IOWA STATE RALLIES PAST VCU 68-64

Information supplied by VCU's Chris Kowalczyk

ESPN Events Invitational

Score: Iowa State 68, VCU 64

Location: Make Buena Vista, Fla. (State Farm Field House)

Records: Iowa State 5-0, VCU 3-2

 

The short story: Senior guard Max Shulga led four Rams in double figures with 17 points, but it wasn’t enough to hold off a furious Iowa State comeback down the stretch, as the Rams fell in their opener of the ESPN Events Invitational Thursday.

 

OPENING TIP

·      Shulga buried 4-of-7 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc and connected on 5-of-6 free throws. He also dished out a game-high eight assists for VCU

·      Freshman forward Michael Belle turned in the most productive performance of his collegiate career with a season-high 14 points. He converted 4-of-6 attempts from the floor, including the first two 3-pointers of his career

·      Sophomore forward Christian Fermin added 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, while senior guard Zeb Jackson added 10 points and five rebounds for the Black and Gold

·      Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert led Iowa State with 22 points apiece

 

THE DIFFERENCE

·      The Cyclones closed the game on a 19-5 run the final 5:44. VCU did not make a field goal the final 4:43. Lipsey scored back-to-back buckets, including a floater right of the lane to give ISU a 65-64 lead with 1:35 remaining. VCU turned the ball over via an offensive foul on its next possession, and Shulga couldn’t get a driving layup to go in traffic a short time later as Iowa State held on. The Cyclones hit 3-of-4 free throws in the waning moments to lock up the victory

·      Iowa State shot .607 (17-of-28) in the second period as it erased a 33-24 VCU halftime lead

·      The Cyclones outscored the Rams 42-18 in the paint and owned a 38-29 rebounding advantage

·      VCU led by as many as 15 points in the first half. VCU used a 17-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from redshirt sophomore guard Jason Nelson, to grab a 31-16 lead with 2:53 left in the period. Iowa State was able to trim the margin to nine in the final moments of the half on consecutive 3-pointers by Lipsey

 

NOTABLE

·      VCU shot .455 (20-of-44) in the game, including a season-best .435 (10-of-23) from the 3-point line

·      The Rams led for 35:08 of the contest

 

NEXT UP

VCU will face Boise State (2-2) on Friday, Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. in second-round play at the ESPN Events Invitational on ESPNU. 

Daniel Patrick Moynihan: "...We’ll never be young again.”

Camelot at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave lasted 1,036 days. In particular, for the children in school 60 years ago --on Nov. 22, 1963 -- the murder of President John F. Kennedy was stunning in a way nothing has been since.

Two days later, on Nov. 24, 1963, a live national television audience witnessed the murder of the assassination’s prime suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald. Consequently, there was no doubt that Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub operator, was the trigger-man. What made him do it is still being questioned.

Shortly after JFK’s death, columnist Mary McGrory expressed her dark feelings to Daniel Patrick Moynihan: “We’ll never laugh again.”

Moynihan, who was an Assistant Secretary of Labor then, replied, “Heavens, Mary, we’ll laugh again. It’s just that we’ll never be young again.”

The cynicism spawned by the cloaked-in-secrecy aftermath of the JFK assassination has tinted everything the aforementioned children have seen since those dark days of 1963. Especially, everything to do with political investigations.

However, today, I’m not at all convinced there must have been a far-flung and complicated conspiracy to kill the president and to then cover up the tracks. Furthermore, after he was dead, just because some people deliberately obscured related information, we don't necessarily know why they did it. In some cases it was probably people trying to cover asses for a myriad of reasons. 

 

So, for now, let's skip past the argument over whether, or not, Oswald acted alone. For the moment, let's not speculate about whether Oswald was a dupe, or one of the greatest marksmen who ever lived. The point of this piece is to recognize that the secrecy that rushed in obscured the truth about what happened in November of 1963 and poisoned the American culture in a way that is still being felt. 

The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known as the Warren Commission, published its report on Sept. 24, 1964: Essentially, Oswald was found to have been a lone wolf assassin. Which immediately unleashed the questioning of the Commission’s findings.

