"September"

When I was a kid, I hated September. All of us were re-herded back to SCHOOL, you see.  Years later, I composed a poem which said "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink...you can lead the sheep to slaughter, but it won't make him THINK."  When September came, as a child I felt like my mind was "being led to the slaughter" once again, creativity was PUT TO DEATH there.  I have never, ever regretted dropping out of high school!! Wish I'd dropped out SOONER.

Anyway, when I got married in 1979, my first wife and I ran a business and I was GLAD when September came around...it signaled the beginning of our BUSIEST SEASON, you see!! (Perhaps hypocritically, I was HAPPY that the kids went back to school because mine was a CARPET CLEANING BUSINESS and Fall Cleaning BEGINS when kids are out of the house again!!)

Still later on in my life, September became a month to remember my dear GRANDPARENTS who practically raised me. September 8th this year is GRANDPARENTS' DAY, September 19th will be 25 years since my Grandfather died and September 26th will be 20 years since my GRANDMOTHER passed.

More recently, a couple of "September" songs come to mind at this time of year.  The song "September Grass" by James Taylor (from his 2002 album "October Road") speaks of how GREEN grass REBOUNDS in September after the blazing heat of summer cools off.  Then, the song "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire has special meaning for my new wife and me now.

You see, when my first wife died about 2-and-a-half years ago, I got remarried last year and at our Reception, the DJ played the song "September." To that point, NO ONE was dancing to the music but then a relative, (who is NAMED "D.J.,") got up on the dance floor and danced ALONE as an "ice breaker" for the crowd!!  Before you know it, EVERYONE was dancing and so September tends to have a POSITIVE vibe for me now, here as I'm in the "September" of my life as a 64 year old.

Happy September (yeah, I know, it starts TOMORROW but I don't USUALLY blog on SUNDAYS, Lol!!)






(Photo taken from the Internet...in Public Domain.)

"The 2019 New York Yankees: 'OVERCOMERS' "

The 2019 New York Yankees are presently tied for the best record in baseball....DESPITE their best starting pitcher (and one of their best RELIEVERS) not having pitched all year so far, DESPITE one of their top sluggers having only played 6 games (with only one measly home run) so far, and DESPITE a total of 31 guys being INJURED so far, at one point or another during the season.  (Oh yeah, ONE of those 31 injuries was a guy who was runner up for Rookie of the Year last year!!)

It's simply incredible what this team...and they ARE a team...has done so far.

They have overcome obstacle after obstacle after obstacle with a relentless determination that is both inspiring and challenging. Injuries that would have other teams reeling only seem to keep the 2019 Yankees ROLLING.

The SUBSTITUTES the Yanks have brought up as fill-ins for established, injured stars have been downright AMAZING.  Greg Bird got injured (again) and apparently FLEW AWAY because we never hear about him returning, but LUKE VOIT has done GREAT, filling in at first base.  (And when HE got injured, MIKE FORD stepped in and so far has nine homers, in limited appearances!!)

GARY SANCHEZ has revived his career after an injury-ridden 2018, and recently became the 2nd fastest player in baseball history to reach 100 career home runs.  Meanwhile, AARON JUDGE got off to a bad start THIS year but recently became the THIRD fastest to reach 100!!  GLEYBER TORRES is setting ALL kinds of home run records, AROLDIS "THE CUBAN MISSLE" CHAPMAN is blowing 'em away in the SAVES department and DIDI GREGORIOUS, a guy who was supposed to be out for MOST, if not ALL, of 2019 came back early and has contributed constantly to the Yankees' success.

DOMINGO GERMAN suddenly blossomed to become the winning-est pitcher in baseball so far, EASILY making up for the absence of star Starter LUIS SEVERINO (just as the newly acquired ADAM OTTOVINO has made up for the absence of star Reliever DELLIN BETANCES.)

AARON HICKS and BRET GARDNER and JUDGE are great outfielders and hustlers, but MIKE TAUCHMAN and CAMERON MAYBIN have come "out of nowhere" to excel to the point that we don't want...or need...Giancarlo Stanton back this year!! (Mike Tauchman sometimes reminds me of a young Mike Trout, who I coveted in the off-season, but Trout re-signed with the Angels.) Why, the Yankees even had their top TV announcer (Michael Kay) and their top RADIO announcer (John Sterling) go down with temporary afflictions, but the organization had more-than-able fill-ins there, ALSO, until they returned!!

Then, there's the deals the team DIDN'T make in the off-season (passing on free agents Manny Machado and Bryce Harper) and the deals they DID make (bringing in D.J. LeMahieu and EDWIN ENCANARCION), which are to be commended.

***LEMAHIEU*** is the guy with his finger raised, in the photo...a sure candidate for the league's Most Valuable Player award!! He is presently battling for the batting title with teammate / third baseman ***GIO URSHELA***, who never would have had a chance to PLAY on the team this year if Andujar didn't get hurt!! Talk about making the most of your opportunities!!  D.J. is the only regular on the team who HASN'T gone on the Injured List, if I'm not mistaken. Also, at the end of last year, and at the beginning of THIS one, I wrote blogs calling for the firing of manager AARON BOONE but needless to say, that's a substitution I do NOT want to make anymore, Lol!!  I once criticized his lack of "fire" but wow, he must have heard me because he has overcome THAT character flaw...been ejected a FEW times this year defending his guys.  And the way he keeps this diverse team that has men from 7 different countries TOGETHER is very, very praiseworthy.

I really, really hope the Yankees get in, and WIN, the World Series this year and that someone writes a book about this 2019, "Fairy Tale" season. The title?? "OVERCOMERS: The Story of the 2019 New York Yankees."

