books Archives - Ramblin' with Roger

Paradox of tolerance

Wikipedia

My friend Steve Bissette posted on Facebook a link to the Wikipedia post on the paradox of tolerance. It is “a philosophical concept suggesting that if a society extends tolerance to those who are intolerant, it risks enabling the eventual dominance of intolerance, thereby undermining the very principle of tolerance.”

Philosopher Karl Popper articulated this paradox in The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945), where he argued that “a truly tolerant society must retain the right to deny tolerance to those who promote intolerance. Popper posited that if intolerant ideologies are allowed unchecked expression, they could exploit open society values to erode or destroy tolerance itself through authoritarian or oppressive practices.”

It’s an interesting conversation. “Philosopher John Rawls concludes differently in his 1971 A Theory of Justice, stating that a just society must tolerate the intolerant, for otherwise, the society would then itself be intolerant, and thus unjust.” This is a valid point. Allowing the Ku Klux Klan to march in Skokie, IL in the 1970s, which which was upheld by the Supreme Court, rightly in my view.

“However, Rawls qualifies this assertion, conceding that under extraordinary circumstances, if constitutional safeguards do not suffice to ensure the security of the tolerant and the institutions of liberty, a tolerant society has a reasonable right to self-preservation to act against intolerance if it would limit the liberty of others under a just constitution.”

Turning point

I feel we are there. When we in the United States no longer have checks and balances because Congress, and especially the House of Representatives, has abdicated its constitutional responsibilities, it is our duty to protest. It is the government itself that has become intolerant.

As the Godpodcast explained, while the “military kills unidentified fishermen with missiles with the goal of ‘ending drug trafficking,’ he pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez, an actual criminal ex-president convicted of money laundering and tied to drug-running networks.” The hypocracy and scapegoating with these ones are great.

One of the boldest recent pushback occurred when six Democratic lawmakers, all with military or national security backgrounds, reminded military personnel they had the right – the obligation, even – to disobey “unlawful orders”.

Public Citizen notes the regime is “prosecuting and seeking to imprison opponents. They are deploying thousands of masked agents to abduct ‘immigrants’ (and people they think look or sound like certain kinds of immigrants). They are putting heavily armed military personnel on our nation’s streets to intimidate American citizens. And they are in effect extorting the media, major law firms, and universities.” All while enriching themselves.

Protests against these and other incursions, such as the anti-DEI bs that sideline women and “other” groups are required. As a philosophy site indicated, “For the average person, it’s about knowing where to draw the line between standing up for free speech and saying, ‘That’s not right’ when someone crosses the line into being hurtful.”

I’ve noticed that my local Indivisible group is having periodic gatherings. It is so important that we don’t feel alone in trying to create change. Here are some resistance strategies.

Freedom to read (local event)

From the NYCLU Capital Region

Please help us encourage Governor Hochul to sign the Freedom to Read Act that was adopted by the NYS Legislature this year.

Join us on Monday, December 8, at noon in the War Room of the New York State Capitol to hear local people read from their favorite banned books and call upon the Governor to act.

The New York State Legislature adopted the “Freedom to Read Act” (S01099) in 2025 to protect the availability of diverse, age-appropriate materials in school and public libraries. The act requires the Commissioner of Education to develop policies ensuring school libraries are empowered to curate a wide array of materials, reinforcing the legal obligation for school districts to provide access to diverse collections and to prevent materials from being removed based on viewpoint. The bill is intended to counter censorship efforts and uphold students’ right to read freely.

Purpose: To protect the freedom to read and to ensure access to a wide range of books and library materials in schools and public libraries across the state.
Key provisions:
- Empowers school librarians to curate diverse and inclusive collections.
- Requires the Commissioner of Education to develop statewide policies for library collections.
- Makes it clear that school districts have a legal obligation to provide access to diverse materials.
- Aims to prevent the removal of books based on disagreement with their content, viewpoint, or ideas.
Link to the bill: The New York State Senate bill S01099.

THE WAR ROOM IS ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING ON THE EAST SIDE. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Immigration (local event)

As we approach the seventy-seventh anniversary of the United Nations proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we have been witness to the shocking disregard of those fundamental human rights in our immigrant communities. People are being targeted and detained by masked thugs because of the color of their skin, denied due process, subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment, deported to countries not their own, left forgotten and unaccounted for in the appalling conditions of foreign prisons. Children are being separated from their parents.

THIS MUST STOP.

Join CAPITAL DISTRICT BORDER WATCH on International Human Rights Day.

Wednesday, December 10, from 12:30 – 1:30 PM at the Leo W. O’Brien Building, corner of Pearl and Clinton, Albany

Please stand with us and with our immigrant neighbors, and let our community know that the treatment of immigrants by the Trump administration is cruel and unjust and will not be tolerated. Bring a sign. Bring your commitment and your solidarity. Please join us for a Sign-Making Party for this event on Tuesday, December 9, from 4:00 – 5:30 pm at the Albany Friends Meeting, 727 Madison Avenue.

For more info. contact: kuehlcarrie@gmail.com

Sunday Stealing is F.A.B. yet again

More Brilliant Than The Sun

Law and Order Tornto Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Since it’s Thanksgiving weekend, we’re going to keep this simple. We stole this from a blogger named Idzie, who called this the F.A.B. (film, audio, book) meme.

F.A.B. yet again

F. Film: What movie or TV show are you watching?

I stumbled onto Law and Order Toronto: Criminal Intent. Since 1990, I have watched a representative sampling of most L&O programs, enough to anticipate their beats. But the rhythm of this show, while familiar, is fresh enough with its Canadianisms to enjoy.

Wikipedia: “The series premiered on February 22, 2024, on Citytv, and became the #1 prime-time drama of the year in Canada by attracting 1.1 million views on the first episode. The first season ran for 10 episodes; in June 2024, it was renewed for a second and third season.”

It stars Aden Young as Detective Sergeant Henry Graff, Kathleen Munroe as Detective Sergeant Frankie Bateman, K. C. Collins as Deputy Crown Attorney Theo Forrester, and Karen Robinson as Inspector Vivienne Holness. In the first few episodes, the latter two had far too little to do; that’s been rectified a bit.

In the US, the CW has been broadcasting the first season – I just finished episode 9. Season 2, already completed in Canada, will air in the US in 2026.

Music

A. Audio: What are you listening to?

I have finally allowed myself to listen to Advent/Christmas music. Also, I’ve been playing the CDs of Rebecca Jade, who, as it turns out, is the daughter of my sister Leslie; in other words, the first niece. Check out her videos; I’m particularly fond of Peter Sprague’s and her take on Wichita Lineman.

B. Book: What are you reading?

My daughter borrowed a book from a Western Massachusetts college library and insisted I read it before she has to return it in late January. It is titled More Brilliant Than The Sun: Adventures in Sonic Fiction by Kodwo Eshun. Buying the book, which was published in 1998, would cost north of $400.

I can tell you that the Discontents, which you would call the table of contents, namechecks Miles Davis, Grandmaster Flash, Cypress Hill, Funkadelic, Kraftwerk, the Jungle Brothers, Sun Ra, Alice and John Coltrane, and Pharoah Sanders. The index mentions others, such as John Cage, Chic, Queen, Public Enemy, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, and Sly and the Family Stone.

Being an obedient parent, I shall have read it by the deadline.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

Sunday Stealing — Stranded on an Island

books, movies, songs

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

This week, we’re stealing from Jess Riley Writes. She puts a unique spin on the “desert island” concept by allowing us three choices in three categories.

The Desert Island Meme

You’re stranded alone on a desert island …

1) Which three BOOKS could you read over and over again?