Perhaps its famous “single bullet theory,” which had one projectile traveling circuitously through two victims, was great sleuthing. Or maybe it was just an unbelievable reach.

*

In 1965 unknown gunmen murdered Malcolm X in an auditorium in Manhattan. I say "unknown" because the two men convicted of that assassination were exonerated in 2021. So Muhammad A. Aziz, 85, and the late Khalil Islam have had their names cleared. Too bad about all the time they served in prison.

 

Three years after the murder of Malcolm X, Rev. Martin Luther King was killed on a motel balcony in Memphis by a sniper. Only two months later, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's presidential run ended when he was shot to death in a Los Angeles hotel. It was a shock, but in the crazy year of violence that 1968 truly was, it was not such a surprise. 

Unfortunately, at the time the official stories on those three shootings were widely doubted, even disbelieved. In the ‘60s more public scrutiny of how those assassination probes were conducted might have led to different conclusions. More importantly, even if more sunlight into those investigations failed to produce different outcomes, at least Americans might have felt better about the good faith of the processes.

Instead, it seemed then the authorities generally believed the American people didn't really have a right to see the whole truth and nothing-but. Too often it seems to have been decided on high that the public was better off not knowing some things. Shielding the citizenry from such information is the sort of thinking that went during world wars, with spies lucking about. In the 1960s, perhaps as part of the Cold War, the public more or less expected its government to routinely withhold all sorts of secrets.

That, whether the public likes it, or not. Eventually, it took a series of brutal revelations to snap many Americans out of blithely accepting an over-abundance of secrecy:

• The My Lai Massacre horrors.

• The publishing of the Pentagon Papers.

• The Watergate Scandal hearings.

• The Iran-Contra Scandal hearings.

• The bogus justification for invading Iraq. 

As those events paraded by, the USA steadily morphed into a nation of cynics. Now, those of us who recognize the damage that's been done by official lies know better. We were wrong to ever have tolerated such skullduggery in the name of keeping America safe.

*

In 1997 Sen. Moynihan’s book, “Secrecy: The American Experience,” was published. In the opening chapter he wrote:

In the United States, secrecy is an institution of the administrative state that developed during the great conflicts of the twentieth century. It is distinctive primarily in that it is all but unexamined. There is a formidable literature on regulation of the public mode, virtually none on secrecy. Rather, there is a considerable literature, but it is mostly secret. Indeed, the modes of secrecy remain for the most part -- well, secret.

On inquiry there are regularities: patterns that fit well enough with what we have learned about other forms of regulation. But there has been so little inquiry that the actors involved seem hardly to know the set roles they play. Most important, they seem never to know the damage they can do. This is something more than inconveniencing to the citizen. At times, in the name of national security, secrecy has put that very security in harm's way.

Sixty years after the murder of JFK, it’s high time to stop putting up with unnecessary secrecy in government at all levels. After all, as we have learned, secrets that invite speculation and provoke conspiracy theories serve a nefarious agenda just as well as a lie. 

Justice Louis D. Brandeis famously wrote: 

Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.

Today, to trust official conclusions, we need plenty of Brandeis' sunlight. We not only need investigations, we need to be able to see into the investigations. So, as we saw in 2022's January 6th Committee hearings in the House of Representatives, televised testimony at Congressional hearings is a good thing.

Lastly, for democracy to have a chance of working properly and delivering good government, we the voters need to know whose money is behind every politician's ploy. Knowing who paid for what always helps. Always. 

Taking it home: Single bullet theory, you say?

In Richmond, that was a great name for a punk era band. 

-- 30 --

Rams' late rally saves the day

 

Final score: VCU 60, Seattle 56.
Location: Siegel Center.
Current records: VCU 3-1. Seattle 2-2. 

IN A NUTSHELL: 

VCU was fortunate to escape with a win this afternoon. The Rams won't beat many good teams with the sort of lackluster effort they turned in against Seattle for a good part of the game. There was plenty of standing around an watching at both ends of the floor. 

Then pow! VCU rallied in the last few minutes and looked like a completely different outfit. A team that could beat a lot of pretty good teams. This time they got away with playing hard for about half of the game.   

