Its a close call but between those two smart Illinois Congressmen... I'll take Abe Lincoln.

Quinn's gamble on guns based on principle

The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board abandoned all reason and principle in their foolish, mean spirited editorial, Quinn's gamble on guns, which criticized Quinn's principled amendatory veto of HB 183, allowing conceal and carry of guns in Illinois. Worse still was the disgusting cartoon above the editorial portraying Quinn as a deranged idiot using the veto stamp as a gun and having him speak in violent gun imagery in a manner which could not have been more insulting and demeaning.

Calling Quinn's nine substantive, public safety recommendations "tweaks" is beyond the pale of responsible editorial content. The editorial mentioned just three of the nine critical improvements Quinn demands: allowing guns in establishments serving alcohol; limiting carry and conceal to one guns and a ten round clip; and giving employers authority to prevent guns in the workplace. Those three alone were sufficient to veto this terrible bill which will make a few Illinoisans happy that they can carry their metal manhood in public but will make the vast majority less safe.  For the record here are the six objections the Trib Editorial Board somehow missed.

1. HB 183 strips authority of home rule governments to ban assault weapons.
2. HB 183 allows guns to be carried into businesses if there is no sign posted prohibiting guns, when the legal presumption should be that no person can bring a gun onto private property without being given express permission.
3. HB 183 lacks clarity in requiring mental health reporting designed to keep guns from being acquired by the mentally unstable. 
4. HB 183 defines "concealed firearm" with the phrase "mostly concealed". This puts Illinois on the road to an open carry policy in Illinois.
5. HB 183 exempts the meetings and records of the Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board from the Open Meetings and Freedom of Information Acts. If any subject should be open to the light of transparency, it is the deadly business of carried and concealed firearms.  
6. HB 183 does not require a person carrying a concealed firearm from immediately disclosing same if asked by a law enforcement officer. That puts every law enforcement officer at unacceptable risk.

Complaining Quinn's public announcement included a "hearty dose of fanfare" is disgusting and describing the good, decent folks who applauded Quinn's remarks as "not the people Quinn needs to convince", is utterly irrelevant to the issue of preventing a bad bill from making Illinois less safe. If the Trib was a responsible member of the Fourth Estate it would be singing Quinn's praises and demanding the Legislature break the NRA stranglehold which produced this atrocious bill. In a supreme irony, a member of the Trib Editorial Board penned a op ed just a day ago decrying her fear that "I believe I could be shot — any day of my ordinary life" on Chicago streets. Doesn't it occur to her that this bill will simply pour untold thousands of more guns into our streets concealed by amateurs and yes, criminal opportunists.

It's clear that all but 28 Illinois representatives and 12 senators either have their hand out for NRA cash or both hands up to protect themselves from NRA political targeting. Apparently, the Trib Editorial Board, mindful of NRA power, has followed suit.

The veto pen is mightier than the concealed gun

Every Illinoisan should listen to or read Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's veto of HB 183, Illinois' Carry and Conceal law, and be proud we have a genuine, decent and courageous Governor who does the peoples' business. One reason Gov. Quinn doesn't have a high approval rating is that instead of pandering to a fickle, shallow and self centered electorate, he quietly does the right thing for the right reason at the right time. 

His amendatory veto of HB 183 is a perfect example. This is a flawed bill which not only does nothing to improve the quality of life for a single Illinoisan, it makes it worse. It was passed for the simple reasons that a federal appeals court requires some form of a totally unnecessary carry and conceal law to put Illinois in compliance with the other 49 states, and to placate the NRA and their fanatical followers who think carry and conceal will make them safe.

 

Unfortunately, the Illinois legislature rolled over so the NRA could have their way with senators and representatives to produce a bad bill crying out for a good Governor to veto it. Quinn didn't disappoint and was never so eloquent when he pointed out:

 

1. HB 183 must be amended to prohibit people from carrying guns into establishments serving  

    alcohol. Quinn is right on when he says guns and alcohol don't mix.

2. HB 183 strips authority of home rule governments to ban assault weapons.

3. HB 183 allows guns to be carried into businesses if there is no sign posted prohibiting guns,

    when the legal presumption should be that no person can bring a gun onto private property

    without being given express permission.

4. HB 183 infringes on an employer's ability to ensure a safe, secure work place by prohibiting

    the  carrying of guns into the workplace.

5. HB 183 allows multiple guns and unlimited ammunition clips to be carried and concealed.

    Quinn demands just one gun and one 10 round maximum clip.

6. HB 183 lacks clarity in requiring mental health reporting designed to keep guns from being

    acquired by the mentally unstable.  

7. HB 183 defines "concealed firearm" with the phrase "mostly concealed". This puts Illinois on

    the road to an open carry policy in Illinois.

8. HB 183 exempts the meetings and records of the Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board from

    the Open Meetings and Freedom of Information Acts. If any subject should be open to the light

    of transparency, it is the deadly business of carried and concealed firearms.   

9. HB 183 does not require a person carrying a concealed firearm from immediately disclosing

    same if asked by a law enforcement officer. That puts every law enforcement officer at 

    unacceptable risk  

 

Whether Illinois legislators were trolling for NRA campaign contributions or simply buckling under NRA intimidation tactics is irrelevant. What is relevant is that there may not be another public servant extant besides good Governor Quinn to use the Veto Pen as the Founding Fathers intended. Bravo, Mr. Governor.

 

Where nary a climate change denier can be found

While our planet is threatened, imperiled in fact from climate change caused by man's endless exploitation of fossil fuel, millions of Americans, including many in power both in government and business, profit from its denial. But if you want to find a group of courageous, principled professionals who to a man and a woman understand the truth and s...tark horror of climate change, just visit with our nation's wildfire fighters. They've gone from experiencing a two month fire season to a four month fire season to a six month fire season and anticipate the day when it will be year round. They scoff at ludicrous, head in the sand climate change deniers. They say there are no climate change deniers on the fire line because anyone who is quickly discovers its undeniable truth.

I'm reminded of this fact when I heard of the horrific deaths of 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots of Prescott, who died Sunday fighting the massive Yarnell Hill, AZ fire. We can never adequately honor their service and sacrifice. The least we can do, however, is continue the uphill battle, albeit one that may already be lost, but which we must fight on as furiously as those 19 heroes who battled in Yarnell, to stop and then reverse the enormous damage we've done to our one and only home.

It happened at the ol' ball park

My family and I attended the White Sox, Indians double header Friday at the Cell. It was the longest double header in history for 2 nine inning games; 7 hours and 53 minutes, plus 63 minutes between games and a 25 minute rain delay. The Pale Hose blew a 5-0 lead in game one, getting crushed 19-10. Then they blew a 3 run ninth inning lead in the nightcap, losing 9-8. Though bummed a bit by the play of our local heroes, a magical moment made the whole evening special. 'Round midnight, a hot foul ball scooted down the first base sideline wall we were sitting along. Hoisting my aging bod on the wall I grabbed the top of he wall with my left hand and did a dumpster dive with my right. I had one shot at the spinning horsehide and then...splat! The ball hit my palm and my fingers snapped shut stopping the spheroid in its tracks. Swinging back to my feet I turned right and handed the souvenir to a little girl, maybe six years old, sitting next to us with her dad. If she can stay up past midnight and not give up on the home team while so may thousands had left, I thought, she sure deserves this. She beamed; her dad beamed; and a nice round of applause broke out from the thinning crowd around us. A little while later as we were leaving, the father daughter duo, foreigners apparently, from a Latin American land where baseball is revered, again thanked me. The father said they love baseball and attend often. I'll remember that moment, hopefully, for many years to come. The little girl may remember it into the next century.