[Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Secretary of Arts for USA

Thad McArthur wthadmc at whidbey.com
Tue Jan 13 10:50:28 PST 2009


Bob,  I didn't realize that the DJML has a moderator, you are that 
moderator, and that there are guide lines that may not be exceded in our 
discussions.  In the many posts that I have reviewed over the past year, 
yours indicate to me that you are probably the most qualified, coupled with 
moderate, person to hold that position.  It is self-evident that posts 
should relate to traditional jazz and tangential issues that affect jazz, 
but if there are any formal guidelines that can be restated here on the 
site, it might be helpful to do that now.  The term, "been placed on 
moderate" is unknown to me.  It may be that all this is already available, 
if so, please direct me to its location.   Thank you for all the knowledge 
you've contributed and keeping us up-to-date on OKOM.       Thad McArthur
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Ringwald" <rsr at ringwald.com>
To: "Thad McArthur" <wthadmc at whidbey.com>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: 01/12/2009 8:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Secretary of Arts for USA


> Bill,
>
> Since you posted this on DJML, I will answer it on DJML.
>
> You wrote:
>
> (snip)
> I've seen you guys make all sorts of highly debatable opinions on music 
> and musicians,
> persons, bandleaders, arts people, etc. etc. I believe you have that 
> right.
> (snip)
>
> Yes, we all have that right here on DJML.  But, I have stated many times 
> that this is a Jazz based list and religious or political statements or 
> discussions do not belong on this list and will not be permitted.
>
> Your comment calling the President and idiot is and was over the line.
>
> You have been placed on moderate.  Your posts will be reviewed by me 
> before they are released to the List.  If there is any political or 
> religious comments which I feel do not belong on DJML, the post will be 
> killed.
>
> I am sorry to have to do this but for the sake of the List, I feel that it 
> has to be done.
>
> You were warned a year or two about such statements.  Evidently the 
> warning was not enough.  You are now on moderate.
>
> Regards,
>
> --Bob Ringwald
> DJML Moderator
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <BillSargentDrums at aol.com>
> To: <rsr at ringwald.com>
> Cc: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 11:37 AM
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Secretary of Arts for USA
>
>
>> With all due respect, the concept of an "Arts Czar" or "Secretary of 
>> Arts"
>> is, in and of itself, a political discussion.
>>
>> Anytime we discuss the government, as in your and my money, it is 
>> political.
>>
>> Someone promoted signing a petition for the creation of new expenditures 
>> for
>> the post, and I voiced my opinion against it.
>>
>> Us guys only got "back at it again", when someone didn't agree with my
>> ability to voice my opinion.
>>
>> I appreciate all you do Bob, and I am grateful, but this topic was and is
>> absolutely central to all this list stands for, the ability to perform 
>> music as
>> we wish . . . the ability to generate paying audiences and clients . . . 
>> the
>> ability for festivals, including SAC, to flourish . . . the ability for 
>> us
>> musicians to make a living . . . and the ability to form bands and play 
>> songs,
>> no matter how politically incorrect they may be.
>>
>> My comment about the person who is most responsible for changing our 
>> lives,
>> livelihood and art . . . a change that is NOT for the good . . . . was 
>> not
>> only  my opinion, but it is pertinent, it is ON topic, and it is my right 
>> as an
>> American citizen to not only think that way, but to voice it also.
>>
>> It has everything to do with the survival of OKOM. I'm just sorry that 
>> many
>> here are too focused on the minor to see the major.
>>
>> I've seen you guys make all sorts of highly debatable opinions on music 
>> and
>> musicians, persons, bandleaders, arts people, etc. etc. I believe you 
>> have
>> that  right. You've never once seen me come on here and gotten on 
>> someone's case
>> for  SAYING something that I didn't agree with. I might have disagreed 
>> with
>> the  premise, but never their right to say it.
>>
>> This would have been a one post issue, had not one single person 
>> disagreed,
>> actually two, with my saying what I said. I had nothing further to say . 
>> . .
>> until . . .
>>
>> Just for the record, I got several emails in support of my stand.
>>
>> I want you guys to remember something - if we all agreed, all but one of 
>> us
>> would be unnecessary.
>>
>> You guys need to pay attention, not only to what I said and am saying, 
>> but
>> to what's really happening out there. If you don't, and if you're not 
>> proactive
>> and vocal, your live gigs, your festivals, your ability to feed your 
>> family
>> from  your music is going to evaporate. The only way OKOM will survive 
>> past
>> all that  is through archival recordings.
>>
>> Frankly, this may very well be the MOST important topic discussed on this
>> board of any and all topics possible.
>>
>> The old, and destructive, adage that one "shouldn't discuss politics or
>> religion", as it pertains to music, and specifically OKOM, could very 
>> well be  the
>> downfall of that which you love most.
>>
>> If you wish a visual, then picture the ostrich with the head in the sand 
>> and
>> the butt exposed.
>>
>> Bill
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> In a message dated 1/12/2009 12:56:50 P.M. Central Standard Time,
>> rsr at ringwald.com writes:
>>
>> Geeze, I  turn my back and you guys are at it again.
>>
>> Bill Sergeant  wrote:
>>
>> (snip)
>> and the new prez is IDIOT
>> (Snip)
>>
>> As I have  said many times in the past, this is not a political mailing 
>> list,
>> nor a  religious mailing list.  It is a Jazz Mailing list.
>>
>> I see lots of  posts that I haven't gotten to as yet but if any of you 
>> want
>> to prolong  any sort of political or religious discussion on here, your
>> address will  be put on moderate and these types of posts will not make 
>> it on
>> the  list.
>>
>> If you want to continue this sort of discussion, do it to  whomever 
>> off-list.
>>
>> --Bob Ringwald
>> DJML  moderator
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From:  <BillSargentDrums at aol.com>
>> To: "Bob Ringwald"  <rsr at ringwald.com>
>> Cc:  <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>> Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2009 4:32  AM
>> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Secretary of Arts for  USA
>>
>>
>>> When times are bad, those gigs that exist and survive  solely on the 
>>> sale
>>> of
>>> alcohol do quite well as people who  drink a lot like to escape and 
>>> drown
>>> their
>>> sorrows more than  usual.
>>>
>>> However, the bulk of my engagements, private events,  come from big 
>>> dollar
>>> people. Gigs like weddings and corporate  functions. Since Labor day, so
>>> many of
>>> those people have lost  so much, and they don't know where it going to 
>>> end
>>> up, and the  new prez is IDIOT enough to tell the confidence driven 
>>> economy
>>>  that
>>> it's going to get worse, and it's going to be that way for a long  time 
>>> . .
>>> .
>>> . . that they's sitting on it and nobody's  moving.
>>>
>>> Don't get me wrong, I still have gigs, good ones, more  than many 
>>> others,
>>> but
>>> I still know what's happening . . .  especially to folks like me who 
>>> don't
>>> do
>>> cheap bar gigs . . .  or cheap nursing homes.
>>>
>>> The father of the bride just no longer  has that nest egg intact that he
>>> had
>>> set aside for his  daughter's wedding. Yea, my jazz band does a ton of
>>> weddings,  we  play Count Basie and the like, it pays  great and the 
>>> people
>>>  live us,
>>> and we end up exposing a bunch of new folks to music they  never knew 
>>> was
>>> so
>>> good.
>>>
>>> Also, the financial  company that wanted to use us for a big event this
>>> month
>>>  canceled for financial reasons. Another big bucks gig.
>>>
>>> Hey, if  I wanted to go out and work in a bunch of bars and get paid 
>>> very
>>>  little to hear the owner gripe about the cash register or door could, I
>>> could
>>> fill my calendar. Life's too short for that crap. I've  got it worked 
>>> out
>>> that I
>>> can go out and play one gig and make  more money in one night than most
>>> make
>>> in  15 . . . and  even though times are screwed up, I will survive . . .
>>> that  is
>>> until the government decides to intervene and create an Arts Czar  to
>>> interfere  with the natural market forces and screw thing up  for 
>>> everyone.
>>>
>>> Bill
>>>  BillSargentBands.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> In a  message dated 1/10/2009 9:35:18 P.M. Central Standard Time,
>>>  larrys.bands at charter.net writes:
>>>
>>> I certainly agree for the  most part.   But speaking of all that  for 
>>> some
>>> reason  I am booking my act very well for the new year.   This month 
>>> will
>>> be slow
>>> but things are looking up.  Having said all  that  the other bands that 
>>> I
>>> often
>>> work for are  strangely absent with  gigs................One has 
>>> completely
>>>  closed down.  I was playing about  25-30 jobs a year with  them.  He 
>>> will
>>> still
>>> pick off a gig if one comes   along but he isn't advertising or doing
>>> anything
>>>  new.
>>>
>>> Mardi gras has gotten so big here that it's getting rough  to book a
>>> Valentine's day gig.  Everyone is spending their money  on MG.  I 
>>> lucked
>>> out and
>>> booked a Valentines gig  this year.  I also picked up two  new clients 
>>> this
>>> week  who
>>> will likely have return gigs.
>>>
>>> That's what we do in  the music business and that's stand on our merits
>>> but
>>> it  helps a bunch if you go out and beat the bushes too.  Money is the
>>> grease
>>> that makes all this go around.
>>>
>>> I'm so  incredibly happy that I can still command a good price for my
>>>  talent
>>> when guys that are better, the competition is great and so many  have 
>>> gone
>>> by
>>> the wayside.  It's a real ego trip  and I just can't help  it.  The more 
>>> I
>>> make
>>> the  better I feel about my music and talents because  people will pay 
>>> me
>>> to
>>> do what I love.
>>>
>>> An interesting quirk to  the music business and government is that in 
>>> my
>>> end
>>> of  the business the venues are requiring paperwork for taxes  and do 
>>> send
>>> 1099's.  Now I don't like to pay taxes any more than   anyone else but 
>>> when
>>> you
>>> compete against guys that aren't  paying, then it's  pretty unfair.  Now
>>> there is
>>> an  element of getting caught and the guys  that do it all the time may
>>> have
>>> problems.   I don't consider the  guy  that comes in and picks off a gig 
>>> or
>>> two
>>> as being important  but the guys  that are there all the time need to be 
>>> on
>>>  the
>>> same playing field that I  am.  A little fear is a good  thing.
>>> Larry
>>> St.L
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From:  _BillSargentDrums at aol.com_  (mailto:BillSargentDrums at aol.com)
>>> To: _larrys.bands at charter.net_  (mailto:larrys.bands at charter.net)
>>> Cc: _dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com_
>>> (mailto:dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com)
>>>
>>> Sent:  Saturday, January 10, 2009 8:33  PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz]  Fwd:  Secretary of Arts for USA
>>>
>>>
>>> Keep them far,  far away!
>>>
>>> The government has screwed up and over regulated  every single thing
>>> they've
>>> done outside of the military . . .  and by the looks of it, they're 
>>> about
>>> to
>>> screw that up  now too.
>>>
>>> Don't want nobody else's money (outside of regulation  and telling us 
>>> how
>>> to
>>> live our life, that's all that  government is, taking money from those 
>>> who
>>> earned it, as in you  & me, and giving it to someone who didn't),  don't
>>>  want
>>> their advice, and certainly don't want them regulating is  or  forcing 
>>> some
>>> to
>>> "give" us work.
>>>
>>> I'll  stand on my own merit and efforts, thank you very much.
>>>
>>>  Bill
>>>
>>> PS, It's because of what congress has done and the recent  campaign for
>>> "change" that has given you & I the current lack of  work and lack of
>>> fluid  capital.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> In a message dated  1/10/2009 4:06:36 P.M. Central Standard Time,
>>> larrys.bands at charter.net  writes:
>>>
>>> I  nominate me......... I couldn't do any worse  than anyone they might
>>> pick....Rock On!!!
>>> Larry
>>>  StL
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Stephen G Barbone"  <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
>>> To:  "Larry Walton"  <larrys.bands at charter.net>
>>> Cc: "Dixieland Jazz  Mailing  List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>>> Sent: Saturday,   January 10, 2009 12:21 PM
>>> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Secretary  of  Arts for USA
>>>
>>>
>>>> >
>>>>> Dear  Friends,
>>>>>  You may already have received this, but it is  so important,
>>>>>  I'm passing it  along.
>>>>>
>>>>> Quincy Jones has started a   petition to ask President-Elect
>>>>> Obama to appoint a  Secretary  of the Arts. While many other
>>>>> countries have  had Ministers of  Art or Culture for centuries,
>>>>> The  United States has never  created such a position. We in
>>>>>  the arts need this and the  country needs the arts--now  more
>>>>> than ever. Please take a  moment to sign this  important
>>>>> petition and then pass it on to  your friends  and colleagues.
>>>>>
>>>>>   www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html
>>>>>
>>>>>  Happy  New Year!
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>   _______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>   Dixielandjazz mailing list
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>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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