Stats: Jackson's 20 points established a new career-high for him. He also grabbed six rebounds. Lawal added 10 points, four boards and two blocked shots. Fermin provided eight points and he got nine rebounds. Shulga scored seven points, dished for seven assists and he got seven rebounds.

In addition, VCU's bench outscored Seattle’s bench by a 19-to-3 margin. 

NOTES (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)

• The Rams got off to a fast start, grabbing three offensive rebounds early in the game to garner a 10-point lead by the midway point of the first half. VCU eventually stretched its advantage to 21-8. Seattle would tie the game with an 11-0 run at the 2:56 mark of the first and took a 28-27 lead into the break.

• Seattle led 49-41 – it’s largest cushion of the day -- with 6:32 left following a 3-pointer by Schumacher. 

• Lawal answered with a 3-pointer from the right wing on the next possession – the first trey of his career – to kick off a 17-4 VCU run over the next five minutes. Lawal also buried a triple from the left corner to pull the Rams within 51-49 with 3:53 remaining. 

• VCU closed the game on a 16-5 run to rally to victory. Lawal came up with an offensive rebound and found Nelson on the left wing for a go-ahead 3-pointer that gave the Rams a 54-53 lead with 1:58 remaining. The Rams would not trail again.

BOX SCORE

NEXT UP: 

• VCU will travel to Orlando, Fla. during the Thanksgiving holiday for the ESPN Events Invitational at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Nov. 23, 24 and 26. The Rams will open with Iowa State on Thanksgiving at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Rams defense crushes Highlanders

Final score: VCU 73, Radford 50.
Location: Siegel Center.
Current records: VCU 2-1. Radford 2-2. 

IN A NUTSHELL: 

With this game's performance the VCU Rams restored hope that they could be a good enough team by January to contend again for the Atlantic 10 regular season title. After playing to a 33-to-33 tie in the first 20 minutes, in the second half VCU's hustling defense shredded Radford's ability to sink baskets. 

At the same time VCU's offense clicked into gear and outscored Radford by 23 points. By the middle of the second 20-minute period the Highlanders' confidence was kaput and the Rams ruled. 

Nelson's 12 points in the first half kept the Rams in the game; coming off the bench he finished with 19 pts. Jackson scored 17 pts., grabbed four rebounds and dished for five assists. Lawal was good for his first career double-double, with 12 pts. and 10 rebounds. 

Coach Odom's bench scored 36 pts. Radford got only four pts. from its bench.

The Rams committed just 10 turnovers, while forcing the Highlanders into 17 TOs. In short, VCU's smothering second half defense was the best we've seen this season ... so far.

NOTES (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)

• Nelson knocked down 7-of-10 attempts from the field in the game, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
• Sophomore forward Tobi Lawal recorded his first career double-double  and threw down a pair of thunderous alley-oop dunks.
• Kenyon Giles led Radford with 19 points.
• VCU held Radford to 18 percent (4-of-22) shooting in the second half. The Highlanders misfired on seven of nine 3-point attempts in the half.
• The Rams embarked on a game-changing 15-0 run early in the second half behind its defense. VCU held the Highlanders without a field goal for nearly nine minutes during that stretch. 
• VCU also shot 58 percent (14-of-24) from the field in the second half. 
• VCU knocked down 19-of-26 free throw attempts.
• VCU improved to 8-3 all-time against Radford. 

BOX SCORE

NEXT UP: On Saturday, Nov. 18, VCU will host Seattle at the Siegel Center. Tipoff at 2 p.m. TV on MASN and ESPN+.

Strong finish delivers Odom's first VCU win

Final score: VCU 75, Samford 65.
Location: Siegel Center.
Current records: VCU 1-1. Samford 0-2. 

IN A NUTSHELL: Once again, the home team started out cold. The Bulldogs enjoyed a 13-point lead midway through the first half. But the Rams woke up and closed the margin to 3 points by the end of the first stanza.

At the 7:02 mark of the second half VCU got its first lead: 56-to-54. After that the Rams never trailed. At the final buzzer, to the delight of a packed Siegel Center crowd, VCU's new head coach, Ryan Odom, had picked up his first victory. 

