February 2025
When No One Is In Charge
19/02/25 08:23
February 19, 2025 (Vol. 19 No. 9) - This picture from a recent Oval Office news conference tells you everything you need to know about the current status of the United States of America. A South African interloper - the richest man in the world who apparently can't afford a babysitter - drones on about how he is saving the country from unelected bureaucrats while a mentally unstable and cognitively impaired man, allegedly the most powerful man on earth, sits helplessly by. Elon Musk, the godfather of DOGE, the Department of Government Evisceration, has been sending out his minions to haphazardly cut government spending by gutting vital public and national defense agencies. It has been widely reported that Musk's teenage mutant minions have been surgically slashing what they recklessly have called government fraud with the same skill as a blindfolded butcher. They have had to backtrack on at least a couple of occasions after firing the people who oversee the nation's nuclear weapons program and those with the CDC trying to avoid the outbreak of global AIDS and Ebola pandemics. More ominously, Elon's marauding minions are demanding - and receiving - access to highly sensitive tax and defense databases. Is there waste in government? Yes, of course there is, as it is true in almost any gigantic organization. Does waste, in and of itself, constitute fraud? No, it doesn't. And the fact that Felon 47's press secretary, a clueless blonde bimbo who never gives a direct answer to any question, has provided no tangible proof that Musk's minions have uncovered fraud stretches credibility to its breaking point. If that is not bad enough, just yesterday the White House said in a court filing that Musk is not, in fact, in charge of DOGE. Nor did they say who was in charge. And lest we forget, DOGE is not an agency that has been legislatively created by Congress. To put it another way, it has no legal standing to be exercising the powers it has. So here's where we stand: The President, whose electoral campaign was backed by Musk's $240+ billion contribution, gives every impression that Musk is calling the shots. The optics from that ridiculous Oval Office news conference appear to confirm that. Meanwhile, Dr. Evil is financially benefiting from his mentorship of Felon 47 and even dictating U.S. relations with South Africa. Considering the reckless manner in which Felon 47's stealth administration is sowing chaos throughout government and now into American foreign policy, you have to wonder if anyone is in charge in Washington. Congressional Republicans are afraid to assume their constitutional role of oversight. The Democrats are impotent and still licking their wounds from last November. And who knows what the highly conflicted U.S. Supreme Court will do when challenges to Musk and DOGE reach their chambers? Just like the ill-fated Titanic, the U.S. government and economy appear headed into dangerous waters with no one clearly in charge at the helm. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.Life in the Key of G
12/02/25 07:20
February 12, 2025 (Vol. 19 No. 8) - I will never be confused with Glen Campbell, Ricky Staggs, Roy Clark or Jimmy Reed. But I love to play guitar and prefer acoustic music. It was in that context that I attended the Bluegrass Unlimited Workshop this past weekend at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky. To be honest, I have only passing knowledge of Bluegrass music. I first became aware of it when I moved to Western Kentucky in 1974 to work at a country music radio station. I married a Kentucky woman and, thus, married into the Bluegrass culture. In recent years, my sister-in-law has been the director of development at the Hall of Fame and Museum. It was she who convinced me to attend the workshop. I went to Owensboro with some trepidation. After all, I am a self-taught guitarist who was joining far more accomplished musicians in playing a gendre of music mostly unfamiliar to me. However, any fears I had proved unfounded. That's because I found the Bluegrass community to be one that is very supportive and willing to embrace newcomers. Another attractive aspect of the Bluegrass culture is how it encourages collaboration. After two or more Bluegrass musicians get together, it doesn't take long before a jam follows. And because the most popular Bluegrass songs are found in the keys of G, C or D, it is relatively easy to pick up the tune and lyrics and to join in. On several occasions this past weekend, I witnessed and participated in these jams. I even played and sang Gentle on My Mind in public - something this self-conscious musical novice would have never imagined. Then, to top it off, I joined other students and the instructors at the end of a concert to perform Will the Circle Be Unbroken, pictured above. I still tend to be a folk-rock kind of guy. But, I left this experience with a deeper understanding and admiration for Kentucky and the music it has blessed us with. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.