When The Blues Was Dues- Blind Willie McTell’s “Rollin’ Mama Blues”

…They called her Magnolia May(although he later found out, after he had gone to hell and back with her, had done every hellish thing to and with her, and had gone to heaven with her too he wanted everybody to know, her real name was Anna Sue Barkin), the highest yella gal in Ma Stover’s negro whorehouse over on Blanchard Street (although Ma kept a few off-hand just off farm white girls, all corn-fed and dewy, dope-heads by the time Ma got them , just to mix things up but you had to know Ma, or special request those girls, and Ma kept them on a separate floor, a separate floor from the high yella girls that Ma was known far and wide for), the girl every guy, especially those foolish college boys from over at State University craved when their monthly daddy checks came in. And Jackson Barr, Junior was no different, no different once one of his frat brothers clued him in to Ma’s, to high yella girls, and to the best way to spent that daddy check walking daddy right over to Ma’s. Right over to Ma’s after stopping at Mr. Henry’s in town for some fine old whiskey, scotch and rye, store bought, and some, uh, cocaine, not store bought, although legal, not store bought since other drugstore establishments insisted on a genuine prescription from a genuine doctor. Mr. Henry had no such scruples.

And so Jackson Barr headed (with other frat brothers but they don’t count in this story so we will move on) over to Ma’s one hot Saturday night in early June just before the semester was over at State, entered her establishment, took out some walking daddy money, all green and pure, handed his liquors to the man servant and declared to Ma, declared calmly but forthrightly, that he wanted the highest yella girl in her fine establishment. Hence Magnolia May.

And hence seven kinds of hell and heaven once they had gone up to her room for the very first thing she did was to drop down her dress to show off her high yella fine wares, all curves and cuddles in the right places, and boldly, not whore boldly although that was her professional, but hey daddy you are in for a treat boldly, asked Jackson Barr, Junior just exactly how did he want his rolling done (what kind of sex, no rough stuff to mar her body, did he want for the clueless). After a finger of scotch and two fingers of coke which he invited her to share with him they jumped on her big fluffy bed and she gave him some head, spitting his jimson into her handkerchief after he exploded in her mouth.

Two weeks and five hundred miles later Jackson Barr, Senior, Ma Stover, seventeen officials from State, the Texas Rangers, and who knows what else, found Jackson Barr, Junior and Magnolia May in the Imperial Hotel in Austin, Texas after about a million odd-ball incidents, a million liquor drinks, many bindles of dope, and after about twenty pages from the Karma Sutra the ways that Jackson Barr, Junior wanted his rolling done. They hushed it all up by agreement, and gave Magnolia May a one- way ticket to Chicago, or else. But always after, even with his wife, all curves and cuddles, all white curves and cuddles, sleeping right beside and willing to do some rolling of her own, he kept thinking of that June time, and about maybe heading to Chicago on business some time.

Blind Willie McTell Rollin' Mama Blues Lyrics

Translation in progress. Please wait...

Now tell me baby
How do you want your rollin' done?
Now tell me baby
How do you want your rollin' done?

I want you to start in the mornin' baby
And roll me with the settin' of the sun

Oh, roll me on my belly baby
Feed me with your chocolate drop
Oh, roll me on my belly baby
Feed me with your chocolate drop

I want you to keep it all for your daddy
And don't give nobody none

Want you to roll me baby
Like the baker rolls his dough
Want you to roll me baby
Like the baker rolls his dough

And if you get some of my lovin'
You won't want your rider no more

Oh, reel and rock me baby
Honey, if it's all night long
Oh, reel and rock me baby
Honey, if it's all night long

You don't have to worry about your lovin'
I'm a deep sea diver and I don't go wrong

Won't you come back baby?
You got me all confused
Won't you come back baby?
You got me all confused

That's why I'm singin'
These barrel house woman blues

Bradley Manning takes stand, puts military captors on trial

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By Nathan Fuller, December 23, 2012.

Bradley Manning in court, with the suicide blanket he was forced to use. Sketch by Clark Stoeckley.