But even if they DON'T win it all, no one will blame them when they look back on all of the adversity and the EFFORT they've made.  My wife and I are HUGE baseball and YANKEE fans (see pic above), and we are LOVING what we see from our team!! Personally, I've been a baseball fan for over 55 years...before my wife was even born...and I've never seen a team as resilient, as determined and unified as THIS team.

"Something I've Learned"

In my blog last week, the one entitled "'Bombshell' Will Be a Bomb'," I said I ordered one of Gretchen Carlson's books and would read it.  (Gretchen, of course, was the former Fox News employee who brought down the late Fox News Chairman / CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment.)

Most of my readers are CONSERVATIVE (as am I) and, who knows, some may think I'm "leaning left" by ordering Gretchen's book, but I don't care. Sexual harassment victimizes women of ALL political persuasions and CONSERVATIVE men (such as Ailes) obviously can be guilty of it, also.

I've BEGUN to read Gretchen's book and find it very interesting.  I don't agree with EVERYTHING she says, of course, but here's one excerpt regarding something I've learned.  It has to do with WHY WOMEN WHO CLAIM THEY WERE SEXUALLY HARASSED DON'T COME FORWARD SOONER.  Gretchen lists seven reasons...

I have to admit, I often ask the question "Why didn't she come forward sooner?"  when I hear a new Sexual harassment claim against someone (thankfully, it has never happened to ME.)  Gretchen's seven reasons make a LOT of sense to me, though of course sometimes decades-old accusations ARE fabrications or a case of what I call "mistaken memories."

When the late Stan Lee got accused of Sexual harassment before his death, I wrote my blog "Women Who Cry 'Wolf" " in his defense.  In that blog, I stated why I thought the claims against the 95 year old were ridiculous and how women who MAKE such claims make it even HARDER for women who are TRULY abused to come forward.  That's something Gretchen left OUT of her list of why harassed women stay silent, by the way...women who make FALSE claims which discredit those with VALID ones!!  Here's that blog, from a year-and-a-half ago...

http://chetitorial.blogspot.com/2018/02/women-who-cry-wolf.html

But despite what Carlson left OUT of her list, the things she mentioned represent SOMETHING I'VE LEARNED, for which I am very, very grateful.

"To Tom ("Shady") Brady: Read Proverbs 27:2"

I am not a football fan, I know very little about the game (though my new wife is trying to teach me.)

I am a BASEBALL man, though I'm a New York YANKEES (not a New York METS fan.)

All of that being said, what Patriots QB Tom Brady tried to do to New York Mets pitching legend TOM SEAVER recently is simply despicable.

You see, in March, it was announced that the 74 year old Seaver is dying of DEMENTIA (I blogged about this here as it happened.) If you look him up on his Wikipedia page, you'll see that Seaver has two nicknames that were given to him during his Hall of Fame career.  The first and foremost is "TOM TERRIFIC."  Well, wouldn't you know it, it just came out that Tom Brady tried to COPYRIGHT that nickname for HIMSELF, in June, and was (thankfully) turned down?? The copyright people recognized that is SEAVER'S nickname, and has been for a long time.  I just can't believe it...reading up on Brady, it turns out he has FOUR nicknames...why was "Tom Terrific" the ONLY one he tried to copyright??  And why'd he wait till it became national news that the REAL "Tom Terrific," Tom SEAVER, doesn't know what's going on anymore before he tried this heist??

I may not know FOOTBALL, people, but I know LACK OF CHARACTER when I see it. 

And I don't care HOW many Super Bowls the guy has won, this is pathetic.  Note that SEAVER never tried to copyright the nickname others gave him even though he earned it in 1969, 50 years ago, 8 years before Brady was even BORN. And I believe that OTHERS gave Brady that same moniker ALSO.  But here's the problem:  ONCE YOU ATTEMPT TO COPYRIGHT A NAME YOU ARE CLAIMING THE NAME AND, IN ESSENCE, NAMING (AND PRAISING) YOURSELF. And the Bible clearly says "Let another praise you, not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips" (Proverbs 27:2.) 

I never paid much attention when people said Brady cheated with "Deflategate" because, again, I know little about football.  However, I'm starting to think the guy lies, cheats AND steals because I regard his excuse as to how this "Tom Terrific" thing came about as a lie (he claims he tried to copyright the moniker so no one but he and Seaver could ever use it.  Yeah, nice of him to look out for Seaver in SECRET that way!! And if he GETS the copyright, will Seaver's estate have to PAY him every time someone refers to SEAVER as "Tom Terrific"??  Of course not, Lol!! What a pack of lies.)

If Tom Brady needs a NEW nickname, on top of his other four, I'd like to suggest "Shady Brady."

Now THAT'S a name he richly deserves.

"Yes, Yes, Yes!! See 'Overcomer' DESPITE the Title" (NO Spoilers!!)

Saw "OVERCOMER" last night and it was absolutely terrific...DESPITE the (in my opinion) poorly chosen TITLE of the movie.  The poorly chosen title might explain why there doesn't seem (to me) to be as much INTEREST in this Kendrick Brothers films as there was in the LAST few, at least not initially.  VERY FEW were in the theater with me, frankly!!  Let me explain what I mean by "poorly chosen title."

Look, the Target Audience for this movie is CLEARLY Christians, and 95% of us have heard the wonderful SONG "Overcomer" by Mandisa...since 2013 we've heard it over and over and over, in fact. For the Kendrick brothers to choose a song which predates their LAST great movie, "War Room," gives the impression to their fans that they are going backwards, not forwards in their art...a "Been there, Done that" feel, like they're out of original ideas.  Bad enough that THIS movie has two of the same actors that "War Room" had *, but to TITLE this movie after a six year old song, which already appeared in ANOTHER Christian movie?? Big mistake, in my opinion. 