For most of the game's 40 minutes the Rams hustled but struggled. They committed 21 turnovers! However, Odom's team -- very much a work-in-progress -- gathered itself in the last few minutes of the contest and a strong finish at both ends of the floor did the trick. 

Shulga's 17 points set the scoring pace for the Rams. Three of his teammates scored in double figures. Jackson scored 13; Nelson poured in 11 and made 6 steals; Fermin notched his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. He also made 5 blocks. 

NOTES (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)

●      The Rams fell behind by eight early in the second period, but whittled the deficit down to a one-possession game before finally taking the lead on a Fermin and-one at the seven-minute mark of the second half

●      Samford would tie the game shortly following, but the Rams pushed their lead to as many as eighth before Samford began fouling down the stretch to save time as VCU closed it out by ten

●      VCU shot 42 percent (11-of-26) from the field in the first half and 56 percent (14-of-25) in the second, as they chipped away at the Bulldog lead

●      VCU got off to a slow start, turning the ball over nine times in the first half on the way to a 13-points deficit at the 7:09 mark

●      In the last five minutes of the first half, the Rams used a 17-4 run to trim the deficit to three. During that stretch the Rams forced three Samford turnovers

●      The Rams outscored the Bulldogs 40-30 in the paint and they owned a 26-16 advantage in bench points

BOX SCORE:

NEXT UP: 

On Wednesday, Nov. 15 the Rams will host Radford. Tipoff at the Siegel Center is at 7 p.m.

-- 30 --

Defenseless VCU drops season opener

Final score: McNeese St. 76, VCU 65
Location: Siegel Center in Richmond.
Current records: McNeese St. 1-0. VCU 0-1. 

IN A NUTSHELL: The refurbished VCU Rams opened their 2023-24 season with a loss to the visiting McNeese St. Cowboys. No doubt, VCU's new head coach, Ryan Odom, would like to think that with some seasoning his work-in-progress team could beat the Cowboys in January. Hopefully that will be true.

However, with the uninspired way the Rams played defense tonight, truth be told, they probably wouldn't have beaten any decent team. Now I expect the new coach will take the blame and assure Rams fans it will get better. 

On offense, two of VCU's starting guards led the way. Max Shulga scored 22 points (6-for-10 on treys) and dished for four assists. Zeb Jackson scored 14 points, grabbed seven boards got eight assists. Problem was, they didn't get a lot of help. Much of the game VCU's ballhandling inside was sloppy.

Collectively, the Rams reacted slowly on defense and on offense they didn't show much confidence. It will Odom's job to fix all that.

NOTES (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.).

• Redshirt freshman guard Fats Billups III buried 3-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc and finished with nine points for the Rams, while freshman forward Michael Belle contributed seven points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks in his collegiate debut. 
• McNeese State shot .458 (27-of-59) from the field, including .471 (8-of-17) from 3-point range.
• The Cowboys turned the ball over just five times in the game. 
• VCU shot .306 (11-of-36) from beyond the arc. 
• MSU outscored VCU 36-22 in the paint and 13-6 off turnovers.

BOX SCORE

NEXT UP

On Friday, Nov. 10 the Rams will host Samford. Tipoff at the Siegel Center is at 7 p.m.

-- 30 --

She Had a Great Walk

She Had a Great Walk by F.T. Rea

She never looked better than she did that day,
When she told me, she was made to walk away.
No doubt, she had a great walk. 

Was it a smooth glide?

She had a natural sway.

An eye-catchin' stride?

Can't even look away.

Was it bona fide?
It was a loose-walkin' way.

She never looked better than she did that day. 

When she showed me, she was made to walk away.
Hey now, she had a great walk.

She had a loose-walkin' way.

-- 30 --

Death Calls for Piggy

 

Note: Carl W. Hutchins (1924-2006) was a professional boxer in his youth. He claimed to have been a contender in his day. Most people called him “Piggy.” The piece that follows was written shortly after his 2006 death (references to dates have been updated).