Spanning nearly three weeks and comprising more than a dozen witnesses, the Article 13 hearing on the defense’s motion to dismiss based on unlawful punishment was PFC Bradley Manning’s longest pretrial hearing yet. The defense has moved to throw out all charges against the WikiLeaks whistleblower, arguing that the military has violated the UCMJ’s Article 13, which prohibits pretrial punishment. Through testimony from prison guards, high-ranking military officials, and Bradley himself, defense lawyer David Coombs chronicled Bradley’s eleven months in solitary confinement, focusing on the nine months in the Quantico Marine brig, from July 29, 2010, through April 20, 2011.
Earlier in July, three-star General George Flynn emailed the Quantico chain of command, notifying officials of Bradley’s impending arrival and explaining that he believed Bradley was a suicide risk. When Manning got to the brig, he was evaluated and determined to be need only medium security. But the Duty Brig Supervisor, likely influenced by Gen. Flynn’s directive, overrode that determination and placed Manning on Suicide Risk (SR) watch. From then on, Manning was on SR or Prevention of Injury (POI) watch throughout his entire imprisonment at Quantico. Gen. Flynn was updated weekly on Manning’s treatment.
At Quantico Bradley was in a 6×8 ft cell for 23 hours a day, got only 20 minutes of sunshine daily for his first six months, had to eat alone in his cell, wore metal shackles on his arms and legs whenever he left it, couldn’t talk to other detainees, was monitored verbally every few minutes and visually around the clock, and had to ask guards to use books, soap, or even toilet paper.
Coombs described the impact of these conditions in his only public appearance, on December 3: “Brad’s treatment at Quantico will forever be etched into our nation’s history as a disgraceful moment in time.”
Bradley details abusive confinement
We finally heard the young Army private we’ve been supporting for two and a half years, who turned out to be articulate, intelligent, and remarkably poised for someone who survived nearly a year of solitary confinement. On the stand for several hours over two days, Bradley chronicled his experience since arrest, from his harrowing trauma in Kuwait, to his exhaustive efforts to end his restrictive conditions in Quantico, to his much-improved status in Fort Leavenworth.
In Kuwait, Bradley was isolated in a tiny metal cell, which made him feel disoriented and “trapped.” He couldn’t talk to anyone else, and no one explained what was happening to him. Forced to sleep during the day and work at night, and placed in a “shark attack environment” by guards, in which they give conflicting orders so that everything he did was wrong, Bradley had an anxiety attack and passed out.
“I had pretty much given up,” he said. “I thought I was going to die in this 8×8 animal cage.”
Guards said they found two nooses in his cell, only one of which Bradley vaguely remembered making. He said he’d known a noose was futile, as he had no place to hang it. When he boarded a plan to leave Kuwait, he prayed he was going to Germany but expected to land in Guantanamo.
When he got to the Marine brig in Virginia, the psychiatrist at the time, Captain William Hocter, recommended Bradley be placed on SR for his first week, to monitor his acclimation. He then advised reducing his status to POI on August 6, 2010, but brig commander and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) James Averhart didn’t reduce it until August 11. CWO Abel Galaviz, head of Marine corrections, later testified that this delay was a violation of Navy regulations.
Bradley was then placed on POI, so he endured nearly all of the restrictions imposed on suicidal detainees – the only discernable difference being that Suicide Risk required the psychiatrists’ approval. Still a maximum-security detainee, he remained on lockdown, with metal shackles for his 20 minutes of daylight, and as a “self-harm risk” he still had to ask for the most basic personal items.
A fluorescent light blared into Bradley’s cell at all times, but at night he wasn’t allowed to cover his face. If guards couldn’t see his face, they’d wake him up – often multiple times a night.
Quantico ignored mental health professionals
Nearly every single week, brig psychiatrists implored top officials to remove Bradley from these conditions, avowing both that there was no psychiatric need for his isolation and that his treatment was worsening his mental health. Yet Quantico’s brig commanders – first Chief Warrant Officer James Averhart, then CWO Denise Barnes – kept him on SR or POI, both maximum-security classifications, for his entire time in the brig.
In mid-January, Cpt. Hocter pressed Quantico’s Battalion Commander, Col. Oltman, on the matter, saying Bradley had no mental-health reason to remain on POI and that he’d never been ignored like this before. Col. Oltman told him to make his recommendation and that Bradley would be kept on POI regardless. Testimony on his wording varies, but Cpt. Hocter recalls Col. Oltman saying that Bradley would be kept on POI “indefinitely.”
CWOs Averhart and Barnes cited Bradley’s trauma in Kuwait, “poor” communication with brig staff, “erratic” behaviors in his cell, and the severity of his charges to justify keeping him on POI. But these issues were all examined, reviewed, and cleared by mental health professionals. Guards said his behaviors were normal for a bored prisoner, and doctors said he wasn’t at risk to himself.
In countering the defense’s motion, government prosecutors focused almost solely on Bradley’s physical health – noting that Bradley did make it to his court-martial alive, and at one point asking Quantico guards, “Did he get three hot meals a day?” – evincing serious negligence of Bradley’s psychological well-being.
This negligence echoed that of Quantico officials. Guards monitored every Bradley’s move, but did they ever care how isolation affected him? Didn’t they realize that forcing him to ask for toilet paper was dehumanizing.
In his closing argument, Coombs said, “If the Quantico brig could have put him in a straightjacket in a padded room and not had anybody complain, they would have.”
CWO Barnes said that if something happened to Bradley, she wouldn’t have retirement options to fall back on. GYSGT Blenis said that if Bradley hurt himself, it’d be Blenis facing a court-martial.
“They were more concerned with how [their actions] would appear to the Marine Corps and Quantico than if Manning was at risk of self-harm,” Coombs said.
This negligence of Bradley’s mental health is tantamount to punishment. Bradley endured nine months of solitary confinement, weeks of that including forced nudity at night, regardless of the guards’ intentions. If Judge Denise Lind recognizes this punishment, she’ll have to dismiss Manning’s charges, or at least give him credit for sentencing.

From The Pen Of Joshua Lawrence Breslin- New Year’s Eve, 1977

… He looked out from the ancient smudged sooted back window (showing frigid glass crack slivers breakable and some rotten pane wood ) of his fourth floor single room sad sack, no elevator, long gone downhill from prosperous Victorian mayfair swells times brownstone ready for the wrecker’s’ ball, down the street, down Joy Street, down Beacon Hill Boston Joy Street, ironically named , as the late afternoon crowd of government workers clinging to their annual New Year’s holiday early release (at the discretion of their supervisors, although they, the supervisors. were long gone at noontime, if the day’s work was done) strolled by, ditto post-Christmas shoppers who had wisely waited until after black Christmas day to bring back to Jordan’s or Filene’s those unwanted ties, toys, and bric-a-brac that inevitable arrived at that time each year, and watched wistfully as an early returning college student or two, bulging cloth book bags over their shoulders, trying to catch up on some recess-delayed study, headed a few streets over to school as the town prepared for its first First Night, an officially sanctioned chamber of commerce-style city booster event complete with usually reserved for the Fourth of July shout-out fireworks to welcome in the new year, 1977.

