Through the Prism of Race
It doesn't matter what we say, you'll call us 'racists' anyway

I'm really angry. In fact, since I began writing this little blog, I don't think anything (aside from an attack on Israel) has made me this mad. Look, I've made no doubt where my political leanings are. With that said, there is more to being a conservative than voting for the Republican nominee. Half the time, conservatives care little for their nominee but only vote for the candidate because the alternative is much, much worse. Three years of Obama have proven that once again.

But back to topic; my anger.

It has widely been reported, by members of our beloved mainstream media, that anyone who dares disagree with President Obama is a racist. It doesn't matter if the criticism against him is due to his poor record on economic issues, his dangerous naivete on foreign policy or even his seemingly endless campaigning, while the country lurches towards another civil war.

Simply stated, anything said about the President in a bad light deems the attacker a racist.

And why is that? Well, obviously the first thought that comes to mind is the fact that President Obama is the first black man to hold the office. That alone is a tremendous accomplishment for a nation that was dealing with serious racial inequality (at the very least) just 40 years ago. That there is no question as to how miserably black Americans were treated in this country during many of our generation's lives, gives excellent reason many - not just blacks - tremendous pride for eschewing the prejudices of old and attempting to create the society that Martin Luther King, Jr. prayed and spoke about.

And yet, as far as we have come, there are so many of us who still demand to see everything in life through the prism of race. It these people's world, blacks voting over 90% for Obama in 2008 was perfectly fine. But should a white candidate receive that amount, he is more than likely to be considered a member of the KKK, who wants white supremacy to rule the land.

When George W. Bush was President, he was mercilessly mocked as a buffoon, an ape, a terrorist and the ultimate evil (all by the Left). There was even a movie that was released showing his assassination, for crying out loud. The vitriol placed against the President was so vicious he is still being threatened by leftists the world over.

Yet, when anyone on the right says ANYTHING even remotely derogatory (and yes, I admit some things aren't just derogatory), the media immediately claims the GOP candidate is using "code words" from Jim Crow days. The point, of course, is a tactic that is used by leftists throughout history. And that is when you have no argument to make about the policy, demean to neutralize your opponent. I've seen this tactic every time I've sat through each and every commentary on MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CNN and CBS.

And it isn't just on the news shows. Pick up a newspaper and read the New York Times or Washington Post. Often times, it's much more subtle that a flat out "Republicans are racists" meme. However, almost every time someone writes about the political race for president, the author always finds reason to attack the GOP candidate for not caring about Black people.

For example, Newt Gingrich and his calling Obama the "Food Stamp President." Even when Gingrich clearly states that there are more white folks receiving food stamps than black folks, network hosts (too many to mention here) still claim he is slamming black folks. How, exactly? Do the hosts at MSNBC, CBS or any of the other non-Fox networks feel only blacks are on food stamps?

How about Maureen Dowd of the New York Times? When Joe Wilson shouted the words "you lie" when Obama was lying during a joint session of Congress (September 2009), Dowd wrote the following day, "But, fair or not, what I heard was an unspoken word in the air: You lie, boy!" Perhaps Wilson should have shown more respect for the office of the president. But after watching the Supreme Court justices berated openly during the State of the Union address, and also being told that he and other Republicans should shut up "because I won," Wilson was clearly frustrated that no one dare question Obama.

Look, there is no doubt anymore that the main stream press is the only reason Barack Obama is President today. He had no experience running even the smallest business, he openly called for wealth distribution, he openly called for the fundamental transformation of the greatest country the world has ever known, he criticized those who "cling to religion and guns," and he sat in the pew for 20 years listening to ravings of vicious, anti-American, anti-Semitic preacher, who by the way inspired the President to write his first autobiography. In addition, LA Times is sitting on a video of Obama praising "his good friend" and known anti-Jewish bigot Rashid Khalidi. Khalidi is a harsh critic of Israel, has made statements supportive of Palestinian terror and has worked on behalf of the Palestine Liberation Organization while it was involved in anti-Western terrorism and was labeled by the State Department as a terror group.

And yet, when the Democrat primaries were underway, the press destroyed former favorite-daughter Hillary Clinton - often portraying her unfavorably in photographs, while constantly publishing pictures of Obama with a halo behind his head. But the press' man agenda was the removal of President Bush at all costs. For proof, go back to 2004, when Dan Rather ran a story with forged military records of the President. Of course, Bush won re-election while Rather was finally outed as a left-wing partisan hack.

So what is it today that angered me so and brought up all these emotions?

Jesse Jackson.

Yes, the good old Reverend who was so ticked off by Obama's stealing his thunder that he once threatened to "cut his nuts out." during a break in an interview (live mike caught his comment). Well, Jesse seems to have gotten over himself and has joined the ranks of those who see everything through the prism of race. In defense of Jackson (not that he deserves it), He's ALWAYS seen the world through the prism of race and he's also ALWAYS been dishonest about it. After all, one of Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" is that the ends always justify the means." Ok, that was Karl Marx's ideology as well. But we are comparing two sides of the same coin. On Saturday morning, at Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH forum, broadcast nationally on the Word Network, the bad Reverend got worked up over the photograph of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer pointing at the chest of President Obama. Here's what Jackson said:

"She knew what she was doing. She was telling him off. She was cutting him down to his size. She must never get away with that. Even George Wallace did not put his finger in Dr. King’s face. Say, enough is enough."

Wow. I love the "enough is enough" comment, as if Democrats are so civil themselves. But what gets me is the sheer hypocrisy. First of all, Jackson immediately compares Governor Brewer and President Obama to George Wallace and Martin Luther King. Seriously? Aside from Wallace being a Democrat and King being a Republican (bet you didn't know that, huh?), Jackson is clearly race baiting here. Wallace was famous for sending Bull Connor to stop the "uppity Negroes" in Selma. Wallace was a terrible bigot who split the Democrat votes in 1968 and 1972. Jackson isn't calling Obama "Wallace" here. He's calling Brewer that (and likewise comparing Obama to King - which is an ENORMOUS stretch of the imagination).

So, according to Jesse Jackson, it's absolutely racist to point your finger at someone without them being racists. Okay, let's assume this to be true. Then how do you explain these pictures:



Is President Obama a racist? Is Jesse Jackson? Well, we know the answer to question #2.

The truth of the matter is, Governor Brewer is not a racist for pointing her finger at Obama anymore than President Obama is a racist for pointing his finger at Prime Minister Netanyahu. But the agenda of Jesse Jackson, just like the agenda of the liberal press, is to make ALL conservatives look like racists. The ironic part of this is it was the Democrats who fought for slavery and the Democrats who tried to destroy Lyndon Johnson for the Civil Rights Amendment. It was Democrats who created, funded and supported the Ku Klux Klan.

