The Linear Canvas
This journal is about the wrongs and rights of the world, as I see them.

The Linear Canvas

Loving America on July 4, 2017

July 4th, 2017 . by Alexander Fisher

 

On July 4th I am reminded of patriotism by the things I do not have to do to prove I love America:

 

· I do not have to fly any flag to prove I love America and doing so does not make me love America more than any other person.

· I do not have to belong to any one religion or have any religion at all to prove I love America.

· I do not have to be an American citizen or even live in America to prove I love America.

· I do not have to be any specific gender, skin color, or sexual orientation to prove I love America.

· I do not have to live in any one neighborhood, village, city or state or even have a home to prove I love America.

· I do not have be above or below any income level to prove I love America.

· I do not have to know any important, famous, or infamous people to prove that I love America.

Anyone that thinks that requiring any preconditions as proof a person loves America does not themselves understand what loving America means. For those individuals:

· You do not have to respect the opinions and rights of others and not quite get the democracy thing and you can still love America. It’s just that if you act out with violence against other American’s you should probably be in prison.

· You do not have to not be incarcerated to prove you love America.

The Republican Party Incorporated

April 17th, 2016 . by Alexander Fisher

 

For the last half century, the national Republican Party has had a track record for not achieving the goals of their conservative electorate. I considered myself a Republican, the Party of Lincoln, when I was young. I thought being conservative meant being responsible with the public’s tax money and keeping government out of one’s personal affairs. A naive boy I was.

Then the wedge issues came along. Opposition to same sex marriage, abortion rights, and other controversy’s that became embedded in the Republican Party platform. On those issues however, they actually failed to change, outlaw or control any one of them in any meaningful way nationally. There was even a period during George W. Bush’s residency in the White House that the Republicans controlled the Supreme Court, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and no doubt the national media dialog. But still, the Republicans made little change to the existing laws or proposed any legislation that had any chance of being enacted concerning those issues.

After the Republican’s Reagan Revolution, Corporate Taxation, Government Spending, the Environmental Protection Agency, Terrorism and Voting Rights have all been on the national party’s agenda. Since that time, there are now lower taxes for corporations, greater government spending, a worsening environment, highly visible acts of terrorism and more restrictions on the democratic process. It seems the Republicans can make changes, but only to benefit the special interests that profit from anything related to those things. The party has been taken over for some time by a well dressed criminal class and has become a party that wastes public money on political agendas and giving preferential treatment to others based on lives of wealth and privilege.

The Republican Party needs to explain to their voters why so little has been done on the wedge issues they were elected to change. They should have to tell whether they are ever going to make any effort to change things in the future or not. Beyond just sound bites and symbolic gestures. I think conservative voters deserve to know that. Whether I agree with any of them or not. I would want to know. But If someone is waiting for The Republican Party Incorporated to do anything about the perpetual wedge issues that galvanize conservative voters who keep voting them into power because of them, they will be waiting for a really long time.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republicans-obamacare-replacement_us_570ffe63e4b06f35cb6f08ee

President Nixon: A Bullitt Dodged

April 1st, 2016 . by Alexander Fisher

 

I am currently reading John Dean’s book “The Nixon Defense”. The content of the book is mostly transcribed from White House recordings made during Richard Nixon’s years as President. Dean helps to organize the conversations and adds some commentary, but not that much. He was working in the WH then and helps to explain some of the seemingly ambiguous conversations. The Nixon aide quoted in the article at the link below, John Ehrlichman, is one of the players in this book as well. In it, he even discussed with the president rounding up all blacks and putting them on trains, then dropping one off in every town to work as domestic servants.
President Nixon was also making plans to round up newspaper reporters he didn’t like and jail them. He was using the IRS and the FBI to target his enemies. He believed he was above the law, so therefore he was not committing crimes. He went on about how honest he was and how his enemies were not. Then he would break the law to get back at them. Nuts.
As it turned out, the Watergate scandal saved America and our free speech for a few more years. Nixon’s goal was a country run for the benefit of himself and his rich friends. Had he not been hobbled by press and congressional scrutiny in his second term, he would have put his fantasy into action.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-richard-nixon-drug-war-blacks-hippie/index.html

New Video Released: “9/11: Explosive Evidence, Experts Speak Out”

September 30th, 2011 . by Alexander Fisher

“It’s not conspiracy, it’s not theory, its science and you owe it to yourself, your children and their children to open your mind, your eyes and your ears and listen to what these professionals have to say!”