Closer at hand he also observed across narrow Joy Street Steve and Billy, two wine-soaked winos, wine-soaked by this hour if he was any judge,across from his smudged sooted brownstone window view appearing, as always, to be arguing over something from the sound of their voices that could be heard all the way up to his fourth floor digs. That argument would before long wind up on the floor below his where this pair, when not homeless street-bound, when not too far in rent arrears (like he was at the moment), kept a shabby flop, a flop not unlike his, single bed, mattress sagging from too many years of faithful addicted service (addicted, drugs, gambling, liquor, although not seemingly the new addiction fad, sex, for, as far as he knew and he knew for certain in his own case, no women crossed the brownstone front door threshold, not that he had seen anyway, nor given the single-minded nature of the listed addictions matched to listed tenants was that likely, a woman, a woman’s wanting habits, were too distracting to trump such devotions), a left behind rumbled hard hospital pillow, pillow-cased (by him), probably gathered by some previous tenant from one of the about seventeen local hospitals that started just the other side of Cambridge Street, Joy Street downstream river flow into Cambridge Street, sheets, rumpled and he provided as well, a bureau, a cockroach-friendly cheap bureau until he stamped out every one of the veiled bastards, for his small personal wardrobe, a couple of changes of this and that, maybe three, along with the usual stash of undergarments, a small table for bric-a-brac (which he used for occasional writing) and toilet articles, no cooking facilities (thankfully, thinking about the Steve and Billy voices moving in on him), no frig, nothing personal on the walls, a common bathroom complete with some Victorian-era tub for the four residents of each floor, and done.

As he heard the rough-hewn gravel hoarse voices of Steve and Billy making their way up the stairs he threw on his best short- sleeved shirt (simple logic-usable all seasons, heat or cold), dark green plaid like what was fashionable about 1960 and mother–bought for the first day of school, fresh from the Sally (Salvation Army) bin over on Berkeley Street, his mauve sweater (also purchased at Sally’s but earlier in the winter backing up that short-sleeved shirt decision), his waist-length denim jean jacket, not Sally-bought but bought when he was in the clover after hitting the perfecta at Suffolk a couple of months before and deciding, deciding against all gambler’s reason, that he should buy it against the coming winter colds, threw his keys in his pants’ pocket and headed down the stairs, waving and shouting happy new year to Steve and Billy, who embroiled in some argument about who was to buy the night’s Thunderbird, let his remark pass without comment, and out the door to investigate the first night officially-sanctioned activity. And to figure out how, with eight dollars in his pocket and the tracks closed for the season until after the new year, he was going to come up with a week’s twenty-two dollar rent due in a couple of days to keep the super from his door for a while.

As he walked up Cambridge Street pass City Hall where it veered into Tremont toward the Common he suddenly had an idea, hell, why hadn’t he thought of it before, constantly studying those racing forms up in that fourth floor cold water flat, hell not even cold water, not in the room anyway, he thought must had finally gotten the better of him. What better night to work the pan-handle, the pan-handle that a few years back he had worked into an art form of sorts before the chilly winds of the 70s, his own hubristic addictions, Susie, and , hell, just some plain bad luck, had forced him into a few years of work, work doing a little of this and a little of that, before he got tired of that little of this and little of that, and focused all his energies on his “system,” his absolutely fool-proof system of beating the ponies, the dogs, or whatever other animal wanted to run like hell for the paying customers, the guys, the guys like him, who all had their own sure-fire beat-down systems and who could live, like him, on easy street on the profits. Just now though he had to work on his approach, his new year’s festive crowd approach since he knew his act would be rusty starting out.

Funny, he thought, most civilians, most people who have never been on the wrong side of the bum, think pan-handling is just pan-handling, put out your hat or hand kind of polite, kind of “sorry to bother you,” and pitch for spare change, and mainly keep moving along playing the percentages by covering a lot of ground fast, or just staying put, maybe on the ground looking like some third world refugee with all your worldly possessions about you. Jesus. Forget all that, that was strictly for winos and losers. It might have worked in about 1926 or 27 when people actually looked at a person, any person, when something was spoken to them, even by a ragamuffin stranger, or actually took the time and looked down at the ground and thought poor guy. Today a guy needed an angle, a reason for a passer-by to stop. And that is where his old friend’s advice, his hobo road friend Black River Whitey, told around a jungle camp fire one night out in Indio, out in the California desert near the old Southern Pacific railroad tracks, about the tricks of the trade came in handy.

Black River Whitey simply said this- shout at or do some fake (maybe not fake when you get into it) mental flip out when asking for dough. Nothing over the edge, way over the edge, but firm. See the idea Whitey said was that those couple of dollars (hey, not quarters or chump change like that) they practically threw at you to get you out of their faces was far easier for them to do than to guess at what your next move will be, especially a guy with his girl and he thinking of later in the night thoughts and maybe scoring and not wanting to go mano y mano with some half-hobo and, and, losing. Beautiful. But he thought as he walked toward the Common and his night’s work past a couple of half-frozen stoop winos spread out down on the ground, cup in front, across from Park Street Station any fool could see where winos and other lamos best stick with that cup in front of them and be glad of the few quarters that trickle their way.