*

Piggy Hutchins was known by three generations of Richmonders. They were mostly locals of a certain stride -- folks who ate, drank and shared their lives in his restaurants. Piggy’s most loyal patrons tended to use his dives/eateries as a clubhouse … except when a feud kept one of them away for a while.

A corner restaurant called “Piggy’s,” located at Mulberry and Cary (where the Cary St. Cafe is now), began the series of places he would own. The Attaché, at 5816 W. Broad St., was the last of them; it closed down in 2002.

Twenty-eight years ago for a short stint I was associated with the legendary Attaché (although for some reason Piggy was calling it William Henry’s that year). For my part, needing money pushed me across the Henrico County line, inquiring after a bartender position listed in the daily newspaper's want ads. That afternoon I met the one and only Piggy Hutchins. Prior to that I had known him only by reputation.

After a pleasant chat with Piggy, Pete (Piggy's older brother) gave me a tour of the decidedly suburban split-level facility. That entailed the restaurant itself, the after-hours club on the upper story and the basement tavern. Along the way Pete explained that Piggy was really looking for a fresh idea more than someone else to put on the payroll. He had advertised the job to attract someone who'd give him a new scheme.

Well, I needed money enough to jump-start my creative juices, which soon spawned a concept of how to use the basement space -- live music and comedy! So Pete, Bill (a nephew who had joined us) and I we went back upstairs. Like characters in a Damon Runyon story, we all sat at a round table to cut a deal over draft beer and coffee. 

Right away, Piggy liked it that I volunteered to take on the promotional costs and booking duties. He liked it even better that I wanted only a cut -- 20 percent -- of the bar receipts. No guarantees. Plus, of course, I would get tips as the bartender on duty.

Meanwhile, as I went on with my plan I could tell Piggy liked telling his colorful old stories to a writer. Piggy's other brother, Sonny -- a former stock car racer -- stopped by and joined us. As it happened, I left the place that afternoon nurturing an absurd notion that became the Underdog Room. For three nights a week, I presented stand-up comics and live music in the basement, which had a boxer's heavy bag hanging in it, leftover from the days when Piggy worked out and trained young boxers in that space.

To kick off the Underdog Room era, I booked the Vibra-Turks. Some of them were usually known as the Bop Cats. Others had been in Li'l Ronnie and the Bluebeats. Anyway, the Vibra-Turks were: Mike Moore (bass); Gary Fralin (keyboard); Lindy Fralin (guitar); Stuart Grimes (drums); Jim Wark (guitar). In one way of looking at it, we had a band with a fake name playing in a room with a fake name.

Nonetheless, a bunch of handbills on poles and good break, publicity-wise -- the RT-D featured a story about it -- helped to flush out enough barflies and aging scenesters to make for a good-sized opening weekend audience. When Piggy came downstairs to take check it out he liked the look of the room. He even seemed pleased with the Vibra-turks. However, some members of his staff remained skeptical about the direction of things.

On Thursdays it was comedy night. Usually seven or eight comics would show up. My old friend, John Porter, served as the emcee/recruiter. The performers split the cash from a cheap cover charge and drank beer for free. Hoping to establish to new venue for live comedy, several of the the area's comedians stopped by to do a few minutes on most Thursdays.

On Friday and Saturday nights a band played, usually the same band on both nights. The bands would take what came in at the door, but as the weeks wore on, getting my Fan District nightlife friends to venture into Henrico County grew more difficult. As the take at the door shriveled, from one week to the next, I gradually ran through the established acts I could easily persuade to give the Underdog Room a try.     

The Scariens, a local performance-art/rock 'n' roll act, stretched the culture clash aspect of my shaky gig to pieces. Piggy and his Attaché crowd of regulars were utterly baffled by the Scariens, who sometimes seemed to baffle themselves, too. They were led by another old friend, Ronnie Soffee.

To make matters more fractious, some of the comedians seemed to rub Piggy's confidants who ventured downstairs the wrong way; to say they didn't get the jokes is an understatement. After almost four months of it, I came to my senses and bailed out.

Leaving Palookaville on good terms, I limped back to the Fan. It had been fun working with the comedians and musicians. And, getting to know Piggy, to the extent that I did, was like living in a low-budget film noir picture from the late-1940s. 

