i'm walking through the summer nights

 Jukebox playing low

Yesterday everything was going too fast
Today, it’s moving too slow
I got no place left to turn
I got nothing left to burn (Dylan)

i have some explaining to do about yesterday's post. First off , sincere thanks for the concerns and kind words of all of you that reached out....i was caught off guard by how quickly i received reactions from the sweater nite universe.

Yesterday i was in the process of converting that last 10 years of this Blog into a hardcover book, and while i was editing (no spellchecks or grammar changes, i wanted my 5:00 a.m. train mistakes to remain in their original form)....i was choosing a cover photo and layout and of course a dedication when i realized that i needed a closing post.( so in 100 years from now when someone on saturn finds this book in an earthly relic Bin in their version of the Salvation Army and takes it back to the spaceship to read,  they will have a conclusion) so i typed the epilogue ending and warning of the govt censors and i fully intended to delete it after i moved it into the book version.....but the proverbial Kat was out of the Bag ...but rest assured i am not concluding the online version......so if it suddenly ends tomorrow it will be at the greasy palms of the FBI.

hey hey, whatta ya say....kick the ball the other way .......that's what i was chanting in the Redrock yesterday and sure enough ol team USA advanced the ball downfield and scored the only goal of the game in a thrillin 1-nil victory over iRAN........we pronounce it just like the Flock of Seagulls song of the same name...and now it's on to face the Netherlands and their Tennesee Orange Jerseys and bags of magic mushrooms no doubt.

one disturbing note about this team is the head coach....for the first 2 games of the tournament he wore a T-shirt with the word STATES printed on it.....as if we are just a collection of states...(yesterday he wore a black t-shirt with absolutely nothing printed on the front , and our flag ON THE BACK) ..no mention of the word UNITED.....no mention of the most important word AMERICA.....just states and of course the NIKE emblem ( i refuse to call it a swoosh).....i'm not 100% certain that he intended to make a statement with this bizarre shirt but i am dam sure that  some communist self-loathsome piece of feces at nike HQ was making a statement....these are the same scumbags that called the Betsy Ross flag racist....which i am glad they did because i went out and bought a dozen and have been flying them in front of my house ever since......so don't mind me if i temper my enthusiasm for this team entirely...alas my reservations will not prevent me from gathering in a barroom saturday morning with a USA Flag shirt and a healthy pouring of my favorite ale to root this country forward....my distaste for the liberal factions in this country will not outweigh my feverish patriotism....but long after they are gone (me too) Old Glory will still fly high God Willing...(.i stole the Flag photo below from Mr Mulligans facebook account)

I see nothing to be gained by any explanation
There are no words that need to be said
You left me standing in the doorway crying
Blues wrapped around my head

epilogue

 

I see you've got your list out

Say your piece and get out

Yes I get the gist of it

but it's all right

Oh well a Touch Of Grey
Kind of suits you anyway.
That was all I had to say
It's all right.  (Hunter-Garcia)

i have had a lot to say on this blog over the years, hopefully some of it was though provoking, and hopefully it brought some laughs, i'm not going anywhere by my own choice, but alas we don't always get the last word on that.....slainte"

Thanksgiving

 Great Day to be Grateful....so many things to be thankful for ....a lifetime of people , places and things that lead us to this day....it's good to take a break from the world and just reflect on all that we have....and well....be grateful.

Slainte' to one and all , I hope everyone is happy, healthy and well.....raise a glass this day and count our blessings....Peace

twas a dark day in dallas- november 63

 The day that will live on in infamy

President Kennedy was riding high
A good day to be living and a good day to die
Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb
Say wait a minute boys, do you know who I am?
Of course we do, we know who you are
Then they blew off his head when he was still in the car (Dylan)

had to open with a reference to the news of the day 59 years ago, as only Mr Dylan could.

turn on your TV any evening or weekend and watch some sports on the tube and some self-righteous windbag announcer will get on his soap box and preach down to the masses.... he will tell you how nobody believed in so and so.....how these heroes overcame hardship or those annoying off the field distractions ( that's code for DUI's, domestic assaults, paternity suits etc etc) how nobody works harder or wants to win more than player A, B, C or whomever is next on the depth chart...superfluous nonsense...they will share these profiles in courage so often that they lose their meaning.

