Born today was King Gillette.

To whom the hirsute are in debt.

For he ingeniously made

The first inexpensive, disposable blade.

A pox on both houses.

Partisans from the right and the left are both right and wrong about Jan. 6. But they’d be doing America a huge favoring by just shutting up.

First, how the Right is wrong.

The breach of the Capitol was an insurrection– an attempt to stymie our elected government from acting. No matter how large or small the mob was, a number of them illegally entered the building–whether they forced their way in or simply walked in through an open door–to halt the Electoral College from doing its job.

Their action constituted an insurrection in its most basic meaning. They actually succeeded in this, however briefly. Electors had to halt their constitutionally defined jobs and go into hiding. I consider these anarchists to be as deplorable as the British who burned the Capital (and the White House and other government buildings) in the War of 1812. Well, actually worse. These were (presumably) American citizens who were out to interfere with my government.

Doesn’t matter that the attempted insurrection failed miserably. But, what could have happened if they had laid hands on Vice President Mike Pence who was presiding over the gathering? Would he have been kidnapped? Held for ransom? Seriously injured?

Did they really think they could occupy the podium or chamber long enough to reverse the election? Did they figure that their presence would intimidate Pence enough to get him to act illegally? Did they think that the country would rise up and support their coup d’tat? These were not just insurgents, but stupid insurgents.

A proximate cause of the insurrection was former President Donald Trump–his ill-timed rally and perplexing speech. Was he merely and innocently encouraging the crowd to march to the Capitol for further protests or was he really inciting a mob to break into the Capitol and halt the proceedings? Parse the meaning of each word and sentence of the speech, the fact that we’re still debating his intent signals that some people might have thought he was actually calling for an insurrection. In this, Trump was at least reckless.

Why did he decide to hold a rally on the same day at the same time as the Electoral College was meeting if he didn’t mean to incite the crowd? Did he not understand the danger?

Equally disturbing was the hours it took for Trump to try to call off the mob. I do believe that Trump advisors and, as has been stated, supporters at Fox News and elsewhere repeatedly tried to get him to publicly call on the insurgents to back off. In this, he was dangerous.

Finally, you can argue that very few of the protesters actually entered the Capitol, but that doesn’t excuse those who did. It’s just as goofy as liberals pointing out that the Black Lives Matter protests were mostly peaceful when they led to violence.

Second, how the Left is wrong.

Democrats themselves wear the jacket for the Capitol break-in. Clearly, the Capitol Police were far from being prepared. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was (and is) in charge of the security and safety of Congress. That the protection of the Capitol was so badly botched raises legitimate questions about Pelosi’s incompetence or intent.

In spite of all her rhetoric over the years about the dangers of Trump and his supporters, did she really think that the lightly protected Capitol could withstand a mob? Is she that stupid? Or–and this will raise charges of nutty conspiracy–did she intend for the worse to happen in order to embarrass Trump and blame Republicans? Sorry, but that damn sure is a legitimate question.

For certain the (laughably) bi-partisan House “Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol” should delve deeply into why the Capitol was so unprotected. Intelligence had warned of the dangers; why did Pelosi so obviously ignore them? Even the Democratic chairman of the committee, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, said the cops were “woefully outnumbered.” Why, why, why?

And while the committee is at it, it cannot ignore elephant in the room: whether agent provocateurs fueled the insurgency, as at least one first-person account suggests. Undercover law enforcement infiltration of target groups is well known, going back at least as far of the days of Chicago’s Red Squad. Certainly, J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI spied on his share of communist groups.

Corporate media shamelessly ignores the question, writing it off, I suppose, because they believe it’s the product of mindless, whacky conspiracy wingnuts. But where are the detailed reports of the 700 who were arrested? Why are so many of those unnamed co-conspirators listed in the indictments escaping any charges? Were they FBI spies who initiated and encouraged the break-in? Any why, for goodness sake, when progressives so vehemently condemn cash bail are they so silent about the several dozen Capitol defendants who are being held in jail without bail? What crimes were they charged with to justify the detention?

Turns out that some 300 intruders have been charged merely with petty crimes, mostly trespassing and disorderly conduct. As the New York Times reported:

Beneath the headlines, however, there has been a steady stream of penalties for lower-profile defendants: bricklayers, grandmothers, college students, artists, church leaders and long-haul truckers who, by and large, have admitted to little more than illegally entering the Capitol.

Many, if not most, have avoided incarceration, sentenced to probation or stints of home confinement. Others have received only modest sentences, ranging from a few weeks to a few months.

In court, those accused of minor crimes have almost always expressed remorse, saying their behavior was foolish, embarrassing or out of character. Some have broken into tears or, in one case, physically collapsed. Others have vowed never to attend a political rally again.

This is what is called the most intense criminal investigation ever has produced? Do these people sound like they meant to overthrow the government? They clearly weren’t the kind of social justice warriors who turned violent, burning down a police station, repeatedly attacking a federal building, setting fires to many businesses, turning streets and public places into armed camps and leaving dead bodies in their wake.

Unlike the one person who was shot and killed in the Capitol incursion. That would be Ashli Babbitt who was killed by a Capitol cop who later escaped any charge of excessive force. Attempts to initially blame the protesters for the deaths of five people, including Babbitt, have turned out to be wrong, if not outright lies. One of the five, Capitol police officer Officer Brian Sicknick, who was depicted as someone who died at the hands of rioters, was later found to have died of natural causes, according to a medical examiner. Rosanne Boyland, whose death originally was attributed to “trampling’ by the mob, actually died of a drug overdose. The others died of natural causes.

How troubling it is to see and hear that the Capitol incursion was a virtual to democracy Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson said, “…what we have been able to ascertain is that we came perilously close to losing our democracy as we have come to learn it.”

The New York Times breathlessly warned in an editorial, “Every Day is Jan. 6 now,”

In short, the Republic faces an existential threat from a movement that is openly contemptuous of democracy and has shown that it is willing to use violence to achieve its ends. No self-governing society can survive such a threat by denying that it exists. Rather, survival depends on looking back and forward at the same time.

I disagree. A greater threat to democracy were the riots, arsons, killings and more that sprung from the Black Lives Matter demonstrations. It was savagery that was ignored, if not praised, because it was “justified” by white supremacy. The abject failure of civil authorities to halt this destruction was surely more of a threat to democratic rule than the handful of insurgents who have yet to be tried for their role in the Capitol incursion.

Some readers will complain that I placed more blame on one side. They will shout, “Unfair!” But that’s the way I see it: A pathetic, brief and failed attempt by a tiny band of insurrectionists to reverse an election compared to the blind eye closed to the long-running and violent instability that the Left Wing justified. Which is a greater threat to democracy is crystal clear.

As of now, Democrats have begun Jan.6 festivities marked by speeches and prayer services. We can only hope that the Left gets it out of their system, but there’s zero chance of that.

Instead, Democrats will keep hammering away for political advantage. And Republicans will continue to look back at the election, hoping that the next one will extract revenge.

Can’t we just move along? I have a feeling that so many Americans would be most grateful.

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I am sure that anyone who is a parent, aunt, or uncle, or related to any young children knows all the lyrics to Disney’s FROZEN.  You have probably viewed the film more times than you can count and felt that you would not be able to handle listening to it one more time. 

I was one of you until I saw the live stage production recently at the Cadillac Palace Theatre here in Chicago. Walking into the theater lobby the little ones were dressed as Elsa and Anna as expected and parents were buying all the things to make the little ones happy. As I stepped into the actual theater the set is breathtaking. The performances were fantastic, as well as the new songs that were added to the production.

I was excited to meet and speak with Mason Reeves who plays Kristoff in the production. He is so talented, warm, and the perfect Kristoff.

Bonnie: Well, let’s talk about Kristoff because he’s like the guy that you’re rooting for. I mean, the main feature is this love between these two sisters and the dedication between these two sisters. It has a wonderful way of showing the growth and feelings in so many relationships.  Kristoff is like this guy whose close relationship is with a reindeer. Who is Kristoff?

Mason Reeves:  I like to think Kristoff’s slightly introverted. He’s been about his own thing. His best friend’s his reindeer and other than that, he sells his ice, and he goes, and he chops it. He brings it into town, he sells it and it’s just kind of been his thing. I think what’s so fun about this show is as soon as he meets Anna and sees how much she’s sacrificing to go and try to save her sister; it starts to crack him out of that shell a little bit and he realizes that you can also find joy by opening yourself up to experiences. It’s not so much about needing to stay closed and shut off all the time. His arc is kind of sad too because right when he starts discovering what loving somebody feels like, he realizes that… I mean, he thinks Anna is not in love with him. I just think it’s beautiful getting to do that every night because it’s fun.

Disney Theatrical Productions under the direction of Thomas Schumacher presents Frozen, the North American Tour, music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and book by Jennifer Lee directed by Michael Grandage with Caroline Bowman (Elsa), Caroline Innerbichler (Anna), Mason Reeves (Kristoff), F. Michael Haynie (Olaf), Austin Colby (Hans), Jeremy Morse (Weselton)

Bonnie: Do you relate to Kristoff’s solitude in any way?

Mason Reeves: As an actor, I love being able to start in one place and end someplace else having learned a lot over the course of the night. I think for a lot of people, being able to learn something and follow somebody that they can relate to. People have felt at certain times, I mean maybe even with the pandemic, felt wanting to keep to themselves and they realize that one night that you go out and you might talk to a stranger or something, that sort of experience might open something up in your life that you didn’t realize. I think Kristoff’s kind of like the boy next door who is very content being just the boy next door and then discovers how much joy he could have in his life if he came out of his house a little bit more.

Disney Theatrical Productions under the direction of Thomas Schumacher presents Frozen, the North American Tour, music, and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and book by Jennifer Lee directed by Michael Grandage with Caroline Bowman (Elsa), Caroline Innerbichler (Anna), Mason Reeves (Kristoff), F. Michael Haynie (Olaf), Austin Colby (Hans), Jeremy Morse (Weselton)

Mason explained to me why adults will love this production as much as but maybe in a different way than younger audience goers.

Mason Reeves: I think when you walk into the theater, you are just going to be completely immersed in Frozen. Don’t worry about that. The Disney magic is on display, but what I love about that is that all those little introspective moments are full songs now in the musical. There are moments of Elsa figuring out whether she’s got imposter syndrome, trying to figure out whether she’s capable of being the queen and whether she’s able to be good at it. Something that I think a lot of adults can relate to, getting a new job, getting a new position, and saying am I capable of doing this and having to believe in yourself.

I totally agreed with him. Watching it live on stage as an adult even the song “Let It Go” resonated differently for me.  In fact, at the new year rang in my friends I was singing “Let It Go” to 2021. 

Mason is African American, and I had to ask what the reception has been to him playing Kristoff.

Mason Reeves: Interestingly, I found for this show, being a person of color hasn’t actually changed too much of my experience other than when I see other people of color out in the audience that has seen the show. Whenever I see them, I always try to wave to them and if I get the chance talk to audience members of color after the show.  I love that I just get to bring myself to that character and then any kids of color anywhere and is being told that they must be a specific way, can see somebody that’s just being themselves and know that it’s okay to just be whatever way that you are. Just because of the color of your skin, you don’t have to be any sort of type of person. I think that’s been beautiful.” I’m excited to see what they keep doing with more and more casting. In this show, I am the only principle of color and they talked about having a diverse ensemble. The world of the show looks rather diverse. We had a Black Elsa on Broadway. There are all sorts of possibilities because I think any of these characters can be of any race. It doesn’t have to change anything. I’m excited for kids of all races to get to see themselves represented in the characters that they have come to love from a movie that’s so beloved. It’s definitely rewarding for me to get to do the show and see little kids of color out there and hopefully, inspire somebody to be themselves somewhere.

Mason and the cast truly do inspire. As I looked around children were smiling and cheering and adults, myself included, were teary-eyed.  We got the message of FROZEN in our own way. The love and devotion to family, find the confidence to be your best self the experience of love, and to let go of the things that can’t be changed.

FROZEN: The Musical brought to you by Broadway in Chicago will be at the Cadillac Palace Theatre until January 22nd.   Visit www.broadwayinchicago.com for more information

Disney’s FROZEN is recommended for ages 6+; however, all children regardless of age must follow COVID-19 protocols including but not limited to masking, vaccination, and testing requirements

Until next time, keep your EYE to the sky!

www.bonnieseyetothesky.com

Do you ever hear the expression “That’s the last straw”? Or do you know someone following a problem who wants to know whether “That’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back”? What if they’re the same straw?

I want to collect pairs or sets of expressions like that. I’ve been on the lookout for them since I found some British writers who expressed skepticism by writing “Pull the other leg, it’s got bells on!” instead of just saying “You’re pulling my leg.” Sometimes it was “Go on, pull the other one.”

Sometimes I wonder if it’s a regional thing, like whether you call your carbonated beverages pop, soda, or fizz. (Personally, if I say yes to a soda, fair warning — I will expect ice cream.)

Other times, I think it must be involved with our national senses of humor, or at least of what phrases are funny. Some of my favorite memories of watching TV with my parents involved the British comedy “As Time Goes By,” in which Geoffrey Palmer and Judi Dench portrayed a couple in love — after a gap of 38 years when they didn’t see each other.

Instead of saying that he’d do something “When pigs fly!,” Lionel Hardcastle (Palmer) stopped in an argument with Jean Pargeter (Dench) to say “What was that?”

Jean could only ask “What was what?”

“I thought I saw a pig fly past the window,” Lionel replied. That’s so much fresher than just saying “When pigs fly,” and it has the added advantage of confusing an opponent.

Feel free to add your own questions or suggestions as comments. We’ll see what matches up.

I was invited to tune in on a webinar presented by the Center for Automotive Research entitled “Coronavirus Update: Disruption and the Impact to the Auto Industry.” Two of the speakers covered what impact the latest world health scare has had thus far on the automotive industry; both here and abroad. They hit on some interesting points. As noted, the auto industry is in the “crosshairs” of the Coronavirus which thus far has claimed the lives of over 1,000 people and leaving more than 43,000 people infected (World Health Organization). Numbers, as we all know by now, change daily.

China has been the hardest hit and also has made the most investment in managing their country. Among some of the statistics cited regarding China’s efforts to curb the virus were interesting: At this time, 85 percent of China’s Starbucks (4,292) are open. Wuhan has a surplus of beds, and six million people are back at work in Guangdong, at this time. Of course, these numbers are not up to date as we print them today. It’s almost impossible to get an accurate picture.

Some of the auto plants in China have been closed since the Chinese New Year. Some plants were allowed to open around the middle of February. As other plants remain closed, production is of course, hampered affecting auto suppliers in the U.S.

There are so many ways in which an epidemic like the coronavirus affects the culture, business and individuals. The biggest impact thus far, has been in China where those studying the human impact have reported boredom and anxiety in those who have been quarantined inside. China is dealing with the outbreak in the most extreme way. A sign posted on the streets there reads: “Pay Attention to the 3 No’s: No making up rumors; No spreading rumors; No believing rumors. It’s the biggest way to help in the battle against spread of coronavirus.”

Statistics and situations continue to change, by the hour. While there’s no question, the virus is and has caused a loss of production. One such prediction is that if the plants are still closed until mid-March, there could be a loss of more than 1.7 million units for the first quarter. According to Michael Brady, a partner and co-chair of the Automotive Industry Group at Warner Norcross, talked about the automotive industry based on ‘just-in-time delivery.” In most supply chains, he continued, “some parts were already in transit before the closing of the plants, and parts are trickling in. Original equipment manufacturers such as Ford, GM and Chrysler, have only a handful of parts and assemblies arriving.”

The webinar speakers commented that they do not see the auto industry rebounding. Also at risk are customers not wanting to spend money; rather, holding onto their money; similar to the situation in the early 2000’s. The World Health Organization anticipates that as the virus kicks off in smaller countries, WHO will shift in what they will advise, going from containment to 80 percent of the world’s getting the virus. They are saying to expect uncertainly and to get accustomed to it over the next few months.

In the meantime, auto suppliers are being urged to be transparent with customers, letting them know that the situation in China is impacting production. Keep the lines of communication open and be sure to keep customers informed and updated.
Many remember the SARS virus outbreak, no doubt. Michael Brady believes the Coronavirus is having a greater effect on the global supply chain. It’s hard at this time to estimate how severe the overall impact will be on the auto industry.

Happy New Year! I hope and pray that this year becomes less about sides and more about a united states, and a peaceful, more prosperous place to live. Also, long live rock and roll.

Speaking of rock and roll, Mister Green is an alt-rock band from Charlotte, North Carolina, that has just released a new single with Tom Morello called “Annabelle.” It’s a funky pop song that ends in an incredible jam. You should expect nothing less from the Rage axeman at this point.

Well, 2022 explodes with a bang thanks to new music from Superchunk. “Endless Summer” picks up where they left off in 2018 when they released What A Time To Be Alive. Though this time there are fewer fireworks and a bit more polish than we might be used to. Hopefully, we will see another dimension to this band in the new year.

Empire Ants are officially on my #RADAR after this really chill single, “Okey Dokey.” It’s chock-full of great harmonies and cool effects. I went back to listen to the rest of their catalog and they definitely have their own, swinging style.

OutKast‘s Big Boi has been releasing single after single in preparation for his new record with Organized Noize’s Sleepy Brown entitled The Big Sleepover (combining both their namesakes), which finally dropped just in time for Santa to bring it down your chimney. If you haven’t been paying attention it’s time you did. There are some really good songs on this record including “All You See,” which might be my favorite?

Last week Mr. Wong was my Jazz Cut Of The Week. It was a bit of a stretch because his music is all over the board, but it’s so enjoyable and contains pieces of different genres, all pasted together. “Smokeshow” is the Purple Cow in the room.

“Every City Has A Rhythm,” ain’t that the truth? Well, Chicago has been feeling a bit off these days; just too much damn violence. But I like this Lucas/Heaven song, both its meaning and its vibe.

Women are taking over, no doubt, in music and business. While we debate if Elizabeth Holmes will go away for scamming Silicon Valley investors, we continue to delve into all the incredible music being put out by female singers and songwriters. “Faultline” is the latest from a duo called, Girlpool.” So far, I like what I’ve heard.

A friend just hipped me to a song that was NOT on my #RADAR until now. Just Mustard‘s “I Am You” is a creepy jaunt that instantly reminds me of My Bloody Valentine, Lush, and several other trip-hop bands that have come and gone.

A five-piece rock band from Dundalk in County Louth, Ireland, wherever the fuck that is, fronted by the haunting Katie Ball who seels this horror like cigarettes. Just Mustard is a band to watch in 2022! Check out the spooky vid below, and you’ll get the jist.

Yes, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, your Jazz Cut Of The Week. Released a few days before reindeer took flight, this song comes from the late Harold Mabern, who passed away in the fall of 2019. “Dahomey Dance” is off an album called Mabern Plays Coltrane that also contains an incredible version of “Impressions,” nodding to both the magic that John Coltrane and Bill Evans created, along with the rest of the blue crew.