T.H.E. M.U.S.E. A.N.D. W.H.I.R.L.E.D. R.E.T.O.R.T. 8-2009

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Hey everybody, its that time of the month again
Coming Soon: Seattle Olympia, Duncan, Victoria, Vancouver,  and points east.
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T.H.E. .M.U.S.E. .A.N.D.. .W.H.I.R.L E.D. .R.E.T.O.R.T.
August 01, 2009
Vol. X Issue v
Seattle, WA

The only thing I really dont like about Fox News is well the name.  

Thats it.  Nothing more.

No, not the word Fox -- as in 20th Century Fox.  (Only at the turn of the millennium they just dropped the phrase 20th Century instead of changing it to 13th Century Fox like they should have.)

No no no its not the word Fox.  That bugs me. Its the word news.

If ya just took news out of it I could at least accept it.  I could see it as kind of like the Jon Stewart Show only for people who long to return to the good ol days in America when women couldnt vote, there was segregation, and children worked in anthracite mines. I am OK with the fact the show exists -- its just not NEWS. The reactionary right in this country deserve a fake news show too.  We have Stewart  they have Glen Beck... a talented comedian, I might add  especially if you are a fan of Al Jolson or Andrew Dice Clay.

Only Jon Stewarts is a half hour show. Fox News does this 24-7.

Whats more they actually think they are presenting real investigative journalism.  Fair and balanced.  I mean I guess everything is balanced with something  but it would take a sack of horse manure the size of Uranus to balance their BS.

This is what they are actually airing right now: Overlay end of the world musical montage. Carmina Barina, The theme to The Exorcist, The Omen, Jaws...  Illustrations from The Inferno appear behind the news desk Flaming red letters cross the screen reading: The end of the world, The end is upon us, Armageddon, WE ARE DOOMED!!! Sean Hannity foams at the mouth, veins sticking out of his neck Socialism! He shouts.  

This is a news show?  A NEWS show?

Well it is news because he may be correct. This is Armageddon!!!  Not because of any cries of socialism  because of just how easily the American people are swayed.

They know this.  That is why fear ads fill the airwaves.  It worked 15 years ago when Hillary tried to get us health care.  If it aint broke, dont fix it.  Its just that  our health care system is broken  only the scare tactics still work.

Come on Sean?  Where are all of these Canadians, Brits and French and Swedes filling our Doctors office waiting rooms?  I should be tripping over them. (That is if I could afford to go to a doctors office.) Turns out the woman in the ad (Im sorry news story)  did you see it?  The Canadian woman that the insurance profiteers scoured the country side to find who came to the US to get her brain cancer tumor removed or she would have died. That is how Fox News reported it.  Turns out, it was a lie.

Two hours work by an actual investigative reporter (Canadian, I might add) showed she did not have brain cancer she had a small cyst which was in no way life threatening.  Instead of admitting a mistake, and finding another such horror story they had to just shut up -- largely because there are no such stories.  

I am crossing the border into Canada on Tuesday  I am positive I will not see a line of Canadians from Vancouver to Yellow Knife stabbing each other in the back to avail themselves of the fine American healthcare system.  Its just not happening.

What are these right wingers so afraid of?  Every other civilized country has health care that they love.  I am not saying they dont occasionally grumble.  Who doesnt?  But I assure you they are not saying, Boy, I sure wish we had a system like the Americans.

Hell, it is not even Single Payer!  It is only an option for a public plan  a plan that could compete with the insurance companies.  Why are they nervous?  If their plan is so terrific they shouldnt fear competition.  They are in fact strangling competition. Why, strangling competition  thats  thats UNAMERICAN.

I like the ad where the slick back black haired government policy wonk is trying to get between the patient and the doctor.  Please.  I mean I am all for good storytelling, but the characters cross the line between myth and fiction.  The evil character the in the ad should really be an insurance executive getting between you and your doctor saying, Claim denied.

The CEO of Etna makes $40 Million dollars a year as his salary.  His sole job seems to be to find new and different ways to deny claims while increasing premiums.  Apparently, he is doing a very good job.

It is not just the CEOs.  Insurance companies pay for middle management to have Mc Mansions in the suburbs while denying claims of working stiffs living in one room row houses.

If the whole concept behind an insurance company is to have a large number of people regularly buy in so that there is a large pool of cash available to cover an individual as the need arises  wouldnt it make sense to make the pool even larger by having EVERYONE in it?

The much trumpeted Research and Development Departments in private corporations seem to only come up with products for erectile dysfunction and male pattern baldness. Dont get me wrong, I am a middle aged bald man that likes to have sex but I have learned to manage I keep my Viagra right next to my Prozac  but ya know if either one of them worked, I wouldnt need the other one.