Yesterday in the World of Sports there were some real profiles in Courage....took a few seconds for it to register with me as i was working and watching....but as they played the Iranian National Anthem before the match with England, the Iranian players stood stone faced, emotionless and refused to sing. They remained silent in solidarity with their countrymen and women back home who are protesting nightly against the Regime. They basically signed their own death warrants, it was later reported that the Government run Iranian TV had blocked the anthem from being shown on state TV. (Hopefully somehow word got through to the protesters) I would hate for these actions to go unnoticed by the masses.   As for the players? i suppose they can try to defect, but i doubt they are safe in Quatar...or they can return home to certain persecution, hard labor for life and possibly even death. In case you have not heard a young woman was killed while in police custody this summer for the crime of not wearing a head scarfe. The Nation of Iran has been taking to the streets to protest nightly and the US media has largely ignored it. The Regime of our biggest international threat is on the ropes and our State Dept can't even issue a message of hope to the Freedom protesters....but hey we did nothing for the Canadian Truckers, the Venezuelan uprising and the last time Iran rose up during the Arab spring....apparently the land of the free doesn't have the stomach to support Freedom anymore.....ask Honk Kong or Taiwan if you aren't sure.

but come saturday we'll hear the gut wrenching tale of some defensive lineman who has heroically been able to sack quaterbacks despite being arrested for throwing his pregnant girlfriend down a flight of stairs , ......nobody wants to win more......NOBODY i say.

Air Force One coming in through the gate
Johnson sworn in at two thirty-eight
Let me know when you decide to throw in the towel
It is what it is and it’s murder most foul

no beeeeeer for anyone

 Breaking News.....the tiny Nation of Quatar ...on the Eve of the World Cup , has reversed course and decided NOT to allow alcohol sales inside the stadiums or in the country....they previously agreed to allow Beeeeer sales during the World Cup matches and in Hotels .

idiotic fans that traveled there are screwed.

Budweiser, the proud sponsor; is screwed....how many million cases of brew have already been shipped is anyones'  guess...but i read last week that AB had hundreds of millions of pint cans on standby in London to be filled and shipped daily should the Quatar supply dwindle......don't forget the tourney runs for almost a month......Good old corrupt FIFA strikes again.......

 

I pity the poor immigrant

 Who wishes he would’ve stayed home

Who uses all his power to do evil
But in the end is always left so alone  (Dylan)

that was fast....chuck the schmuck schumer didn't even wait for a sunday afternoon press conference to grab a microphone and call for the immediate legalization of the "11 million or whatever the number is" of illegals currently in the country to be granted citizenship.

strange under 8 years of power under obama the demonrats did not do this ......and when Trump took office, he immediately called Nancy & Chuck to the oval office to work out a deal for DACA in exchange for border security and the demonrats said no. and the past 2 years with full control of Congress, Senate and Oval office and yet again the demonrats did not lift a finger to grant citizenship or to secure the border ......why now?

because as i have talked about with abortion....the demonrats do NOT want to SOLVE a problem , when they can instead keep the fish on the line and campaign on the issue.....chuck is praying the newly elected Republican Congress rejects his plans so that ALL demonrats can run on the immigration issue in the next few cycles and try desperately to win back some of the Latinos that are leaving their party in droves.......but hey, if not, they are replacing them with 200,000 illegals per month waltzing across the border.

That man whom with his fingers cheats
And who lies with ev’ry breath
Who passionately hates his life
And likewise, fears his death

Am i in my cabin dreaming ?

