Like Maria Said Paz: 5 great tracks from Rickie Lee Jones

First off, no "Chuck E.'s In Love."

It's a great song, but we all know it if we know Rickie Lee Jones.

If you don't know her, she's a singer-songwriter who emerged at the end of the seventies. She does pop, torch songs, jazz, you name it.

She's recorded several classic albums -- including her self-titled debut, PIRATES, FLYING COWBOYS, TRAFFIC FROM PARADISE, NAKED SONGS: LIVE AND ACOUSTIC, THE EVENING OF MY BEST DAY and THE SERMON ON EXPOSITION BLVD.

For anyone wanting to explore Rickie Lee, I'm recommending these five tracks.

"We Belong Together."

I have always loved this song. I love the piano, the vocal, the lyrics -- "How could a Natalie Wood not get sucked into a scene so custom tucked" -- it's just a great song.

"Horses."

FLYING COWBOYS is just an amazing album with outstanding tracks like "Horses" and "Satellites."

"I Was There."

The guitar, the humming, the song, it all works. The lyrics?

Take my advice
It doesn't get easier watching the golden orbs floating out of the bars
And into space there's Frank Sinatra on the Juke box
Pause in the ketchup your face in the reflection in the mirror
He walked through the rocks, you know
He walked through the scorpion dust
He walks on the beach and now he walks
And he keeps walking 'til he's out of reach
Every generation watches the princes of their nation
File away until the Son of Man every, every Madonna means so little to the next one
We ran together down the Santa Monica Boulevard oh baby
You look so hard, so fine
And my second-hand capella all that night I said Oo hoo...I said Oo hoo oo hoo

There you are in your write dress shirt most of all I think I loved your hands
I loved them so much that it hurt and all the bartenders knew your name
And all the pimps knew your car and we lay by the Nazz
And we were blessed yes, we are
You tell them I was there hey I was there man I was there
When Jesus walked I was there when Jesus walked

Rickie Lee Jones is a singer-songwriter and everyone agrees on that but I don't think, as a songwriter, she's gotten her critical due.

"Running From Mercy."

Oh sacred place that sets my soul alive
There's a rainbow above me that the storm clouds hide
And kind works will never die
'cause the magic in kindness springs from the love, love, love
Little acts of kindness and little words of love

Make our earthly home heaven above
And there is no sorrow heaven cannot heal
A fire within, no cross, no crown
Running from mercy, hidden and coy
Swimming upstream down oceans of joy
Die in the arms of a natural life

Waking our happiness drowning in light
Waking our happiness drowning in light
Little acts of kindness, little words of love
Make our earthly home like heaven above

How can you not love that song? One of the most perfect recordings ever.

"Stewart's Coat."

Again, I do not believe Rickie Lee gets her critical due for her songwriting.

"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

Friday, June 19, 2020. Turkey continues its invasion of Iraq, the country's prime minister remains silent even as protests mount in the streets, we look at the US presidential race, and more.

Turkey continues its invasion of Iraq -- it's bombing the country with war planes and has sent foot soldiers into the country. The Arab League, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have all condemned the actions of the Turkish government. Another country joins them this morning. EGYPT TODAY reports:

In a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Egypt affirms its complete rejection of any interference affecting the sovereignty of any of the brotherly Arab states.

“Egypt stresses utter rejection of any interferences that may undermine the sovereignty of any of its brotherly Arab countries, taking into account the consequences of these actions in further fueling instability in the region, while calling on all parties to respect the sovereignty of Iraq, and to spare it any international or regional rivalries that would hinder the achievement of the aspirations of the government and people of brotherly Iraq for stability and development,” the statement read.

The Turkish government is calling their act of terrorism Operation Tiger-Claw.

The Turkish government insists that they are battling the PKK. Who? Aaron Hess (International Socialist Review) described the PKK in 2008, "The PKK emerged in 1984 as a major force in response to Turkey's oppression of its Kurdish population. Since the late 1970s, Turkey has waged a relentless war of attrition that has killed tens of thousands of Kurds and driven millions from their homes. The Kurds are the world's largest stateless population -- whose main population concentration straddles Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria -- and have been the victims of imperialist wars and manipulation since the colonial period. While Turkey has granted limited rights to the Kurds in recent years in order to accommodate the European Union, which it seeks to join, even these are now at risk."

The Turkish government regularly issues statements praising themselves for killing X number of PKK. They never acknowledge when they kill civilians. In yesterday's snapshot, we noted Abbas Maghdid, the 30-year-old shepherd that the Turkish government killed in this week's attacks. Today, ALJAZEERA and ASHARQ AL-AWSAT note Abbas.

ARAB WEEKLY notes:

Kurdish political sources said that the broad Turkish operation underway in northern Iraq could not have been possible without prior coordination and facilitation with the Kurdish parties, especially the Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Masoud Barzani. The Iraqi government strongly condemned the Turkish incursions and summoned the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad, Fatih Yildiz, twice within the space of 36 hours.
The sources indicated that Kurdish authorities are looking for ways to protect their interests with some Arab countries while Turkey is circulating news that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is receiving support from countries hostile to Ankara, and especially after reports indicating that Turkey is building military bases in northern Iraq.
Local sources said that the authorities of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq associated with Barzani are still keeping silent about the Turkish military operation, while tracking money transfers directed to support the opposition PKK.
Iraqi-Kurdish political analyst Hoshyar Malu said that “Turkey is violating international law while the Iraqi government is showing a timid reaction” regarding the first Turkish air strikes, a reaction that did not deter a ground operation.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has been prime minister of Iraq since May 7th. Though he sought media attention last week by taking reporters with him for a for-show tour of Mosul, he's remained silent on the Turkish attack. This as the Iraqi people are being informed that they're losing jobs. His silence only makes him look weak. And his administration already has enough problems. MEMO reports:

The Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq accused the Iraqi government and Shabak militia Thursday of torturing prisoners in jails in Nineveh governorate, Anadolu reports.

“Detainees in the government’s and militia’s prisons in Iraq are subjected to heinous crimes that go against human nature,” the association’s general secretariat said in a statement.

“A report issued Wednesday by the Iraqi Center for Documentation of War Crimes revealed extensive human rights violations that are systematically taking place in intelligence prisons in Nineveh governorate at the hands of intelligence agents and the militia, known as the Shabak militia,” the statement added.

There has been no comment from the Iraqi government.

"No comment" really isn't a position that indicates leadership. Mustafa replaces a prime minister who couldn't finish his term because the Iraqi people saw him as inept. Mustafa risks the same route currently.

The fact that protests are already being mounted should indicate to Mustafa that the time for silence has ended and he needs to make some sort of statement.

In the US, the Libertarian Party has selected their nominee for US president: Jo Jorgensen. May 23rd, she became the party's nominee. The always ridiculous Dean Obeidallah immediately wrote a column for CNN telling people not to vote for her. As a Muslim, he insisted, the only choice was Joe Biden.

As a Muslim? The Drone War is something Lying Dean never heard of? The Iraq War? When has Joe Biden ever done anything other than persecute Muslims?

Dean's just another whore trying to tell you who to vote for. Your vote is your vote. Use it as you see fit. That includes not voting if you don't believe in the rigged process.

Iraq War veteran Adam Kokesh was also seeking that nomination. We'll again note his interview with Jorgensen from last week.

Gloria La Riva is another candidate for the US president. She is the presidential nominee for both the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Peace and Freedom Party.

That's two women who are running for the US presidency. Meanwhile, despite vowing long ago that he would select a woman as his running mate if he got the nomination, Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden still seems unable or unwilling to choose. Gretch The Wretch is out -- not just due to her looking the other way as police attacked civilians, but also because of her husband's abuse of office that they tried to play down as a joke. It wasn't a joke and before Memorial Day ended, Gretch The Wretch was off the list. Press favorite Amy Klobuchar also took a tumble -- her 'hard on crime' stance turns out to really just be, attack African-Americans. She was notified late Wednesday that she was eliminated -- no rose from Bachelor Joe -- which is why she gave her interview yesterday pretending she'd made the decision to leave the process and consideration. Right now, the campaign's leaning towards one of these three: Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Susan Rice.

Susan Rice is the first you can toss out. Squinty-eyed and untrustworthy, the Biden campaign's polling suggests adding Susan to the ticket does very little. She's a War Hawk who supported the Iraq War and is little known despite holding prominent positions. Those who do know of her tend to hold an unfavorable position towards her. As one of his advisors told me, "We do not have the time to run a presidential campaign and rehabilitate his running mate at the same time. Susan buried her own career on that fateful Sunday." He's referring to her going from chat show to chat show insisting that the attack in Benghazi was the result of a YOUTUBE video.

The same advisor says Kamala polls better than Elizabeth. (Stanley Greenberg has publicly stated that adding Elizabeth to the ticket would ensure victory for Joe in November.) Elizabeth has a number of negatives which, the advisor points out, is one of the reasons she didn't end up with the presidential nomination. Kamala is seen as more of a blank slate that voters can project upon while Elizabeth's previous baggage weighs her down.

Joe has very little to offer so he continues to tease this out. It's the only remotely interesting thing about his dull and uninspiring campaign.

Another person who would like to be president? Howie Hawkins.

Howie Hawkins is seeking the Green Party's presidential nomination and he's already selected his running mate: Angela Nicole Walker. Though he is currently the presidential nominee for the Socialist Party USA, he has not secured the nomination from the Green Party.

The Green Party will hold their convention online in July (the ninth through the twelth). Hawkins leads in most polling and his only double-digit contender a month out from the convention is Dario Hunter. Polling at less than three percent are David Rolde, Sedinam Moyowasitza-Curry, Dennis Lambert, Kent Mesplay, Jesse Ventura (who has done press but has not officially entered the race -- and has stated he will not run for the office but will consider it should the office be offered to him), Susan Buchser Lochocki and Chad Wilson.

Howie Hawkins' campaign issued the following this week:

For Immediate Release: June 18, 2020

Howie Hawkins, howie@howiehawkins.us
Angela Walker, angela@howiehawkins.us
Kevin Zeese, Press Secretary, 301-996-6582, kevin@howiehawkins.us

Hawkins and Walker Call for More Radical Changes to Policing

Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker, the leading candidates for the Green Party nomination for president and vice president, released the following statement today calling for community control of the police, large-scale federal spending to end poverty, and the decriminalization of drugs.
They say the nationwide uprising against police brutality and racism should raise these demands in order to make more fundamental changes in public safety systems than only reforming police practices and shifting some money in police budgets to social services.

Creating a Public Safety System That Really Protects and Serves

By Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker
June 18, 2020

A long menu of policing reforms has been thrust into public debate and legislative consideration by the nationwide uprising against police brutality and racism. Many of the proposed reforms of policing practices at the state, local, and federal levels are good policies.
The movement is also demanding to Defund the Police. Defunding means scaling back what police do and transferring the savings into social services, schools, housing, and community economic development. Defunding means removing police from dealing with many social problems such as homelessness, drug use, sex work, mental health crises, domestic disputes, and school discipline that are better addressed by other trained first responders, including social workers, EMTs, doctors, child protective services, therapists, and legal aid lawyers.
Reforming police practices and reallocating portions of police budgets to the provision of social services are not enough. These reforms do not shift the power to control policing to the people the police are supposed to protect and serve. These reforms do not provide enough resources to resolve the social problems that police are now sent in to contain because the system has criminalized problems like poverty, homelessness, mental health issues, and drug use. These reforms do not decriminalize personal drug use and possession, the largest single category of arrests and imprisonment in the US criminal justice system.
If we are going to truly create a public safety system that serves and protects the people, we must add three critical demands to the our menu of reforms:
1. Community Control of the Police
Police brutality will not stop as long as the police can continue to police themselves and brutalize people with impunity. We need Community Control of the Police to make the police work for the people and be held accountable for misconduct. Community control means police commissions, publicly-elected or randomly-selected like juries, with the power to hire and fire the police chief, to independently investigate and discipline police misconduct, to formulate and oversee police practices and budgets, and to negotiate police union contracts. Community control shifts the power over policing to the people and away from the police and the power structure that created the abusive policing system we now have.
2. Federal Social Investment to End Poverty and Economic Despair
Police budgets do not have enough money with reallocations to pay for the services and economic development that working-class communities of color need. Sending in cops instead of social services and economic resources has been at the center of the public austerity program of the power structure. As part of reimagining public safety, it is time to fight crime by fighting poverty instead of sending in the police for every social problem. That will require a multi-year, multi-trillion federal investment in community-controlled housing, schools, social services, and businesses in the communities of color that have been impoverished by generations of discrimination by racists who exploit these communities.
3. Decriminalize Drugs
Ending the war on drugs will take the single biggest bite out of police budgets. Drug law offenses account for 16% of all arrests and are the single biggest category of arrests. Drug offenses account for about 1 in 5 people in jail or prison, including 46% of federal prisoners. Drug abuse is a health problem, not a criminal problem. Instead of a criminal offense, we must make drug use and possession a violation that refers drug users to medical and social services.
We discuss this approach in more detail in our policy paper on Reimagining Public Safety.

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Joseph Kishore is the presidential nominee for the Socialist Equality Party and his running mate is Norissa Santa Cruz.

This is not the first time the candidates have been noted at this site. We will continue to note them. Joe Biden would probably prefer that we not note -- or at least comment -- on him. If you have a favorite above and don't feel they got enough attention in this snapshot, grasp that this is not the only coverage at this site of the candidates. Also grasp that with any candidate outside the duopoly, we can only do so much. Meaning if Dario Hunter, to pick one example, isn't making videos, giving interviews, Tweeting or campaigning regularly, there's not a great deal I can do to note his campaign.

The following sites updated: