Things began to change in the 90’s….

…

In 1998, Burger King used the Ohio Players’ 1974 hit “Fire” in an appropriate manner for one of their commercials. Granted, it was a 24 year old song at that point, Burger King had money, and the band members were dying off at an alarming rate. But the use of what were #1 hits as music beds was a spotty practice at best.

But that could all be about to change.

…

While watching HGTV (long story for another time), I heard the latest commercial for Sleep Number mattresses, complete with a lame remake of the 1995 #1 hit “Love Will Keep Us Together” from The Captain and Tennille’s debut album.

So why would Sleep Number use a remake instead of the widely-known better version?

It turns out “Love Will Keep Us Together” was written and originally recorded by Neil Sedaka. Yes, his version was nowhere near as good as the Toni Tennille version but as it turns out, there could be more to it.

Neil Sedaka released his version in 1974. Could it be because the copyright of that song no longer applies?

Generally, for most works created after 1978, protection lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. For anonymous works, pseudonymous works, or works made for hire, the copyright term is 95 years from the year of first publication or 120 years from creation, whichever comes first. When the copyright term expires, a work becomes part of the public domain, and anyone can use it without permission from the author.
— U.S. Copyright Office, The Lifecycle of Copyright

Seeing how that song was written and published before 1978, things get a bit murky.

Notwithstanding the provisions of section 303, and in accordance with chapter 14, no sound recording fixed before February 15, 1972, shall be subject to copyright under this title. With respect to sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, the preemptive provisions of subsection shall apply to activities that are commenced on and after the date of enactment of the Classics Protection and Access Act. Nothing in this subsection may be construed to affirm or negate the preemption of rights and remedies pertaining to any cause of action arising from the nonsubscription broadcast transmission of sound recordings under the common law or statutes of any State for activities that do not qualify as covered activities under chapter 14 undertaken during the period between the date of enactment of the Classics Protection and Access Act and the date on which the term of prohibition on unauthorized acts under section 1401(a)(2) expires for such sound recordings. Any potential preemption of rights and remedies related to such activities undertaken during that period shall apply in all respects as it did the day before the date of enactment of the Classics Protection and Access Act.
— U.S. Copyright Office, Duration of Copyright

If you’re confused by that, you’re probably not alone and that’s all a company may need to look at all the great songs produced before 1978 and have re-imagined remakes inserted into their commercials.

…

Interesting how Princess Cruises used the “Love Boat Theme” from 1977, originally performed by singer and actor Jack Jones, remade by britist actress and singer Hannah Waddingham. 1977 is one year out from that magic 1978 date where copyrights are more potently protected.

But again we’re back to the debate about how this current crop in the entertainment industry remains so lacking when it comes to original thinking and creation that the public continues to endure unnecessary (and in most cases inferior) remakes, reboots, origins, and now reimagined renditions of hit songs that are in no way as memorable as the original.

And if there’s a legal hole where copyrights of those classics are in that gray area, look forward to more very lame versions of songs, inserted into commercials, TV shows and movies.

Only the beginning (to quote a Chicago lyric)….

…

“25 or 6 to 4” written by Robert Lamm and recorded by Chicago in 1969. At least they used the original.

There IS a pattern.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson brought up a list of sacrifices that may make one think twice about wanting to be a public servant.

…

Like some politicians, Brandon Johnson admits he has a wife, children and schedules. These should have been taken into account prior to his deciding to run for mayor of Chicago. And while he went on with a litany of items that are included in the job description, he brought up a criteria not mentioned and apparently, at least to Johnson, quite problematic.

“I’m doing all of that with a black wife raising three black children on the west side of the city of Chicago.”

Not just a wife, but a black wife raising three black children.

His tone kind of makes it seem like a black wife and three black children are an extraordinary burden, one that makes addressing public safety, the unhoused and a budget a task only achievable by a super hero.

What is he saying about a black wife, seeing how he was very specific? What is he saying about black children? If he’s not making a blanket statement about black women and children, what has he just said about HIS wife and HIS children?

They seem like a nice family even though Mayor Johnson gave an impression of a hell that only a black wife and black children could inflict, and if that’s the case should voters now need be wary of any candidate for office who has a black wife and children? Wives of other ethnicities should not necessarily as scrutinized, but a black wife and children may add too much to the plate once that politician assumes office.

Of course, such an assumption about a politician’s black wife and children is absurd and rightfully offensive, but only one person went there in an attempt to dodge responsibility he asked for and dissuade white reporters for daring to hold him responsible.