 Or are you really scheming

To take my ship away from me? (Grand Funk Railroad)

i was working hard at my pub table in my barroom yesterday when i was startled by a call from a loyal lieutenant in the Borough of Churches. (the good news is that nobody passed away) but the alarm bell he sounded shook me from head to toe and sent a chill down my spine. This Thing of Ours.....our un-trademarked stranglehold on the Sweater Nite tradition was under attack. Lt Mcevoy was approached by someone plotting to host a SWEATER NITE party in Long Beach Long Island and was even so bold as to reach out to Mac and inquire as to where he could buy Koozies. This interloper has attended several Sweater Nites over the years and was always welcomed and treated kindly, for him to misappropriate our culture and claim it for his own, to try to sell it to the rubes of Nasau County without so much as an acknowledgement to its origins .... well, that is sacrilege. I hereby issue an edict for everyone to write down the name Terrence Mulligan......have you written it down?  well strike a line through it...and never speak his name again. We need to circle the wagons.... only invited guests will be permitted behinds the walls of the PC's Vatican this February...this year's letter will contain a special admittance coupon that will be carefully inspected by the security detail of Spears and Uncle Alex......guests will also have to utter the secret password ( Chick Peas) to gain entry..."swordfish? no, that's the old password, we changed it......remember .... loose lips sink ships.

I can feel the hand of a stranger
And it's tightening around my throat
Heaven help me, Heaven help me
Take this stranger from my boat

like the stillness in the wind

 ’Fore the hurricane begins

The hour when the ship comes in (Dylan)

today i think fondly of every crazy SOB that i had the good fortune to serve with in the United States Navy. Every race, creed and color.......from all regions of the nation and even every economic class. From the Indian Ocean to the Persian Gulf....the Mediterranean Sea to the shores of Jacksonville....The North Atlantic to the Carribean ........being trolled by the Russians and Iranians and drinking with the Britts. 

4 short years that seemed to last a lifetime , 4 short years that did more to shape me as a person than 13 years of schooling . I am lucky to still be in touch with a half dozen of the best guys i served with and considering we did not have cell phones back then and had to track each other down on the internet 20 plus years after last serving together....well, that says a lot about the respect and friendship we shared.

Voluntary Military service...it is what sets us apart from our allies and foes..........thanks to ALL who have worn the uniform and served this GREAT Nation.

Oh the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
Then the tide will sound
And the wind will pound
And the morning will be breaking

They say you're using voodoo

 I seen your feet walk by themselves

Oh, baby, that god you been prayin’ to

Is gonna give ya back what you’re wishin’ on someone else (Dylan)

if you or someone you know had the misfortune of using the N word or even liking a Tweet or Post or Movie or Song (except rap) that used the N word....even if it was back in high school....you are in danger of being cancelled by the woke mob.....no place in society for hate speech.....no forgiveness ...or rationalization acceptable.....you lose your job, TV show, concert gig, whatever.

enter Kyrie Irving.....he likes a movie that attacks the Jews for stealing their religion from the blacks and faking the holocaust, accuses the Jews of secretly controlling the govt and country and worshipping Satan......wait for it.....cricketts....no outrage....no protests (except a few hasidics in the front row of the game) no sponsors leaving.......no reaction from teammate Durant , no reaction from Kinh James..oh well...move on.

It was early in the mornin’, I seen your shadow in the door
Now, I don’t have to ask nobody
I know what you come here for

if my words did glow

 with the gold of sunshine

And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung

Would you hear my voice come through the music

Would you hold it near as it were your own?  ( Garcia-Hunter)

those were the words Bob Weir used to greet the faithful on Halloween night 2019. He wore a kilt to honor the recently departed Robert Hunter and he strapped on an acoustic guitar. That set the tone for the best night of music ever played by this current edition of Dead & Company. The lads rocked good old Madison Square Garden for possibly their final time, it was quite the show ...and if it ends up being the last time i attend an event at MSG , well; i'm okay with that. We spent the pregame in the soon to be shuttered (maybe) Molly Wee pub with some of the closest friends i have. it was 2019 , but it could have been 1979, 89, 99 or whenever. The world was on the precipice of a global pandemic, the city of NY was about to be shut down and spiral into a lawless cocoon of chaos and incivility...but for 3 1/2 hours we stood on the Chase Bridge drinking ice cold refreshing beer and listening to the songs of our youth.....the world is a strange place, but every now and again it still spins in a favorable direction.

There is a road, no simple highway

Between the dawn and the dark of night

And if you go no one may follow

That path is for your steps alone