IT'S JUST THE MUSIC, JUST THE MUSIC

O bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand
And the more I think on you the more I think long
If I had you now as I had once before
All the Lords of Old England would not purchase Portmore.

HALLOWEEN IS CANCELLED

Yesterday’s emails from two old friends revealed two different angles about two well known events..

The first was from Jeff Prang, off and on mayor of the City of West Hollywood. It almost screams at you from the monitor,” Santa Monica Boulevard will once again be “pulsing” with excitement on Halloween night.” Conversely, the current mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom released a statement saying: "Halloween is canceled.” No more “pulsing” on Castro Street; he wants folks to “kick the Castro habit.”

Mr. Prang babbles on about, “the largest adult outdoor Halloween event in the world,” and is relaxing WoHo’s notoriously, restrictive parking zones for the evening. Mr. Newsom glumly watches as $40,000 is allocated to urge revelers to stay “Home For Halloween."

Both cities have web sites. San Francisco’s web site lists dozens of suggested Halloween alternatives while Weho’s extols the event and gives helpful “how to” hints and even “green” parking alternatives.

After wishing us “a fun and safe Halloween” Mr. Prang does have one word of caution.he pleads in large red letters, “Please Do Not Bring Your Dogs.” Apparently what some might find “pulsing” for the eyes or even morally horrifying, is even harder on dogs!

But to be kinder to friend Newsom, he is tired of revelry turning into riots, bashing and offensive gang activities. He has discovered what most mothers already know: while ever kid and a lot of adults like to dress up, Halloween can be dangerous.

Now, that is sad; sad for those of us who have been to the San Francisco event; sad for every kid who has held his parents hand on a chilly night, knocked at a door and found a “treat” … Perhaps the “trick” is not to give into the newer harsh realties of life. Perhaps.

However something tells me that in another fifty years someone will bemoan that lose of decorated houses, malls filled with kids at night and maybe, just maybe, rediscover that old fashion idea of taking a childs hand and walking around a local neighborhood. I hope so.

QUESTION

MSNBC's Dan Abrams reported on Monday that Michael Mukasey's nomination to be attorney general may be in trouble, due to his reluctance to say whether he believes waterboarding is torture...

Why are we even discussing this issue? Why are we at a point where we even talk about individual torture techniques? Why can't a nominee of attorney general say this country does not, will never, torture people? Damn it! Damn it!

OH LORD, ONLY IN YOU CAN WE FIND SAFETY ...

When I was in college I had a tough Journalism teacher but I don't know anyone who did not learn a lot from her. I need to tell her stories some day. When she retired she moved to a place called Fallbrook in San Diego County, CA. Here are the pictures she email to me … of what life was like … still is…for her right now.

"The pendulum in the Christian world has swung back to the moderate point of view"

David D. Kirkpatrick reports for The New York Times: "Just three years ago, the leaders of the conservative Christian political movement could almost see the Promised Land. White evangelical Protestants looked like perhaps the most potent voting bloc in America.... Today the movement shows signs of coming apart beneath its leaders. It is not merely that none of the 2008 Republican front-runners come close to measuring up to President Bush in the eyes of the evangelical faithful.... The 2008 election is just the latest stress on a system of fault lines that go much deeper."

I have lived through this pendulum winging ... and it does swing ... both ways. The link connected to the title above takes you to the New York Times article. Swing, swing ... but it does not tell you about the bigots and jerks who are not old or dead or retired ...