The race card is a booby trap laid by power-tripping blacks who have no good answer on a topic.

Brandon Johnson not only played the race card, but publicly threw his black wife and three black children under the bus. Thanks to him, people will be looking at Mrs. Johnson and her children very differently from this day forward.

It must have been quite the conversation when he went home that night… and every day since.

As we’re nowhere close to having an accurate estimate on how many illegal aliens have invaded the United States simply because they wanted to come here, there’s no telling what the scope of the problem will be after the next Republican assumes the White House. Obviously, there’s only one to date who’s made a concerted and effective effort to address the scourge, let’s dump this on Donald Trump.

The left said then and is saying it now: “We just can’t round them all up….”

Says who?

Maybe, we should give it a shot.

After all, despite the altruistic (and phony) overtures liberal make regarding illegals, like “sanctuary cities” and states, their true colors are often shown for all the world to see when the uninvited show up on their doorsteps. (see Martha’s Vineyard, New York City, Chicago, etc.)

No one specifically voted to allow our border to be opened to the world. No legislation was sincerely offered or passed by the Congress and/or Senate. It was a unilateral executive order Joe Biden signed two weeks into his presidency at the behest of activists and probably the First Lady in charge (you know, “happy wife…”). For the most part, Americans didn’t want more illegal aliens then and sure a hell don’t want them here now, but a Democrat has created another problem a Republican has to clean up.

For starters, the 14th Amendment needs to be repealed because we definitely don’t need millions of new anchor babies. Democrats accused Republicans of fear-mongering and pushing misinformation regarding the “Great Replacement Theory” where “imported” illegals would be eventually made citizens where they would be expected to vote Democrat and permanently change the electorate, thus country. Well, like most so-called conspiracy theories, this one is turning out to be true.

The 14th Amendment was initially introduced and passed by Republicans to redress slavery and make the offspring of slaves citizens to make it easier for them to assimilate into American society. Those offspring have been dead and gone for decade and the United States is one of the few (if not only) countries where a child of foreign nationals is granted citizenship in the country where he or she was born. The “anchor baby” magnet has long needed to be taken off the table. No time like the present.

And as far as “rounding them all up” because of the sheer numbers we’re now talking about, it’s not like illegal aliens will be hard to find. As of this writing, illegals are sleeping in the streets of many major metropolitan cities. The suburbs will be next. The pushback in urban communities is picking up. The latest crop of illegal aliens are not hard to find at all.

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 makes in a civil violation to enter the country illegally, so the convenient use of “refugee” status should be suspended until this invasion is stopped and reversed. ICE and the Border Patrol should be empowered to immediately deport any illegal caught and given recent experience, the faux outrage and calls for compassion will be minimal.

The media will take any opportunity to call the appropriate removals inhumane. Screw them. None of them will sponsor an illegal of unvetted origin, so their bombast will also be easy to ignore.

But the United States is truly at a turning point. The Republican Party should be put on notice.

Biden opened the border to assure future elections will be more decisive for the Democrat Party. How better to achieve this than create millions of new loyal Democrats who will obliterate any possibility of a close election. The only thing Republicans need do is remove as many millions of the uninvited as possible.

Just round them up.

How hard is that?

Some are already waiting at the airport.

Such frustration finally boiled over.

As looters were ransacking businesses throughout the city more than a week ago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward), one of her harshest critics, engaged in an angry and foul-mouthed argument over the city’s handling of the widespread violence.

During a conference call with all 50 aldermen on May 31 to discuss the city’s response to the looting, Lopez accused the mayor of being unprepared when looting spread from downtown to the neighborhoods that weekend.
— CBS Chicago, 6/8/90

That’s putting it mildly….

Remember this when people who oppose this progressive anarchy are called every possible pejorative while the progressive, Democrat-elected, defending the rioters and looters, demand we all show civility and engage in constructive dialogue.

The result has been consistent neglect and the latest pandemic scourge has been no different.

Black Chicagoans account for half of all coronavirus cases in the city and more than 70% of deaths, despite making up 30% of the population. Other cities with large black populations, including Detroit, Milwaukee, New Orleans and New York, have become coronavirus hotspots.
— BBC, 4/7/20

Had those in charge of those metropolitan areas been Republican, they would be household names Democrats and their media would keep immersed in the public conversation. But as we’re talking about blacks in Democrat-controlled areas, some review is in order.