Of course, Whitey also mentioned, if you had time and had some dough to get some half-decent clothes, clothes like he had on now (only half-decent you don’t want to pitch hard luck stuff in a Brooks Brothers suit, not on the mean streets anyway), you could work “the down on your luck” angle, needing an angel angle that worked with private social welfare organizations and single women especially. He knew the score on that one because he had, young enough, just gentile shabby enough, just “rehab-able ” enough, and just civilized enough to pull it off made many dollars in tough times the last time they came his way a few years back (and a couple of friendly one night stands with some lonely women too, and not bad looking either, as a bonus). But that was day time magic, lunch time, and took precious time and that night with frozen temperatures in the air and distracted fast-moving people going from place to place the shout-out was his strategy of choice by default.

And his night of work, after a few off-hand rusty stumbles and a bunch of brush-off, worked, worked to the tune of thirty-two dollars, about six packs worth of cigarettes of all kinds (oh yah, Black River Whitey always said if they pleaded no dough ask for cigarettes, or something, but keep asking), a least six belts of high shelf booze from no dough pleaders to keep the chill off, a couple of joints (to be saved for cooler, maybe a stray woman, times) from lingering 1960s freak-types, and he thought, an offer to stay at some woman’s house for the night, although the booze might have been taking his head over by then. (Besides he was still half-pining for Susie, Susie who had up and left him with her wanting habits intact, when he decided he would rather do a little of this and that than work the nine to five numbness.) Now if he could only keep that dough ready for the rent and not bet on some foolish new year’s college football game or something before then he might be able to work on that sure-fire system of his in the comfortof him room and really be on easy street.

Boston First Night- Copley Square New Year’s Eve Pardon Private Manning Stand-Out

 

 

Stand In Solidarity With Private Manning In Copley Square As We Celebrate The New Year, The Year Of Bradley’s Freedom. (This spot is now the traditional First Night spot for all those who want to stand against current wars, impeding wars, and for national liberation struggles so we will be among kindred spirits as people gather to watch the First Night parade that starts in the area later in the evening.)   

 

Let’s Redouble Our Efforts To Free Private Bradley Manning-President Obama Pardon Bradley Manning -Make Every Town Square In America (And The World) A Bradley Manning Square From Boston’s Copley Square To Berkeley to Berlin-Join Us In Copley Square (at the Boston Public Library, corner of Dartmouth and Boylston Streets ), Boston , Ma. For A Stand-Out For Bradley- First Night, Monday December 31st From 3:00-5:00 PM

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The Private Bradley Manning case is headed toward a late - winter trial now scheduled for March 2013. The recent news on his case has centered on the many (since last April) pre-trial motions hearings including defense motions to dismiss for lack of speedy trial (Private Manning’s pre-trial confinement is now at 900 plus days), dismissal as a matter of freedom of speech and minimal effect on alleged national security issues (issues for us to know what the hell the government is doing either in front of us, or behind our backs) and dismissal based on serious allegations of torturous behavior by the military authorities extending far up the chain of command while Private Manning was detained in Kuwait and at the Quantico Marine brig for about a year ending in April 2011. In December Private Manning himself, as well as others including senior military mental health workers, took the stand to detail those abuses.

 

Some more important recent news from the November 2012 pre-trail sessions is the offer by the defense to plead guilty to lesser charges (wrongful, unauthorized use of the Internet, etc.) in order to clear the deck and have the major (with a possibility of a life sentence) espionage /aiding the enemy issue solely before the court-martial judge (a single military judge, the one who has been hearing the pre-trial motions, not a lifer-stacked panel). Other news includes the increased media attention by mainstream outlets  around the case, as well as an important statement by three Nobel Peace Laureates  (including Bishop Tutu from South Africa) calling on their fellow laureate, United States President Barack Obama, to free Private Manning from his jails.

 

Since September 2011, in order to publicize Private Manning’ case, there have been weekly stand-outs (as well as other more ad hoc and sporadic events) in various locations in the Greater Boston area starting in Somerville across from the Davis Square Redline MBTA stop (renamed Pardon Bradley Manning Square for the stand-out’s duration) in Somerville on Friday afternoons and later on Wednesdays. Lately this stand-out has been held on each week on Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:00 PM in order to continue to broaden our outreach at Central Square, Cambridge, Ma. (Small Park at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Prospect Street just outside the Redline MBTA stop, also rename Manning Square for the duration.) Join us. President Obama Pardon Private Manning Now!  

Año First Night Boston Copley Square-Nuevo Manning Eva Perdón privado stand-out

Año First Night Boston Copley Square-Nuevo Manning Eva Perdón privado stand-out

En solidaridad con Manning privada Copley Square Al celebrar el Año Nuevo, el Año de la Libertad de Bradley. (Este lugar es ahora el lugar tradicional First Night para todos aquellos que quieren estar en contra de las guerras, las guerras actuales que impiden, por la liberación nacional y las luchas por lo que será uno de almas gemelas como las personas se reúnen para ver el desfile primera noche que comienza en la zona tarde en la noche.)

Vamos a redoblar nuestros esfuerzos para liberar privado Bradley Manning-Presidente Perdón Obama Bradley Manning-Hacer todo Plaza de la Ciudad en América (y el mundo) A Bradley Manning Square De Copley de Boston Square a Berkeley para nosotros Berlin-Join In Copley Square (en la Biblioteca Pública de Boston Biblioteca, esquina de las calles Boylston y Dartmouth), Boston, MA. Para un stand-out Por Bradley-First Night, lunes 31 de diciembre de 3:00-5:00 pm
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The Private Bradley Manning caso se dirige hacia una tarde - juicio programado para el invierno ahora marzo de 2013. Las recientes noticias sobre su caso se ha centrado en los muchos (desde el pasado mes de abril) mociones previas al juicio audiencias, incluyendo peticiones de la defensa para desestimar por falta de juicio rápido (Private Manning prisión preventiva está ahora a 900 más días), el despido como una cuestión de la libertad de expresión y un efecto mínimo sobre presuntos problemas de seguridad nacionales (cuestiones para nosotros saber qué demonios está haciendo el gobierno, ya sea en frente de nosotros, o detrás de la espalda) y el despido basado en las graves denuncias de comportamiento tortuoso por las autoridades militares se extienden lejos de la cadena de mando mientras soldado Manning fue detenido en Kuwait y en el bergantín Quantico Marine alrededor de un año que terminó en abril de 2011. En diciembre del mismo Manning privado, así como de otras personas, incluyendo altos militares de los trabajadores de salud mental, subió al estrado al detalle esos abusos.

Algunas noticias recientes más importantes de los 11 2012 preventiva de sesiones es el ofrecimiento de la defensa de declararse culpable de cargos menores (uso indebido, no autorizado de Internet, etc) con el fin de limpiar la cubierta y tiene la mayor (con un posibilidad de una sentencia de cadena perpetua) espionaje / ayudar al enemigo cuestión únicamente ante el juez de la corte marcial (un solo juez militar, el que ha estado escuchando las mociones previas al juicio, no un grupo condenado a cadena perpetua en fichas). Otras noticias incluye la mayor atención de los medios por los medios de la corriente principal en torno al caso, así como una declaración importante por tres Premios Nobel de la Paz (incluido el obispo Tutu de Sudáfrica) pidiendo a su laureado compañero, el presidente estadounidense Barack Obama, al soldado Manning libre de sus cárceles.

Desde septiembre de 2011, a fin de dar a conocer el caso Manning privada ', ha habido semanal stand-outs (así como otro anuncio más hoc y eventos esporádicos) en varios lugares en el área metropolitana de Boston a partir de Somerville al otro lado de la Davis Square Redline MBTA detener (rebautizada Perdón Bradley Manning Square durante la duración del stand-out 's) en Somerville viernes por la tarde y más tarde de los miércoles. Últimamente esta posición de salida ha tenido lugar en cada semana los miércoles 5:00-18:00 con el fin de seguir ampliando nuestro alcance en Central Square, Cambridge, MA. (Pequeño parque en la esquina de Massachusetts Avenue y Prospect Street justo fuera de la parada de Redline MBTA, también cambia el nombre de Plaza de Manning para el resto.) Únase a nosotros. Presidente Obama Manning Perdón PRIVADAS ahora mismo!

***From The Pen Of Joshua Lawrence Breslin- Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Paradine Case”- A Film Review

Click on the headline to link to a Wikipedia entry for the 1947 Alfred Hitchcock film, The Paradine Case.

DVD Review

The Paradine Case, starring Gregory Peck, Anne Todd, Alida Valli, Louis Jourdan, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Selznick International Pictures, 1947

Okay, okay I ‘ll back off a little on my remark that on the basis of two recently reviewed Alfred Hitchcock films, The Wrong Man and I Confess, apparently the late thriller director had less that total admiration for the cops, the New York City and Quebec City cops anyway. Yah, the cops, the London cops, got it right, got it right up to the big step off as they collared their man, oops woman, wrapped it up tight, and let the long arm of justice take its course. But see there was dame involved, a femme fatale to boot so you can hardly blame a guy like me (or Hitchcock’s London cops for that matter under other circumstances) for not seeing what was clear as day in front of us. But it was a close thing anyway before the end, and some pretty big time lawyers, oops, barristers got egg on their faces before it was all over.

I better explain (and explain fast before some irate cop gives me, poor me, the third degree for complaining about their police procedures). See this mysterious woman, thisfemme fatale there is no other way to call it discreetly, was married to a mucky-mucky blind (age and infirmity blind) English rich gentleman named Paradine who wound up very, very dead one night having ingested a poisoned drink. Naturally his ever-loving wife, Mrs. Paradine (played by Alida Valli), young, fetching, restless, of indeterminate background, and, oh yah, a femme fatale, if I didn’t mention that before was the easy choice to step off for the caper. Mrs. Paradine though was not without financial resources and could and did hire the best up and coming criminal defense lawyer around town, oops again, barrister, Tony Keane(played by Gregory Peck), a very, very married barrister by the way. Married to an upper crust woman (played by Anne Todd) who was perhaps just a bit too stiff upper lip and earnest when all is said and done.

Naturally when a femme is on the prowl every guy within ten miles is fair game and, of course, Tony forgets every law 101 thing that got him to where he was including taking a big fall for Mrs. Paradine once she got her hooks into him. Those hooks included Tony, against all reason and evidence, trying to set up Colonel Paradine’s valet, Andre, as the fall guy (played by Louis Jourdan).That proved to be Tony’s undoing as Mrs. Paradine, turning out to be a good femme, or my idea of a good femme, won’t hear of letting Andre take the fall, especially after Tony has grilled Andre on the stand in court and as a result Andre commits suicide. That knowledge unravels Mrs. Paradine who admits in open court, against all reason since that all male jury was also swayable, that Andre was her lover and that she, and she alone, murdered her husband to run off with him.

