The NBA History: The 1979-80 NBA Season: That Magic Season

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Rik Schneider
Magical

Magical

Source: The NBA History: The 1979-80 NBA Season: That Magic Season

Pre-1980 the Los Angeles Lakers hadn’t even been to the NBA Finals since their last NBA Championship in 1972. They got to the Western Conference Finals, but lost to the Seattle Sonics. As great as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was who is the greatest center of all-time if not the greatest player of all-time, the Lakers needed another great player to complement Kareem. Jamal Wilkes, was a very good player and even an all-star caliber player, but he wasn’t a great dominant franchise player. And that is what General Manager Jerry West and the Lakers went after during the 1979 offseason after again being eliminated by the Sonics. That other great player that would complement Kareem and make the Lakers champions again.

Not sure how the Lakers who were 47-35 and had the fifth best record in the Western Conference in 1979 were able to get the number one draft pick in 1979, but that is how they got that great franchise caliber player who could complement Kareem. Drafting Magic Johnson in 1979 was like making a trade for a great franchise player whose in the prime of his career, but perhaps now stuck playing for bad teams. Or making a great free agent signing of the best player in the game that puts you on top for winning the championship. Magic didn’t revitalize, or rebuild the Lakers. What he did was go to an already a pretty good team that was already a Western Conference contender and made them an NBA Championship caliber team.

So when the Lakers met the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1980 NBA Finals it was a Finals between two very good if not great teams. The Lakers had Kareem, Magic, Jamal Wilkes and a whole host of great role players like Michael Cooper and Jim Chones. The 76ers had Julius Erving, arguably the best all around player in the game at this point. But they didn’t have a great big man, or even an all-star big man who could deal with Kareem and make Kareem work on defense and keep him honest, Darryl Dawkins was a great talent and at times a very good player, but not very consistent. Caldwell Jones was a very good defensive big man and rebounder, but an occasional scorer. Which left the 76ers with Dr. J and a whole host of role players. Going up against a team that had perhaps the two best players in the league, at least in the NBA Finals in Kareem and Magic.

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CBS News: 60 Minutes- Mike Wallace Interviewing Johnny Carson (1979)

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Ederik Schneider

Johnny Carson Profile Part 1_wmvSource:CBS News– King of Late Night Johnny Carson, talking to 60 Minutes in 1979.

Source:The Daily Review

“Part 1 of 2 as Mike Wallace interviews “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson.”

From Billy Loves Jazz

The King of Late Night Johnny Carson, talking to CBS News 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace in 1979. Unfortunately the video that this photo is from not currently available online right now.

Johnny Carson

Source:CBS News– The King of Late Night Johnny Carson in 1979.

The perfect interviewer Mike Wallace interviewing the perfect late show talk show host Johnny Carson in 1979. I can’t think of a better combination here other than maybe Mike Wallace interviewing Cary Grant, or someone like that.

I believe Johnny answered the Mike Wallace question of why don’t you take on serious topics by saying that is not what he does. He’s a comedian and his job was to entertain people and make them laugh. He wasn’t Phil Donahue on the air hosting national town hall everyday. His job was literally make fun of what is going on in the world and have fun with it. He did do political satire and would make fun of what is going on in the news and public officials when they screw up. But again doing it in a humorous way.

Carson, was a comedian first and talk show host second. And what he would do with his talk format would be to question other comedians and entertainers, because again his job was to entertain people. Not to inform then on what is going on in the Middle East, or why stocks on Wall Street are down. And he would even interview politicians and other public officials, but generally those people would have good if not great sense of humor’s as well.

Carson would routinely go after politicians like Ron Reagan, Bob Dole, Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy and they would make fun of politics together and perhaps of each other. I believe Carson was interested in politics and current affairs a lot which is why he did read and watch a lot of news, but he wasn’t going to use his show simply cover the issues of the day. But to make fun of what is going on in the world.

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Liberty Pen: Firing Line With William F. Buckley- Ronald Reagan (1967)

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Rik Schneider

Governor Ronald W. Reagan R, California

Source:Liberty Pen– Governor Ronald W. Reagan (Republican, California) on Firing Line With William F. Buckley, in 1967.