One would be the Bible. This is less a theological requirement than the fact that it is very long. In fact, I’d probably opt for the Douay-Rheims Bible, since it contains seven Deutero-Canonical books that are missing from most non-Catholic Bibles, such as 1st and 2nd Maccabees.

When I was a kid, I tried to read the whole Bible more than once, but I was unsuccessful. So I’d start over; I read Genesis a LOT. I have read the Bible all the way through systematically at least thrice, c 1977, c 1985, and c 1997. Participating with the Bible Guys at church this century, I may have managed a fourth. I wrote about the vagaries of the Bible in 2013.

The World Almanac. It is not great literature, of course, but it has a lot of stuff. Before I married my current bride, there was a gathering, and we were supposed to answer questions about each other. I didn’t know that 100 Years of Solitude was her favorite book, but she instantly picked the World Almanac as mine. I wrote about it in 2016, but honestly, I haven’t gotten one since 2018, ending a 40+ year streak.

Top Pop Singles by Joel Whitburn. Yes, it shows the chart action, but it also has background info about the artists.

Cinema

2) Which three MOVIES could you watch over and over again?

I went to this post and decided on King of Hearts/Le roi de coeur (1966), West Side Story (1961), and Field of Dreams (1989), but I could have picked others.

3) Which three SONGS could you listen to over and over again?

How much may I stretch the definition of “song”? Off the top, I thought of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, Dvorak’s 9th Symphony (New World), and the Mozart Requiem.

If I have to pick actual songs? Oh, it is too difficult! Okay. The Boxer – Simon and Garfunkel, which someone described here; Biko – the last song on Peter Gabriel’s excellent third album; and Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) – Billy Joel. They are all sad songs.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

60 Songs That Explain the ’90s

‘My muñequita/My Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa.’

I provided a review of the book “60 Songs That Explain the ’90s” by Rob Harvilla at the Albany Public Library on June 3. It was challenging on several fronts.

I had never listened to the podcasts, and at 90 minutes a pop, I wasn’t about to start. There were far more than sixty songs; it was closer to twice that.

Here was a mixed blessing: I was only familiar with some of the songs, so it was easier to narrow down what I might discuss. The ones with hyperlinks, I was familiar with enough to discuss. Still, do I play a sample, read from the book, or both? As it turns out, I got to very few of them in 45 minutes.

And it isn’t easy to talk about music. From Do You Believe In Music by the Lovin’ Spoonful, “It’s like trying to tell a stranger about rock and roll.” –

I described the book as “autobiography via music.” It is a concept I can totally relate to.

In the introduction, he acknowledged that he believed the songs of your teenage years are the ones that most imprint. I have a variation on that experience, which I will address someday if you ask.

The italicized items are generally chapter titles.

Chaos agents

Céline Dion: My Heart Will Go On – the moderator had never heard this song from Titanic, so before the program, I played a section of it.

Hole: Doll Parts

Madonna: Vogue

Spice Girls: Wannabe

Backstreet Boys: I Want It That Way

Eminem – My Name Is

Beck – Loser. I acknowledged that I had not known this song or Black Hole Sun until I heard both in a Weird Al Yankovic medley.

Master P – Make ‘Em Say Uhh!

Prodigy – Firestarter

The Chicks – Goodbye Earl – I did play a bit of this, which Harvilla described as a “gleeful domestic-violence revenge fantasy.” But he also declares that “the point of the song is that somebody helps her.”

Erica Badu – Tyrone

Sellouts (or not) (or maybe)

Metallica – Enter Sandman (30)

Pantera – Walk

Temple Of The Dog – Hunger Strike

Coolio – Gangsta’s Paradise. I played the Weird Al parody Amish Paradise, and explained the well-known dispute. Oh, here’s Pastime Paradise by Stevie Wonder from 1976, just because.

Ice Cube – It Was A Good Day

Reel Big Fish -Sell Out

Mighty Mighty Bosstones – The Impression That I Get

No Doubt – Just A Girl. I posted about this in a blog post, which I described to the audience.

