Do Bees and Don't Bees

This is December 31, 2016 and tomorrow is the New Year and a lot of “agregious” laws go into effect in the state of California.  There are new regulations on Uber drivers.  The statewide minimum wage goes up which for a lot of people is seemingly a bad thing because they argue small businesses will be impacted.  They’ll sure as hell be affected with the two dollar tobacco tax goes into effect whenever it does.  A lot of Quickie Marts do a lot of their business in cigarettes.  And of course there are new regulations for gun owners.  It seems that magazines will be harder to reload so if you are a crazed homicidal shooter it will take you longer to reload to kill even more people.  Gun owners can only think of that sniper in your bedroom.   We’re getting more rain tonight so it could be said that the weather man is already fulfilling his Newyears resolution to end the drought.   Cory Gardener gives the Republican response address on KNX.  He’s talking about the accomplishments of this Republican congress.  We all agree we want cancer research fast-tract.  “Republicans have led the way on mental health reform and opiate addiction”.   New sanctions on North Korea were levied.  So apparently the President isn’t as intransigent as the Republicans have been claiming.  Chris was telling me this morning that the law is a funny thing.  Some people say “The law is an ass”.   Chris can’t give people rides in his car around here because is the liability award is greater than Chris’ insurance, then the people have the right to come after the owners of this place and sue them.  Of course you know what FDR says about a lot of Republican ideas.  He says mockingly “We Republicans are not opposed to all of these social and monetary reforms of the Democrats.  It’s just that we can do it better and more efficiently and most importantly- - it won’t cost Anybody Anything!” said to laughter.  So the new year brings a lot of new Do Bees and Don’t Bees, to harken back to the Romper Room days.  So I thought of comenting on the beatitudes, we’ll just call the Bee Attitudes.  After all the Sermon n the Mount is filled with a lot of Do Bees and Don’t Bees.

From "having the liberty to do anything we want" as St Paul intones, there are sure a lot of Do's and Don't in the Sermon on the Mount.  We are told that blessed are those who are peace makers for God will call them his sons.  We are told "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven".  I'm sure Donald Trump must chafe every time he hears that one.  We are told blessed are those who morn.  They will be comforted.  We are told "Blessed are those who are persecuted for My sake".   We all like to think of people will put their lives and reputation on the line for a good cause.  Unfortunately protestors these days get scared off pretty easily.  And the ones who hang in there during bad weather, Norman Goldman refers to as fools.  We were told when the weather got cold that this is the reason why the "Occupy Wall Street" movement withered away.  This is where we originally heard about the 99 percent and the one percent back in the fall of 2011.  Rather than be praised for their tenacity by the media- - - they were either ignored or portrayed as a rag tag bunch of nothings.  Jesus said "Don't fear him who has the power to kill the body but do nothing to the soul.  Rather fear Him who has the power to kill both the body and the soul".  I don't know if Jesus is revering to the Devil this point or who.  We are told a lot of things.  We are told to turn the other cheek.  Foreign policy could never be conducted that way.  We are told if a man sues you and takes your coat, give him your cloak also.  This assumes people wore suit and coats all the time but only put their outer overcoat on during the dead of winter.  We are told that if someone compels you to walk one mile with him and carry his pack, then go with him two miles.  Presunably this is said because you'll have more of an oppertunity to witness to him.  We are told not to pray in public.  We are to pray in our secret chamber where we will not be seen.  We are told not to use flowery language when we pray to be a show-off but rather to pray directly and humbly for the things we need.  And we are told "Whatever you ask for in my name- - I will grant it".  We all would dearly love for that one to be true.  We are told "Ask, seek, knock" because to every man who asks he will get an answer.  However if there is a three AM knock on the door and the guy says "Go away" and you keep knocking you are taking an awful risk with your friendship.  As Dr Phil would say, "You just raised the price of poker".  Either there will be a pay-off at the end and you will be given the things you need- - or else your friendship is very much at risk.  I do not suggest that we put Jesus to the test on this one.  I think there are a lot of areas where literally following Jesus' example is risky.  

