Ed Berliner

10/06/2025

Let's stop with the nonsense, shall we?

I've been reading all morning from people claiming to be from LA/SoCal about how the unrest there is no big deal. Yes, it is isolated. Yes, we've seen idiots such as this when the Lakers don't win another NBA title. But we need to stop this whitewashing of what's happening from both sides.

Cars are being burned in the streets. Vehicles are being banged with rocks. TV trucks are being trashed by people using skateboards to break the windows. This is the element that shows up for such occurrences with head-shaking regularity just to be part of the show. But while some are claiming that "98-99% of the demonstrations are peaceful", there are those that are not. There are violent clashes where people and property are being damaged. Yes, there is violence here, and these are the people who need to be arrested and held responsible. Period. End of story.

But then we have another reality. These demonstrations were turned violent by the injection of troops seeking confrontation as part of the Trump plan to destabilize a Democratic state with a Democratic governor he loathes. The right wing media leads with the violence because it suits their purpose. In that sense the rioters are playing right into their hands. Granted, most of what we've seen are young men just looking for an excuse to be assclowns. However, they are the main example, to many, off lawlessness and anarchy.

This is the result of ICE raids, plain and simple. Instead of seeking to tamp down any potential violence, these agents have been instructed to make a show out if it, just as POTUS and his henchmen desire. It's a classic page from textbooks of government takeovers and a level of fascism. And, it's working.

This is a nuanced conversation where there are plenty of avenues to wander down. Bottom line is all of this could have been prevented, but was exacerbated by Trump taking command, using what questionable authority he has under Title 10, (look it up), and seeking to make Gavin Newsom look bad so he and the left coast liberals can't hurt Trump and other Republicans in the midterms and possibly even 2028.

We have a President who is using American troops on American streets to override what local law enforcement can handle. Were it not for their presence, it's very likely this never would have reached this crescendo. LAPD was outgunned, thanks in large part to Donald Trump, who injected into the dray those with no training in crowd control, no training in urban unrest, only with a mandate to shoot when challenged.

Stop telling us everything is peaceful when it's not. Stop telling us there's violence across a widespread area when there is not. And for you and those on social media, stop buying into the hyperbolic bu****it before you take a beat and verify what's really going on from legitimate news sources, and that means a BALANCED approach to finding out what's going on before you start with the keyboard skirmishes.

'Nuff said.

10/06/2025

Disinformation, social media fakes, right wing media propaganda, and the SoCal demonstrations. Thy name is MAGA.

Disinformation spreading on social media platforms has stoked an already tense situation.

09/06/2025

Trump mouthpiece Tom Homan intimates he might arrest California Governor Gavin Newsom over the unrest in SoCal.

Newsom's reply:

“The hell with this guy. Come after me. Arrest me. Let’s just get it over with, tough guy. You know, I don’t give a damn, but I care about my community. I care about this community. The hell are they doing? These guys need to grow up. They need to stop, and we need to push back. And I’m sorry to be so clear, but that kind of bloviating is exhausting. So, Tom, arrest me. Let’s go.”

Homan is just another pot-bellied hack who gets off on bullying people with his tough guy persona. Of course, Monday morning he tucked tail on FOX and took it all back, just like his Master does with every promise and threat.

BRAVO, Governor Newsom.

The California governor quickly responded to Tom Homan’s original threat.

09/06/2025

Sly Stone, master of "Sly and the Family Stone", has passed on. With it goes a seminal moment in my life.

It was June 5, 1974. I'm a kid who has never been to a rock concert before, and for some reason, my Dad decided this was going to be the first. At Madison Square Garden, he chaperoned me and a family friend to catch the show. I'm certain it had to be something I said about Sly's music on the radio that prompted him to buy the tickets.

Pre-concert, Stevie Wonder's "Talking Book" blared over the speakers, making me a fan for life. The sights and sounds from that evening are still fresh in my mind, as is the smell of the deeply wafting ma*****na that filled the Garden. This was my first time smelling the herb, and when I asked my Dad, "Pop, is that ma*****na I smell?", he looked at me, smiled and said, "Just don't tell your Mother".

That concert was also legendary for more than the music. Before the show, Sly married girlfriend Kathy Silva in a ceremony officiated by Don Cornelius, host of "Soul Train". When Don asked if he took this woman to be his wife, Sly just leaned into the mic and in his deepest baritone said, "Yeah". Crowd went crazy.

They then launched into a show that never stopped kicking ass. Sly was at his peak back then, and the hits just kept rolling.

One other thing about that show. While it was rock and roll, it was also soul music, funk and more than a little jazz influence. It was a mixed race crowd that was there to dig on the music, get a little high, and nothing else. There were no fights I can recall, no disagreements, no arrogance. It was cool, with everyone just having a good time. I'm not certain in our current generation that shows can be so mellow with an audience made up of so many diverse people. Then again, it was a very different era.

From there, I was more hooked than ever. WABC Musicradio 77 was always on in my bedroom, later always on the radio. I developed a love for the music of the era, a love affair that has never waned. That was THE era for great rock and roll and so much more that came down the pipe.

Just another memory I cherish of my Dad, and how way back when, how cool he was about certain things. I never asked him why he bought those tickets, but I'm damn sure glad he did.

To Dad, wherever you are, "“Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”.

Rock On, True Believers.

The musical visionary led a multi-racial funk band that produced five Top 10 hits in the late 1960s and early '70s

07/06/2025

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06/06/2025

DOGE is a complete and unmitigated disaster, one that could have, and should have, been avoided. Those who ballyhoo it's "accomplishments" are the worst level of sycophant and delusional lemmings. They are little more than followers of a mindless herd with not a shred of actual knowledge about the irreparable damage that was done.

Be mindful when dealing with those who tout the propaganda and misdirection of , as you can note if this is how easily they are duped and led astray by complete fraud, imagine doing business with them or having them as colleagues.

They will never admit their fault, as this would make them appear small and insignificant in the eyes of those they wish would hold them in high esteem. Consider DOGE to be the "kool aid", and their rapt acquiescence to the innumerable lies as their undying devotion to disaster.

Don't hate them. Pity them instead, but always be aware of who they are and what their vitriol says about them. Steer clear of them when you can. Tolerate them only if you have to. Never fall under their wayward manner of thinking.

Move forward without them. Be the better person, the one who advocates truth, fairness, righteousness, dignity and professionalism. That is the best weapon you have.

Across the government, the administration is rehiring federal workers who were forced out or encouraged to resign.

06/06/2025

On June 6 1944, the world forever changed. Few knew what was to come. Many never returned. They took to the beaches, the hills, the skies and the small towns in order to secure freedom for the oppressed. A freedom and a message that has been buried in today's political morass.

Then, we knew the enemy. We saw them, right in front of us. We witnessed their evil, their need for power and destruction, the desire to wage war. We knew who the enemy was, and we defeated them with righteous resolve, armed with compassion, truth, justice, and a sense of honor.

All things that seem to be forgotten here in 2025. The enemy is here, right in our midst. Yet many of us do little more than support their evil and disdain for justice.

We must do everything in our power to ensure those lives spent and lost on that "Day of Days", and so many like it, are not wasted.

Bow your head for a moment. Say a silent "thank you". Then raise your head and resolve to continue their battle against injustice, greed, hate and subjugation.

Be more than a little angry and disappointed with yourself and those around us. It's OK to consider what has been done, and what we now need to do.

Never surrender.

04/06/2025

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