Build those gallows high, very high indeed. Naturally the very earnest Mrs. Keane took her Tony back, or wanted to but you can see, see as clear as day, how even big time lawyers, oops once more, barristers could have gotten thrown off course when a femme is in the room. So what do expect of poor amateur like me who was secretly pulling for her just like I do for every femme, good or bad. But that too was a close thing.

Bradley's third birthday in prison. Help raise funds for his upcoming court martial. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. We just received a $10,000 end-of-year matching grant! A very generous anonymous donor has plendged to basically double your donation today. All donations will be matched one-to-one until the end of December! Dear Friend of Bradley Manning, This Monday, Bradley Manning turned 25, celebrating his third birthday in prison while awaiting trial for releasing important documents to the public via WikiLeaks. The government has delayed Brad’s court martial for over two years. But now we have big news: his court marital is expected to start in March 2013. We’re writing today because we need your help to raise enough money for Brad’s trial expenses. We've had a generous donor offer to match the first $10,000 donated in December. Please make a donation so we can ensure Bradley Manning has the best defense possible when he goes to court. We just finished a major hearing in Maryland. For the first time, Brad’s lawyer, David Coombs, presented evidence that showed the abusive conditions Brad was held in for eleven months. In court, Coombs showed that Brad was kept on enforced “suicide watch,” against the recommendations of psychiatrists. This included solitary confinement with no access to sunlight, eyeglasses and clothing taken away, and even extreme humiliation such as being forced to stand nude for morning inspection. As Coombs stated: "Brad's treatment at Quantico will forever be etched, I believe, in our nation's history, as a disgraceful moment in time. Not only was it stupid and counterproductive. It was criminal.” Thanks to your support - financial and otherwise - we’ve helped fund the legal defense that allowed all of this evidence of torturous treatment to be submitted in pretrial hearings, giving Brad a real chance at seeing justice. But the court martial will be our toughest battle yet – weeks of cross-examinations, evidence, and testimony will be presented. We are expecting this trial to last far longer than a normal court martial, potentially lasting for three or four months. Donate now to the Bradley Manning defense fund. For more information about the defense fund click here. Just to cover the costs of the trial, we need to raise at least $75,000. We’ll need even more to organize protests and public events around the trial. Can you please pitch in? Every bit helps. It’s been a challenging and inspiring two years, and we couldn’t have done any of it without the dedication and unstinting tenacity of our supporters. 2013 is going to be historic. Let’s make sure we have the resources – financial and otherwise – to ensure Brad has the best defense possible. Help us defend Bradley Manning – and the right of the public to know the truth – by making a donation today. Thank you for all that you do, Loraine Reitman Co-founder and steering committee member, Bradley Manning Support Network PS We’re a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible. Help us continue to cover 100% of Bradley's legal fees! Donate today.

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Christmas In The Trenches

2

Boston-area, rip-off pizza joint that abused immigrant labor is divi

Fri Dec 21, 2012 4:57 am (PST) . Posted by:

"Booth, Jeffrey" jeffreactivate

Upper Crust chain divided up at auction
By Jenn Abelson<http://bostonglobe.com/staff/abelson>
| Globe Staff
December 19, 2012
[Shannon Liss-Riordan sued Upper Crust in 2010 on behalf of immigrant workers who claim the company took advantage of employees.]

