Minor Wisdom

Happy Gumdrop Fairy-Tale Land

In Your Mumia sweatshirt won’t get you into heaven anymore, TBogg explains why Ralph Nader devotees should bite their collective lips (or whatever) and vote for the Democratic nominee. (Hat tip to Suspect Device.)

John Fogerty encore

John Fogerty and CCR cannot be confined to one evening or one post or one era. Here is a 1997 performance of Fortunate Son. CCR had many, many great songs, but this is the one I identify with the most.

[A]nd a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was ...

When you look at your digital photos 15 or 20 years from now, would you like to remember what they depict, when they were taken, and who is in them? Then do this as soon as you download them: As you view them, right-click on each one, select “Properties,” and click on the “Summary” tab. Fill in the boxes for title, subject, author, etc. In the “Comments” box, write a note to yourself 20 years from now, reminding the future you of who these people are, when this photo was taken, and anything else that you will want to be reminded of.

(Hat tip for the headline goes, of course, to Arlo Guthrie.)

Creedence

It’s a mystery how someone born in Berkeley, California write, play, and sing swamp blues as John Fogerty can. Here he is with his old band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, performing Green River.¹

If you’re in the mood for an encore, watch Heard It Through the Grapevine and Suzie Q.

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p.s. For some vintage rocking blues, see the Rolling Stones’ 1964 performance of Carol and Johnny Winter’s timeless performance of Johnny Be Good, both at What About Clients?.

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¹ When I first wrote this post, it featured an embedded Heard It Through the Grapevine, with links to Green River and Suzie Q. But the more I watched the Green River video, the more I liked it better than the Grapevine one. Both are good, but Green River has more kick-ass.

The real meaning of the Second Amendment

The meaning of the Second Amendment is fiercely debated between NRA-types and gun-control types. The wording and punctuation of the amendment don’t do much to resolve the debate:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Gun-control types, stressing the first 13 words, argue that the amendment protects the state’s right to have an armed militia. But this argument disregards the phrase “the right of the people.” The NRA-types, meanwhile, argue that the amendment protects the individual’s right to bear arms, but this argument disregards the amendment’s first 13 words and the third comma.

Both sides are wrong. According to law professor Peter Junger,

the right to bear arms is the right to display armorial bearings—coats of arms—and the original plain meaning of the Amendment is that the government shall not infringe upon one’s right to be a lady or a gentleman.

Unfortunately, Prof. Junger died before finishing his thesis. But he did leave behind a draft, which you can find here.

I thought one sign was enough.

“Into” is sometimes used as a preposition to describe enthusiasm. I remember one comedian (don’t remember which one) who poked fun at a fitness enthusiast’s statement, “I’m into my body.” Then there’s the headline of this feature. My reaction: if she needs five signs, she’s not paying attention.

First kid on the block

I’ve never been the first kid on my block to own anything. But according to the folks at Saturn of Metairie, my wife and I are the first kids in the New Orleans area to own a Saturn Astra.  This little puppy is actually made in Belgium, and though I’m not acquainted with European cars, it feels and rides as I imagine a European car would. This car is for my wife; it replaces her 1997 Saturn SL1, which ran fine but, on the inside, looked every day of its 11 years. Me, I’ll continue driving my 2002 VUE. (Yes, we’re an unabashed Saturn family; have been since 1994.)

Basketball Jones

Since this is NBA Allstar weekend in New Orleans, I thought something with a basketball theme would be appropriate for Saturday Evening Blues. So without further ado, here is Basketball Jones.

Pistol Pete

The Hornets are having a great season. But they have a marketing problem that no one in the NBA wants to talk about: they’re competing with the memory of Pete Maravich and the New Orleans Jazz. And fans with long memories who felt betrayed when the NBA allowed the Jazz to leave have cold feet when it comes to giving their hearts to another NBA team.

Be that as it may, this weekend the NBA All-Star Game tips off in New Orleans. To help you get in the mood — and to help you understand New Orleans’ love of the Jazz in the late 1970s — here’s a video of Pistol Pete versus Walt Frazier and the Knicks, scoring 68 points with no 3-point line. The game was played in the Superdome, which Jazz fans thought was a fine place to watch a basketball game.

In every game that Pistol Pete ever played, there was at least one moment where everyone watching gasped, “I don’t believe it.” In this video, that moment occurs between 3:47 and 3:50.

That was the entree. If you’re in the mood for dessert, watch this video of Pistol Pete versus the NBA in a game of HORSE. The “I don’t believe it” moment occurs between 1:30 and 1:59.

Not that anyone should care whom I’m voting for, but ...

... it’s the guy on the left.

Photo credit: Phillip Lee.