A statement from Oakland Mayor Jean Quan (with appropriate commentary inserted):
We support the goals of the Occupy Wall Street movement [you have a strange way of showing it]: we have high levels of unemployment and we have high levels of foreclosure that makes Oakland part of the 99% too. We are a progressive city and tolerant of many opinions [where are my hip waders when I need 'em]. We may not always agree, but we all have a right to be heard [and some have the right to be gassed, shot and arrested].
I want to thank everyone for the peaceful demonstration at Frank Ogawa Park tonight, and thank the city employees who worked hard to clean up the plaza so that all activities can continue including Occupy Wall Street. We have decided to have a minimal police presence at the plaza for the short term and build a community effort to improve communications and dialogue with the demonstrators [a bit late, dontcha think?]
99% of our officers stayed professional during difficult and dangerous circumstances [not according to the video I've seen] as did some of the demonstrators who dissuaded other protestors from vandalizing downtown and for helping to keep the demonstrations peaceful. For the most part, demonstrations over the past two weeks have been peaceful [they were until you sent in the storm troopers]. We hope they continue to be so.
I want to express our deepest concern for all of those who were injured last night [I'm sure your deepest concern means so much to the Iraq vet whose head got in the way of a tear gas canister], and we are committed to ensuring this does not happen again [maybe you should have been committed to seeing it didn't happen ONCE]. Investigations of certain incidents are underway and I will personally monitor them [translation: do my best to sweep it all under the nearest rug].
We understand and recognize the impact this event has had on the community and acknowledge what has happened. We cannot change the past, but we are committed to doing better. [Could you possibly have done worse? Well, to your slight credit nobody died--so far].
Most of us are part of the 99%, and understand the spirit of the Occupy Wall Street Movement. We are committed to honoring their free speech right [between the hours of 6am and 10pm only].
Finally, we understand the demonstrators want to meet with me and Chief Jordan. We welcome open dialogue with representatives of Occupy Wall Street members, and we are willing to meet with them as soon as possible [I'm sure they'll be happy to, just as soon as they are released from intensive care or their lungs stop burning from the tear gas].
cobbo - If I remember correctly, Thursday's Children (or simply The Children) had Cassell Web doing a lot of the lead singing, and we are still in touch. She married famous music producer Craig Leon and they now live in London where they collaborate together on many label projects. Small world, eh? I used to go to the back room in the recording studio in Houston with Cassell and we would experiment with vocal harmonies while the rest of the band would be tracking in the big room. That was a wonderful band!
lomamonster-I actually have a CD of a 1967 Battle of the Bands contest held at the Houston Music Theater. The winner was Neal Ford and the Fanatics. The Coastliners were second, Fever Tree third and Thursday's Children fourth. Others on the CD: 13th Floor Elevators, Six Pents, Surf Knights, Jake and the Jokers, Red Crayola and the Dimensions. The sound quality is horrible, but if one puts oneself i n a certain frame of mind, well, it can sound like I was a teen again.
Or The Triques, that used to have the house band gig at the Cellar? That was another smokin' hot trio in Houston. They were friends of ours (The Starvation Army Band) while we held the house band gig at Love Street Light Circus.
carguy - Do you remember The Matchbox? The Deuces Wild? Ernie and the Interns? Hahahaha!!!!!!!!
That might be hoot. I'll look into that.
carguy - You know, what would really be fun would be to put a book together with a number of different authoring contributors. That way, at least one of us could remember something really fun for each section we choose to expand upon.
Count me in if you want to attempt such a project, eh?
Sorry, can't forget The Coastliners. TSU Toronadoes and the AMbassadors of Soul.
BEST damn rock n roll EVER in the 66-72 period. Houston was a hotbed with great bands. I saw Fever Tree when they were HOTTTTT. IMO still one of the best damn albums EVER in rock history.
Movign Sidewalk, 13th Floor Elevators, Bubbble Puppy, The Clique played at my prom. You MUST have a book in that mind somewhere????
La Maison, which was an old Weingarten's grocery store initially, later became The Texas Opry House just in time for me to show back up with Rick Casual and the Kitchen Band, in which I drummed and it was another trio. We actually backed up Delbert McClinton with the band one night because he showed up to do a solo gig but thought better of it once he heard our set. We jammed out magnificently with him! I will always treasure that memory...
Ruffles AND a blue brocade tux, to be exact.
cobbo - You are so right! That was my initial flash on the shirts, but I forgot what they actually were. Back in the '60's we wore those shirts in my brothers band (The Chaparrals) in Houston, lived right across the street from La Maison on Richmond Avenue, and used to hang out with the Five Americans when they would stay in a rental house about four blocks down the street when they were playing in Houston. We had the purple as well as the tan shirts! With Beatle boots, of course, and the long hair.
It was incredible fun back then, as we had an entire two story vacant house to practice in next to where we lived, and the crowds and musicians that played La Maison would drift across the street and listen to us jam. We played the Living Eye and The Catatcombs back then. Fever Tree was our biggest threat back then...
A frosty mug of Captain Morgan goes with eveything.
I would have loved to live back in those days IF and only IF they'd had flush toilets.
lomamonster-I actually might have a picture of Carguy dressed that way from the Westbury HS prom back in the day. Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Clique and the Five Americans were big back then and it seems all prom shirts were either purple or had ruffles or both.
Good grief, carguy! I got an instant image of you marching around the house with a white wig on, a ceremonial sword strapped to your side, the fluffy cuffs and high boots, and a mug of Captain Morgan sloshing in perfect cadence.
Well said!
If I may...."While many are compared to Desperado, Desperado is compared to none."
Over two hundred years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great renaissance, nay, a revolution, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.
It is through the perserverance of the many that are dedicated to the preservation of the nation that we hope, nay know that this revolution will prevail. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is rather for us to be here unswervingly dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored men and women we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. It is our wish, no prayer, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
WHAT??????