When you look at the damage that has been done to the black community over the past 4 decades, you can see much of it stemmed from Johnson's "Great Society." I do not begrudge the Democrats for wanting to help those less fortunate then themselves. It's a very noble act. But when your actions cause so much damage, it matters not how good the intentions are. The fact that conservatives, like myself, believe there is a better way to help less fortunate folks (white or black or purple or green), does not mean we hate Blacks. Quite the contrary. We simply do not care what the color is of your skin. Unlike the left, we believe all people should have the opportunity to raise themselves up to as successful as they can. We do not believe in pushing someone down to make them like everyone else. We believe in raising everyone up who wishes to be raised up.

Unfortunately, people like Jackson need racial strife to continue in order for him to be relevant (and financially rewarded). This is why he was so in favor of castrating the President. He saw him as a threat to his standing and felt the need to knock Obama down, in order to raise himself up. Of course, he was soundly derided for it and thus needed to do something to rebuild his image. How better to do that than by reaching into the Democrat playbook of the politics of personal destruction? And with Obama being black, it's an easy sell to others who see the world through the prism of race. Of course, Jackson has tried this before, especially after his "Hymietown" comments and after his affair with Karin Stanford, a 39-year-old worker at his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition office in Washington (while counseling President Clinton after his relationship with Monica Lewinsky became public.

Obama was supposed to bring in a new era of a post-racial America. At least, that was the hope and expectation of many who voted for him. Instead, he surrounds himself with extreme race-baiters whose agenda is not to move America forward, but to punish those who they feel oppressed them. Sadly, not only are they trying to punish the wrong people, they are seriously hurting the fabric of this country.

Jesse Jackson says "enough is enough." Too bad he doesn't really mean it.

Ten Great Songs From One Great Year

1973

(for an earlier version of 1973, click here)

What was a harbinger of history to come, January 1st brought the nations of Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark into the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. Later that month, the U.S. Supreme Court gives its' final verdict in the matter of Roe v. Wade, which overturns states abortion bans.

In March, as the Watergate scandal begins to target President Nixon, the White House announces that the last American soldier has left Vietnam. The first week of April brought three "firsts." The first handheld cell phone, the opening of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers (the Sears Tower in Chicago opens a month later) and the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball (Ron Bloomberg of the New York Yankees). A couple of weeks later, Federal Express begins operations in Memphis, Tennessee.

NASA launches the Skylab program in May. Also that month, Secretariat becomes the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years. The Middle East is once again at the center of world events, as Black September members open fire at the Athens airport; 3 are killed, 55 injured. This was the same Palestinian group that murdered 11 Israeli athletes the year before, during the Olympics. Just over a month later, Egyptian and Syrian forces coordinate a sneak attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. While the Arabs score a first strike win, Israel eventually regroups and defeats the Arab armies.

The end of the year brought in a change in the U.S. Vice Presidency, as Spiro Agnew resigns following his no contest plea to charges of income tax evasion. Gerald R. Ford is sworn in to replace him.

Midnight Train to Georgia -- Gladys Knight and the Pips (lyrics)

This was written and originally recorded by Jim Weatherly, who had a solo hit in 1974 with "The Need To Be." Weatherly explained the origin of this song in an interview with Gary James: "the song actually came about after a phone call I had with Farrah Fawcett. Lee Majors was a friend of mine. We'd played in the Flag Football League together in L.A. He had just started dating Farrah. One day I called Lee and Farrah answered the phone. We were just talking and she said she was packing. She was gonna take the midnight plane to Houston to visit her folks. So, it just stayed with me. After I got off the phone, I sat down and wrote the song probably in about 30 to 45 minutes."



Time in a Bottle -- Jim Croce (lyrics)

This hit #1 14 weeks after Croce was killed in a plane crash. Croce started touring after he completed I Got A Name. On September 30, 1973 a plane carrying Croce and 5 other people crashed upon takeoff as he was leaving one college venue to another 70 miles away. No one survived the accident, and among those killed was Maury Muehleisen, who played guitar on Croce's albums. This song entered the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 1, 1973 and finally reached #1 for the week ending December 29, a little over 3 months after he died.



The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia -- Vicki Lawrence (lyrics)

This song tells the tale of a man who finds out from his friend Andy that his wife had cheated on him with both Andy and a guy named Seth. This being Georgia, he gets a gun and sets out to kill Andy, but when he gets there Andy is already dead. The police show up, arrest him for killing Andy and he is hanged. The singer then reveals that she is the man's sister and that she shot Andy and also killed her brother's wife. This was the only hit for Lawrence. She was an actress on The Carol Burnett Show and starred in Mama's Family.

Money -- Pink Floyd (lyrics)

This song is about the bad things money can bring. Ironically, it made Pink Floyd lots of cash, as the album sold over 34 million copies. Many studio effects were used on this song. They were using a new 16-track recorder, which allowed them to layer sounds much easier, but complex studio techniques like this still took a long time to do in 1973, as there weren't digital recorders and samplers available like we have today.

Crocodile Rock -- Elton John (lyrics)

This tells the story of a guy in the '50s and '60s who frequented a restaurant where the patrons loved an obscure dance called the Crocodile Rock. Because of all the events that happened in the '60s, however, this unknown little dance forever vanished into history and no one cared anymore. Even his girlfriend, who also enjoyed "burning up to the Crocodile Rock," left him. It's a catchy little song with really sad lyrics.

Killing Me Softly With His Song -- Roberta Flack (lyrics)

This was written by the songwriting team of Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, and first recorded by Lori Lieberman in 1972. The story goes that the song was inspired by Don McLean, a singer/songwriter famous for his hit "American Pie." After being mesmerized by one of his concerts at the Troubadour theater in Los Angeles - and in particular McLean's song "Empty Chairs" - Lieberman described what she saw of McLean's performance to Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox, who were writing songs for her new album, and they wrote the song for her.



The Morning After -- Maureen McGovern (lyrics)

This was written by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn for the Oscar-winning movie The Poseidon Adventure, starring Gene Hackman. The original title of the song was "Why Must There Be a Morning After?" During the spring of 1972, Russ Regan (the head of 20th Century Records at the time) began looking for someone to record "The Morning After" for the singles market. He originally offered the song to Barbra Streisand, but she turned it down in favor of other projects. He then remembered hearing (months before) a demo tape from a secretary who was a part-time Folk singer (and who had never made a record before) named Maureen McGovern. Regan liked her voice so much, that he immediately hired her sight unseen to record the song.

Feelin' Stronger Every Day - Chicago (lyrics)

In a 1991 interview, Peter Cetera said that while the song is about "both healing and moving on after the end of a relationship," it could just as well apply to the dynamic wave of success that Chicago was riding at this time. This was their second #1 album on the US album charts, their third two-time platinum album, and they would yet have two more consecutive #1's on the US album charts. This song comes right at what many could argue was the peak of their career, although even the lowest of Chicago's career could pass for moderate success for other bands.

Could It Be I'm Falling In Love - The Spinners (lyrics)

"Could it be I'm Falling in Love" was written by Melvin Steals and Mervin Steals, who according to Chancellor of Soul, were two songwriter brothers working for The Spinners' label, Atlantic Records, who were sometimes credited as "Mystro and Lyric." If The Spinners sound a little more like Motown than New York, that's because they used to be signed with Motown Records. The self-titled Spinners album was their first produced on their shiny new Atlantic contract. They were even known as "The Motown Spinners" before, but changed their name to "The Detroit Spinners" after moving to Atlantic. Both of these names are more commonly heard in the UK, to avoid confusion with a British group also called The Spinners. In the US, they're usually just called "Spinners." As a side note, I think I was the only white Jewish kid in Dallas who loved "Soul Train."



You're So Vain -- Carly Simon (lyrics)

The person Simon is singing about in this song remains a mystery, as she has never made it clear who she wrote it about; rumors include Warren Beatty, Kris Kristofferson, Cat Stevens, and Mick Jagger, all of whom she had affairs with. The media and the general public seemed to want this to be about a specific person, however, and Simon was happy to indulge. In a 2008 interview to promote her album This Kind of Love, she said: "When I had the line 'You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you,' that was definitely about one person. The rest of the descriptions basically came from my relationship with that person."



BONUS TRACK

Playground In My Mind -- Clint Holmes (lyrics)
(by request/Elizabeth Rand)

The nursery rhyme-styled song features Holmes performing a duet with producer Paul Vance's son Philip (he passed away 12/13/09) on the chorus. This song was written by Vance and Lee Pockriss, released in the U.S. in July 1972 but did not reach the Hot 100 until March 1973, where it stayed for 23 weeks. Holmes as been a Las Vegas attraction for many years and was the announcer on The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, which ran from 1986-1988.

Ten Great Songs From One Great Year

2000

While most people looked at 2000 as the beginning of a new millennium, the next year (2001) actually has this designation. However, this did not stop the enormous celebration and festivities that occurred at it's onset. Soon after the parties died down, the new decade introduced the marriage of giants AOL and Time-Warner, the largest corporate merger in history. Also in tech news, software leader Microsoft was sued by the US government for violating anti-trust laws. In January, the Dow Jones Industrial Average peaked at 11,722.9. This became the peak of the dot.com bubble.

In an April predawn raid, federal agents seize 6-year old Elián González from his relatives' home in Miami, Florida and flew him to his Cuban father in Washington, DC, ending one of the most publicized custody battles in U.S. history. Politically, the year brought in the elections of Vladamir Putin in Russia, Vicente Fox in Mexico and of course, George W. Bush in the United States.

In the Middle East, "Palestinians" use Ariel Sharon's Temple Mount visit as a pretext to rioting in Jerusalem. This came just a few short months after Israel completely withdrew her troops from Lebanon. Two weeks later, members of Al-Qaeda, a militant Islamic organization, headed by Osama Bin-Laden, badly damaged the USS Cole in a suicide bombing mission. the terrorist act killed 17 crew members and wounded at least 39.

Lastly, this was the year Charles Schultz died and Dora the Explorer was born.

Kyptonite -- 3 Doors Down

Commonly thought to contain a shout out to the movie Superman ("Kryptonite" is the substance that rendered Superman powerless - it could only be found on his home planet of Krypton), and to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, Brad Arnold says this song has neither. He explains how it all came together: "That line is just like a happenstance line. That song is so little about Superman. It's just really about that question. That's just something that everybody can identify with." He says that it was either Part I or II of the Superman movies that had Superman fighting an enemy in space, where they floated around to the dark side of the moon. He says, however, that he wrote this song before the movie came out. "And I was like, 'What?!' he laughs. "And it was after I wrote that song. That was weird."



Smooth -- Santana ft. Rob Thomas

Clive Davis is a legendary record executive who was the mastermind behind this album. Santana had not had a hit since "Hold On" in 1982, so Davis teamed him up with contemporary musicians like Wyclef Jean, Everlast and Lauryn Hill to make sure the younger generation took notice. The result was a wildly successful album that went over well with Santana's old fans and created a legion of new ones. This was the first single, and it spent 12 weeks at #1 in the US.

Oops!...I Did It Again -- Britney Spears

Written by Max Martin, a Swedish producer who wrote Britney's first hit, "Baby One More Time." The songs sound very similar. Spears took on a racier image when she released this as the video played up her sexuality, and the line "I'm not that innocent" made people question her claim that she was a virgin. The first single from her second album, this CD has sold over 9 million copies in the US. Her first album sold 13 million. A record 155 radio stations added this to their playlists the first week it was released. This reflects the hype surrounding the single.



Stan -- Eminem ft. Dido

This tells the story of a fan obsessed with Eminem. When his letters are not answered, he puts his pregnant girlfriend in his trunk and drives off a bridge. The song ends with Eminem answering his letter and realizing Stan was the man in the news who drove off the bridge.

Eminem performed this at the 2001 Grammys with Elton John playing piano and singing the Dido part. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) protested the performance, claiming Eminem promoted hatred. The part of this song that was deemed anti-gay was the line where Stan writes, "We could have been together" and Eminem replies, "That's the kind of thing that makes me think we shouldn't meet each other." Elton John didn't have a problem with it.

Absolutely (Story Of A Girl) -- Nine Days

With bands like Vertical Horizon and Lifehouse all over the airwaves, Nine Days was a welcome addition to playlists with "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)." The song was written by their lead singer John Hampson, and the girl who "Cried a river and drown the whole world" was his girlfriend, Teresa Savino, who later became his wife. The song was a huge success, but Nine Days was not able to follow it up; Epic Records dropped the band and wouldn't release their second album because they didn't hear a hit. Hampson became a high school English teacher. It wasn't until 2007 before they had finally released a followup EP Slow Motion Life (Part One), with 6 new songs.



Breathless -- The Coors

The Corrs are a family group formed in Dundalk, Ireland in 1990 by Andrea (lead vocals), Sharon (violin), Caroline (drums) and Jim Corr (guitar/keyboards). They blend the music of their Irish background with contemporary Pop/Rock. Their popularity was restricted to Ireland until 1994, when the American ambassador to the country invited The Corrs to perform at the 1994 World Cup in Boston. This led to a support slot on Celine Dion's 1996 tour, which the group joined just after an appearance at that year's Olympic Games in Atlanta. Their album Talk On Corners became the biggest-selling Irish album in the UK and was the top selling album in 1998 in Britain.

Californication -- Red Hot Chili Peppers

A song about the deterioration of society, this reflects how the world is becoming very superficial and plastic, much like California. Amazingly it appeared that writers for the Showtime comedy drama Californication did not negotiate with the Red Hot Chili Peppers before borrowing this song's title for their show. Consequently the rock group filed a lawsuit against Showtime on November 19, 2007 seeking damages and restitution and asking the court to issue a permanent injunction barring further use of the title. In addition, one of the characters in the program played by Rachel Miner was given the nickname Dani California, the title of a 2006 Chili Peppers song, and one episode featured a character describing California as "the edge of the world and all of western civilization," a line from "Californication."

