30 years later on August 15 1969 the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened on Max Yasgurs farm in Bethel New York. It was probably the high point of the hippie movement and has become a iconic snapshot of the time. The crowds overwhelmed the promoters who underestimated what the fantastic musical bill they had created would draw. They finally stopped taking tickets and just let everyone in. It rained and the farm fields became a sea of mud. The concert fell behind and the bands came on late. They were mostly stoned and the performances were ragged to say the least. Once again, it was a film that made this something more than it was. The Woodstock movie documentary spent alot of time focusing on the crowd as well as the bands. That provides an interesting snapshot of the times. The most amazing thing to me is that with over 400,000 people in attendance it didnt devolve into a stygian nightmare. Instead, I understand it was a weekend of peace, love and understanding…something that would come to a crashing end 4 months later on the other side of the country at Altamont. If I had a time machine this would be one of the spots I would head to….not just to see Janis and Jimi, The Who, The Dead and CSNY, but to experience that utopian dream of peace and love that the hippies dreamed about but seldome achieved.
A nice win for the Brewers yesterday. You can say that Yelich or Cain or Aguilar are the MVPs of this season so far…but I'll take Jhoulys Chacin as the best acquisition David Stearns made for this season. He has been spectacular. The Brewers are 18-8 when he has started a game.
He got a little help from the home plate umpire on a few pitches yesterday which led to Ben Zobrist, the former Woodchuck, getting thrown out of the game. He reportedly told the ump after being called out on an outside pitch “that's why we want an electronic strike zone”.
Things to annoy you:
Trump said his massive tax cut would increase workers wages by $4000 per family. Official government data was just released and it shows real wages have DECREASED o.4% over the last year.
White House Counsel Don McGahn, in a memo, explicitly says that the White House's need to collaborate with Fox News is more important than concerns about integrity.
The White House has WAIVED federal ethics laws to allow new White House Communications Director (and disgraced sexual abuser) Bill Shine to coordinate freely with Fox News (check out @JuddLegum on Twitter for a detailed thread on this bullshit)
The NRA is suing Seattle over a law that requires residents to secure their guns or face up to $10,000 in fines. The NRA is literally suing to ensure gun owners can act irresponsibly.
Quotes of the Day
“Today we honor the memory of Heather Heyer, whose spirit we see in every person who stands up to reject bigotry and hatred. Make no mistake, this fight goes on. The battle for the sould of this nation rests with each of us, everyday.”- Joe Biden
“Two people you should never trust: A religious leader who tells you how to vote, and a politician who tells you how to pray.”-unknown
“Why do we need a tape of the president saying the N word in order to believe he's a racist? There have been plenty of things he's said on the record that show that to be true.”- Zerlina Maxwell
“And look, I get it. It's really hard to make shit up on the fly when you work for a scumbag, but almost everything Sarah Sanders says is quickly disproven. Deep down, she has to know what a horrible human being she has become.”- Jamie O'Grady
“If someone was hiding 90% of their record, would you give them a job for life?”-Danny Zuker
“Heeey, if you spent any time writing about a private server that was authorized and secure, you should probably spill some ink on the massive security failurees and breaches in the current White House. Start with asking how anyone could secretly record ANYTHING in the Situation Room.”-Benari Poulten
Songs Of The Day (time to listen to the Queen of Soul)
