Political arguments of society are difficult to escape. Try as they might, people are seemingly never allowed to have any peace.

Get Off Of My Cloud

The last century had a value that seems quaint to some people today. People wanted to be entertained,, and the people involved in the entertainments were happy to provide judgment- free moments.These productions gave audiences diversions from their daily struggles and stresses. Producing escapism was a virtuous endeavor.

Artful productions might have resulted in people considering predicaments different than their own, but the preachers were left in the pulpits, not in your living room.That was then; This is now. There are very few respites from the culture wars these days.

Some people view everything as a manipulation to promote a political agenda. In fact the leading intersectional list group, Black Lives Matter has espoused this as a primary strategy toward their goal of restructuring American life. Other groups also proclaimed it, and many virtue -signaling celebrities, and reporters from the entertainment world, are eager to oblige.

Going to a Go-Go

Dancing with the stars is a popular celebrity ballroom dancing competition series. People watch the journeys of famous folks as they try to develop from klutzy to graceful–- or ‘”fake it ’till they make it.” The professional judges advise and the audience decides. The viewers’ votes determine if the contestants remain or have the jeopardy of having to leave. This is not Brexit . The public vote is final.

Sean Spicer was was the first White House Press Secretary of the Trump revolving -door administration. he is known for combative parries, as he dealt with anti-Trump news reporters. It is not clear how much of this was just him carrying out the policy of the president and top-level administration folks, and how much was his initiative. When they overstated the size of celebrating crowds, it was the beginning of an argumentative struggle with the already antagonistic news media. Eventually he was jettisoned, and every Press Secretary since has had a difficult time. Many liberals despised him, and it carried over after he had left office.

When DWTS recruited him, their popular and talented host, Tom Bergeron, complained, perhaps rightly so, that politics would inevitably overtake the insular world they had created.

A few months ago, during a lunch with DWTS‘ new executive producer, I offered suggestions for season 28. Chief among them was my hope that DWTS, in its return following an unprecedented year-long hiatus, would be a joyful respite from our exhausting political climate and free of inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations. I left that lunch convinced we were in agreement.

Tom Bergeron, DWTS Host, The Hollywood Reporter, August 21, 2019

For me, as host, I always gaze into the camera’s lens and imagine you on the other side, looking for a two-hour escape from whatever life hassles you’ve been wrestling with. That’s a connection, and a responsibility, which I take very seriously, even if I occasionally season it with dad jokes.

Tom Bergeron, DWTS Host, The Hollywood Reporter, August 21, 2019

“I hope it will be a politics-free zone,” he said. “My hope is that at the end of the season, Tom looks back on this and realizes what a great example it was of being able to bring people of really diverse backgrounds together to have fun with each other, engage in a real civil and respectful way and maybe show millions of Americans how we can get back to that kind of interaction.”

Sean Spicer, The Hollywood Reporter, August 22, 2019

“If people can tune in tonight and say, ‘Look at this diverse cast. They’re rooting for each other. They’re having a blast with each other.’ And we can, for two hours, put every policy and politics aside, root for different people, have fun, relax, then that’s what we should do more of,” he said. “And that’s why this show is such a great opportunity for people to tune in and see something that gives them a reprieve from everything else they see in their daily lives.”

Sean Spicer, The Hollywood Reporter, September 17, 2019

Generally, it is best for everyone, to eschew politics where it is not relevant. The problem is the liberal elite refuses to allow anyone, any peace. Including Mr. Spicer is a counter to the demagoguery thrust upon us throughout the entertainment world. Liberals never complain when their ilk take awards show audiences hostage, pontificating in lengthy diatribes. If a condescension-free event bothers the small minority of people–and the Woke are statistically the small minority– despite their outsized glorification in the media–then the Wokers can go have their convulsions alone. The rest of us will get along with each other, when we are free of the instigators.

It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (But I Like It)

The Rolling Stones are one the most successful Rock Bands of all-time. They cultivated a bad boy, outlaw image through the years. That reputation is difficult to maintain for any iconoclasts. They managed it, even as they became, basically, royalty, and their popularity has endured. They’re so popular, the U.S. FBI named their anti-Trump plan after the first line of one of their most famous songs, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” Hence, “Operation ‘Crossfire Hurricane’.” This was exceedingly appropriate as the agents in involved had more in common with the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang in Altamont, than straight-laced law enforcement officers.

The Trump campaign co-opted their anthem,” You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” The band tried to stop the campaign’s use of the songs, but the Trump team refused. The singer-songwriters didn’t mention it much, although there were these coincidentally today. Trump had promoted the 1989 Steel Wheels Tour and promoted himself above the group.

Richards told the BBC: ‘He was the promoter for us in Atlantic City. It was (billed as) Donald Trump presents the Rolling Stones, (which was) in miniature.

‘We never have much to do with promoters usually, but this one got me. That was the last time I got angry.

Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones; the Daily Mail, Saturday, September 28, 2019

Frontman Mick Jagger said of Trump’s use of ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want: ‘He used it on every rally through the election campaign…. ‘It’s a funny song for your play out song. When he finished his speech, he played out on this doomy ballad… It’s kind of weird if you think about it. But he couldn’t be persuaded to use something else.

‘It was odd, really odd.’ 

Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones; The Daily Mail, September 28, 2019

Political campaigns often take on these popular songs, and the musicians have no involvement nor legal redress, Although the Rolling Stones tried to have the campaign stop using their song, practicalities and legalities allowed it to be used regardless. Surely, this infuriated the watchful crusaders of Wokeland, and they probably blamed the group when the group had no control of the situation. This case comes around later, as you will soon discover.

Exile on Main Street and Undercover of the Night

Animated lead singer Mick Jagger was diagnosed with a heart condition, discovered during preparation for the latest Stones mega tour, and his doctors insisted he needed open heart surgery, a major, life-threatening event for anyone, especially a 76-year-old member of the group that epitomized the phrase “Sex, Drugs, and Rock N’ Roll.” The tour obviously had be postponed. It was reported and discussed in every major news outlet, worldwide. Fortunately, the surgery was successful and he was expected to make a full recovery. The news media and paparazzi gave him privacy to recuperate without their usual harassment.

The tour ensued, amid surprising quiet from news media. Every Rolling Stones tour is an eagerly anticipated extravaganza, reported everywhere. This tour, with the triumph over crisis of the group’s frontman, was their first to gather only scant publicity. That is, until they performed the necessary obeisance to the anti-Trump media. The first mention of the tour from the national and international news organizations, came after Mick Jagger criticized Trump during their concerts. Suddenly, the latest Rolling Stones tour appeared on the popular media radar, with each new hateful aside reported worldwide. No-one mentioned if the convalescence had diminished his pep. No one reviewed their performances. The only subject of the articles with the large headlines, was the anti-Trump rhetoric. That is how entertainers grovel to the Woke dictators of their industry and its dedicated media contingent.

Sympathy for the Devil

Alex Jones has been vilified and deplatformed. He has been called extremist and, even, dangerous. He makes some wild assertions . The paradox is that many of his claims are later proved accurate. He titled his talk show and site “Info Wars.” His title could not be more apropos and explicative in these times. Any reasonable observer realizes this is the state of public affairs.

Mr. Jones’ false claim that an atrocity where many children were murdered had been staged, is the most common justification for the gatekeepers of Silicon Valley to ban him. Never-Trump conservatives jumped on the bandwagon. Others were afraid to defend his right to free speech, lest they suffer the same banishment. Insightful observers presciently warned that it wouldn’t stop with just him. It soon became abundantly evident they were right. The suppression of non-liberal comments is a national epidemic of epic proportions.

Joe Rogan hosts a popular long-form interview podcast. He recently spoke kindly of Alex Jones. They have been acquainted many years.

“I know Alex so well. I’ve known Alex for like more than 20 years,” Mr.Rogan said Tuesday. “We’ve been hammered together so many times. That is the most misunderstood guy on the planet. … He needs somebody to go, ‘Alex, slow down. You had a real good point there.’ He even agreed with me. We talked about it. I said, ‘you just need like a rational journalist who’s next to you to, like, study.’ He’s like, ‘You’re right. You’re right. I do need that.’ I go, you need someone who just balances it out. Look, he was right about all this Jeffery Epstein s–. That is a f–ing fact. Alex Jones called this years ago. Years ago.”

Joe Rogan, The Joe Rogan Experience 1334; The Washington Examiner, Wednesday, August 14, 2019

“[Alex Jones] was saying that [Epstein and fixers] take a lot of famous people to this island and they have all these young girls that this guy hooks them up with,” Mr. Rogan continued. “He was talking about this years ago. Now, it is mainstream news. … This is a fact, man. … Some people don’t represent the best aspects of themselves right to people and then other people try and define them.”

Joe Rogan, The Joe Rogan Experience 1334; The Washington Examiner, Wednesday, August 14, 2019

He then addressed misconceptions about his own show and personal politics.

Joe Rogan, The Joe Rogan Experience 1334; The Washington Examiner, Wednesday, August 14, 2019

“The more famous you get, the more people try and define you in a way that’s detrimental or dismissive and limiting,” he said. “I’ve noticed that after this Bernie Sanders thing that I did. I am not right-wing at all, so stop saying that. It’s silly. It’s foolish. I’ve interviewed right-wing people. I am 100% left-wing. The only things that I disagree with about left-wing people is support for the military, support for police, and the Second Amendment. That’s probably it. Everything else across the board, I lean way left.”

Joe Rogan, The Joe Rogan Experience, 1334; The Washington Examiner , Wednesday, August 14, 2019

He did not elaborate further, but the reason is not the behavior of any conservative guests, It is that he did not malign those guests or rudely dismiss them, demanding liberal extremism.

Alex Jones and Joe Rogan do not beg the liberal elite. They stand for their own different values, and respecting each other’s right to express their opinions They promote civility while affirming the constitutional right to freedom of speech. That is how beneficial discourse happens in a civilized society.

Start Me Up

Modern-day America is rife with strife. We are in early early stages of the second American Civil War (CW2) . Some want to destroy the country, because they’re impatient with Barrack Obama’s “fundamentally change America” approach. Most American citizens want to preserve their country. A simple beginning to reconciliation is to allow people to ignore politics when it is irrelevant. Another is to respect each other’s dignity, and agree to disagree, without judging people only on their political ideology. Otherwise, the Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones song of the day is “Street Fighting Man.”

Photograph:WASHINGTON, D.C. – AUG 4: The Rolling Stones in concert at RFK stadium during the Steel Wheels Tour in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, August 4, 1994. Northfoto/Shutterstock