ILLINOIS

Governor J. B. Pritzker (D)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D)

As of 5 April, 1,824 out of Chicago’s 4,680 confirmed Covid-19 cases were black residents, said city officials on Monday. That compared with 847 white, 478 Hispanic and 126 Asian Chicagoans. Chicago has seen a total of 98 deaths as of Sunday, with 72% of them black residents.

While lamenting the fate of the black community, some politicians acted like the Coronavirus wouldn’t never stick to them.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot defends getting a haircut amid coronavirus outbreak, says stylist wore ‘a mask and gloves’
Chicago library employees protest Lightfoot’s decision to keep all 80 libraries open during pandemic
Wife of Illinois mayor cited for violating stay-at-home order after attending bar party, police say

MICHIGAN

Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D)
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (D)

In Michigan, African Americans make up 14% of the population, but they account for 33% of the coronavirus cases and 41% of deaths, figures from the state health department showed on Monday. Detroit, Michigan, is about 80% black, and the city together with its surrounding suburbs accounts for around 80% of confirmed coronavirus cases.

At one point it was all about public anti-Trump #resist imagery…

Michigan governor threatens doctors who prescribe hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19

… until reality hit home.

Gov. Whitmer reverses course on coronavirus drugs, is now asking feds for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine
Detroit Rep. Karen Whitsett says hydroxychloroquine, Trump helped save her life amid COVID-19 fight
Duggan urges those with fever to stay away from City Hall

WISCONSIN

Governor Tony Evers (D)
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D)

A similar disparity has emerged in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one of the most segregated cities in the US.

A Democrat “segregated” city. Some things never change.

African Americans made up almost half of Milwaukee County’s nearly 1,000 cases as of last Friday and 81% of its 27 deaths, despite black people accounting for 26% of the population there, according to a study by ProPublica.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle played political games with public safety.

Union criticizes Barrett after city waited eight days to tell city workers of coronavirus case
Gov. Tony Evers: ‘We will have an election on April 7’
Federal judge blisters Gov. Tony Evers and GOP lawmakers for not delaying Wisconsin’s election

LOUISIANA

Governor John Bel Edwards (D)
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D)

Some 40% of Louisiana’s coronavirus deaths have occurred in the New Orleans area, where the majority of residents are black. Health officials have previously said the Big Easy’s residents suffer from rates of obesity, diabetes and hypertension that are higher than the national average, making them more vulnerable to Covid-19.

As was the case during Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana Democrats blew off early warnings and blamed a Republican president for the aftermath of their hesitation.

Cantrell defends Carnival season as coronavirus numbers rise
Cantrell: New Orleans would have called off Mardi Gras if coronavirus ‘red flags’ were raised

NEW YORK

Governor Andrew Cuomo (D)
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D)

Despite neither the BBC or ProPublica mentioning black numbers in New York City, mounting public pressure produced results.

Latino and black residents in New York City have higher mortality rates from coronavirus, according to preliminary numbers released by the city on Wednesday morning. The early data shows that of those who have died from coronavirus in the city, 34 percent were Latino residents, while 28 percent were blacks.
— Gothamist, 4/8/20

Many states and organizations that are gathering racial data are still suffering from gaps in the reporting.

Meanwhile, all was not rosy in The Big Apple.

The Missteps Of Mayor Bill De Blasio’s Coronavirus Response
De Blasio Stays Firm on Keeping N.Y.C. Schools Open as Outbreak Spreads
Coronavirus in New York: As deaths and cases soar, should NY leaders have acted sooner?
How New York City’s Emergency Ventilator Stockpile Ended Up on the Auction Block
De Blasio’s senior staff in near revolt over his coronavirus response

Democrats have proven over most of their history that they could give a rip about black people. Black children are disproportionately aborted, have the worse public education in the nation while being denied proven alternatives, Democrat politicians tolerate neighborhood shootings every weekend that would make national news had they occured in a white neighborhood. Blacks are only important when it comes time to keep Democrats in positions of power and now that President Trump has made near-historic inroads for the black vote, pointing to a Republican bogeyman is right out of the ol’ playbook.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called for coronavirus reparations for minorities, claiming higher numbers of COVID-19 fatalities in low-income communities stems from underlying inequality.

“COVID deaths are disproportionately spiking in Black + Brown communities,” Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted to her 6 million followers on Friday morning. “Why? Because the chronic toll of redlining, environmental racism, wealth gap, etc. ARE underlying health conditions,” the Bronx-born lawmaker added.
— New York Post, 4/3/20

And just whose fault is that?