Also, the LYRICS to the song "Overcomer" draw primarily on a BOXING analogy, and (these are not Spoilers, BTW, you can read them in most REVIEWS of the movie) the movie features BASKETBALL and CROSS-COUNTRY as sports...not BOXING.  So to choose a song with a BOXING analogy may give Christians who despise Boxing (I am not one, but there are MANY) a reason not to go, and may also give clever, unsaved cynics and critics a reason to think there's a bit of "false advertising" going on.  Additionally, those who WANTED to see Boxing might be very, very disappointed because the movie is titled after a song which clearly has Boxing as its theme.

Look, I'm a writer and TITLES must accurately convey CONTENTS.  They say "You can't judge a book by it's cover" but you SHOULD be able to judge a MOVIE by its TITLE!!  Just yesterday, I wrote a new poem and posted it on Facebook, asking my Friends for help coming up with a TITLE.  The Kendrick Brothers should have sought counsel about  properly TITLING this movie...not PUBLICLY, not on FACEBOOK, of course but in THEIR inner circles. They didn't...and it shows.  (Frankly, having seen the movie I could come up with BETTER titles but I won't say what they are, those MIGHT be "Spoilers," Lol!!)

I hope the movie (pardon the pun) OVERCOMES this obstacle of its title because ONCE IT KICKS IN, IT IS A MASTERPIECE IN ITS OWN RIGHT.  Despite the seeming predictability that the title suggests, it is filled with PLOT-TWISTS and PLEASANT SURPRISES...there were tears streaming down my face CONSTANTLY in the last 45 minutes or so.  I was touched in my SOUL.  Once again, as in "Flywheel," "Facing The Giants," "Fireproof," "Courageous" and "War Room," the movie ABOUNDS with solid Christian lessons and themes.  Yes, Yes, Yes!! See the movie, even IF you are weary of the SONG "Overcomer," ** 

THIS MOVIE IS A MASTERPIECE.







* Not that I'm tired of looking (not lusting.....looking) at the godly and beautiful Priscilla Shirer, mind you!! Is she REALLY Tony Evans's daughter?? Must have got her looks from MOM, Lol!! (Just kidding, I love Tony Evans.)


** Before the "Overcomer" movie last night, there was a preview for ANOTHER movie.

Remember when I was RAVING here, a few months back, about Bruce Springsteen's new album "WESTERN STARS"?? Well, they've made a documentary about it and it will be in theaters in OCTOBER. Now, to make a MOVIE about an entire ALBUM is cool because the ALBUM is NEW...but for the Kendricks to title their MOVIE after a 6 year old song which predates their LAST flick is NOT cool, in my opinion.  (Anyway, I was right about "Western Stars" being a classic ALBUM and I'm right about "Overcomer" being a wonderful MOVIE.  SEE IT!!)

" 'Bombshell' Will Be a Bomb"

A new movie, "Bombshell," is coming out soon with the aim of exposing the late ROGER AILES, former Chairman and CEO of FoxNews, as a serial abuser of women. My wife and I probably WON'T go see it, because honestly it CAN'T POSSIBLY be a "Bombshell" in terms of being "explosive" with new revelations about Ailes.

Here's the trailer...https://deadline.com/2019/08/margot-robbie-charlize-theron-nicole-kidman-roger-ailes-jay-roach-movie-bombshell-trailer-1202700698/

(Wow, Charlize Theron, on the left in the photo, DOES look like Megyn Kelly!!)

Anyway, before I get accused of being unwilling to keep an open mind about AILES, you should know that my wife and I did watch that entire 7 part mini-series, "The Loudest Voice," (the one where RUSSELL CROWE played Roger.)  And I just don't see how ANY movie could paint a better picture of Ailes's sins than THAT over-the-top portrayal did.  There can't possibly be MORE stuff of a major nature that we need to know about the guy, and John Lithgow can't POSSIBLY "capture" Ailes better than CROWE did....so why watch??

Yes, Ailes WAS undoubtedly guilty of sexual harassment and I've come to admire Gretchen Carlson so much for speaking up, that I ordered one of her books and plan to read it soon.  But "Bombshell"?? I don't know, what more can a two hour movie reveal that a SEVEN hour mini-series MISSED?? And how much lurid, creepy stuff do we need to fill our minds with, to be reasonably informed??

UNDOUBTEDLY "Bombshell" will have the same final, fatal flaw that "The Loudest Voice" had...the movie will try to tie Ailes to PRESIDENT TRUMP and ALL male Republicans who like Fox News and say we are ALL abusers of women.  (Yeah, right...just like we're all RACISTS, Lol!!)

If they called the movie "Bombshells," plural, as in "Blonde Bombshells," well THAT would have more credibility as this movie obviously made these three look more beautiful than "The Loudest Voice" did! But sorry....I don't buy "Bombshell," singular, as being a plausible title.

"Bombshell"? I don't think so...in fact, I believe the movie will just be a BOMB.

"25 Years Ago: The Day We Met Stan Lee"

When Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee died 9 months ago, in November 2018, you may recall I blogged about him a few times.  Well, today I want to blog briefly about August 20th, 1994...25 years ago today...when my 12 year old twin sons and I (and a carload of their young friends) MET Stan, face-to-face!!

It was at a huge Marvel Comics Convention in Secaucus, NJ on a Saturday morning.  (Usually, I worked on Saturdays, but I took the day off because this was my son's BIRTHDAY PRESENT....their birthdays are on the 25th.) We pulled into the parking garage of the hotel EARLY and so there were few cars obstructing my view of the tall, skinny man walking towards the hotel elevator.

Instinctively, even though his back was towards us, I knew it was Stan and I called out to him...he walked all the way to our car and chatted with us for 5-10 minutes!! He was EXTREMELY outgoing and friendly and funny...just like his "image," and when we were done, after telling him I started reading Marvel at the same age my SONS were going to be, 12, I said "Stan, I feel like I've known you my whole life."

"You have," he replied!!