____________________________________________________________

“9/11 Explosive Evidence, Experts Speak Out”

Watch the Four Minute Preview
9/11 Explosive Evidence, Experts Speak Out:

“Learn Why 43 Technical & Building Professionals are Calling for a New Investigation into the Events of 9/11! Watch 9/11, Explosive Evidence – Experts Speak Out and Learn Why You Should Too!”

Just a mere and simple utterance of the word, 9/11, or September 11th, or any other various related terms can stir up a caldron of emotion – and it runs the entire spectrum. From steadfast defenders of the government’s official explanation of what happened on 9/11 to those arguing theories of a deep, dark, evil conspiracy. There is no shortage of passion.

Regardless of your personal beliefs about what happened on 9/11 we can all agree (as we’ve been told over and over again) that 9/11 has indeed fundamentally changed the world we all live in and experience every day.

This would all be well and good if there was no doubt about what happened. If the official story was rock solid and beyond reasonable doubt, we could all stand up in unison, proudly, pound our chests with righteous indignation and get the bad guys without a second thought.

Unfortunately this is not the case and there are at least 43 highly trained, skilled technical and building professionals who after having examined the evidence not only have a reasonable doubt about the official story, say that there is absolutely no way that those buildings could have come down the way we were told that they did!

Watch 9/11 Explosive Evidence – Experts Speak Out and learn from 43 brave men and women as they share with you their compelling and convincing professional expertise and insights about the events of 9/11.

It’s not conspiracy, it’s not theory, its science and you owe it to yourself, your children and their children to open your mind, your eyes and your ears and listen to what these professionals have to say!

Important Please Note

Before clicking on the buy Pay Per View button below click this link and view the screen shot to learn exactly what you must do at the end of the Pay Pal check out process in order to receive your viewing link in a timely manner. Click here now.

Rental Price: $5.95
Purchase Link: Purchase
Purchase Price: $20.00
Download Price: $9.95
Duration: 135 Minutes
Release Date: Sept 2011

Cast: Richard Gage
Directed by: Richard Gage
Languages: English
Produced by: Richard Gage

America, Land of the Poor, Home of the Rich

September 20th, 2011 . by Alexander Fisher

migrant-mother

Over the last few weeks, much has been made of comments and audience reactions during the televised Republican presidential primary debates in the media. These comments made by the participants and the audience member’s reactions, were in response to questions asked about the death penalty, and health care for people who are uninsured. In both cases the audience made it very clear how they stand on these issues. Critics are fair to conclude this group of people showed little compassion for those affected in either case.

My own observation is that these issues are almost entirely affecting the poor, alone.

More recently I read a story in the news that said the number of people in the United States that live in poverty is higher than it’s been in many years. I think there can be many reasons for this, but the influence of politics in world economics can have a great affect on poverty. A loss of a job that was sent overseas or eliminated in a poor economy, can send many to poverty as quickly as they can be shown the door. This can happen to anyone, regardless, as long as they are in the middle class or below. (The rich have their own unique safety net, lots of money) Some of these people cannot find new jobs for any number of reasons. Some don’t look anymore. Some never did.

I believe the audience members at the debate would argue that these people are just lazy. I don’t doubt that some are. But without knowing the individuals involved and their reasons and experiences, I don’t understand the reactions. I’d guess some are just born into poverty and just don’t know how to break the cycle, without help. I’d also guess others are just born pitiless and don’t know how to break that cycle either.

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World Trade Center, No Conspiracy Theory, Just the Facts.

September 1st, 2011 . by Alexander Fisher

WTC 1_2These are 9/11 Facts. Look them up if you don’t believe me.

Larry Silverstein bought the World Trade Center in August 2001. The two buildings that fell on national television a month later, buildings one and two, had been condemned for asbestos contamination. The asbestos removal would have cost three billion dollars ($3,000,000,000). Mr. Silverstein paid two-hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) for the whole complex. Not a very profitable investment, yet.

That same month, Mr. Silverstein was awarded an insurance policy for several billion dollars that included coverage for terrorist attacks. Terrorist coverage on a condemned building already known to be a target for "terrorists". That doesn’t seem like a very good risk for any insurance company. Selling a policy like that would usually get someone fired.