OK, I know I have used that line before but when I googled the phrase health care jokes just to see what was out there and perhaps give me some ideas for this news letter  the number one response was (I am not making this up) A website for a group that gives you rate quotes from insurance companies.  Really.

I think that in and of itself is quite telling.

Our healthcare system is an international embarrassment.  People who can not afford coverage are forced to rely on expensive emergency rooms that they will never be able to pay for and then fall back on self prescribing Malt Liquor and fortified wine paid for by the public charity known as panhandling.

It simply has to change.  And if not now  when!?

And more importantly, if we fail now will we ever get it?
I think you know the answer to that.

I say, Health care is a right and if you dont like that you can get sick and die.

Phone your congressman. Phone your senators.

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A.N.N.O.U.N.C.M.E.N.T.S.

Paul Benoit and I are finishing up our long awaited new CD.

I am open to suggestions on what to call it.  It will have many of the new pieces Paul and I have been doing  I would tell you what they are but I am still really poor at titling pieces.  Lets see. It has the one about Banks, and the one about the constellations and Gods First mini Series,  It has the one about Stone Mtn GA and the one about my mother. Any ideas on what to call it?  Drop me a line.
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I sold out of the first 50 copies of the new anthology of T.H.E. . .M.U.S.E. .A.N.D. .W.H.I.R.L.E.D. .R.E.T.O.R.T.  I hope to have a fresh printing of 100 or so as soon as I can.  Thank you for your patience.
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Paul and I are now booking shows from Oct 12 to November 12 on the east coast and all the way to Texas.
In a perfect world it will go as follows:

NONE of this is booked.  If you have any thoughts on these dates or would like to present us at your place we are on our way.

Baltimore DC Philly  Pittsburgh Charlottesville or Richmond Winston Salem Ashville Atlanta Jacksonville West Palm Beach Broward CO Dade CO Tampa Gainesville Tallahassee Pensacola New Orleans Baton Rouge Houston Dallas Ft Worth Austin
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Congratulations to Tom and Shelly may you forever be blowing bubbles.  Like you have a choice.
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Happy Birthday to Lulu Pepper Juliana Bern. You are a lucky girl.  Congratulations to Dan and Danielle.
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T.H.A.N.K.Y.O.U.
Paul Benoit; Brian QTN; Anne Feeney; Shirley Myers; My Family; Celene deLoach; Dan and Danielle;  Jason Luckett and  Eric Schwartz; Louis Lafortune; Pauls Family; Michelle Sellers and Jason Carpenter; Jarod Kaplin, Frankie Hernandez and Jay; Manoogi Hi, All the folks at OCF; David Rovics and Leila; Green Mtn Grass, Raina Rose, Amy Berlin; Adam and Kris; Pete in Estacda; Becky, Cecil and Darryl Cherney; Tim Lynch and KPIG, Randy, Hali and Elanor;  Michael and Laura; Michael at the Grange; Joe, Joe; Lou and Crew in Truckee; Jake and Cassie; Peter Wilde and Sean Shanehan; Michael, Nikki and Enger Bohemia; Kirsten Shipper; Jen Delyth; Stu Henderson, David, April, Cali, Smokey and Woody; Heather and Two Turtles; Jess Grant and Suzanne, Jakel and Blake.  

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Chris Chandler and Paul Benoit Upcoming Events:

Saturday, August 1st, 2009 7:00 PM
at Brett and Erin's
House Concert
3135 Cooper Point RD NW
Olympia, WA 98502
phone: 360-866-6370
brettalicious@riseup.net

Sunday, August 2nd, 2009
Fancy Fronds Fern Nursery
Goldbar, WA

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009 8pm
Long John Presents
The Duncan Garage Showroom
201-330 Duncan St
Duncan, BC V9L-3W4
Canada
phone: 250-748-7246
website: http://www.duncangarageshowroom.ca

Friday, August 7th, 2009 8:00 PM
Presented by Karen Gillmore
House Concert at the home of Ken and Sharon
RSVP Karen Gillmore via phone
Victoria, BC
phone: (250) 384-5174 RSVP

Saturday, August 8th, 2009 8 pm
The Industrial Workers of the World Presents Chris Chandler with Paul Benoit
Rhizome Gallery
317 East Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Sunday, August 9th, 2009 7:00 21 and up only
Chris and Paul on a split bill with Holden Young Trio
The Mix
6006 12th Ave
Seattle, WA 98108
PRICE: $5.00
website: http://www.myspace.com/mixseattle


Chris is playing a one off show in Carbondale IL on Sept 18 at Cousin Andy's at present I am doing it solo.
If you are in the midwest and have any ideas pleas let me know.

After that
If you are in DC, PA, MD, VA, NC, GA, FL, LA, or TX and want to present Paul and me in Oct/ Nov drop me a line.