Sailin' to Philadelphia -- Marc Knopfler with James Taylor

The title track of Knopfler's second solo release is drawn from Thomas Pynchon's novel about Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, the two English surveyors who established the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland, Delaware and Virginia in the 1760s. The border later became known as the Mason-Dixon Line and has been used since the 1820s to denote the border between the Southern United States and the Northern United States. The album contains featured vocal appearances by James Taylor, Van Morrison, and Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford. AMERICA recorded this song on their most recent release My Back Pages (2011).



She's So High -– Tal Bachman

Bachman is the son of Canadian rocker Randy Bachman, who is famous for his work in The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. This is Tal's first single - his sound is much more mellow and mainstream than his father's. In 2003, Kurt Nilsen's cover version became Norway's best selling single ever. Nilsen is the answer to a great trivia question: who won the only "World Idol" competition? He won the one-off show in 2004 competing for Norway against the Idol winners from other countries, including Kelly Clarkson, who came in second.

There She Goes -– Sixpence None the Richer

This was originally recorded by the The La's, a promising band from England who developed a cult following in America. They released it as a single in 1988, but it didn't chart. In 1990, when The La's finally released their first album, they re-released this as a single - this time it charted at #13 in the UK and #49 in the US. Critics loved the album, but the La's disappeared soon after it was released. Sixpence None The Richer's version became a hit when it was used in the movie Snow Day. Many people believe the song is about shooting up heroin, with "she" being the drug.

BONUS TRACK

Thong Song -- SisqO

Seven years after "Baby Got Back" and "Rump Shaker," the world was ready for another Booty song; something that can play in the clubs and unapologetically celebrate women who show off their fine posteriors, in this case by wearing a thong.Sisqó (real name: Mark Andrews) was a member of the '90s R&B group Dru Hill, known more for their smooth sounds than their club beats. Working with the songwriting/production duo The Funktwons (Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson), Sisqó created this jam that combined his soulful vocals and distinctive look with a pumping beat. With lots of airplay on MTV, the song picked up speed as the network promoted it on their spring break coverage, and it remained popular through the summer of 2000. Sisqó was on the A-list for a few months, showing up in a Pepsi commercial and parties at the Playboy mansion. His follow-up single "Incomplete" charted at #25, but he faded fast, releasing another solo album that tanked in 2001 and falling into obscurity and depression. In 2003, he faced gun charges for shooting at a car, but he emerged a few years later as a reality TV star, showing up on Gone Country and the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother.




Disclaimer: Some of the "facts" listed are from songfacts.com or Wikipedia.

Ten Great Songs From One Great Year

1980

A new decade to replace the old. The end of the 70s had become filled with overindulgence, drugs and bad music. It felt as if, overnight, the world woke up to a new "Morning in a America." Of course, the biggest change was due to the election on Ronald Reagan, in November. In truth, 1980 was just as bad as the year before. The hostages were still in Iran, Jimmy Carter was failing and filled with malaise and the world was becoming a much more dangerous place.

Politically, the year started with the ABSCAM scandal, which targeted numerous politicians in a bribery sting. Only one, Senator John Murtha (D-PA) was able to overcome the scandal and continue a lifetime political career. March was the month when President Carter announced the American boycott of the Summer Olympics (The USSR boycotted the 1984 games in retaliation). Rosie Ruiz won the Boston Marathon, only to be discovered later exposed as a fraud and stripped of her award. In music, the Mi Amigo, the boat that housed pirate radio Radio Caroline, sank in March. It was the ship that influenced the movie "Pirate Radio."

On the same day in May, Mt. St. Helens, in Washington, erupts, killing 57 and causing $3 billion in damage and race riots break out after a Tampa, Florida court acquits 4 white police officers of killing Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance executive. Miami was also the scene of the Marial boatlift, when over 125,000 made their way from Cuba, trying to escape Castro's regime.

December was particularly tragic. American missionary Jean Donovan and three Roman Catholic nuns are murdered by a military death squad in El Salvador while volunteering to do charity work during the country's civil war. Four people were murdered at Bob's Big Boy on La Cienga Blvd. in Los Angeles and four others were injured by two armed robbers, in what was one of the city's brutalest crimes ever. And of course, the assassination of John Lennon, by Mark David Chapman.

Brass In Pocket (I'm Special) -- The Pretenders 

The song's title came about after The Pretenders first ever UK gig, when they were in the communal dressing room with The Strangeways, who they were supporting. Chrissie Hynde wanted to know whose trousers were sprawled over the back of a chair. One of The Strangeways, Ada Wilson, said: "I'll have them if there's any brass in the pockets." When Chrissie inquired what he meant by brass, it was explained to her that brass is a northern slang term for money. Chrissie fell in love with the expression and was inspired to write the song. (Songfacts)

All Out Of Love -- Air Supply 

Air Supply formed in 1975 when Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock met as cast members on the stage musical Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1978 they toured their home country of Australia with Rod Stewart. They were then invited to tour North America with Stewart, enabling them to break into the American market. The following year, Clive Davis signed them to Arista Records and released "Lost in Love" internationally. "All Out Of Love" was their next single on Arista. (Songfacts)

Drivin' My Life Away -- Eddie Rabbitt 

With the exception of "I Love A Rainy Night," This was Eddie Rabbit's most successful song, reaching #1 on the Country charts and selling over a million copies. The song was inspired by the hectic lives of his roadies, whose constant traveling made them virtual strangers to their wives, families, and friends. This was featured in the motion picture Roadie, which starred Art Carney and Meat Loaf. (Songfacts)

Ride Like the Wind -- Christopher Cross 

This song the story of a condemned man on the run to Mexico. The story line is one not often heard on Adult Contemporary radio, but the precise instrumentation and soaring background vocals, which were provided by Michael McDonald, helped make the song a hit. The eponymous album spurned 3 top #20 hits, including the #1 hit "Sailing." Cross scored 5 Grammy awards in 1981 for the LP.

Take Your Time (Do It Right) -- The S.O.S. Band 

This was the only top 40 hit for this Atlanta, Georgia based band. Originally called "Santa Monica', they changed their name to the SOS band because "the letters stand for "sounds of success." They recorded 8 albums over the next decade, with their last being, One of Many Nights.



Misunderstanding -- Genesis 

This was one of the first songs written by Phil Collins. The lyrics deal with the problems Collins was having with his marriage. After taking over as the group's lead singer, he spent less and less time with his wife. They eventually divorced. While "Follow You, Follow Me" was their first single, "Misunderstanding" was a bigger hit and made a much bigger impact on American radio.

We Live For Love -- Pat Benatar 

This was Pat Benatar's 3rd straight top 30 song from her debut album In the Heat of the Night. But it was something of a departure from her typical sound. She sang in a high key, and some radio listeners mistook her for Deborah Harry from Blondie. Benatar and Harry both appeared in the 1980 movie Union City, although neither sang a note.



