Okay... you just can't have a contest with NO winner! (I mean I promised you guys somebody would get 2 free tickets to "The 8 Year Concert" next Saturday night.) So, although nobody guessed exactly the correct 4 words in that news piece that set me off... someone got really close and captured the spirit and the point of the whole thing. One answer came closest to the 4 words that really pissed me off!

So - (drum roll)

The winner with the closest correct answer is....

KAREN KNIGHT of New Jersey.

Congratulations Karen! Your name has been put on the guest list at the door of H.I. New York Performance Hall next Saturday, and tell the women at the music table which CD you'd like to take home for free. Your answer:

"...need to look forward"

That comes to the closest to the heart of the matter! We got some really interesting and funny entries, though. Bob from Maryland sent in one funny guess:

"...CIA, extraordinarily talented people."

THE 4 WORDS uttered by President-elect Obama that made me so angry and a complete explanation are further down near the bottom of the page.

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But now! Welcome to the website. Welcome to everyone in different parts off the country and different parts of the world.

Here in New York City, we got a concert coming up in 6 days from now!

THE 8 YEAR CONCERT

We're gonna have a blast! I wanted to do something to celebrate this presidential inauguration this Tuesday... AND have a reason to hang with all of you again in the middle of the winter. I also wanna retire a whole bunch of songs I've been inspired and compelled to write over the past 8 years.

So!

On Saturday night, January 24th, we'll all get together in H.I. New York Performance Hall and sing a bunch of those songs one last time and retire them forever! We'll sing other stuff, too. It'll be a blast. But, I wanna get everybody who senses Hope and Possibility in a room so we can feel this release together! (Then, of course, we have a LOT more work to do!)

It's general admission... first come first serve. The concert starts at 7:30 but the house will open at 7:00.

Cool?

Okay... have at it! Grab some seats! Here's the banner.

Click on this banner to put your name on the list at the door.

OR...

You can just show up that night with a $20 bill. I'll let you know if it's lookin' like a sell-out as it gets closer, okay?

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H.I. New York Performance Hall - 891 Amsterdam Ave @ 103 Street

Now! The way it works is this. You click on the banner to reserve your seats right now, today, 24 hours a day. There are no actual, physical tickets. You just reserve as many seats as you need and your name will be put on the guest list at the door, okay? Whoever comes with you will also be under your name. For example:

Hedleston, Teresa - 2
Marino, James - 2
Dalmation, family - 101

That kinda thing.

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Okay the 4 words Obama spoke that really pissed me off!

It's funny. Regarding the same interview I watched, Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times wrote:

Last Sunday President-elect Barack Obama was asked whether he would seek an investigation of possible crimes by the Bush administration. "I don't believe that anybody is above the law," he responded, but "we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards."

Had Mr. Krugman entered the 4-word contest, he would've just missed the 4 words.... even though they are practically in his quote!!!

Here... click on this photo and listen:

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On other other hand...

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ON THE OTHER HAND!?

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ON THE OTHER HAND!?!

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...No one is above the law.

(That's a period at the end of that sentence.)

To watch the video with the entire interview with Constituional law professor, Jonathan Turley, re-visit this update.

Hey, we have a lot of fun around here. And, hopefully this national nightmare is over.... and we can get on to the business of smiling , laughing, singing about Life and hangin' with each other. Yes... "do the right thing" and have fun doing it. But,George W. Bush is a criminal. Richard Cheney is a criminal. Waterboarding is torture. Authorizing torture to be used against our enemies is a crime, disgusting, vile, cowardly and unAmerican. Torture is a crime. Waterboarding is a crime and every sane, decent person knows it. Unauthorized wiretapping is illegal. INVADING FOREIGN COUNTRIES UNDER FALSE PRETENSES IS MORALLY BANKRUPT!!!

Tip of the iceberg.

We'll see what happens. Y'see... he said that his "instinct" says it's better to leave it alone. I submit that he hears his fine, well-tuned "political instinct" rather than the Voice of Reason and Conscience. But, go listen to that clip again if you have a minute. One other thing the "politician" Obama said that pissed me off is the euphemism for torture.

Obama: "We're still evaluating how we are gonna approach the whole issue of... interrogations, detentions.... and... and so forth."

No.

Not "...and so forth."

Torture.

Say it.

Yeah, I'm glad it's a new day. Yes, I have hope.

But, nobody has he right to say things will "change" after they swear an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, and then turn a blind eye on those who arrogantly trampled it. Unless someone is held accountable for the lawlessness, the unAmerican flouting of our domestic law, the arrogant disregard for international law, and the nightmare that cost so many thousands of American lives and so many hundreds of thousands of innocent lives across the ocean.... then not much will really "change".

As Mr. Krugman wrote:

While it's probably in his short-term political interests to forgive and forget, next week he's going to swear to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." That's not a conditional oath to be honored only when it's convenient. And to protect and defend the Constitution, a president must do more than obey the Constitution himself; he must hold those who violate the Constitution accountable. So Obama should reconsider his apparent decision to let the previous administration get away with crime. Consequences aside, that's not a decision he has the right to make.

Hey!

See you back here tomorrow.

Hope I see you next Saturday night in person! It's gonna be fun!!

PEACE

Thanks for everything.