-- Words and art by F.T. Rea.

-- 30 --

High on the Hog: The Gold Standard

Photo from the stage by Chuck Wrenn (2001).

Note: This piece, penned by yours truly, was first published in Style Weekly on Feb. 25, 2014.

*

The stage was a flatbed trailer parked in a cobblestone alley in Church Hill. It faced the back of Chuck Wrenn's house. The audience spilled into adjacent backyards and wherever else it could. With no licenses to legitimize it, the fourth annual High on the Hog had the edgy cachet of Richmond's freewheeling warehouse parties of the '70s.

On Oct. 11, 1980, Richmond didn't allow large outdoor events combining properly amplified rock 'n' roll music and alcohol consumption, especially on public property. When the Megatonz (Wrenn's band) opened the show, to think the cops would come eventually, made sense — which probably encouraged the crowd's collective desire to live in the moment.

Instead, a chilly rain came while the second band, Don' Ax Me ... Bitch, was performing. Rather than wait out the downpour, Wrenn, the irrepressible impresario, broke out large rolls of heavy-gauge transparent plastic. Armed with staple guns, he and volunteer assistants assembled an awning to keep the rain off the equipment and musicians. 

The audience followed suit by unrolling more plastic, to stand underneath while it was held overhead. Those dancing in the mud surely felt the power of rock 'n' roll to simultaneously express lamentation and celebration. With electric guitars wailing in defiance of the rainstorm, the sense of solidarity felt by those baby boomers was the stuff of legends.

The rain subsided. The Memphis Rockabilly Band finished the show. No real trouble from the cops appeared. It was a charmed afternoon.

*

The series of High on the Hog parties began in 1977 as a small, pork-themed gathering of neighborhood friends. No electric guitars. 

In the years that followed the event took on a life of its own. Along with Wrenn, those on the team organizing three decades of parties were Larry Ham, Bobby Long, Steve McKay, Dave O'Kelly, John Cochran and Randy Smith. In 1983 that group struck a deal with city authorities and went legit.

The transformation allowed the stage and festivities for High on the Hog 7 to move across the street into Libby Hill Park. On the bill were the Bop Cats, New Victims of Love, Evan Johns and the H-Bombs and Billy Price and the Keystone Rhythm Band. The turnout was huge, and the untainted success of the event paved the way for a new era in Richmond. It allowed for Jumpin' in July, Friday Cheers and the countless beer-truck-in-the-street and music festivals that followed.

In High on the Hog's peak years, it took some 350 volunteers to chop the pork, serve the beer, tend the stage. The Silver Stars, a beloved gospel group, set the record for most appearances with 10. While space doesn't allow for the complete list, here are some of the other acts that graced the stage in the park:

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages, Big City, Big Posse, Bill Blue and the Nervous Guys, Billy Hancock, Billy Ray Hatley and the Showdogs, Bio Ritmo, Car Bomb, Deanna Bogart, Dirtball, the Diversions, Evan Johns and the H-Bombs, Faded Rose Band, Glenn Pavone and the Cyclones, the Good Guys, Good Humor Band, Janet Martin Band, Marcia Ball, NRBQ, Page Wilson with Reckless Abandon, the Radiators, Steve Bassett, Suzy Saxon and the Anglos, Terry Garland, and the Wall-O-Matics. 

A Nor'easter drenched Richmond on Oct. 7, 2006. In the torrent the massive sound system couldn't be erected. Two of the scheduled acts couldn't perform in such conditions. Nonetheless, Lindy Fralin volunteered a scaled-down sound system. 

Tarps were lashed to the stage to block the wind-driven rain. Lindy's band, The Bop Cats, went on for a handful of dauntless regulars in front of the stage. 

Unfortunately, without the expected income from food and beer sales, the backers' rainy day fund was sopped up. Thus, High on the Hog 30 closed the book on a generation's gold standard for Woodstock-inspired parties. 

The Memphis Rockabilly Band, fronted by the late Jeff Spencer, finished the show. Its encore was Link Wray's "Run Chicken Run," with Bill Coover playing lead guitar for one last dance, with umbrellas, in the mud.

-- 30 --

Isn't It Time to Change?

With Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in D.C. to beg the USA for yet more billions in weapons aid, it seems to me there's a big-ass, two-part question looming that shouldn't be ignored much longer: Please, isn't it about time to change tactics? 

Behind Door Number One is the future a ratcheted up aggressive strategy will buy; short of nukes, support Ukraine in attacking Russia however Zelenskyy's generals see fit. Ukrainian forces try to make the price on continuing the war too great for Russia to bear. 

Behind Door Number Two is the future that calling for a negotiated end to the fighting, ASAP, will buy. Tell Zelenskyy that to bring about an armistice, new mutually agreed upon boundary lines -- based on current conditions -- need to be established. Yes, for peace, be willing to give up on some land claims. 

One way or another, isn't it time for some end-game thinking?    

Too Late for the 14th Amendment?

After the Civil War the Constitution's 14th Amendment was passed in 1868. Although I think the 14th Amendment, Section 3 was designed to prevent someone exactly like Donald Trump from running for president, timing is so important. 

Consequently, I'm starting to think now it's too late to launch a movement to block Trump from being on the 2024 ballot.

Note: The 14th Amendment, Section 3 says: 

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

If the movement to use the 14th Amendment's power to block insurrectionists had been launched in most of the 50 states right after Trump announced his candidacy, on Nov. 15, 2022, it would have framed it as a direct reaction to his campaign announcement. (Like Attorney General Merrick Garland's appointment of Jack Smith was.) 

So, it would already be making its way through the court systems in many states. And on its way to the Supremes.

It would also have latched onto the momentum established by the January 6th Select Committee's remarkable televised presentations, June 9 - Oct. 13, 2022. 

In that context, to many independents it may have seemed to have been less of a political ploy fashioned to provide what the Senate's impeachment trials didn't, and what the federal and Georgia indictments may not be able to deliver before the Republican convention, July 15-18, 2024.

Perhaps most importantly, by starting the process nine months ago, it might have seemed to have been more about adhering to the Constitution's 14th Amendment and less about not trusting the voters to reject Trumpism on election day. Appearance matters.

A Year of Trials

The upcoming year of trials will tell us much about the Donald Trump Mob and its self-absorbed boss. Evidence and testimony will amplify lots of familiar details and probably reveal new scandalous information. 

Although the stated overarching goal in each of the trials will be justice, let's face it -- that's only part of what this country's citizens need. Those of us who give a damn about truth surely need to get some satisfaction from this process. Satisfaction that tells more than just what happened; we need to better understand how the hell we got here. 

For instance, I don't just want to see Trump convicted of stealing and hiding secret files. Satisfaction will entail learning WHY those particular files were selected. Hey, I don't buy it that they were merely souvenirs of an outrageously vain man's days in power. 

Plus, the ordeal of this parade of trials will likely have an effect on 2024's national and statewide elections. Nonetheless, at this writing, who knows what shape that effect will take? 

Anyway, I've got high hopes that a year's worth of Trump-related trials and verdicts is going to be consequential. And, regardless of who the big winners or losers in each of the trials turn out to be, my guess is we're going to find out much about what kind of country the USA really is ... and isn't, anymore. 

One of the lessons we ought to learn in 2024 is that court system isn't going to swoop in and fix the nation's most vexing problems -- those to do with the environment, with abortion, with race, with democracy, with guns, with wealth disparity, and so forth. 

Along with helpful verdicts from courts, the culture needs to evolve its way out of the same ol' ruts. Snares that have been hobbling society's ability to make progress on several fronts.   

Bottom line: Next year is calling for we the people to take the Rooftop Singers advice and find, "a new way of walkin'."  

-- 30 --

Fulton County Mugshots w/captions No. 9

Mugshot No. 9: 

Racketeering and trying 

to influence witnesses.

Fulton County Mugshots w/captions No. 8

 

Mugshot No. 8: 

12 charges: Racketeering, solicitation of 

oath violation by a public officer 

and plenty more.