Fugazi – Merchandise

Green Day – Longview

Women versus “women in rock”

The Sundays – I Kicked A Boy

The Cranberries – Zombie (56)

Garbage – Only Happy When It Rains

PJ Harvey – Man-Size

Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know. I read the section where Rob’s girlfriend would play the Jagged Little Pill album, and would cough when the F-bomb came on, to hide it from her mom.

Tori Amos – Cornflake Girl

The Breeders – Cannonball (65)

TLC – No Scrubs

Sinead O’Connor – “Nothing Compares 2 U” – I had intended to play this, but I didn’t have time. Harvilla: “And she’s just singing: no explosions, no quick cuts, none of that ‘MTV-style editing’…Just the stillness, the gravity, the gorgeous severity of it.”

Fiona Apple – Criminal

Sheryl Crow –If It Makes You Happy

Vivid geography, or, everybody hates a tourist

Wu-Tang Clan -C.R.E.A.M.

Mob Deep -Shook Ones, Pt. II

Nas -N.Y. State of Mind

Pulp – Common People

Bjork – Hyperballad

Missy Elliott – The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)

Outkast – Elevators (Me & You)

Juvenile – Back That Azz Up

Jane’s Addiction – Been Caught Stealing

Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun

Luniz – I Got 5 On It

Villains + adversaries

Third Eye Blind – Semi-Charmed Life

Oasis – Wonderwall

Blur – Song 2

A Tribe Called Quest – Check The Rhyme

Pavement – Range Life

Smashing Pumpkins – Cherub Rock

Limp Bizkit -Nookie (Windows+h)

Offspring – Pretty Fly (for a white guy)

DMX – Ruff Ryder’s Anthem

Brandy + Monica – The Boy Is Mine

Flukes + comebacks + spectacular weirdos

Los Del Rio – “Macarena” (Bayside Boys Remix). I agree that anyone who started recording before the Beatles shouldn’t be dismissed as a “one-hit wonder.”

Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart

The New Radicals- You Get What You Give

The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies – Zoot Suit Riot – I played a bit of this, but also explained the history of the topic

Cher – Believe. I wanted to explain autotuning, but no time.

Chumbawamba – Tubthumping. In 2025, I became oddly obsessed with this song. First, it’s mentioned on the CBS sitcom Ghosts by the guy with no pants as the best song of the decade. Then it was a clue on JEOPARDY! I read the beginning lyrics.

Tag Team – Whoomp! (There It Is)

Mark Morrison -Return of the Mack

Santana + Rob Thomas – Smooth. Harvilla: “The true greatness… lies in the whiplash pivot from the nonchalant generality of ‘Man it’s a hot one’ to the remarkable specificity of ‘My muñequita/My Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa.’ Rob Thomas wrote this song for his girlfriend [now wife] Marisol Maldonado.”

Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby

Natalie Imbruglia – Torn

Teenage hijinks

Rage Against the Machine – Killing In The Name

Body Count – Cop Killer

Guns ‘N’ Roses – November Rain

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under the Bridge

Alice In Chains – Would?

They Might Be Giants – Particle Man

Cake – The Distance

Weezer – Undone (The Sweater Song)

Beastie Boys – Sabotage

Radiohead – Creep

Pearl Jam – Yellow Ledbetter

Romance + sex + immaturity

Salt-N-Pepa – Shoop

Nine Inch Nails – Closer

Tool – Stinkfist

Prince – Gett Off

Boyz II Men – End Of The Road, #1 pop for 13 weeks. I would have played a snippet of this since I saw the group in 2024.

Liz Phair – F*** and Run (193)

Sunny Day Real Estate – In Circles

Bonnie Raitt – I Can’t Make You Love Me. Harvilla writes that this is a song that you shouldn’t sing at open-mic night or even listen to “until you’ve a little silver white in your hair.”

Dave Matthews Band – Crash Into Me

Blink-182 – What’s My Age Again?

Myths versus mortals

Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit – I would have played this and/or Weird Al’s Smells Like Nirvana

The Notorious B.I.G – Juicy

Selena – Que Creias?

Dr. Dre – Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang

Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You , #1 pop for 14 weeks

Britney Spears – Baby One More Time

Aaliyah – One In A Million

Tupac – California Love

Geto Boys – Mind Playing Tricks On Me

Lauryn Hill – Ex-Factor

Shania Twain – Man! I Feel Like A Woman

Big feelings

This chapter, as described, is a bit more substantial.

Tom Petty – It’s Good To Be King

Janet Jackson – Together Again (244)

Black Box – Everybody Everybody

Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You

The Verve – Bittersweet Symphony (251)

Gin Blossoms – Hey Jealousy

Counting Crows – A Long December

Mary J. Blige -Real Love

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – Tha Crossroads

Lisa Loeb – Stay (I Missed You) . Rob was a pallbearer for a friend younger than he was who loved the song

I liked the book, mostly. He was a bit too glib on occasion, but it didn’t destroy my enjoyment.

Record Research Comparison Book

Billboard, Cash Box, or Record World/Music Vendor

I own a LOT of music books published by Record Research. A recent email reads in part:

“For more than half a century, Joel Whitburn’s Record Research has created the data trusted by history buffs and music preservationists worldwide.

“We’ve self-published 174 research books, authored the Billboard Top 40 Hits book series… [and] created the Billboard Hits series of music books…

“What began as a one-man hobby in the mid-1960s, became a thriving small business. By the early 1990s, we employed a healthy staff able to field a variety of projects.”

But with retirements and deaths, notably the passing of founder Joel Whitburn, “Record Research has a tremendous database, stock on several titles, and strong support from music lovers worldwide, like you, for which we are immensely grateful. To move forward and initiate new projects requires an influx of capital from those with deep pockets who concurrently have a desire to take up the mantle and enjoy the myriad of possibilities awash within our goldmine of data. If not, it looks as if the days of this mom ‘n pop shop are numbered.”

To keep the lights on, they are selling their books, DVD-ROMs, and T-shirts at 50% off a purchase of $200 or more with the MAYDAY code. I have nine of the 33 books currently for sale.

Comparison Book

I bought a few books and a couple of T-shirts. Most of the books were based on the Billboard charts, but the Comparison Book shows “Billboard, Cash Box, or Record World/Music Vendor: EVERY song that appeared on any of the main pop singles charts of the BIG 3, when these three periodicals existed together, from 1954-1982.”

Since most songs I’ve listed in this blog note the #1 songs from various Billboard charts, I thought I’d list the tunes that went to #1 on CB and/or RW/MV but NOT Billboard. The numbers represent the number of weeks at #1. This year I’ll concentrate on years ending in five. The songs with * I own in some physical form.

1955

Melody of Love– Billy Vaughn and his orchestra (Dot), CB 7

The Crazy Otto – Johnny Maddox and the Rhythmasters, MV 3

1965

Love Potion #9 -The Searchers (Kapp), RW 1, a Leiber-Stoller song recorded by the Clovers in 1959

*Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat – Herman’s Hermits (MGM), CB 1

Wooly Bully – Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs (MGM), RW 1

*Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan, CB 1 – the source of the title for the movie A Complete Unknown

A Lover’s Concerto – The Toys (dynoVoice), CB 1, RW 2. Based on the Bach Minuet in G, which I wrote about here

1-2-3 – Len Berry (Decca), CB 1

*Let’s Hang On – The 4 Seasons (Philips), CB 1, RW 1

*Taste Of Honey – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, CB 1 – Herb just hit 90 and is still performing

As you can see, these are recognizable songs for the most part.

I should note that I have received no compensation for promoting the sale, only the joy of trying to help a company I’ve been enamored with for at least two decades.