Suzanne Kreiter/Globe staff

Shannon Liss-Riordan sued Upper Crust in 2010 on behalf of immigrant workers who claim the company took advantage of employees.
* The bankrupt Upper Crust pizza chain was sliced up at auction Wednesday, as a private equity firm with ties to ousted founder Jordan Tobins won leases for four restaurants, while an attorney who filed a class-action lawsuit against Tobins and the company for allegedly exploiting workers purchased the Harvard Square location.
Shannon Liss-Riordan, who sued Upper Crust in 2010 on behalf of immigrant employees who claim the business took advantage of workers and seized back wages from them, said she plans to give employees ownership shares in the restaurant. She partnered with another investor, Haluk Ozek, who owns Monella Boutique in Harvard Square, to buy the Cambridge lease and equipment and they are considering naming the restaurant "The Just Crust."
"We are very excited about buying back the Harvard Square location and making it into a model workplace for the benefit of the workers," Liss-Riordan said. "I hope this effort will provide at least one bright spot in this sad and troubling story."
An affiliate of Ditmars Ltd. - the private equity firm working with Tobins - made the top offers of $290,000 for the South End location on Tremont Street; $180,000 for the Lexington restaurant; $110,000 for the Wellesley shop; and $75,000 for the Watertown site. Christopher Panos, who represents Ditmars, said it is pleased it was the highest bidder and is hopeful it can soon begin hiring workers and making pizza.
This fall, the firm provided $250,000 as part of a settlement that was in the works between Tobins and his Upper Crust partners, according to attorneys and court records.
"Upper Crust is really Jordan's life so he's very excited. He's very happy a number of employees will be back having jobs," said Rick Mikels, an attorney for Tobins, who started the chain in Beacon Hill in 2001.
Boston Restaurant Associates, which runs the Regina Pizzeria chain, acquired the lease for the Upper Crust near Fenway Park for $175,000. Sam Sokol, who works for a real estate and hospitality investment firm, paid $100,000 for the Newbury Street site and said he plans to open a pizza shop at the location, but would not disclose which brand.
Al Carvelli, who runs an Upper Crust franchise in Plymouth, submitted the successful bid of $70,000 for the Hingham location. The landlord at State Street bought back its lease for $170,000 and the landlord for the Washington, D.C., shop also took over its site for $63,000.
The offers are for leases and restaurant equipment, not the rights to use the Upper Crust name. Upper Crust filed for bankruptcy protection in October after years of financial and labor troubles. A bankruptcy trustee closed 10 stores in November because the business had almost no cash and few supplies after executives paid themselves a month's salary in advance. Upper Crust said in court records it owes at least $3.4 million, and the US Department of Labor filed a claim that the company owes workers $850,000 in back wages and damages.
As Upper Crust rapidly expanded, the business depended on immigrant laborers from a village in Brazil. At first, workers embraced the opportunity, but over time, the relationship was strained as employees were underpaid for long workweeks while owners indulged in luxuries such as a yacht, according to a 2010 investigation published in the Globe<http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/12/05/harmony_gives_way_to_exploitation_charge_against_upper_crust/>.
They took their complaints to federal labor officials, who ordered the pizza chain to pay workers about $350,000 in overtime. Company executives then allegedly came up with a scheme to wrest the money back by slashing wages, resulting in a class-action lawsuit and another labor investigation.
Tobins and his partners, Joshua Huggard and Brendan Higgins, have repeatedly denied these allegations. But tensions between the co-owners emerged earlier this year when Tobins was placed on leave, and then sued by Huggard and Higgins for allegedly misusing about $750,000 in company funds for personal expenses.
Liss-Riordan said she believes there are questions about whether Tobins, through a third-party firm, can buy the Upper Crust locations because of an injunction prohibiting him from transferring assets.
"Although he will claim he is doing it through someone else, the point is that assets under his control should be preserved to pay back the employees, as well as creditors of Upper Crust," Liss-Riordan said.
A hearing to approve the sales, which totaled roughly $1.5 million, is set for Dec. 27. Mark G. DeGiacomo, the trustee overseeing the bankruptcy, said he will review all aspects of the bidders, including statements disclosing where the money was coming from and relationships to the debtors.
DeGiacomo is investigating Upper Crust operations for potential lawsuits against individuals who may have received money prior to the bankruptcy outside the course of business. He said he plans to try to recover more funds for creditors.
Get two weeks of FREE unlimited access to BostonGlobe.com. No credit card required.<https://services.bostonglobe.com/registration/free/Rv.aspx?p1=FCF_Article> Jenn Abelson can be reached at abelson@globe.com<mailto:abelson@globe.com> .

Holiday Greetings to All Friends and Allies

of Dorchester People for Peace!

Best Wishes from DPP to those observing the holidays – or simply enjoying the spirit of the season. . .

And a PEACEFUL NEW YEAR!

We have posted these videos many times before during the Holidays. Watch them for the first time if you haven’t seen them before; watch them again and you won’t be disappointed. . .

CHRISTMAS IN THE TRENCHES -- 1914

In December, 1914, after months of slaughter during the First World War (it was supposed to be “The War to End all Wars”!), British and German soldiers declared an informal and spontaneous truce. The story of their fraternization and holiday celebration is told in detail here and here (the link in last week’s Update is obsolete). Many thanks to our friends in the Veterans for Peace, Smedley Butler Brigade, for reminding us of this!

Christmas In The Trenches VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9coPzDx6tA

The event has been immortalized in a song by folksinger JOHN MCCUTCHEON, which you can hear and watch along with contemporary illustration and a moving introduction by the performer:

The song ends with this stanza:

My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same.

* * * *

VIDEO: John Lennon – HAPPY CHRISTMAS (The War is Over) – updated for today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN4Uu0OlmTg

John Lennon

(killed on December 8, 1980)

VIDEO: “All we are saying is give peace a chance.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkZC7sqImaM

***************************

Yusuf Ibrahim (aka Cat Stevens)

VIDEO: “Peace Train”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7wEctHyuc0

* * * *

DORCHESTER PEOPLE FOR PEACE NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Together with so many of you, DPP achieved a huge success November 6, when more than 600,000 voters in 91 cities in Massachusetts, including Boston, passed Referendum Question 4 by a 3 to 1 margin at the polls. The voters gave a resounding YES to Protecting Social Security, Medicare and other benefits; Investing in Jobs; Taxing the 1%; Bringing the War Dollars Home.

But we need to let you know that we are facing our own ‘fiscal cliff’!

The Referendum Campaign caused expenses, far beyond our usual very modest budget, for printing Referendum Campaign signs, flyers and polling-place palm cards. We need to raise at least $1600 just to pay our bills.

Please send a donation of whatever you can afford – with checks payable to Dorchester People for Peace -- to our treasurer:

Gerry Bilodeau

26 Midland St.

Dorchester, MA 02125

Poet’s Corner – The Gangster Poet Cometh – Gregory Corso’s “Destiny”

… a man came running down the stairs of some sad sack, no elevator, long gone, brownstone ready for the wrecker’s’ ball, wild-haired, throwing off devil brown hair that wouldn’t stay down, devil brown-eyed, smirks, half-dressed, shirt open, pant fly open like maybe he had just finished up some hurried sex with his best friend’s wife and that best friend is now walking up Canal Street in New Jack City ready to be greeted by that ever loving wife once he walks up the six flights to their honeymoon-like cold water flat, cockroach friendly, the flat, or maybe, same wild-haired, different take, maybe open pant fly open having just come from some boyfriend, or stray pick-up back alley after being drip-dried, he had that wild-eyed look for that hunger too, that boy hunger, hell for all human hungers if you looked closely, he frantic, muttering, yes, muttering a mile a minute words, machine gun gangster muttering those words, ashes in the mouth words like truth, beauty, age, wisdom, the veda, the Buddha truth, the karma sutra, the act of contrition, six hail marys and this, throw them all out and start fresh, start fresh with the new beat down, beat around, beat six ways to Sunday, beatitude truth.