Pushing back against critics who say it’s too soon to contemplate gun control laws after the May 31 mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center that killed 12 people and injured several others, Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday morning that he will call a special session of the Virginia legislature. His goal is to enact what he called “common sense public safety laws” this summer.
— Patch, 6/4/19

This is the consistent political reaction when it comes to white victims of gun violence.

Colorado school shooting prompts Dem presidential hopefuls to call for gun reform
In Wake of Synagogue Shooting, Pittsburgh Mayor Calls for Gun Control
Congressman calls for gun control in wake of Waffle House shooting
Tech execs call for gun control after YouTube shooting
Democrats quickly call for tighter gun laws after Las Vegas shooting massacre
Hours after Thousand Oaks shooting, Newsom calls for more gun control
Responding to Texas church shooting, U.S. bishops renew call for gun control
Teenagers Pour Into the Streets Calling for Gun Control After Parkland Shooting
After Newtown shooting, President Obama calls for gun control

And that’s only a quick sample, however….

At least 52 people were shot and 10 killed in Chicago’s most violent weekend so far this year, leading police Superintendent Eddie Johnson on Monday to declare the uptick a “despicable level of violence.”

The bloody weekend eclipses the Memorial Day holiday weekend, when at least 33 people were wounded and seven killed, NBC Chicago reported.
— NBC News, 6/3/19

Now, can you imagine the outrage if THAT story made national news and instead of happening in an impoverished part of Chicago, this happened on the Upper East Side, Beverly Hills, The Hamptons, Martha’s Vineyard, La Jolla, Sea Cliff, etc.

More than 100 people were shot in Chicago over the course of one of the bloodiest Fourth of July weekends in the city’s recent history.
— TIME, 7/6/17

We all know the rapid-response, political posturing had such happened in any suburban white neighborhood. We’d see Jussie Smollett-type dragnets round-the-clock for those who committed the violence and there would be highly publicized arrests; not the number of the unsolved the West Side and South Side districts of Chicago have accepted as the norm.

At least 11 people were shot and killed and about 70 others were wounded over the weekend in Chicago, in a spasm of gun violence that police attributed mostly to gangs and that the president’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, used to criticize the city’s Democratic leadership.
— PBS, 8/6/18

This, too, exposes the long-standing fallacy that Democrats are still “the white man’s party” and no horrendous number of black deaths (on the street or in the womb) will make them take any action to help those in the most violent neighborhoods defend themselves.

The Chicago Police Department recorded that at least 74 people were shot in the country’s third-largest city, with 28 of those shootings occurring between Friday evening and Sunday morning.
— Newsweek, 5/6/18

Meanwhile, the Democrat Party continues to show us whose lives they really value and whose they really don’t.

That said, many of us have had our experience with a government employee. Some of us have had to deal with them at a time when we really needed assistance or just plain ol’ courteous customer service. Suffice it to say, too many government employees act as though the public is an inconvenience; others have no problem putting the public at risk, walking off the job when they don’t get the pay they’ve decided they deserve.

Couple that with the entitled arrogance of union-government workers with an irresponsible Democrat-controlled local government and you have a budget crisis that eventually has to be addressed.

After Soda Tax, Preckwinkle Doles Out Premium Perks and Bonuses

With each passing day, it is becoming clearer that the beverage tax was never about public health. It is simply a money grab used to benefit government and those connected to it.

Cook County cuts hundreds of jobs after soda tax repeal
Why Illinois Is In Trouble – 63,000 Public Employees With $100,000+ Salaries Cost Taxpayers $10B

At some point, you run out of ways to squeeze more revenue out of the public and reality sets in; the same reality that walks in county facilities and are met with more indifference than compassion, which is why it’s hard to feel much sympathy for some of these fat-and-panicked union government employees that have had secure jobs for decades.

Remember the indifference and lack of urgency you may have received when going to a government employee for much-needed assistance while you hear the teary pleas of those now urging understanding and compassion….

Again, it’s hard to feel sorry for union, government employees who’ve had jobs with generous benefits for many years who now face the cold, cruel realities the American people have had to deal with when irresponsible politicians created harsh environment for the very private sector businesses that hire us.

Yes, it sucks to be in fear. It sucks not knowing how your bills will get paid or where food will come from. This is the feeling of helplessness many Americans felt when approaching some of these public sector employees who made them wait, failed to return phone calls, forgot to file proper paperwork, and generally couldn’t give a damn.

As for the politicians that got Cook County into this current mess… we are talking Chicago, right?

Why don’t we see the annual percentage of fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars?