United States Is Being Destroyed

I have a few things I just have to get off of my chest today. I don't know about the rest of you, but I would bet it all that 99.9% would agree with everything I write here about how things have been going in regards to the powers that be. Having said that, now I must spell it all out.

You would have to be a brain-dead moron not to have noticed that our government is taking huge steps toward socialism. Throughout our entire history, socialism has never been a part of the equation. In fact, it is something that many of our enemies.......get that?......enemies........not our friends.........participate in. This is supposed to be the United States of America and not France or Russia. Everybody knows that most of the people eligible to vote in this country, actually do not even bother to do so. Some would argue that it doesn't matter if they did or did not vote since the political machines decide what morons and puppets we get to choose from. I agree completely. Why should we vote for either one? And we are all led to believe that we have a two party system......ha!.....that is a big joke on us. Think about it........how many times have we all heard politicians from both parties proclaim "we are able to cross the aisle"? Hmmmm.....cross the aisle? What aisle? There is no aisle......it is just a fictitious, non-existent, bullshit line that most of the politicians spout off for us to hear. They actually think that it is supposed to make us all feel all warm and fuzzy that alleged opposing parties can work together for some alleged common cause. What cause?............THEIRS......not OURS! Senators and Congressmen (and women) are supposed to represent the PEOPLE of the United States. It has been shown repeatedly that they simply, as a whole, have never done anything for our benefit or because of our demands. These deceptive morons are in it for one thing only....and that is their own personal gain. When did we all decide to let these people make a career out of duping us? You or I could not get away with the things these politicians get away with.......we would be fired. Oh sure......there are some of them that make everything look pretty good......they get on tv......spin their spiels.....smile alot......and tell us that they are working hard for us. Unfortunately, the reality is that they are working hard on getting re-elected with every breath. These people have no principles. None. The majority of them are lawyers and they are all part of the millionaires club, each of them more wealthy than the majority of voters.

I am sick of reports where the people of the United States overwhelmingly are against various actions of these politicians. People have made the phone calls to their representatives in opposition to this bailout of the banks.....and what did they do?.........they voted for the bailout. Pelosi and Reid saw the polls where the majority of their constituents were against it and what did they do?.........they, of course, said that they know better than we do and pushed it forward. And this is not just the bailout stuff.........it was the alleged stimulus bill and many others.

This biggest farce is that the political machines what you to believe there is a boogeyman to blame for everything that goes wrong......and that the boogeyman is George Bush. Balderdash! That is nothing but a distraction from the real culprits. The real culprit......the real powers that be......is none other than the richest of the rich......the elite of the elite. Try looking up some information about the Bilderberg Group sometime.........these people are directing the course for the entire planet. You and I are not important to them, but the politicians want to desperately kiss the asses of this group......and they do. I could go into details but why should I? There is nothing short of a revolt that is gonna change anything.

The automobile manufacturers. It seems to me that if you want to actually sell alot of cars, you need to start making cars that people actually want. We want a decent car that is affordable and will last more than a few years.............just like the old cars they used to make. This is the bottom line. We don't want cars that cost 30,000 or more and runs on a battery. How will we be able to afford the electric bills which will go up when we are recharging up those batteries? This makes no sense. And let's cut to the chase and stop that nonsense about gasoline. Leaded gas was abandoned and unleaded gas was touted as being cleaner for our air. Bullhockey! The bogosity has to stop......all it is is yet another scam to bilk the citizens out of billions of dollars. Our air is no cleaner in Baltimore, even though we have to visit emissions testing stations every two years. Baltimore lost all sorts of industrial plants so by default the air should now be cleaner.........yet the cancer rate is higher here than anywhere else......go figure. We have all been hoodwinked.

In Sparrows Point, there are plans to built a liquid natural gas plant which would have pipelines running.,above ground, through all of the communities that stretch along Interstate 95. Studies were done, commissions were formed, and the community adamantly voiced their opposition to the plant. So what are they gonna do?..........they are going ahead with the plan anyway. Nice eh? Somehow I would bet that T. Boone Pickens is gonna make alot of money.

So what shall we do about all of this?

Well............we all need to show a vote of "no confidence" in our politicians. Each and every one of them. We need to go up against the system and clean it all out and start fresh. How we do that, I do not know. I do know one thing though, if we do not start now.......then our children's children's children are gonna be slaves......oppressed and held into submission by the elite.

God help us.

Sisters

A few years ago we had legitimate pictures taken of us........us being me and my three sisters. As I mentioned previously, my eldest son took me to visit the relatives in Tennessee as a Christmas gift.....this was the day after Christmas and I brought my buddy Dean Martin along with us. The one thing about professional legitimate photographs is that it never really shows you how the people in the picture really are........after all.......those people are posing for the picture. A true image of those folks is captured when you go to visit them and bring your camera.