Now, I do NOT gamble, but by attending the Convention I was automatically entered into a RAFFLE to win an old, worn copy of "X-Men #1" (worth "only" $300 at the time because of its condition.)  Amazingly, I won the raffle, out of ALL the people who were there!! I stood in a long line to have Stan SIGN it for me (see picture above.)  THAT was as amazing as having the "private audience" with Stan in the parking garage!!

At this Convention, there were SEVERAL Marvel artists and writers...I recall Stan speaking to the crowd saying a live-action Spider-Man movie was in the works with "Terminator" and "Titanic" director JAMES CAMERON behind it.  (It wasn't until six years later, 2000, that the first "real" Marvel movie came out...it was "X-Men." And, Sony's "Spider-Man," WITHOUT Cameron, debuted in 2002.  (Marvel movies have been HUGE across the globe in the last ten years...the new AVENGERS movie just topped Cameron's AVATAR for the largest worldwide box office of all time!! Stan has had a cameo in just about EVERY Marvel movie...I think there have been about 35 of them by now.)

Looking back, it was a good thing there was no BLOGGING in those days...I would have certainly blogged about meeting Stan and my "Camping" friends (see last blog) might have thought I was crazy...excited about meeting a COMIC BOOK guy, but NOT excited that "Jesus was going to return" (many said) in a few weeks from that date, Lol!!  In fact I, personally didn't begin blogging until 2004, ten years later.  To my recollection I've never blogged as FULLY about meeting Stan as I just did, so I'm happy to write about it TODAY.  I also wish there were cell-phones with cameras in those days...I'd have some digital pics of us WITH Stan, if so.  Unfortunately, I don't have ANY photos of this event....only fond memories.  We took some "old school" pics, but they were lost.

Above: What I wrote about Stan for one of the New York papers, after he died 9 months ago.

GOD WAS VERY GOOD TO ME that I had the pleasure of meeting Stan that day, that WAY (all to ourselves, in the garage, BEFORE we went in to the crowded Convention) because that very NIGHT, I learned my dear grandfather had cancer, and he died within a month.  Lord Willing, I will write more about GRANDPA in future blogs.

"Harold Camping's Warnings"

As I sit here at home early Sunday morning, preparing to teach my Sunday school class again in a few hours, I'm reminded what a RESPONSIBILITY it is to teach God's Word.  And I'm reminded of that TODAY by thinking back to what it was like 25 years ago, right around this time of year.

In August 1994, a large chunk of the Christian church believed Jesus was going to return on Sept. 6th, you see.  Thankfully, my wife and I were INSULATED from the error (of thinking we can KNOW the day and hour of Jesus's return) via GOOD teaching we'd had, but many were scurrying to and fro, counting down the says till Sept. 6th, and telling OTHERS to get ready for The End.  Homes were sold, churches were divided, brethren who thought the main proponent (Harold Camping, pictured above) was wrong were scorned as "unbelievers" and "unspiritual" by other Christians!!  I, personally, went to a "Bible Study" where they'd absorbed Camping's errors and it was SO bad, I literally walked out as quietly as I could.  (Those folks didn't want me to have an OPEN mind, they wanted me to be MINDLESS, and that's the difference, you see!!)  In short, a GREAT DEAL OF HARM WAS DONE because of one man's well-publicized, albeit WELL-INTENTIONED false teaching.

Obviously, the world DIDN'T end in September 1994, and when OCTOBER came, all that happened is there was no World SERIES because of a baseball strike. Many non-Christians SCORNED Christianity because Camping's prediction didn't come true, and many professing Christians became disillusioned with Christ and Christianity, because of that one man's error.  Yet, he refused to step down from his teaching position and no one apparently had the clout to REMOVE him or the INTEGRITY to stop WORKING for him so he'd HAVE to quit.  I must admit, his reluctance to admit he was wrong troubled me as much as the FACT that he was wrong.  I actually tuned in his radio show a few times in October '94 (first time ever) and he was determined and defiant.

And (pardon the pun) predictably, a generation later, in 2011, Camping made ANOTHER false prediction about Jesus's return.  Obviously, he was wrong again but a whole new generation believed him and this time, many who'd realized he was wrong in '94 were pitted against their children who were sucked in, in 2011!! Really sad stuff. I never questioned his sincerity, but only his SANITY that he'd do the same thing again, and expect a different result!! Shortly after this, the LORD stepped in...Camping had a stroke which FORCED him to stop making predictions and thankfully, he admitted he'd sinned by teaching falsehood before he died.  I expect to see this man in Heaven because salvation IS by grace alone apart from works....however, I believe that when he stood before the Lord upon his death he had reason to be very, very ashamed.

I never went along with Harold Camping's warnings about the date Jesus will return...although I do know He WILL return, just that we cannot predict the day or the hour.

But I DO see plenty of warnings from Camping's life and conduct which I take to heart as someone who teaches God's Word to a small Men's Sunday School class.  Jesus told His disciples to "Remember Lot's wife" as a caution of what not to do, and in like manner there is profit from remembering CAMPING.  Here are two things I remember about him, as warnings for ME......

1.) TEACH ONLY THE BIBLE, AND DON'T STRIVE TO BE NOVEL WHEN YOU DO. This was Camping's problem...Pride.  He thought God revealed to HIM something that Jesus said even HE didn't know!! Namely, the day and the hour of His own return. And...

2.) EXAMINE ALL TEACHING FROM OTHERS, WHETHER AT CHURCH, FROM RADIO, TV OR THE INTERNET, IN LIGHT OF SCRIPTURE ALONE.  As I tell my class on occasion, "BE BEREANS," be those who examine God's Word to check out the things teachers say.

There are OTHER warnings from Harold Camping that I could mention, but it's time to get ready for church.  Perhaps in the future, I will do so....Lord Willing!!

"Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall," Scripture warns!!

"Guesstimating"

Yes, I know today is the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock...I wrote about it last night, in fact!!  But it's also the anniversary of ANOTHER famous concert..."Paul Simon's Concert in Central Park"...which took place on this very date, 28 years ago.  I thought it would be interesting to compare the two.

WOODSTOCK was a three day event, starting on August 15th, 1969, and featuring MANY artists.  It took place in Upstate New York, with an estimated 400,000 in attendance.  Farmer MAX YASGUR, whose field Woodstock took place on, called it "The largest group of people ever assembled in one place" and at that time, he may have been right. That 400k number has never been challenged, to my knowledge.

SIMON'S CONCERT was a ONE day event featuring ONE artist, taking place in New York CITY.  Initially, the crowd estimate was 600,000....one source even estimated it at 750,00 (more on that LATER.)  As mentioned last night I didn't go to Woodstock but saw the MOVIE when it was released the following year.  As for SIMON'S concert, I didn't go to that, EITHER, but it was on HBO "live" and my sister Liz taped it for me (Beth and I didn't have HBO). I then watched the VHS of Simon, and enjoyed it very much, about two weeks after it happened.

Of the two, I enjoyed SIMON much more than "Woodstock." As I mentioned in my Woodstock post last night, I did NOT watch the "Woodstock" movie because I was into that music, but I have ALWAYS liked Paul Simon's music!!  I was surprised to learn, only TODAY however, that the initial estimate of the crowd size for Paul Simon's gig was wrong...they now say "ONLY" 49,000 came!!

This disturbs me.

          * If it was "only" 49,000 then for all of these years, when I thought Simon, BY HIMSELF, surpassed Woodstock's total in ONE DAY...I was wrong.  He did NOT draw 600,000.

          * If it was "only" 49,000 then Paul Simon BY HIMSELF did NOT surpass his reunion with ART GARFUNKLE in the Park, ten years prior to '91!! (THAT concert was supposedly attended by 500,000.) Rather than SURPASS his former partner, if both figures are accurate, Simon drew only one tenth of what the two of them did. (In fact, 49,000 is NOT EVEN one tenth of 500k!!) And that 500k number, to my knowledge, has never been challenged EITHER.

If it was "only" 49,000 for Simon as a solo act then he is NOT more popular by himself than he was with Art, who, BTW, I read today, thinks he was not invited to JOIN Paul again in '91 because it "might have hurt Paul's sense of stature."  (Hopefully, Art was referring to the new stature Paul had found with his two highly successful solo albums PRIOR to the Central Park gig, and NOT to the fact that Art is much taller than Paul.  That would have been a REAL cheap shot.)

          *Finally, if it was "only" 49,000 that Paul attracted in Central Park circa August of '91 then BILLY GRAHAM OUTDREW HIM FIVE WEEKS LATER, when his crusade in Central Park drew an estimated 250,000!! We WERE there at THAT event, by the way and wow, for all these years I thought Paul Simon drew more than Billy Graham, and he didn't!! I'm HAPPY I was wrong, on THAT front. (And knowing the integrity of the Billy Graham people, I'm sure they UNDERESTIMATED their crowd size, to be safe.)

I do not hold Paul Simon personally responsible for the misinformation and the misconceptions it caused for me over these past 28 years.  I've never heard HIM say "600,000" or "750,000." I do not think HE, intentionally, tried to appear that he outdrew Woodstock, the prior gig with his former partner or the great BILLY GRAHAM. But in case you're wondering why I'm not writing about the "Woodstock 2019" festivities starting TODAY, 8/15/'19, but rather am focused on 8/15/'91, well, two reasons: 1.) I blogged about "Woodstock 2019" last night and 2.) There's a big Lesson for all of US in all of THIS. When you are GUESSTIMATING, always guess LOW like the Billy Graham Organization did.

Better to be humble and guess LOW on your numbers, than look like you wanted to inflate your "sense of stature" and OVERguesstimate!!

"Woodstock 2019"

In my first blog of today, (see below), I mentioned why I didn't even know Woodstock was HAPPENING way back in August 1969.  Not for a few days, at least!! Obviously, I did not ATTEND the original Woodstock but I did see the DOCUMENTARY which played in theaters, in 1970.  At 15, it gave me and my guy friends a chance to view naked hippie chicks on the screen, you see, and in THOSE ancient days when I wasn't to become a Christian for five more years, that was a big "draw."  Frankly, that was the ONLY reason I went to see the movie, I wasn't a fan of ANY of the musicians who performed.  (Not saying that my motive was a good one, but just being honest here.)

Anyway, I've been reading about all of the 50th Anniversary "reunions" which are taking place, starting tomorrow, for Woodstock 2019, and I don't plan on attending any of them, either.

But I do have a prediction for those who WERE at the original Woodstock, and who DO make their pilgrimage to Bethel New York, or elsewhere, to celebrate: Disappointment.

Yes, DISAPPOINTMENT is my prediction.  I mean, c'mon, that once-in-a-lifetime event CANNOT be recreated, let's get real.  We are all 50 years older, and (most of us) 50 years WISER now.  It says a lot that Richie Havens, who was the opening act at the ORIGINAL Woodstock in August 1969, had as his last wish that his ASHES WILL BE SPREAD THERE THIS WEEKEND.  So the man who THRILLINGLY opened the whole event in '69 is DEAD, people!! And no one can equal HIS opening act, I'm sorry to tell you.  CERTAINLY not some of the new "musicians" I've read are performing this time around!!

There's an old saying that "You can't go home again" and guess what....You can't go back to WOODSTOCK again, either.  The original Woodstock is like the original MOON LANDING that took place the month before Woodstock...the next time we land on the moon it will NOT be as exciting as it was in July '69.

And neither will "Woodstock 2019" be as exciting, either.

