The Story Of Fast Walking Charlie

A Tale For Our Times

They called my uncle “Fast Walking Charlie”.

Fast Walking Charlie was renown at elite Westchester County Country Club golf courses from Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, to Knollwood in Elmsford, to Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Briarcliff Manor.

But Fast Walking Charlie was not walking fast to make birdie putts on those velvety smooth greens – he was carrying bags as a caddie.

Charlie’s fast walking was seen not only on the golf course, but on every road and byway between those golf courses, where he could be seen “fast walking” while carrying a 6 pack of Rheingold under his arm in a soggy brown paper bag. I can still recall the jingle:

“My beer is Rheingold the dry beer – ask for Rheingold wherever you buy beer”

Charlie would always show up late to family holiday dinners, drunk as a skunk with that same soggy six pack under his arm.

Invariably, this would trigger a severe scolding from my Mom’s sister Aunt Rosalie and her husband Uncle Steve (both righteous Salvation Army Captains) and generous compassion from my mom as she set out a plate of roast beef and mashed potatoes for him and gently took his six pack away.

I never met or talked to Charlie when he wasn’t drunk out of his mind and slurring words, sometime barely able to walk.

Charlie, like my mom, was born and raised in the house we grew up in. That was common in my closely knit backwater neighborhood called “Glenville”, an unincorporated section of Greenburg NY and part of the Tarrytown school district. (We didn’t get sewers until 1970. Seeping septic tanks would run raw sewage in the streets. The “greenest” portion of our tiny backyard, where my dad planted tomatoes, was just below the leach from our septic tank).

All my neighbors knew Charlie as a boy and virtually all of the old timers said I looked like a carbon copy of him. They would regularly remind me of this fact. I had no idea what it meant, but it always made me uncomfortable, for obvious reasons.

Talk of Charlie was taboo in my family. My mother was deeply ashamed of him and her compassion towards him would trigger bitter fights with Aunt Rosalie come holiday time.

I recall one terrifying night as a young child in the early 1960’s – Charlie had been stabbed multiple times in the chest and was in critical condition in a hospital in the Bronx. Mom was really devastated. But he survived.

I didn’t learn Charlie’s story until I was 20 years old, and I didn’t hear it from my mother.

It was told to me by a peer of his, a wonderful older guy and great athlete (played baseball at Notre Dame) we had on our mens league softball team and would drink beer all night with and share stories late into the morning.

Here is Charlie’s story, which made me weep almost uncontrollably when I heard it at 5 am after a long night.

Charlie was born sometime around 1935, during the depths of the depression, to a dysfunctional family, the youngest with 2 older sisters. Charlie’s mom had been a gin runner during Prohibition and a heavy drinking party girl before that. Charlie’s dad was a radical IWW labor intellectual type who struggled to find work and raised chickens in the backyard to subsist on.

Charlie was a smart but shy kid with not many friends and somewhat of a troublemaker.

One night, when Charlie was in High School, he and some friends broke into the local hardware store. They were caught by the cops. To avoid jail time, the local judge allowed him to enlist in the Army and go fight in the Korean War.

Charlie suffered a major head wound in the Korean War and the pain killers he was prescribed made him an addict. When he returned home, he became a heroin addict and alcoholic to replace the military’s painkillers.

Of course he received no treatments for that from the VA.

It turns out that Charlie also was gay – and that’s what got him stabbed in the Bronx and shamed by the family (on top of drug and alcohol addiction).

Charlie died before 40.

Hearing this tragedy just made me weep.

And that, my friends, is the true story of Fast Walking Charlie.

Should be a John Prine song.

(and, as a friend noted, a Tom Waits song).

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Trump’s LA Crackdown Is Prelude To Military Suppression of “No Kings Day” Protests

ICE Raids Timed And Targeted In LA To Incite Riots

National Guard Mobilization Is Trial Balloon For June 14 DC Military Crackdown

All you fascist bound to lose, you’re bound to lose. ~~~ Woody Guthrie (listen)

What’s going on in LA right now is no accident.

It is a well planned and executed strategy to expand Trump’s power and crush dissent.

Trump has been itching for a pretext to suppress domestic protest with military force for a long time – recall that he tried to do so in his first term in Seattle, Minneapolis, and DC during BLM protests. In DC he even went so far as to ask the military to shoot protesters in the leg, an order the Pentagon Generals resisted, but current Trump loyalist Secretary of Defense Hegseth won’t.

Trump has systematically violated legal limits, political and institutional barriers, and historic norms on the exercise of Executive Power, even calling himself a “King”.

There is no doubt that Trump targeted California (blue state) and who he calls Gov. “Newscum”. He targeted LA – the Hispanic/Latino population in Los Angeles County is 48% of the population – for the violent ICE mobilization as a place sure to push back and protest such fascist and racist police state tactics.