Source:The New Democrat 

“In 1967, newly elected California governor Ronald Reagan sat down with William F. Buckley Jr to discuss states’ rights. Liberty Pen.”

From Liberty Pen

What Bill Buckley and then Governor Ronald Reagan of California were talking about here in 1967 was the growth of the Federal Government from the Great Society and other programs and how that growth impacts the state’s.

Bill Buckley and Governor Reagan, making the argument that if government does more and taxes more, it would leave fewer resources and less things for the state’s to do. Since the Federal Government gets a piece out of every tax base in every state and each state has to operate out of available funds in their own state that the Feds also has access to. Which I believe is fair argument about the Great Society and goes to who should be running all of these social welfare programs: the Feds’s, or the state’s.

I don’t think anyone would design the New Deal and Great Society today the way they were designed back in the 1930s and 1960s. Today’s so-called Progressives (Democratic Socialists, in actuality) would have expanded those programs. Today’s Conservatives (Conservative Libertarians, really) would have decentralized those programs have the state’s be responsible for running them in their own state’s.

Today’s Liberals (or Classical Liberals, if you prefer) such as myself would have designed those programs to empower people in need to get on their own feet. Things like education, job training, even encouraging disabled people to work as much as they can, encouraging economic development in low-income communities. And I even like the idea as a Liberal Federalist myself of having the state’s run these social welfare programs. Provided that the money for those programs is used the way its intended.

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Constitution Daily: Opinion: Marci Hamilton: The History of Religion in The United States: Liberty and Theocracy

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Erik Schneider

Freedom of Religion

Source: Constitution Daily: Opinion: Marci Hamilton: The History of Religion in The United States: Liberty and Theocracy

I believe Marci Hamilton hit it best that one of the great things about America is our Freedom of Religion and religious diversity. Because we are such a diverse country both ethnically and racially a country of Anglo-Saxons, Scandinavians, Germanic’s, Slavs, Mediterraneans, Latinos, Africans, Asians, Indians, Middle Easterners, Jews and others, we are also a very diverse country religiously as well. Because all of these people’s have their own cultures, traditions, faiths, that represents where their ancestors come from. That we don’t have one dominant ethnic or racial majority with one religion for the whole country and we certainly aren’t governed by any religion either. We have Freedom of Religion and freedom not to practice any religion, but we also have Separation of Church and State.

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, is free to believe that homosexuality is a sin and that gays are sinners simply for being gay and that same-sex marriage is some moral threat to straight marriage. And she’s also free to be deeply wrong about that. But as a government official she swore a duty to serve and protect the public. And even in Rowan County, Kentucky that includes gay people and she simply can’t deny gays access and deny them marriage licenses simply because they are gay. She has a sworn duty to serve those people as much as she has a sworn duty to serve straight people. And if she has a problem from that she always resign from office. And perhaps take up the fight of protesting against homosexuality in America wither other members of the Christian-Right in this country.

And while Kim Davis is still serving the whole public in her country she still retains the right to believe that homosexuality is a sin and that gays should be second-class citizens in her county and perhaps everywhere else. Simply by using her First Amendment right and her freedom of religion. But that stops when it comes to forcing your religious beliefs as deep as they may be on everyone else in your community. Freedom of Religion in America doesn’t give people the right to force others to live by your beliefs and deny people access because of your beliefs especially when you’re a public official. If Clerk Davis doesn’t want to serve the entire public in the county she can always resign her office and go work in the private sector like at her church.

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The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Dyan Cannon (1982)

Posted on September 13, 2015 by kireschneider
Johnny Carson 1982 06 11 Dyan Cannon

Source:The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson– Hollywood Goddess Dyan Canoon, in 1982.

Source:The Daily Review 

“Dyan Cannon (born Samille Diane Friesen; January 4, 1937) is an American film and television actress, director, screenwriter, editor, and producer…

From Geta Yedi 

“There is no initial comedy segment. Johnny first asks Dyan Cannon how she feels about being called sexy. She says it used to bother her, but no longer. She confirms that producer Jerry Wald gave her the name Cannon because he said she reminded him of explosions. She agreed to the change to get a screen test. After the test she was rejected, and told her nose was too flat. She went to a surgeon to have it changed, but he refused. Then she and Johnny talk about how men and women try to change partners in relationships. She says she became a spokeswoman for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Johnny says he is also involved in the organization. She then talks about her film “Author, Author”, and a clip is shown. Next comes the comedy segment: Johnny as a spokesman for the banking industry. Dr. Ruth Westheimer talks about why American society has difficulty dealing with the topic of sex. She talks about her radio show. She and Johnny then discuss various issues that people are curious about…

Johnny Carson 1982 06 11 Dyan Cannon - Google Search

Source:IMDB– Hollywood Goddess Dyan Cannon, on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, in June, 1982.

From IMDB 

Hollywood Goddess Dyan Cannon, on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, in June, 1982. This photo is from another video that apparently is not available online right now, but you can still see the interview on this blog by clicking the link from Geta Yedi.

#Hollywood Goddess and Babydoll #DyanCannon, on #TheTonightShow with #JohnnyCarson, in 1982_

Source:The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson– Hollywood Goddess Dyan Cannon, on Johnny Carson in 1982.

Johnny Carson, needed to be careful about having people like Hollywood Goddess Dyan Cannon on his show. Because she was probably as quick as he was off the cuff with the humor, or at least in the same ballpark. Who didn’t need a script to crack joke and even do monologue. And as good as Johnny was at poking fun at famous people and he might be the best comedian ever at doing this, he wasn’t exactly flawless. I mean he was basically the male Liz Taylor when it came to married life. Both when it came to his multiple marriages and divorces. He could write a book literally based on his personal experiences in life of what not to do when it came to married life. And Dyan knew these things and knew him very well.

Late night comedic hosts have to draw a line about who they pick fun at when they have guests on. I mean if they have people on who are experts at screwing up, sure! Making fun of them would be easy, especially if they don’t know how to punch back, or even screw that up. But not many people would want to see that. But if they on quick-witted people like a Dyan Cannon who knows the host well and has had her issues in life that could be poked fun at like her multiple marriages and divorces, but can give it back as well then they’ll end up taking clean shots on their own show. And perhaps even be put on the defensive. Johnny Carson, whether they were standup comedians, or not and Dyan’s case, more of a comedic actress with a quick off the cuff humor and great ability to improvise, loved funny people. Which is why having Dyan on his show worked so well.

Johnny, also liked intelligent people and intelligent people who were funny. Frank Sinatra comes to mind, Burt Reynolds would be another one and Dyan Cannon would be close to, or at the top of this list. He would mention things to talk about and generally what was going on in Dyan’s life and what she’s interested in and they would simply talk about like two people who knew each other very well. With no script and would do it in a very funny way that would keep the audience interested and laughing. And even have Dyan with her adorable laugh laughing her head off for most of the interview which is what you see here. Dyan Cannon, was the perfect guest for Johnny Carson, because she kept him on his toes and made him think.

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Mysteries & Scandals: Ava Gardner

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Derik Schneider
Ava Gardner

Source:The New Democrat– Ava Gardner, was a real-life soap opera.

SourceThe Daily Review

“Ava Gardner Mysteries & Scandals”

From Billy Estabrook

Billy Estabrook_ Mysteries and Scandals Ava Gardner- A Real-Life Hollywood Goddess

Source:Billy Estabrook– The mystery man.

Ava Gardner, was a true real-life Hollywood Goddess. And what I mean by that is that she couldn’t, or didn’t separate her onstage character and he she wanted to be seen onstage with the person she was offstage and in private life. Was she a great actress, or a great real-life character who played herself in her movies and offstage?

If she was a great real-life character instead then she didn’t need to be a great actress to play herself in all of her parts. Because all she was doing onstage was being herself. Her roller coaster up and down almost rock and roll wild life was a movie and a character in itself. She didn’t need any practice to play herself in her biggest movie role of her life. The Life of Ava Gardner, which no one could play as well as she did.