"Great-Babcia (My Great-Grandmother)"

It was 50 years ago today that my Great-Grandmother (Elizabeth Leisner) died.  I was 14 at the time and I didn't realize how hard it hit my Grandmother, "Babcia,"* to lose her mother.  I do recall that my MOM told us that we couldn't listen to music or watch TV for a few days because of "Great-Babcia's" death, and, selfish teen that I was, that really bugged me.  When WOODSTOCK started the next day, it wasn't until day TWO of that event (the 16th) that I even heard about it on the news....that's how "sequestered" we were.

I remembered how GRIEFSTRICKEN my Grandmother was, and how it was hard for me to understand that.  I did understand a LITTLE better when my uncle (who I was close to) died two years later, but I didn't FULLY understand a daughter's bond to her mom till about ten years later when, as a married man, Beth and I had a DAUGHTER.  My poor Grandmother was crushed with grief.

I don't recall going to my Great-Grandmother's funeral, and I don't have any good PHOTOS of her, but in honor of her I'm posting this pic of her blue "Snowballs" which she had in the yard.  She loved them!!  THAT much I remember about her.


* "Babcia" is Polish for "Grandmother."

"Did Epstein ESCAPE? (And, Will CLINTON?)"

In my blog of July 9th, I wrote the following regarding Jeffrey Epstein: "I'm hoping that THIS time, in THIS life, he gets what's coming to him."

The pedophile Epstein is DEAD now, having supposedly committed suicide on Saturday morning in his jail cell.  And many feel CHEATED by this (understandably so.)  I do, too. Many feel that he ESCAPED...not that he escaped JAIL but that he escaped JUSTICE. However, as I wrote on Facebook the other day, "Abused Women: Epstein's death doesn't mean he escaped justice, it means he's getting ETERNAL Justice from God, Himself now." With Epstein, I'm afraid we'll have to go by faith, not by SIGHT...we can't WATCH him getting his due now, but we have to have faith that God HAS sent him to that place of everlasting torments that he so richly deserves.  (And please, NO ONE say "Well, who are we to judge? He MIGHT have been saved! We don't know." Yes, he MIGHT have been saved had he REPENTED, but there were never any FRUITS of repentance, so let's stop with the unbelief already. GOD SAYS THERE IS A HELL, AND PEOPLE ARE GOING THERE...MANY PEOPLE, IN FACT.  If you say you believe Hell exists but can't accept that EPSTEIN is there, you have issues, I'm sorry.)

But, I digress.

For anyone that is concerned about Epstein's "Escape," please read my three blogs from July entitled "Abused Women, God Will Bring Justice" parts 1-3.

In addition to many thinking Epstein escaped, MANY FEEL BILL CLINTON (Epstein's pal who visited "Orgy Island" with him many times) IS SOMEHOW INVOLVED IN EPSTEIN'S "SUICIDE."  Again, I do, too.

Here is a list of 33 mysterious deaths of people who may well have been able to implicate Clinton in something shady...


https://www.wnd.com/2016/08/clinton-death-list-33-most-intriguing-cases/?fbclid=IwAR15SiN2SHQJLAgwdCY7Mg61UBlKYCSFhGErS9em1ceeS4-iQWtXbcEBO5A

Here's a LONGER list, totalling 50 when you add in HILLARY and BENGHAZI...

https://trendingviews.co/list-of-clinton-associates-who-mysteriously-checked-out-early/?fbclid=IwAR3cQsErsa_27coYufznFHpCbhdctlFb-ia0mAdwLEiCukFJdlKPOf25F9E


(OTHER lists produce numbers even higher than THOSE.) So yes, I do believe Bill and Hillary had something to do with Epstein's "escape" from having to testify about what he knew.  And I am NOT a "bandwagon" guy, casting my lot in with the millions of "conspiracy theorists" out there........I knew how evil (yes, I said "evil") the Clintons were even before his election, in 1992.  Everything I've learned about them SINCE then only reinforces what I think about them.  I PUT NOTHING PAST THOSE TWO,  I don't hesitate for a second to think they had something to do with Epstein's death.  Not one second.  And I am not alone, though I wouldn't care if I was.

That being said, 1.) I hope Bill Clinton gets saved while there's time. 2.) I hope our justice system makes him PAY for what he's done, saved or not. The thief on the cross who got saved was STILL LEFT THERE TO PAY FOR HIS CRIMES, let's remember!!  And, 3.) But if Bill DOES elude human justice again, he will not escape GOD'S Justice one day if he doesn't repent...just like Epstein didn't escape.

"Twilight Zone Remake? 'The Hunt' Movie Depicts Liberals Killing Trump Supporters"

A new Hollywood film, "The Hunt," depicts Trump supporters being hunted for sport, WITH GUNS, by Liberals...

https://pjmedia.com/trending/hollywood-film-depicts-trump-supporters-being-hunted-for-sport-by-liberals/?fbclid=IwAR0skoH30h3V-QDDo1WsmzD885BjadYtETZj9ceof8R1wmW-RCrppmACfGw

Above is a poster for the movie, which WAS set to open on Sept. 27th but hopefully it will be PULLED before Liberal crazies get "inspired" to act out what they'll see on the screen. Commercials for the movie ARE creating backlash in wake of the recent mass murders, but if those murders DIDN'T happen, WOULD there be backlash against a movie where Trump supporters are hunted like animals?? I doubt it.

As for Hollywood, aren't these the same whiny bunch of hypocrites who are blaming TRUMP'S RHETORIC for the recent shootings??  Hey, don't misunderstand me....I'm trying to remember that Hollywood is filled with ACTORS who are only ACTING when they say they are against gun violence, but this stuff is like a TWILIGHT ZONE remake. How is it okay to blame what TRUMP SAYS for the gun violence, while making a movie DEPICTING murder of those who don't match your political belief system, and think that THAT won't potentially cause mass murders??  And what would the hypocrites do if someone made a movie of TRUMP people hunting LIBERALS??

I sometimes wonder if the way Hollywood seeks to constantly blame TRUMP for the rash of gun violence isn't really a way to deflect discussion from THEIR role in these tragedies.  And why do they blame TRUMP so much when similar incidents were taking place under OBAMA'S watch??

Dec. 2, 2015: San Bernardino, 14 dead.

Oct. 1, 2015: Roseburg, Ore., 9 dead.

July 16, 2015: Chattanooga, Tenn., 5 dead.

June 18, 2015: Charleston, S.C., 9 dead.

OBAMA was President for each of those events and Hollywood was SILENT. 

We all know why.  (I hope.)

Hollywood needs to embark on "The Hunt" for TRUTH about THEIR role in the violence all around us, instead of pushing a phony hatred for TRUMP and those of us who support him.
TRUMP 2020!!

"Confessions of a 'Motherless Child' "

I've been carrying a tremendous amount of PAIN around with me recently, and I thank God for the ability to WRITE and "get it off my chest" so to speak.  It doesn't matter if anyone READS or LIKES what I write, it's just "therapy" to be able to express myself! Today, I want to write about what's been "paining" me recently.  Here goes.

Above is a photo of the late singer RICHIE HAVENS.  Those familiar with WOODSTOCK know that the 50th anniversary of the original event is next week.  Richie was the LEADOFF singer at the very first "Woodstock" and (unforgettably) performed the song "Freedom," where the refrain said, over and over, "Sometimes I feel like a Motherless Child."  (I saw Richie live, in concert, only a few blocks from my house 15 years ago, by the way!!)  Anyway, what's paining me is that, today, I feel like a "Motherless child"...I always have, in fact.

My step-father saw to it that I could never have a normal, really WARM relationship with my late mom, and her alcoholism did not help, either.  After becoming a Christian in '75, I kind of latched on to certain "mother figures" to try to fill that void...but in the past almost year-and-a-half I've permanently lost EVERY SINGLE ONE, in God's Providence.  If you've been reading this blog REGULARLY I've written about them all one-by-one as I've lost them, but here's a "refresher course" for you.

1.) AURELIA (82 when she died.) I wrote about her here in March 2018 after learning that she'd died a few years before.  I had not seen her in 20 years when I learned she'd passed.

2.) "MOM B."  She passed away in April 2018, age 93.  See blog from last April.

3.) CICELY.  The Matriarch of her School, I felt I "lost" her when I learned she LIED, although she hasn't DIED.  Yes, she's still alive, now claiming to be 94.  I blogged about how I know she lied, and why I disowned her, in blogs from Nov. 2018 and February 2019.

4.) BEA.  She died at age 93 in January (see my blogs about her in January 2019.)

Last but not least, 5.) CHARLOTTA ("Mrs. Young"), who died 15 years ago at age 77, though I just found out last month and it REALLY HIT ME HARD.  She was the FIRST "mother figure" and she even pre-dates my conversion to Christianity!! To read what I wrote about her last month, check this blog from July 2019...http://chetitorial.blogspot.com/2019/07/dear-mrs-young.html

 Learning of those 4 deaths and losing, by my own choice, that one "mother-figure" recently, I really DO feel like a "Motherless Child."  But what do you expect, when the AVERAGE AGE of these women is over 80??

And, having prayed about it all since learning about Mrs. Young, and having felt the cumulative PAIN of those five losses, I've decided to remember the TITLE of that Richie Havens song, and embrace "Freedom."

No more "adopted moms" or "mother figures" for me, it hurts too much.  I'm done. It hurts to lose these five as much as it hurt to not be able to be close to my REAL mom, so why should I continue to be a "Motherless Child"??  I just want "Freedom."

P.S. Some thought my first wife, Beth, who died in 2017 was secretly a "mother figure" for me because she was 8 years older.  All I can say is....she wasn't.

"Will Getting Rid of Trump Stop the Mass Shootings?"

It's really sad to see how the 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates are blaming the PRESENT President for the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio this weekend.  It's sad to see how quickly they've POLITICIZED these tragedies, and sad to see how they are bent on exploiting the victims for their own agendas.  You would think that TRUMP HIMSELF pulled the triggers which killed those innocent victims!!  And the way they talk, if only one of THEM were elected next year, all of the mass murders would magically stop, because THEY (so they say) are not Racists, and Trump IS.

See, they are saying that RACISM, a MORAL problem, is the cause of the shootings and THEY (the ones who will beat and unseat Trump The Racist) are the CURE.

Here's my response...

I hate to burst your bubble, but if you're one who thinks that ALL of these shootings have been done because of White Racism, or White Supremacism, you are either not in touch with reality or a plain ol' liar (see photo above.)

But the shooters all DO have ONE moral problem in common: A callous disregard for human life.

This, I believe, they have absorbed from the CULTURE OF DEATH we live in...a culture which, if 30 innocent people get slain in a 48 hour period, it's all over the news but when 3,000 innocent babies are slain in the womb every day, it's "no biggie."  And every one of the Democrat hypocrites who are exploiting these terrible shootings for possible political gain in 2020 not only SUPPORT abortion on demand...they celebrate it.  Just like the LAST Democrat President, Obama, who said that if one of his daughters got pregnant he wouldn't want her to be "punished with a baby" (look it up.) 

It's not TRUMP and his alleged "Racism" which is "inspiring" these shooters, it's DEMOCRATS who have cheapened human life and made it almost VIRTUOUS to kill anyone who's perceived to be "in your way."

Getting rid of Trump won't stop the Mass Shootings, and neither will ending Roe V. Wade, if THAT ever happened.  Only returning to GOD as a nation will do that.

But putting one of the hypocrites who encourages women to kill their own innocent kids as our President next year COULD make the problem WORSE because it reinforces kooks who think that killing innocents is acceptable.  

I'm voting for a man who is AGAINST abortion.

Trump 2020!!

"Mary Jo: No 'Mojo'?"

My sincere sympathies to the Kennedy family at the death of Bobby's granddaughter, 22 year old SAOIRSE KENNEDY HILL, of an apparent overdose Thursday.  However, that being said, I am upset at how I've seen most of the Liberal news media handle (or, rather, MIShandle) this story.

I was getting a blood test yesterday morning and the TV was on in the Lab's waiting area...turned to a news broadcast from a local station I would never listen to voluntarily, at home. (Someone would have to break in and make me watch that station for its news by putting a gun to my back...and even THEN I might choose to be shot, Lol!!) Anyway, the commentator started talking about this story, and how Saoirse's family, the Kennedys, have had so many TRAGEDIES over the years, etc.

The phrase "The Kennedy Curse" came up again, of course.

Oh, how predictable.

The whole report morphed into another "Kennedy Curse" piece, as opposed to just telling us about the tragic death of the young lady who was BORN a Kennedy, you see.

JFK's and RFK's assassinations WERE tragedies, of course...I don't dispute that.  They were NATIONAL tragedies, in fact. And yes, because Saoirse was related to Bobby, I could see how JFK and RFK come into the current "picture."

But when the 20th anniversary of JFK Jr.'s death on the 16th of last month was brought up on that broadcast, I fully expected the 50th anniversary (July 19th) of TEDDY'S incident at Chappaquiddick to be brought up, also.

                                                                 .......It wasn't.

Not in the news broadcast *I* saw!!

The recitation of Tragedies stopped right THERE, at JFK, RFK and JFK, Jr. which is "funny," because didn't Teddy himself describe what happened as a....tragedy, 50 years ago??  Didn't HE reference "The unspeakable Kennedy Curse" in July of '69 just as freely as New Englanders used to speak of "The Curse of the Bambino" before the Red Sox won the World Series, in 2004??  True, Teddy didn't DIE like the other Kennedys I mentioned did...at least not from Chappaquiddick. I hear that.  But here's the REAL reason, in my opinion, that the Liberal news I watched, and the Liberal New York Times, left TEDDY out of their Histories of Kennedy Tragedies yesterday.

Mary Jo Kopechne (pictured above) is the reason.

SHE died at Chappaquiddick.

She wasn't a KENNEDY, but her death was tragic, then AND even now.  In my opinion, whenever the so-called "Kennedy Curse" is mentioned SHE should be mentioned because SHE died due to her relationship to Bobby (she was working on his Presidential campaign) AND Teddy (she was going to work on HIS campaign, in '72, before she got killed in his car.)

In my opinion, Teddy AND Mary Jo should have been mentioned along with the others in that broadcast I saw...but that's just me, I guess.

See, Mary Jo is "only" just the 28 year old woman who drowned in Teddy's car 50 years ago, under suspicious circumstances.  HER name has no "Mojo"....."Kopechne" doesn't have the MAGIC of "Kennedy," after all.  But even if her name lacks magic, her death, as part of the "Kennedy Curse," was tragic. And if Teddy were included in the Histories list, considering that HE survived Chappaquiddick, one might ask why he's the only one ON that Histories list who DID survive.  Young people the age of SAOIRSE might google it and learn this: that many say Teddy didn't die because he left Mary Jo to suffocate, trapped in that submerged car, rather than risk his life to try and save her.

"No Mojo" Mary Jo WASN'T saved.........and deliberately isn't remembered, for the most part.

"Munson's Sudden Death a Reminder to All of Us"

"Thurman Munson is near the end of his career," I heard Yankee TV announcer Phil Rizzuto say 40 years ago tonight.  (Munson, all banged up with bad knees, was unable to play his usual CATCHER'S position that night and was defending at first base, leading to Rizzuto's speculation.)

That quote was the first thing I thought of the next day, August 2nd, 1979, when I learned that the Yankee Captain, the first since Lou Gehrig, died as the plane he piloted crashed. 

You see, Munson may or may NOT have been near the end of his CAREER...he could still HIT, and the American League had had the Designated Hitter rule for 6 years at that point.  Thurman might have done very, very well in that capacity.  He was only 32, and the DH spot could EASILY have given him ANOTHER 6 years in professional baseball WITHOUT having to catch OR play first.

But no one could have dreamed that, 40 years ago tonight, Thurman was near the end of his LIFE.

And that's what I want us to think about tonight, tomorrow, and always.

Hey, I am now twice the age THURMAN was when he passed into eternity so suddenly. You may be YOUNGER than Munson was, you may be OLDER than Munson was, you may be older than ME, even.  But one thing is for sure...unless you and I are alive when the Lord Jesus Christ returns, WE WILL DIE.

And I know a lot of people believe that they need to get right with God NOW, but they say "I'll wait till I see death coming.  I'll live as I want, until then.  I'll do my own thing.  Then, when I see death coming, I'll repent (like that thief on the cross who got saved at the very end) and Jesus will take ME to Heaven with Him, like He did to THAT guy."

Let me be clear, Jesus WILL take you to Heaven at the last minute, if you truly repent like that thief!!

But the only problem is, you may not see death APPROACHING.

Thurman Munson didn't.

I know plenty of OTHERS who didn't.

So TODAY if you hear His voice, don't harden your heart...go to HIM and get your sins forgiven, through Jesus Christ, while there's time.

GOD HAS TOLD US "IT IS APPOINTED TO MAN ONCE TO DIE, AND AFTER THIS COMES THE JUDGMENT." He is not obligated to give you any OTHER warnings, or "heads ups" than THAT.

You may be nearer to the end of your "career" than you think!!