Trump’s Presidential declaration to mobilize the National Guard in LA without the California Governor’s request – including threat to deploy the Marines – is another egregious example of this Executive power grab, which effectively makes Trump a Dictator.

Trumps knows that public opinion is turning against his cruel ICE deportation program. He also knows that a riot is a perfect opportunity to try to stem that shifting tide of public opinion and reframe the protesters as violent “terrorists” and part of his imaginary “foreign invasion” Big Lie he has used to assert Executive power and legally defend and politically justify his deportation program.

The same lies have been used to brand criticism of Israel’s genocide and ethnic cleansing on the Palestinians as “anti-Semitism” and crush academic freedom, legitimate non violent protests, and persecute the protesters.

This same Big Lie was the basis of the power Trump invoked to mobilize the National Guard in LA and can be the basis for declaration of Martial Law.

Trump knows that he is extremely politically vulnerable to criticism in the upcoming “No Kings Day” nation-wide and DC protests – which again not coincidentally correspond with his $65 million military parade birthday party.

So, driven by these strategic objectives and timing of events, the LA ICE raids, the incited riots, and the military crackdown were all part of a well planned Trump fascist campaign.

The LA campaign this become the trial propaganda balloon for cracking down on “NO Kings” day protests and possibly declaring Martial Law.

If Trump gets little pushback from Congress, the Press, and the American people, he will feel emboldened to go even further.

So get out into the streets nationwide for No Kings Day on June 14 and tell him “No Fascist USA!” “Trump Must Go, Now!”

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PJM Is Out of Control – NJ Must Exit

PJM Is Locked Into Fossil Power, Corporate Profits, Blocking Renewables, And Supporting Trump Madness

NJ Joined 15 States In Suing To Block Trump’s Faux “Energy Emergency”, But Far More Is Required

(Source: NY Times)

The New York Times has a killer story today about the recent Trump Administration’s declaration of an “energy emergency” on the PJM grid.

The Times story connects the dots back to the Trump Day One Executive Order that declared a national “energy emergency” and forward to not only PJM, but to the national implications regarding closure of fossil power plants (see the above map. The stakes are huge.).

Trump’s energy policy is climate suicide. PJM has joined that suicide pact.

A separate NY Times story explores the impact of Trump’s Executive Orders on allowing a Montana coal mine to expand without public and environmental reviews:

I guess I’ll now have to retract this April 19 criticism of their coverage:

While the media have covered the Trump coal power [Clean Air Act] exemptions, the media has totally failed to cover the major regulatory rollbacks the Trump administration can accomplish not only under the Clean Air Act Presidential exemption provision, but under Trump’s emergency declarations.

Virtually all federal regulations provide “flexibility” to waive, exempt, streamline, expedite, and rubber stamp environmental reviews and approvals by federal agencies, and not just EPA.

Again, to their credit, that Times story also connects the dots to the national implications, by mentioning a lawsuit filed by 15 States – including NJ – to challenge the Trump sham declaration of a national “energy emergency”.

In the PJM story, I was not surprised but outraged to read that the PJM operator SUPPORTED the sham PJM emergency declaration.

They have the expertise to KNOW that the emergency is fake and manufactured, but they SUPPORTED it for political reasons and it reveals their extreme institutional bias towards fossil power.

As far as I’m concerned, that is the final straw. PJM is out of control.

NJ must exit PJM.

Another letter to DEP and Legislators. I’ve been ranting about all this for months now, and seem to be just pissin in the wind.

Maybe a hashtag would help? DEP Commissioner Latourette is a big social media guy!  #PJMEXIT

Dear Chairman Smith and Commissioner LaTourette:

As I’ve previously written, on May 30 the Trump Department of Energy declared an “emergency” on the PJM grid, and Ordered a PJM source, a Pennsylvania fossil power plant, to remain open. NJ residents, adversely impacted by this Order, have no procedural opportunity (notice and comment) to participate or protect their interests.

The Order was based on and implemented Trump’s Day One declaration of a national “energy emergency”.

New Jersey is one of 15 States suing the Trump administration over that faux emergency declaration. (for the filing, see this link.)

The NY Times today has a very good story on the Order, PJM, and the national implications, see:

“The grid operators in Michigan and Pennsylvania said they hadn’t asked for the orders and hadn’t planned on using the plants this summer.

The costs to keep the plants open, which could total tens of millions of dollars, are expected to fall on consumers. Experts have said there’s little evidence of a national energy emergency, and 15 states have sued to challenge President Trump’s declaration, which was issued the day he took office.”

Despite the obvious sham of the emergency and the suicidally poor policy of keeping fossil plants open, the PJM Operator issued a May 31 Press Statement in support of the Order, see:

As you also know, prior to this recent climate madness, PJM increased capacity charges almost 10 fold, and has delayed connection approvals for new renewable sources, leading to 20 – 30% price spikes for NJ energy consumers.

This is intolerable. PJM is out of control.

NJ must take control of its energy future.

It will take far more than a lawsuit to remedy the current situation.

The Legislature and Governor Murphy have an obligation to protect NJ consumers and NJ’s State energy, environmental, public health, and climate policies.

To honor those obligations, the Legislature must explore all options, including leaving the PJM grid, to protect NJ from PJM’s fossil madness.

When will you conduct public hearings, a policy evaluation, and explore options, including leaving PJM and forming a NJ independent operator or joining New York’s system?

Bill Wolfe

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Supremes Green Light DOGE Data Hack

Trump Executive Order Put DOGE In Charge Of State Voter Rolls

Expect Huge Purge Of Anti-Trump Voters

What Could Go Wrong From The Techies Who Claimed Millions Of People Over 120 Years Old Were Collecting Social Security?

Reversing US District and Appellate Courts, the US Supreme Court just green lighted DOGE’s unlimited access to Social Security data and lots of other person information collected by the US government.

And the Court did that without even one word to explain or justify their decision, which was made under the Court’s “emergency docket”.

The dissent nails it:

“the Court has truly lost its moorings.”

When considering DOGE’s analytical skills and credibility, keep in mind that the DOGE techies – to support Trump’s “waste, fraud, and abuse” slogan and justify huge budget cuts – claimed to have found millions of people over 120 years old that were collecting Social Security.

I am not a techie so have little ability to assess just what DOGE (and the billionaire Oligarchs behind them, including Musk, Peter Theil, and Silicon Valley) can do with all that data, but I’m sure the objectives are not to improve the lives of Social Security beneficiaries.

What I suspect is the political end game was revealed by a prior Trump Executive Order, which provided access and put DOGE in charge of State voter rolls. For the receipts on that, see:

With all that Social Security and federal data, I’m sure that when DOGE cross checks State voter rolls that they will find – just like those millions of 120+ year olds – millions of “fraudulent” anti-Trump voters to purge from State voter rolls for the 2026 mid-term and 2028 elections.

The Supreme Court already gave Trump immunity.

The Congress is about to give Trump impunity.

Trump has usurped Congress’ budget, war, and legislative powers and declared faux “emergencies” via Executive Order.

So there it is, staring us all right in the face: the end of US electoral democracy.

Yet I haven’t read anything about this – where is Greg Palast? This Trump crime is right up his alley!

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NJ Gov. Murphy’s $430 Million Energy Subsidy Plan Is A Bad Idea And False Solution

Murphy’s Raid On Clean Energy Funds Will Hurt Renewables And Consumers

Murphy Is Paying Off PJM Extortionate “Capacity Payments”

Real Reforms Require Bold Leadership, Not Corporate Bailouts

Gov. Murphy’s Plan Is Far Worse Than A “Band Aid”

After months of obfuscation, NJ Gov. Murphy had finally attempted to respond to the huge energy price hikes cause by sham PJM “capacity charges”.

The Gov.’s $430 million plan retains the failed status quo and amounts to a concession to PJM extortion and – by diverting Clean Energy Funds – will hurt renewables and consumers.

This is not “relief” it is abdication and preservation of the failed status quo.

The Governor is also missing a huge opportunity to channel public outrage over the price spikes into real reforms, which involve elimination of the PJM “capacity charges” and PJM intentional delays in transition to clean energy.

We exposed that sham, over a decade ago, see:

Now that this gross corporate ripoff is finally out in the open, it’s time to channel public outrage of huge price hikes into real reforms, not fake diversions.

In order to solve the real underlying problems – which stem from the Whitman 1999 Energy Deregulation law (EDECA) and PJM “capacity charges” and intentional delays in approving renewable energy capacity – NJ would have to exit the PJM grid and either form an independent NJ Power Authority or join New York’s system, see:

This kind of real reform would allow NJ to take control of its energy future, accelerate the transition to renewable power, and control prices by eliminating corporate profits and PJM ripoffs.

Real reforms would require bold political leadership and real commitments to implementing the greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals in the toothless Global Warming Response Act and accelerating the transition outlined in the BPU Energy Master Plan.

It would require that Democrats in the Legislature serve the public interest, not the corporate profit interests of PSE&G.

Do you remember how fast the Gov. and Democrats acted to legislate a radical plan to provide $400 million a year in nuclear subsidies to PSE&G (over $1 billion total)?

Well, now they must move with similar dispatch to protect the public interest.

[End Note: What Gov. Murphy is doing here in raiding clean energy funds is actually worse than taking money from on consumer pocket to give it to another.

The Clean Energy Fund and RGGI money is mostly used for investments in renewables. These investments yield future benefits (climate and consumer).

In contrast, the Murphy bailout is an expenditure, not an investment, and it goes 100% to corporate profits (i.e. paying the PJM “capacity charges”, which are pure profits and don’t create ANY new energy production.)

Triple bad move!!!!!!

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