One thing that she had in common with The Lizard King Jim Morrison is that she lived life once and lived it her way. The attitude being that you only live one and you’re only going to get on crack out of life. So you might as well live it your way and get everything out of life that you can and try to enjoy as much of it as you possibly can. All of the men, all of the partying and drinking, even if it makes you age faster than had you bothered to take care of herself, you still only live once. So you might as well as enjoy it as much as you possibly can.

Ava Gardner made it to 67 and Jim Morrison died at 27, but if Ava was taking cocaine and perhaps other narcotics to go with the alcohol and does that in her twenties she doesn’t have the long great career that she did.

Ava Gardner, is one of the hottest, cutest and sexiest Hollywood Goddess’s of all-time. As well as one of the best actress’s and even with the lifestyle that she lived, similar to Rita Hayworth she was so great and did enough to make sure she was around to have a long great career, even if her life wasn’t that long considering she dies before she’s 70 when he was still active and working.

Had Ava took care of herself, she might still be alive today. But again when its your life to live as you please as long as you aren’t hurting any innocent person it is really up to you how long and great of a life that she did. Ava wasn’t about longevity, but a quality when it came to life and she lived it her way.

 

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Federal Expression: ‘Fearless American Dan Smoot’

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Ederik Schneider
Dan Smoot

Source:Federal Expression– 20th Century Tea Party leader Dan Smoot.

“Dan Smoot discusses the need for courageous leaders in the fight for liberty.
Funny anecdotes about the man who helped launch his Television program:Federal Expression”

From Federal Expression

To me at least, Dan Smoot at least the activist and media persona was the Tea Party leader of the 20th Century. And for anyone in the Tea Party movement who is smart enough to understand who he was and familiar with him Dan Smoot is one of their inspirational leaders.

A lot of Tea Party members use the same rhetoric that Smoot did and go after what they call moderate Republicans the same way. Accusing Republicans who are simply not looking to destroy the Democratic Party and work with Democrats from time to time as fake Republicans or RINOS. (Republicans in name only) And what they believe that they needed was were Republicans who fight for their so-called conservatives causes at all costs even if that leads to gridlock.

The early 1960s, was certainly a bad time for Conservatives in or outside of the Republican Party. Progressive Democrats had a lot of the power in Washington even with the right-wing Southern block that they had to deal with in their party in Congress.

The early 1960s especially was bad for the right-wing in America, but the mid-1960s even with more Republicans and Conservative Republicans getting elected in 1966, wasn’t a good time for right-wingers in and out of the GOP as well. The Republican Party, was in transition.

The GOP still had their Eisenhower/Rockefeller progressive wing, but they also had a growing Southern and Western conservative wing in and outside of Congress. Senator Barry Goldwater, was an example of this.

Dan Smoot was one of the biggest and most important activists in the conservative movement in the 1960s. And a reason my Mr. Conservative Barry Goldwater was able to win the 1964 Republican nomination for president, because the Goldwater Conservatives had grown so much in the GOP that Senator Goldwater was able to get the votes and delegates to win the GOP nomination for president.

And Dan Smoot and his Dan Smoot Report which was both a publication as well as radio/TV program was a part of that. Dan Smoot was the Tea Party leader of his time and deserves a lot of credit for that wing of the American right-wing, or conservative movement gaining the success that they did in the late 1960s and into the 1970s and 80s.

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C-SPAN: Booknotes With Brian Lamb- Leonard Garment: Crazy Rhythm (1997)

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Rik Schneider

Leonard Garment

Source:The New Democrat

Len Garment was a friend and law partner of Richard Nixon in the mid and late 1960s and then went on to work in President Nixon’s White House in 1969 and the early 1970s. I believe he left after President Nixon resigned in 1974. He knew Dick Nixon about as anyone could, or Nixon would allow for someone else to know him. Garment was one of the few people outside of his wife Pat that he actually trusted and liked very much. Garment, was certainly smart enough to know that President Nixon was guilty of the things that he was going to be impeached for by the House, at least the obstruction of justice and coverup, but was one of Nixon’s strongest defenders as the accomplished lawyer that he was at least through the late 1990s.

I believe if you were in the type of trouble that Dick Nixon was in the early and mid 1970s and of by the way you also just happen to be President of the United States, you might want Len Garment defending you. Because he’ll know your case and story better than you do, or at least give you than impression and go out of his way to defend you and even spin your story the best way that it can be. Americans tend to bash lawyers especially defense attorney’s until they actually need one and Garment falls into that category. Len Garment, is one of the biggest fans of Dick Nixon. He respected and liked the man a lot. He loved Nixon’s intelligence, memory, energy, ability to see things happening in the future, foresight.

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David Von Pein: The Age of Kennedy: NBC White Paper (1966)

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Erik Schneider

JFK

Source:The New Democrat 

John F. Kennedy’s early years as an adult are not very impressive. He was in the U.S. Navy for a few years during World War II and got out in 1945 to and then ran for the House of Representatives in 1946 and got elected there mostly because of his name and his father literally buying votes and ballots. I think the way to look at Jack Kennedy in the 1940s and 1950s is as a student who is still figuring things out and trying to decide what he wants to do in life. But I don’t believe he figures that out until his first term in the Senate in 1953. Jack Kennedy, was a playboy in Congress really the whole time he was there from 1947-61. His six years in the House and eight years in the Senate. He marries Jackie in 1953 and that doesn’t make him any more responsible.

Kennedy doesn’t figure out what he wants to do and where he’s going in life really until he gets reelected to the Senate in 1958. And he writes the book Profiles in Courage where you get to see his political and ideology emerge. As a Cold War Liberal Democrat who sees communism as the biggest threat to freedom and even mankind. As well as someone who wants to use a limited government to empower people in need to get themselves up and live well in life. Kennedy, wasn’t a Conservative that today’s right-wingers want to portray him as, or a Social Democrat that had a government program to solve everyone’s problems for them. That today’s so-called Progressives want to see him as.

By the time Jack Kennedy completed his first term in the Senate and decided that he wanted to be President of the United States is where he got serious as a public servant and political leader. That communism needed to be defeated and that freedom needed to be expanded at home. For Americans who were struggling and living in poverty, but also for Americans who were simply denied access in America because of their race and color. Which is just one reason why JFK being assassinated at the age of 46 in 1963 is so tragic. Because the great liberal Jack Kennedy as a political leader was just emerging. He probably gets reelected fairly easily in 1964 against Senator Barry Goldwater. And I think we would have seen one of the best American leaders of all-time.

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Russia Today: Thom Hartmann & Thor Benson: ‘Stop Calling Bernie Sanders a Socialist?’

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Derik Schneider
Thom & Thor

Thom & Thor

Source:The New Democrat

I believe the best way to differentiate a Socialist, or Democratic Socialist from someone who is way Far-Left and a statist like a Communist, would be to put the two factions in separate groups. Democratic Socialists, which is the mainstream form of Socialists in the world and Marxists. Which is a fringe statist faction about as Far-Left as you get on that side of the spectrum. Bernie Sanders, is a Democratic Socialist. Fidel Castro, was a Marxist at least up until ten years, or so when Cuba started privatizing parts of their economy. But Fidel is still a Marxist on most issues like when it comes to personal freedom, which is he’s against and individual rights.

What you get with Marxism is state-ownership of the entire economy, plus no individual rights. Individuals are essentially subjects, or children of the state with no rights of their own and not even allowed to think and speak for themselves. In a Marxist state the truth is what the states tells you it is. You work and live where the state says you do and I could go on, but I won’t. In a social democracy the job of government is to see that everyone is taken care of, but not to try to do everything for them. Private economy, private ownership, property rights even, but a large central state and welfare state to make sure that no one has to go without anything that they need to live well.

Under a Bernie Sanders Administration lets say, the Federal Government would be bigger, taxes would be higher across the board perhaps, the roles of the states and localities would probably be smaller with more power when it comes to social welfare going to the Feds. But our Federal Republic would essentially still be the same. Federalism would still be alive in America with our three levels of government Federal, state and local. Schools, banks, energy companies, hospitals, wouldn’t get nationalized and most of the economy, or at least a large percentage of it would still be in private hands. But taxes would be higher, even on the middle class and the Federal Government would have more responsibility to see to it that every American is taken care of.

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