We have yet another rock compilation for you.  I’m not talking about a collection of igneous rocks.  There are so many of these rock compilations you love track of them after a while but this one, an expanded Two CD version of “Trail Mix” is out today.   CD one is identical to the version out on April 20^th of 2015.   Many at the Federation have been wanting to do “Celebration of the Lizard” by the Doors for a long time.  Both of these CD’s are kind of a tribute to the year 1970.   The front photo is sort of cut out letters of “Trail” and “Mix” cocked slightly to the left and the letters are made up of granola.   They are on an olive green backdrop.  On the back is a photo of Planet Earth and some technical production credits in small print.  On the inside are the song listings for both CD’s.   It’s actually mostly a picture booklet of various photos mainly of either rock festivals or else protests occurring from the years 1970 and 1971 but Woodstock is not included.    Many of the tracks on Disc Two were originally on “In Vetro Disasters” released on May 13^th of 2015, which is a secret Romulan holiday, if you’re curious.  We kicked off four Mc Cartney songs.  The first two songs we kicked off now kick off the revised “Best of Mc Cartney”, which I am inform this compilation with the new song line-up has existed since January of 2016 about the time as our “Ringo” album.   There is still a lot of Paul Mc Cartney on this album, but not as much as there was.   There is also kind of a thematic slap at Alcyonne for all of the curses they have caused over the years.  Jimi Hendrix is a Lanian, which in a way is kind of “Getting along with the dark side of the Force”.   This track appeared as the first track on side two of “War Heroes” an album which is probably out of print now.  Yoco Ono is also a Lanian.  So is the University of Oregon.   When I heard “Vanilla Sky” I thought of one of these Fancy Feast catfood commercials where the cat eats cat food out of a crystal glass bowl.  Actually Disc Two has thirteen songs.  We gave two Mother’s Day songs the axe because I’m told “We didn’t know about the deaths of Carrie Fisher and Debby Reynolds when we were putting this album together”.   I don’t think it’d have made any difference.  The two that run together are “The One You Wanted to Be” and “Dress Me Up As a Robber” were originally listed as different tracks on “Tug of War”.   * This track can be found on the Bob Dylan Bootleg CD series near the end of Disk two.  

TRAIL MIX (rel. Dec 31^st 2016)

Disc One

Shining Star (Earth Wind and Fire)

Going Out to the Country (Canned Heat) **

Rain Clouds Hide the Sun (Paul Mc Cartney)

I Live For You (George Harrison ATMP bonus track)

Attica State (John Lennon)

Valentine’s Day (Paul Mc Cartney)

Tribute to Elmore (History of Eric Claptin)

Victoria (The Kinks)

Postcards From Paradise (Ringo Starr)

Out In The Country (Three Dog Night)

One of Nature’s Children (John Lennon)

If Not For You (Bob Dylan with George Harrison) *

Tell The Truth – Slow Jam (History of Eric Claptin)

Cloud Nine (Temptations) ***

Little Queenie  (Rolling Stones LIVE)
What's Going On?  (Marvyn Gaye)
The Tortoise and the Hare  (Moody Blues)

Disk Two

The Celebration of the Lizard  (Absolutely Live)  18 min app.

In the Vanilla Sky  (Mc Cartney) **

Stardust Memories  (Ringo Starr)

Peggy Sue (Live John Lennon) (?)

South California Purples (Jimi Hendrix)

The Mark is Rising  (from “Tug of War”)

Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long  (Material World)

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised  (1968 Artist)

T O Y A W T B / Dress Me Up as a Robber  (“Tug of War”)

I’m Losing You  (Rare Earth)

Religion and Politics (Dr Demento hit)

We’re All Water  (Yoco Ono)

***This track is a last minute addition.  This track and 'What's Going On" are both included on that Soul parade thing in May of 2006 in the 'Opera" blog.  This track was added by popular request, and it also eliminates one more Mc Cartney song.  The theory here is "Why buy the whole cow when all you want is a glass of milk".  So you get two "tastes" from this May 2006 compilation.  It's a 1970 track.