Fulton County Mugshots w/captions No. 7

Mugshot No. 7: 

As a publicist, I know a damn good 

  book cover picture when I see one.  

Fulton County Mugshots w/captions No. 6

Mugshot No. 6:

Legal advice from Hell. 

 

'The Harder They Come' Sneak Preview

Jimmy Cliff as Ivan.

One autumn day in 1973, some 18 months into my job as manager of Richmond's Biograph Theatre, one of my bosses in D.C., David Levy, asked me to look at a new movie to evaluate its potential. From time to time he did that for various reasons. In this case he had a new 35mm print of “The Harder They Come” (1972) shipped to me, via Clark Transfer.

Note: "The Harder They Come": Color. 120 minutes. Directed by Perry Henzell; Cast: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw. In this Jamaican production, Cliff plays Ivan, a pop star/criminal on the lam. The music of Cliff, The Maytals, The Melodians and Desmond Dekker is featured.

In the after-hours we occasionally had screenings of films we came by, one way or another. For instance, being in the same city as three universities meant access to 16mm films that could be borrowed briefly. Usually on short notice, the word would go out to friends that we would be watching a particular movie at a certain time.

These gatherings were essentially impromptu movie parties. Once it was 1940s and '50s boxing films from a private collection. The Beatles' then out-of-release "Magical Mystery Tour" (1967) in 16mm was the centerpiece to another one of those parties. Such watch parties happened more often in the Biograph's early days

Although I don’t remember any moments, in particular, from that private screening of “The Harder They Come," I do recall the gist of my telephone conversation with Levy the next day. After telling him how much I liked the Jamaican movie and its music, he asked me how I would promote it.

Well, I was ready for that question, as I had smoked it over thoroughly with Dave DeWitt (my collaborator in making Biograph radio spots) and a few friends after the screening. Consequently, I told Levy we ought to have a free, open-to-the-public-on-short-notice, sneak preview of the movie. Most importantly, we should use WGOE exclusively to promote the screening, since its engaging music made this film a natural for radio.

Because Levy liked the comedic radio campaigns for the Biograph's midnight shows that DeWitt and I had produced over the last year, he went for the idea right away. DeWitt was easily the best radio production guy I have known.

Note: In the early-'70s, long before the era of giant corporations owning hundreds of stations, a locally-programmed daytime radio station with a weak signal played a significant role in what success was enjoyed at the Biograph. For a few years we had an especially good business arrangement with WGOE-AM, the station that then owned the hippie market in Richmond.

Subsequently, on a November Friday morning the DJs at WGOE began reading announcements of a free showing of “The Harder They Come” that would take place at the Biograph that afternoon at 3 p.m. Then they would play a soundtrack cut by Jimmy Cliff, the film’s star. This pattern was continued maybe three times per hour, leading up to the time of the event. Since we presented it as a "WGOE-presents sneak preview," the announcements cost the Biograph nothing.

Of course, reggae music was being heard in Richmond before our free screening, but it was still mostly on the periphery of popular culture on the East Coast. As I recall, some 300 people showed up that day and the movie was extremely well received.

In a couple of previous runs in other markets, “The Harder They Come” had been handled as an underground movie. As it was shot in 16mm and blown up to 35mm for its American distribution, it had a grainy, documentary look. Upon hearing about the test-audience's approval, Levy got excited and decided to book it to run as a first-run feature, rather than as a midnight only show.

Later on Levy became a sub-distributor for “The Harder They Come.” He told me that when he rented it to theaters in other cities within his region, he advised them to use the same radio-promoted, free-preview tactic.

While it didn’t set any records for attendance at the Biograph, “The Harder They Come” did fairly well and returned to play several more dates, both at regular hours and as a midnight show.

As it happened, in late-1973, watching a then-virtually unknown, low-budget Jamaican film -- after operating hours -- with a small group of co-workers and friends had seemed somewhat exotic that night. Of course, on that occasion, we had no idea how popular reggae music was about to become ... in some part because of that movie's influence.

-- 30 --

Fulton County Mugshots w/captions No. 5

Mugshot No. 5:

The fake electors scheme 

architect wants swift justice.