Show #235

Hello Friends of the Garden!

The sequel to Dianetics!

Finally the election is over! There's one small thing we can all think about this Thanksgiving Day! I wonder if the "founding" Pilgrims knew that Thanksgiving would come shortly after elections in their country to be? Clearly, this is evidence of the intelligent design and superior intellect of the "founding" Pilgrims! Anticipating that eventually a process would be put in to place that would have us intentionally align ourselves in distinct groups diametrically opposed to each other; we would need a time immediately after so we can put aside our differences.

They put the Native Americans
at the "kids" table!

Growing up, I had the image of a big table with Native Americans and white people in funny hats ingrained by primary teachers when I learned about Thanksgiving. It was always portrayed as a time of generosity and peace. Now I wonder if the two distinctly different groups could conceive of what the future held for each of their people?

Choctaw Casino, home of
Choctaw Bingo!

My mind conjures up the dark side of the mental conversations that would go on. The Pilgrims: 'Eventually we will move you out by any means necessary but we will give you a portion of our legalized gambling in consolation for your loss and as a way for us to feel better about how we have taken advantage of you!' The Native Americans: 'Feels good to help these people out. Obviously they don't know how to survive here very well. We could show them a few of our planting tips. They are sharing what little they have with us so, they seem nice, maybe they'll make it. Weird hats!'

The "founding" Pilgrims and the Native Americans didn't realize to give thanks for not knowing the extent of what future interactions between their peoples would be like. I'm struck to find examples of the benevolence of the powerful that did not come with strings attached. History provides us with examples like Morgan, Rockefeller, Carnegie and Vanderbilt that amassed great fortune and turned to philanthropy to redistribute that wealth in their own specific interests. New challenges must be necessary when the acquiring wealth and power becomes too simple of a task!

Little things will bug you!

In Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1901, a company began to market modern toilet paper as a sanitary tissue. The processing of the materials that were used to produce that initial  product had glaring issues with their tissues. Apparently, the crude system allowed wood chips to be embedded in the paper, ow! Thirty-three years later, toilet paper would be officially marketed as "splinter free"! 

Looks like urban and rural
America are not on the
same page. 

I'd say we have still some "splinters" to work out in the way we work as a nation. We didn't give up on toilet paper! We kept on working on it until we refined it enough to be acceptable to the general populous. What we have here in our nation is worth working on! Like toilet paper, it's a good idea! Let's make it better! Maybe we can start with working on unity as we have found it a simple task to find ways to divide ourselves! Like the early philanthropists, we have a new challenging task after doing the easy stuff!

Not if we disagree though!

Here's Show #235! First off I pay tribute to Leonard Cohen and Bap Kennedy, two artists we lost this past week. That opening set ends with wisdom from Michael Nesmith from 1970! First timers to the SGP this week include Frog Holler, Modern Day Moonshine and Canned Heat (weird, it's taken so long to play them!). There's also new stuff from Reckless Kelly, The Devil Makes Three, and The Brothers Comatose. Listen for the editing on the Bottle Rockets, it's becoming a trademark for me! I like this show. I crafted it for your listening pleasure, enjoy!

Thanks as always Robin and Jerry! I'm just trying to follow the Michael Nesmith song's advice! You guys keep me centered and on point! Let's just keep on!

Thanks to all you listeners! You guys make this fun. Please, share my show with your friends and feel free to get in touch with me any way you can!

Peace and love!

Mike