Jojo -- Boz Scaggs 

Between 1976-1980, Scaggs had a number of top 40 hits, including the #3 hit "Lowdown." But his biggest success was in 1980, when he hit the Top 17 four times, with "Breakdown Dead Ahead" and "Jojo", from his Middle Man LP, "Look What You've Done to Me" from the Urban Cowboy Soundtrack and "Miss Sun" from his Greatest Hits album. He took an 8 year hiatus and returned to the charts in 1988, with "Heart of Mine" which only peaked at #35.
In the summer of 2010, Scaggs began a tour with Donald Fagen and Michael McDonald. They are performing together as one band billed as The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue. The show includes classic rock, soul/R&B songs by various artists and personal repertoire songs from all three headliners.



Seven Bridges Road -- The Eagles 

The "Seven Bridges Road" is Woodley Road in Montgomery, Alabama. This song describes the emotions the singers feel as they travel the road, which does have 7 bridges and moss covered trees. This was written and originally recorded by the Country singer Steve Young in 1969 on his debut album Rock Salt & Nails. It is Young's most famous song. This song was the only "new" song on the Eagles Live album, which turned out to be their final album until 1994's Hell Freezes Over.

Hurts So Bad -- Linda Ronstadt

Throughout her career, Linda Ronstadt wore many different hats. Her start was in country and western and moved into soft rock. In 1980, she took a different path and released a harder edged record which featured two top 10 hits, "How Do I Make you" and this track - newer, harder version of the old Little Anthony and the Imperials ballad. Her new style did not last long, as she was soon moving on to old standards and Disney-style pop tunes.

Bonus Track  

In America -- Charlie Daniels Band 

The events that became known as The Iranian Hostage Crisis caused Charlie Daniels' patriot spirit to come alive in a big way, along with those of many other US citizens. This song is his tribute to that spirit. Daniels says, "It was a reawakening of patriotism. That was something that our enemies did that they had no idea what they were doing, because it galvanized America. The line, "Just go and lay your hand on a Pittsburgh Steelers fan" stems from Daniels' feeling that the people in Pittsburgh are "The salt of the earth, the finest, just the greatest people. The strength of America." He says, "I've gone to ball games at different places, but I've always felt the Pittsburgh Steelers fans, especially in the old stadium - I mean, they're steel workers and they're good old guys with blisters, or calluses on their hands. The strength of America is not in Washington D.C., It's in our people, it's on the farms, in the factories. It's the people out here that make this country work. The truck drivers, the farmers. And these people, that's what they were, and I just felt like if you want to go to war, let me take some of these guys with me. Go lay your hand on a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and you're gonna find out what American anger is, because it's the kind of people they are."

Ten Great Songs From One Great Year

1968

This was one of the most tumultuous years in American history. As television brings the Vietnam War into America's living rooms, the battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins in January. A couple of weeks later, the Tet offensive begins. What should have been the decisive moment for an Allied victory, turns into a nightmare due to President Johnson's inability to present the victory to the people. The war has become increasingly unpopular and the images from television drive that home. In May, the My Lai massacre, which takes place in March, does not become known until the next year. That becomes the defining moment for the anti-War movement.

On the same day, Robert F. Kennedy decides to enter the Presidential race. Later that month, President Johnson, realizing the his re-election chances have dwindled, announces he will not run in the '68 election. Two weeks later, at 6:01 p.m., April 4, a shot rang out as the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the second floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel, in Memphis, Tennessee. Walter Cronkite announced the news shortly after on CBS Evening News. King died an hour later. A week later, President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968. On June 8th, James Earl Ray, longtime petty criminal and supporter of segregationist George Wallace was arrested and charged with King's murder. Although initially confessing, Ray later recanted and claimed until his death in 2008, that he did not pull the trigger.

Three days prior to Ray's arrest, Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy is assassinated following a campaign speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. He dies the next day. The asssassin, Sirah-Sirhan was a Christian-Arab from Jordan. He told Robert Frost, in a 1969 interview, that he wanted to kill Kennedy because of the candidates long-time support for the State of Israel.

Because of the upheaval within the Democrat Party, which culminated in riots during the Chicago convention, Richard Nixon, the GOP candidate and former Vice-President, defeats the Democrat's compromise pick, Hubert Humphrey. Wallace also siphons many democrat votes in the south, to insure Nixon's victory.

In the lighter side of news, The Beatles released "The White Album," the White house was the scene of the marriage between Julie Nixon (the President's daughter) and David Eisenhower (the grandson of the former President). The year ends with a look to the future, as Apollo 8 enters orbit around the Moon. Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William A. Anders become the first humans to see the far side of the Moon and planet Earth as a whole.

I've Gotta Get a Message to You -- The Bee Gees

Robin Gibb told The Mail On Sunday November 1, 2009 about this slice of pop melodrama sung from the perspective of a condemned prisoner: "This is about a prisoner on Death Row who only has a few hours to live. He wants the prison chaplain to pass on a final message to his wife. There's a certain urgency about it." This song went #8 in August. 

 

Young Girl -- Gary Puckett and The Union Gap

The song's author, Jerry Fuller explained the inspiration for "Young Girl." "I was on the road a lot as an artist, fronting various groups for many years. I guess every entertainer goes through a time when 14-year-olds look like 20-year-olds. That's somewhat of an inspiration not from my own experience, just knowing that it happens." The song peaked at #2 in March.

(I'm a) Girl Watcher -- The O’Kaysions

The O'Kaysions didn't have many hits, but the North Carolina sextet's energetic "Girl Watcher" remains a staple on the Carolina/Georgia/Florida beach circuit. It became popular again 1987, when Kool and the Gang remade into "Wheel Watcher" for the ABC game show, "Wheel of Fortune." This song peaked at #6.



Angel of the Morning -- Merrilee Rush and The Turnabouts

This tender ballad is surprisingly virtually the same song as the primitive rocker "Wild Thing." Chip Taylor, who wrote both songs explained to Mojo magazine September 2008: "I heard some guy playing 'Wild Thing' real slow on a guitar. It sounded nice. So I did the same, lifting one of my fingers off a chord to create a suspension. Then the words 'There'll be no strings to bind your hands, not if my love can't bind your heart' came out. It was as beautiful a love connection as I could ever feel." Taylor added that it was the producer who added the sweeping strings. This song went to #7 in June. Juice Newton also took this song to the top 10 in the spring of 1981.

  

Little Green Apples - O.C. Smith

Smith began recording in 1955, but finally hit it the top 40 in 1968, with his hit "The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp." Two songs later, he hit it big with this ballad. Smith continued to record R&B songs for 20 more years. His last entry was in 1986, with "Brenda."This song peaked at #2 and earned its composer Bobby Russell the 1969 Grammy for Song of the Year. Smith died in 2001, at the age of 69.



Classical Gas -- Mason Williams

This song appeared as a video on the Smothers Brothers' television show, for which Williams was a writer. The song was played behind a video which consisted of nothing more than photographs of great works of classical art flashed at near cinematic speed on the screen. You saw each picture just long enough to recognize it but nowhere nearly long enough to remember the name. The fact that the paintings were classics originated the name. This is one of the first music videos ever produced. This song peaked at #2 in August.



What a Wonderful World -- Louis Armstrong

The 66-year-old Armstrong became the oldest act to top the UK charts when this reached #1. Four years previously Satchmo had become the oldest artist to record a US #1 when "Hello, Dolly!" hit the top spot. While this song only reached the "bubbling under" the top 100 in America, it was a number one hit in Britain and became Armstrong's signature song.

Like To Get To Know You -- Spanky and Our Gang

This song was the follow-up to Spanky and Our Gang's hits "Sunday Will Never Be The Same" and "Lazy Day," and it scored quite well, peaking at #17. This was their last Top 30 hit, though they continued to score a number of minor hits until October 1968, when lead guitarist Malcolm Hale died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning at the age of 27. Front woman Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane achieved some success as a solo artist, sometimes fronting for The Mamas & The Papas after the tragic death of the late Cass Elliot.



(Sittin'on) On the Dock of the Bay -- Otis Redding

Redding died in a plane crash on December 10, 1967, 6 weeks before this was released and 3 days after he recorded it. It was by far his biggest hit and was also the first ever posthumous #1 single in the US. Redding was a rising star moving toward mainstream success at the time of his death. There is a good chance he would have recorded many more hits if he had lived. The song peaked at #1 on March 16th and stayed there for 6 weeks.

Do You Know the Way to San Jose -- Dionne Warwick

Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote this. They discovered Dionne Warwick and wrote many of her hits. Burt Bacharach (from Record Collector magazine): "Dionne did not want to record that song. She didn't like it. But we talked her into it and she did it. Her mind changed once it was a hit (laughs). I knew it was a pretty special song and I knew it was a different kind of song, too."This song peaked at #10.



Bonus Track

Mrs. Robinson -- Simon and Garfunkel

Simon began writing this as "Mrs. Roosevelt." He changed it to "Mrs. Robinson" for the movie  "The Graduate". He may have written this about Eleanor Roosevelt. Some of the lyrics support this such as "We'd like to help you learn to help yourself. Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes" and "Going to the candidates debate. Laugh about it, shout about it. When you've got to choose. Every way you look at it, you lose." Roosevelt was a female rights and black rights activist, always helping everyone but herself during the Great Depression. A lot of the time she seemed to have been running the country as much as FDR, but never would have actually won the presidency because she was female. On the strength of the film, this song rose to #1 in June. The video is taken from the movie.

Ten Great Songs From One Great Year

1998

The first few months of 1998 were mostly taken up with the scandal of President Clinton, and Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. By the end of the year, Clinton will have been Impeached by the House of Representatives. Because the House had a Democrat majority, and the votes were tallied along party lines (although an additional 10 Republicans voting against impeachment). Clinton survived the impeachment. However, he was disbarred from practicing law.Another one of the main stories at the time was that Suspected "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski pled guilty, and accepted a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Another major story was the final development of Pakistan's nuclear abilities. This caused tremendous tensions between Pakistan and her neighbor, India.

In July, the International Criminal Court was created to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. In August, however, the United States' embassies of both Kenya and Tanzania are bombed, killing 224 people and injuring over 4,500; they are linked to terrorist Osama Bin Laden, an exile of Saudi Arabia. While Bin Ladin has been on the map of worldwide terror, this is his most audacious move yet.

In sports, this was the year John Elway finally won a Super Bowl (after losing 3 times in landslide loses) and also the Tennessee Volunteers won their first NCAA football championship since 1951. Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa set baseball ablaze with their race to see who would break Roger Maris' home run record. Although both men break the record, McGuire holds the record of 70 (since topped by Barry Bonds). And in Basketball, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls win their third straight NBA title. This was the 2nd three-peat for the Bulls this decade.

Torn -- Natalie Imbruglia



Iris -- Goo Goo Dolls



Out of my Head -- Fastball



Thank U -- Alanis Morissette



Truly, Madly, Deeply -- Savage Garden



Sex And Candy -- Marcy Playground



Jumper -- Third Eye Blind



Brick -- Ben Folds Five



Sunny Came Home -- Shawn Colvin



As Long As You Love Me -- Backstreet Boys



BONUS TRACK

My dad died in October of this year. During his final weeks, I listened to the Gerry Beckley (of the band AMERICA) album "Van Go Gan" a lot. The song that makes me miss my dad the most is this one:

Kiss of Live -- Gerry Beckley

Ten Great Songs From One Great Year

1975

The year started with a bang, as on New Year's Day, H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are both found guilty of the Watergate cover-up. Three weeks later, in the waning days of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Politburo approves the the final military offensive against the South. On April 29th, the United States orders the final evacuation of the last diplomatic, military, and civilian personnel from Vietnam. The next day, Saigon falls to the Communists, ending the war.

In July, An American Apollo and Soviet Soyuz spacecraft dock in orbit, marking the first such link-up between spacecraft from the 2 nations. A couple of months later, NASA launches the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars. In Detroit, Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa is reported missing. He has never been found. In September, fugitive Patty Hearst is captured and arrested in San Francisco.

President Ford survived two assassination attempts this year. One by Annette "Squeaky" Fromme, who was a member of Charles Manson's "family" and the other by Sarah Jane Moore, who had an obsession with the Patty Hearst saga.

In October, Saturday Night Live makes it's debut. The show is still running after 37 years. The Cincinnati Reds are defeated by the Boston Red Sox in Game Six off Carlton Fisk's 12th-inning home run to cap off what many consider to be the best World Series game ever played. However, the Reds go on the win the series the next day.

Take it to the Limit -- The Eagles



I'm Not in Love -- 10cc



Lady -- Styx



Baby As You Turn Away -- Bee Gees



How Long -- Ace



Swearin' to G0d -- Frankie Valli



Thunder Road -- Bruce Springsteen



Kashmir -- Led Zeppelin



That's the Way of the World -- Earth, Wind and Fire



The Entertainer -- Billy Joel



BONUS TRACK

Mr. Jaws -- Dickie Goodman

A very good history lesson for many of you who have been educated in America's public school system.

Ten Great Songs From One Great Year

1982

In January, the biggest news was the breakup of AT&T, forcing it into a network of smaller companies - known as "Baby Bells." This shake up allowed competition of telephone services to flourish, including MCI and Sprint. In April, Argentina invades the British Falkland Islands. While the war officially ended in June, with the Argentine military surrender, the conflict continues to this day. Also in April, under the agreement signed with the late Anwar Sadat, Israel completes it's withdrawal from the Sinai peninsula. Although peace was forged by the treaty, it was at best a cold peace that is today threatened by the fall of Mubabrak. However, in April, forces under Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon invade southern Lebanon in their "Operation Peace for the Galilee," eventually reaching as far north as the capital Beirut.

There were two notable plane crashes in 1982. In January, shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90 crashes into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78. Ironically, on the same day, a Washington Metro train derails to the north, killing 3 (the system's first fatal accident). And in July, Pan Am Flight 759 (Boeing 727) crashes in Kenner, Louisiana, killing all 146 on board and 8 on the ground. Furthermore, in the same month,on a movie set, the Twilight Zone actor Vic Morrow and 2 child actors die in a helicopter stunt accident.

In October, tragedy strikes Chicago when when 7 people in the area die after ingesting Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide. Now, almost 40 years later, the case has not yet been solved. In better news, the year also brought the first permanent artificial transplantation when 61-year Barney Clark receives one at the University of Utah. Clark lived an additional 112 days, but set the stage for major advances in transplantation (of which I benefit from greatly).

Did it in a Minute -- Hall & Oates



Going Down -- Greg Guidry



Making Love -- Roberta Flack



Eye of the Tiger -- Survivor



You Can Do Magic -- America



Somebody's Baby -- Jackson Browne



Talking to the Moon -- Don Henley



Steppin' Out -- Joe Jackson



I Ran -- A Flock of Seagulls



Hold on -- Santana



BONUS TRACK

Welcome to Heartlight -- Kenny Loggins

Ten Great Songs From One Great Year

2006

The year started out sadly for the State of Israel, when Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffers a severe stroke and cerebral hemorrhage. To this day, he remains in a coma. In February, Turin, Italy hosts the Winter Olympics. In June, Mubai, India is the scene of a major terrorist attack.

In August, Pluto loses it's "planet" designation, The International Astronomical Union defines 'planet' at its 26th General Assembly. In October, North Korea detonates its' first nuclear bomb as South Korea's Ban Ki-moon is elected as the new Secretary-General of the United Nations.

In November, Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death by hanging by the Iraqi Special Tribunal. Also this month, Democrats retake congress in a serious rebuke of President Bush.

Crazy -- Gnarls Barkley



Chasing Cars -- Snow Patrol



Sexyback -- Justin Timberlake



Dani California -- Red Hot Chili Peppers



Read my Mind -- The Killers



How to Save a Life -- The Fray



Move Along -- All-American Rejects



Sugar, We're Going Down -- Fall Out Boy



I Write Sins, Not Tragedies -- Panic! At the Disco



Sweet Escape -- Gwen Stefani/ft. Akon

The best comment from the GOP debate last night:



Baggage, or no baggage, Newt knows how to speak wit dignity and emotion. He is the the frontrunner right now because of hos ability to win every debate. Liberals hate him, but they aren't going to vote for a Republican anyway. The key is the independent voter and if Gingrich continues to be a voice of conservative reason and historical truth, then I can see him winning the independents over. They clearly have grown weary of President Obama.

I have not yet decided on with candidate will get my support. I'm on the fence between 3 of them (and Romney isn't one of the three). But I have to say that with comments like this that Newt said tonight, I'm giving him a lot of attention. If only he a more trustworthy conservative...

Life and Sports

This past Sunday, in front of live audience of almost 63,000 people - and a televised audience of many, many more - Dallas Cowboys' Head Coach Jason Garrett had a brain freeze. With about 1 minute remaining on the clock, the Cowboys had the ball and a chance to run down the field and score the game-winning points to beat the Arizona Cardinals in what could have been a season defining victory. With the ball the Cardinal 48-yard line, and facing 3rd and 11, Cowboy Quarterback Tony Romo scrambled and hit wide receiver Dez Bryant with an 18-yard pass that left Dallas at the Arizona 31 and 24 seconds left to play.

Nine times out of ten, Dallas calls time out there and sets up at least 1-2 more plays to move closer. While a field goal from that distance is possible (the kick is set up 7 yards deeper and the goal posts are 10 yards deep in the end zone, setting up a 48-yard field goal), the odds are much weaker from that long a distance. So trying another couple of plays to get closer makes a lot of sense - especially when you have 2 timeouts left at your disposal and 24 seconds of game clock.

But for an inexplicable reason, Garrett does not call a time out and allows the clock to keep running. Dan Bailey, the Cowboys rookie kicker (who has been very, very good), comes out to attempt a game winning field goal. He kicks it trough the uprights and the game is over, right?

Not so fast. Yes, the kick was right down the middle. However, Garrett for some incredibly strange reason, decides to finally take that time out - with 7 seconds left, less than a second before the kick goes in. Since the time out was granted, Bailey has to try the kick again. This time, something goes wrong and he misses it. Overtime. The Cardinals then win the toss in overtime and go down the field to win the game.

That evening and next day, the Dallas sports media crucifies Garrett - himself only a rookie coach (he took over midway through last season) with many fans calling for his immediate resignation (if not outright firing). On the national sports media, Garrett is labeled a buffoon and an incompetent.

What a sad testimony to our culture.

How would you feel if you made a poor judgement call at your job? Let's say you work in a business office and have a project due at 3pm Monday morning. You spend the previous week working 12 hour days to prepare and you make the presentation. It isn't flawless, but it isn't bad, either. Then, at the very end, you show a slide that has incorrect information. No one died, and it was an honest mistake that under the pressure of trying to be perfect, you made an error.

Now imagine the people in the conference room to whom you made the presentation start mocking you. The owner tells the press that while he has the confidence in you, it has really been shaken. The next day, 100,000 people all know all about what happen and call for you to be run out of town on a rail. You aren't just called an incompetent, but an idiot and buffoon by seemingly everyone in the city.

This was just a football game, folks. And yeah, he made a mistake. Rookie coaches do that. Tom Landry did that. Don Shula and Chuck Noll did that. Granted, football is an extremely popular sport and millions of fans watch it. But all in all, it is just 2 teams of players both trying to win a game.

You could use the excuse that players make millions of dollars, and therefore we expect perfection. But these people are still only human and are fallible.

However, in our society, sports is more than just a game between players. It is a culture that offers us an opportunity to hide from the stresses of life and give us a respite from our own struggles of daily living. We place our own hopes and dreams into the players who represent our cities and when the players lose a game, the whole city loses.

Living in Dallas for many years, you learn to understand that how the Cowboys go, the entire city goes. The first thing most Dallasites do on Monday morning is read the sports pages of the Dallas Morning News. The weekend games are either a source of pride, or a sourse of embarrassment. But rarely ever is it ignored.

Reading the sports sections of other newspapers, you get the idea that it is no different anywhere else. In Philadelphia, the columnists are biting at the chomp to fire Andy Reid - one of the best, and most successful coaches in the league - because his team is having a poor season. Before this week's game, Arizona fans were calling for their head coaches job - just a couple of years removed from his taking the Cardinals to their very first Super Bowl.

Now it's true that if you are consistently erring in judgement in your job, you will eventually get fired (unless you happen to work for the government). The same holds true in professional football. But Garrett took over a team that had a 1-7 record at the time last year. Since then, the Cowboys have gone 12-8 and find themselves a full game ahead of the New York Giants in the division race. Very few people thought Dallas would be where they are this year, aline in first place, this far into the season. The team has made many questionable mistakes. But not by the coaching staff. It's a very young team and has improved each week.

But in the game of football, we do not allow our heroes to right to be human. My feeling is because WE are so fallible, it is unacceptable for our teams to be. If we accept that these players are human, then we will accept that sometimes mistakes are made. But we are in such need to an escape, that we cannot accept that. Otherwise, what's the point of resting our emotions on these teams?

As a kid, I was as guilty as anyone about this. I would scream and curse whenever the Cowboys failed to live up to my dreams. It consumed me when when they lost. Now, I see it in my own kids. I see in them what I used to do and I need to put a stop to that. You can watch sports and even cheer and root for your own team without making it personal against the other players or coaches. You can watch the games and enjoy the sport without wanting to throw heavy objects at the TV screen when they screw up. In the past 9 years - since my transplant - I have grown to recognize that not only do these teams not care about me (except my money), they do care about their jobs and every week try their best to perform. Sometimes, they win and sometimes they lose. But mostly, they try (DeShaun Jackson, notwithstanding).

After all, they're only human.

Ten Great Songs From One Great Year

1967

The War in Vietnam dominated the American media this year, as television brought the war to living rooms throughout the country. American college campuses become the domestic battlegrounds of the anti-war movement. As US troops fight Communists in southeast Asia, China and the Soviet Union begin aggression on their borders. War breaks out between Israel and her Arab neighbors, in June. The war lasts 6 days, as Israel demolishes the armies of Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

This was the year boxer Muhammed Ali refused military service and Elvis Presley marries Priscilla Beaulieu. In music, the Beatles release the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and the Monterrey Pop Festival, featuring Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Janis Joplin (among others), takes place in California. Race riots take place in Washington, Tampa, Detroit and Plainfield, NJ (near Newark).

President Johnson signs the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, creating the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. In November, NASA launches Apollo 4, the first Saturn V rocket.

The Letter -- The Box Tops



Can't Take My Eyes Off of You -- Frankie Valli



Windy -- The Association



How Can I Be Sure? -- The Young Rascals



I Was Made to Love Her -- Stevie Wonder



The Rain, the Park and Other Things -- The Cowsills



Music To Watch Girls Go By -- The Bob Crewe Generation



There's a Kind of Hush -- Herman's Hermits



Conquistador -- Procol Harem



Up, Up and Away -- The 5th Dimension

Ten Great Songs From One Great Year

1986

1986 was the year of the Challenger disaster. The Russians opened the Mir Space Station and that same month, Pixar Studios opened for business. It was also the year Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone's secret vault and the nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl Power Plant, in Pripyat, Ukraine, explodes - killing an estimated 4,000 people and causing the entire area to be permanently quarantined.

In June, Jonathon Pollard plead guilty to spying for Israel, Len Bias - the second overall selection by the Boston Celtics in the NBA Draft, suffers a fatal cardiac arrhythmia from a cocaine overdose. Eric Thomas develops LISTSERV, the first email list management software and U.S. Postal Service employee Patrick Sherrill guns down 14 of his co-workers before committing suicide.

In October, President Ronald Reagan met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavík, Iceland, to continue discussions about scaling back their intermediate missile arsenals in Europe. Also, the Iran-Contra affair first becomes public. In December, three black men are assaulted by a group of white teens, in Howard Beach (Queens, NY). One of the victims, Michael Griffith, is run over and killed by a motorist while attempting to flee the attackers.

Sara -- Starship



Something About You -- Level 42



Big Man on Mulberry Street -- Billy Joel



Falling in Love -- The Miami Sound Machine



Russians -- Sting



Rain on the Scarecrow -- John Cougar Mellencamp



Tonight She Comes -- The Cars



Calling America -- Electric Light Orchestra



Only Love Knows Why -- Peter Cetera



Black and White -- Jackson Brown



BONUS TRACK

I Wanna Be a Cowboy -- Boys Don't Cry

"You would think they'd be saying 'thank you'."

Ten Great Songs From One Great Son

Mayer's list

When I decided to start blogging again, I knew I would continue my Top Ten Songs list. It was a lot of fun to do and the responses I received were always very good. Through the lists, I connected with some of the artists who I profiled and also friends of those artists.

Usually, I focus on a particular year, or decade. On occasion, I'll feature a single artist or band. But this week, I was asked by my oldest son, Mayer, to create a list of his favorite songs. Before I do this, I'd like to tell you a little about my boy.

Mayer was born in December 1993, in Sinai Hospital in Detroit. From birth, we knew he was different from other kids. Very early on, we feared he was autistic. He was showing all the classic signs of it and, as young parents with a 2 year old daughter, we weren't prepared for such a challenge. Because of hos issues, he was a very difficult child who cried and fussed a lot He was delayed in everything. But interestingly, he excelled at jigsaw puzzles well beyond his age level. Furthermore, he was showing signs of a remarkable memory.

When he was almost 3, an event happened that seemed to "wake him" up. Although he was only in a particular school for a few weeks, he was allowed to take part in the class' graduation ceremony. For the first time, Mayer smiled and laughed and he seemed to revel in the new attention he was receiving. From that time on, Mayer started to come out of his shell and begin to show promise.

Over the following years, Mayer handled all the changes and issues that was thrown at him. He was deeply affected by my illness and he began having serious issues at the school he was in. It became apparent that a change needed to be made. Once I was well enough, we moved back to Chicago and hoped for a more settled life. But a year later, his newest school folded and he was forced to attend another school. Unfortunately, the students at this new school decided that because Mayer was a little different, he could just be ignored or made fun of. This has continued through high school as well.

On the other side, Mayer is a very intelligent kid who has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. This form of autism affects social skills more than anything else. And when you are in high school, nothing matters more than your social life. It's heartbreaking to me and his mother when we see how depressed and discouraged he is because he desperately wants to be accepted by everyone and considered just another guy. But he also knows he isn't.

Mayer has a wicked sense of humor, loves sports - especially the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers (well, look who his dad is). But he also likes the Cubs and the Bulls. He is devoted deeply to his brothers and sister, as well. He's a great kid and someone worth befriending because he is a very loyal person who wants everyone to get along. He is my oldest boy and I can not be any more proud of the man he's becoming.

Come Sail Away -- Styx



Don't Stop Believing -- Journey



Dream On -- Aerosmith



Livin' on a Prayer -- Bon Jovi



Follow You Down -- The Gin Blossoms



Stairway to Heaven -- Led Zeppelin



Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) -- Green Day



More Than a Feeling -- Boston



Bohemian Rhapsody -- Queen



Hotel California --The Eagles