Upon our arrival in Tennessee, we immediately were dispatched to a double birthday party held at an indoor kid's terror facility. We survived the mayhem and everyone managed to get out of there alive.......hehehe........actually everything went rather well since none of the kids drew any blood. Before we could regain the full function of our collective ears........well......it seemed to go so quickly........there was yet another birthday function to attend for my brother in-law's brother. This time the party was not totally about kids......not that the kid party was a bad thing......but you never wanna feel like you are involved in the filming of a documentary making the case for Planned Parenthood.........hehehe.......then again.......all adults are somebody's kids too.

The party was great and we all had a real good time as you can see above........hehehe.....that's my niece Martha Stewart sitting next to my eldest sister Sleepy.

Well......she isn't always Sleepy..........sometimes she manages to actually look at the camera when someone is taking a picture.

On the other hand, my sister Joan Rivers is always ready to use every hand she has to help you get a good picture of her.............

.......by the way........ she was not picking her nose......she has to press on that side of her nose for all of her hands to raise up.

She always tries to tell me that we are twins........it must be the beard.

My youngest sister, EBCBEBR, and me..........now what could be wrong with this picture?.........remember what I said about how people "pose" for a picture? Now here is how we actually look when we do not know someone is aiming a camera at us...........

..........Much better ain't it?

Needless to say, I always like to get some "action photos" wherever I go. My mom, Queen Elizabeth, got into it.
My buddy Tony Bennett also joined in.

I suppose you can blame Queen Elizabeth for how her kids behave.......sometimes I think even she wonders where she went wrong.

As you can see, we all really had a good time visiting in Tennessee. It was a happy time and I enjoyed it immensely.

On our way back home we had to make a stop at a Krystal..........it had been about thirty years since Dean Martin had a taste of the mystery meat burger. He used to work at the Krystal in Daytona Beach many moons ago.

It was a very good Christmas and a good end of the year.

It is a shame I ended up with pneumonia to start off the new year........oh well..........you just can't go around having fun anymore......hehehe.

Ryman Auditorium - Downtown Nashville

There I was again.........up in the balcony of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The Ryman is one of those places that you must see with your own eyes at least once in your life. Me?........well, I have had the pleasure to tred on that hallowed ground twice.........I had done it once before, back when they were all set up to film Neil Young's Prairie Wind concert. I didn't get to do the backstage tour back then because of all of the equipment, but this time I could do that backstage tour. Okay, so I had already done that must-see-once-in-your-life thing that I previously mentioned.............but........this time it was the "bonus round"...........the icing on the cake of life...........the creme de la creme..........this was a totally different experience. As it happened, my son, Dash Riprock had decided to take me to Tenessee to visit relatives. It was his Christmas gift to me. I was delighted to get such a gift. Because I like sharing good stuff with others, I convinced my buddy, Ted Springstone, to come along with us. He had never been to the Nashville area before and this would be a good thing for him to experience. While visiting the relatives in Tennessee, we decided to take a day out on the town in Downtown Nashville with my sister and her daughter. So there we were.........at the Ryman.........enjoying ourselves and having a memorable experience. Countless superstars of country music had been here performing. The Ryman is where the Grand Ole Opry was, and sometimes still is. The Opry now has a much larger venue of its own and the Ryman, while still being a venue today for all sorts of performances by artists from all genres of music, today is a monument.........a museum of history. Think Elvis.....Johnny Cash......Loretta Lynn....Minnie Pearl......Hank Williams.......just about everyone you can think of. This is indeed hallowed grounds.......and what better thing could there possibly be but to picture yourself on that very same stage where they all stood........is it possible?..............yes it is.............

.......even half of the legendary Uncle Murray Band could find themselves on stage there!........hehehe........Imagine that! I had never been too much of a country music fan. I liked Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson and a few others, but I have always leaned towards rock musicians that would also happen to include a bit of country flavor to their songs. Artists such as Neil Young and even the Bee Gees had many songs that could have been country hits. Let's face it.........country musicians have had alot of influence on the rest of the music world.

We roamed throughout the interior of the Ryman as we waited for the backstage tour. Took lots of pictures.......posed here and there......absorbed it all.

That's Dash Riprock on the left and my buddy Dean Martin on the right.

The Ryman was a church at one time. All of the seats are actually church pews. The acoustics here are probably the best there is. You could stand on stage and speak in almost a whisper and you could hear them clearly anywhere in the building.......without any microphones.........unless, of course, you have damaged ears from your days back in the late 70s working as a roadie for a local rock band.......hehehe.

Needless to say, neither of us ever had any notion that one day we would both be standing there.......yet there we were.

I can only wonder what Dean Martin was thinking as he sat all the way in the last pew at the back of the balcony.

Light came in through the stained glass windows at the back of the building. Soon we began the backstage tour. Our guide was a nice elderly lady who probably had quite a history herself. She was very nice and did her best to tell us stories about the place and show us around backstage........even though I had a bit of difficulty understanding her......she had a heavy accent and spoke fairly fast.
This is the view from backstage where folks like Johnny Cash would stand waiting to go on stage.

To be standing right there is worth the trip.

A few steps back and there is one of the dressing rooms. This particular one was Minnie Pearl's......and is also where most of the headliners got ready to perform. We roamed throughout the building addition to the Ryman where all of the other dressing rooms are. It was great.

After the tour, we roamed around some more. This is the back of the venue on the lower level. We headed toward the stage to get a closer look.

And there he was............my buddy Fred Nugent....hehehe...........imagine yourself sitting there and singing a song that you had made up at that moment............no need for imagination for Fred........this is exactly what he did.......he sat there and made up a song and sang it!

I am sure he will never forget that moment.....I know I won't. Now if I could just convince some other friends to..............well............maybe one day.

There are also some display cases located in the building. Clothing worn by various performers such as Hank Williams........

......and Loretta Lynn..............wow........it is really something to see.

I suppose not many people get their picture taken with the displays.........maybe this is why....hehehe.
We saw just about all we could see and headed to the gift shop and took bio-breaks.

My son, Dash Riprock bought himself a hat..........it fits him nicely. Did I ever mention how much I love my kids? I am proud of each and every one of them.

Just outside of the Ryman is the tall building that is called the "Batman Building".

We headed off down the street towards the Wildhorse Saloon. I looked back at the Ryman...........glad I had the opportunity to be here again.

There's the Country Music Television building across the street............maybe one day my buddy will sit inside there and treat them to a song or two............well...........you never know.

We walked through the streets of downtown Nashville...........not once did any of us ever feel threatened in any way.........we felt very safe........pretty good considering this is Titans Territory and we were wearing Ravens hats......hehehe.

If you ever go to Nashville......you have to stop by the Wildhorse Saloon.

There I was........sitting there in the Wildhorse Saloon with my sister waiting to order up some of that fantastic barbeque that they offer to the masses. It was not very busy the day that we were there. I wish there were places like this in Baltimore. We need this stuff at home.

A few years back, my son Dash Riprock, did this very same pose......so we just had to do it again.

Not only is the Wildhorse Saloon a huge bar.......it is a restaurant......and a dance hall........and a concert venue. They have an awesome stage........and not a bad seat in the house. We need one of these in Baltimore. Once upon a time in Baltimore there was a similar place called Hammerjack's. Hammerjack's was located where the parking lot for M&T Bank Stadium is today. I stood there looking at the Wildhorse stage knowing that my hero, Todd Rundgren, had performed here. Wished I could have been there for that one........and also when he performed at the Ryman as well..............and then my mind is taken off of that when I see the following......

.......Horses!.......upside down!......on the ceiling!

Dean Martin wanted a photo with the horse mural. You won't see this in Baltimore.

Once again........the Uncle Murray Band makes its presence known!

We ate our food....roamed around some more inside the place and then hit the streets again.

Around the corner from the Wildhorse Saloon is Broadway, where numerous small bars are located. We strolled past all of them.........and we could hear assorted performers doing their thing on the stages inside.

Nashville has a very nice "arena". Baltimore does not. Nashville has a NHL hockey team.........Baltimore does not. Baltimore has been slacking.

One of the many famous bars on Broadway is called Tootsie's. Tootsie's has quite a history and just about every famous and wanna-be famous country artist has been in there.

I don't think they go without live entertainment at any given part of the day.

You probably wonder what exactly it is that you see in this picture. This is a portion of their wall of fame. Actually...........there is not any place on any of the walls.....or ceiling....that does not have something written or carved by Tootsie's patrons over the years.

Naturally, the Uncle Murray Band now has its own mark on the wall of fame.

One thing about Nashville is.........I don't think you can find any performer that is terrible. Each and every one of them are extremely talented and make the folks you encounter back home in a Fells Point bar on a Friday night........well........let's just say.........Baltimore cannot hold a candle to them.

Have a look around.........there's the famous Ernest Tubb Record Shop..................we didn;t cross the street but records?.......really?......they still have records? I wonder how many young folks walk by and see that sign and ask "What is a record?"

Street art........every city has them..........Hendersonville NC had bears......Baltimore has crabs.........and Nashville has guitars.

We went inside another bar and heard this gal performing on guitar. She was darn good and I do not know her name. It was a surprise to hear her singing the old Cat Stevens tune "First Cut Is The Deepest"........it just so happens that it is one of my favorites.

She was quite a performer. Her partner was darned good too.

Notice how clean?

And every city has homeless people and beggars but you won't see anything like this in Baltimore. Imagine that.............you gotta like this. There were several people along Broadway doing this.

Oh well............the sun began to set and we headed back to the car. We stopped in yet another bar because we heard another gal belting out a song. It was a karaoke bar and my son decided that he was gonna sing two songs...............I had never ever heard him sing before.......this was special. My sister cried as he sang......I was surprised by how good he did........and it was all a glorious finish to our visit to downtown Nashville.

This Christmas present was turning out to be quite a memorable one.