Muttering death of god truth, beat down old man god truth, muttering against false prophets truth, muttering quietly just then some new truth, a truth worth pondering.

…and hence Gregory Corso.

Destiny

They deliver the edicts of God

without delay

And are exempt from apprehension

from detention

And with their God-given

Petasus, Caduceus, and Talaria

ferry like bolts of lightning

unhindered between the tribunals

of Space & Time


The Messenger-Spirit

in human flesh

is assigned a dependable,

self-reliant, versatile,

thoroughly poet existence

upon its sojourn in life


It does not knock

or ring the bell

or telephone

When the Messenger-Spirit

comes to your door

though locked

It'll enter like an electric midwife

and deliver the message


There is no tell

throughout the ages

that a Messenger-Spirit

ever stumbled into darkness

Gregory Corso

On The 50th Anniversary- Honor The Heroic Cuban Defenders At The Bay Of Pigs-Defend The Cuban Revolution!

Click on the headline to link to a Wikipedia entry for the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
Markin comment:
Those of us who came of age in the 1960s, especially those of us who cut our political teeth on defending, under one principle or another (right to national self-determination, socialist solidarity, general anti-imperialist agenda, etc.), the Cuban revolution that we were front row television witnesses to, cherish the memory of the heroic Cuban defenders at the Bay of Pigs. No one cried when the American imperial adventure was foiled and President John Kennedy (whatever else we felt about him then), egg on face, had to take responsibility for the fiasco.

Those of us who continue to adhere to the anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, pro-socialist agenda, whatever our differences with the Cuban leadership, today can join in honoring those heroic fighters. Today is also a day to face the hard fact that we have had too few victories against the imperialist behemoth. The imperial defeat at the Bay of Pigs was however our victory. As today’s imperialist activity in Libya, painfully, testifies to those forces, however, have not gotten weaker in the past 50 years. So the lesson for today’s (and future) young militants is to honor our fallen forebears and realize that the beast can be defeated, if you are willing to fight it. Forward! Defend the Cuban Revolution!

When Rockabilly Rocked The Be-Bop 1950s Night- “Rock This Town-Volume 2”- A CD Review

 

CD Review

Rock This Town, Volume 2, various artists, Rhino Records, 1991

The bulk of this review was used to review Volume 1 as well:

The last time that I discussed rockabilly music in this space was a couple of years ago when I was featuring the work of artists like Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis who got their start at Sam Phillips’ famed Sun Records studio in Memphis. Part of the reason for those reviews was my effort to trace the roots of rock and rock, the music of my coming of age, and that of my generation, the generation of ’68. Clearly rockabilly was, along with country and city blues from the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Ike Turner and rhythm and blues from the likes of Big Joe Turner, a part of that formative process. The question then, and the question once again today, is which strand dominated the push to rock and rock, if one strand in fact did dominate.

I have gone back and forth on that question over the years. That couple of years ago mentioned above I was clearly under the influence of Big Joe Turner and Howlin’ Wolf and so I took every opportunity to stress the bluesy nature of rock. Recently though I have been listening, and listening very intently, to early Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis and I am hearing more of that be-bop rockabilly rhythm flowing into the rock night. Let me give a comparison. A ton of people have done Big Joe Turner’s classic rhythm and bluish Shake, Rattle, and Roll, including Bill Haley, Elvis, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee. When I listen to that song as performed in the more rockabilly style by them those versions seem closer to what evolved into rock. So for today, and today only, yes Big Joe is the big daddy, max daddy father of rock but Elvis, Jerry Lee, and Carl are the very pushy sons.

And that brings us to this treasure trove of rockabilly music presented in two volumes of which this is the second; including material by those who have revived, or kept the rockabilly genre alive over the past couple of decades. I have already done enough writing in praise of the work of Sam Phillips and Sun Records to bring that good old boy rockabilly sound out of the white southern countryside. There I noted that, for the most part, those who succeeded in rockabilly had to move on to rock to stay current and so the rockabilly sound was somewhat transient except for those who consciously decided to stay with it. Here are the examples that I used for volume one and they apply here as well:

“…the best example of that is Red Hot by Bill Riley and his Little Green Men, an extremely hot example by the way. If you listen to his other later material it stays very much in that rockabilly vein. In contrast, take High School Confidential by Jerry Lee Lewis. Jerry Lee might have started out in rockabilly but this number (and others) is nothing but the heart and soul of rock (and a song, by the way, we all prayed would be played at our middle school dances to get things moving).” Enough said.

Stick outs here on Volume 2 include: C’mon Everybody, Eddie Cochran (probably better known for his more bluesy, steamy, end of school rite of passage Summertime Blues, a very much underrated performer whose career was cut short when he was killed in a car accident; Let’s Have A Party, Wanda Jackson (one of the few famous women rockabilly artists in a very much male-dominated genre); Red Hot ( a cover of the famous one by Bill Riley featured in Volume 1), Robert Gordon and Link Wray; Rock This Town (title track from the group that probably is the best known devotee of the rockabilly revival), The Stray Cats.

From The Partisan Defense Committee