Mr. Silverstein finally settled for four and a half billion dollars ($4,550,000,000) after the towers fell. He wanted more. Over four billion dollars in profit for a one month ownership of the WTC site. Not too bad. Never mind that the only building that Mr. Silverstein actually built, building seven, also fell several hours later after sustaining some minor fire damage. No aircraft hit it, just some debris. And like buildings one and two, it fell into its own foundation at near free fall speed, without much damage to surrounding structures. Some of building seven’s occupants read like a financial who’s-who of the US. That Included offices of the Securities Exchange Commission (the Wall Street cops) where they kept all the evidence for criminal cases. All of the criminal evidence on WorldCom, Enron and many others were there in building seven, and destroyed in the collapse.

Nothing to look at here. Move along.

I am writing a much longer article about what I know about the events of 9/11. I will post it some time soon.
For more info: http://www.ae911truth.org/

My Newest Recording – I Don’t Know (09/12/2001)

September 26th, 2010 . by Alexander Fisher

BuildingWhat I personally would never call “I Don’t Know (09/12/2001)” the blues. All I’m going to say is that it has a bluesy sound and I had the blues when I wrote and recorded it.

By definition I guess it is then…

“I Don’t Know (09/12/2001)”

[audio:http://www.linearcanvas.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/I Don’t Know 20100926_1039m256.mp3]

If The Above Player Does Not Appear Or Does Not Work, Click Here

When I wrote this song on September 12th, 2001. I didn’t know as much about the events of the previous day as I do now. I must say that my internal skeptic was in full gear though. I, like every one else that day, was too shocked by the events to do any real critical thinking. Like how did they know so much about the hijackers so quickly when none of their names appeared on any of the flight manifests?

The reports started coming in about the incidents of that day as I was nearing Cincinnati, Ohio on I-75 listening to the radio. I was on my way to the town of Amelia to work on a TV distribution system there. I worked eight straight hours on the distribution network and did a good job fixing the problems. But I had some TV channels off most all day. People were probably trying to watch the events unfold on TV like I was doing, but their favorite channels were probably going on and off. Lucky for me, I knew what channel to watch.

I didn’t think of that until days later. I probably should have come back the next week. But not knowing the scope of the situation, I just kept working.

Not suspecting any conspiracy yet, I knew that whatever the Bush administration did next would be wrong just based on their performance to that date. They certainly didn’t take long to prove me right. The whole war thing has been a bungled disaster that will have cost the suckers, er, I mean the taxpayers two trillion dollars and the lives of countless thousands of poor innocent people.

I don’t know what really happened that day. But volumes of evidence and common sense should tell us that there is more going on here than we’re being told. They want me to believe that nineteen men, mostly Saudi Arabian’s, defeated the trillion dollar defense I and many others have been paying for since World War Two? Then, a) I want my money back and/or b) I want a new investigation into what happened on September 11th, 2001.

Any national defense and airline employee that dropped the ball that day, should be at least fired because they failed their duties to protect America.

If someone were found responsible for the act itself in some way, life in prison or the death penalty. Either will do. I don’t even care if they are an Arab, Israeli, Asian, European, African or American. Osama Bin Laden even. As long as we have the evidence. I think there is most likely plenty of it.

To this date, no one has been fired or criminally charged for the attack.

Will Someone Ever Pay For This Crime?

I was in my basement in Swanton, Ohio at the time and sat down at the drums. I started playing this beat. I thought it was cool so I recorded it with one microphone and built the rest of the song around it. It was the first time I had ever done this. Use one microphone that is. I love overkill.

These tracks were originally recorded on a Fostex VF-16 digital multi-track recorder. I played electric guitar on a Fender Stratocaster. The bass was a Rickenbacker 4001. I played drums on my Ludwig’s. I digitally processed the instrument and vocal tracks using Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 Producer DAW and Sony Sound Forge 9 audio editor.

Super Tornado Outbreak April 3rd and 4th, 1974

July 11th, 2010 . by Alexander Fisher

Xenia, Ohio April 3 1974 I was watching a National Geographic Channel special called “Surviving the Super Twisters” about the Super Tornado Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974. I remember the day well. Although nothing of mine or my family’s was hurt or destroyed. I was definitely in the middle of the action that afternoon when it hit my town.

I had just recently gotten a job after-school at the local Otis Elevator foundry in London, Ohio as a janitor. My friend Dennis Brickey had gotten a job and then got me hired as well. Previously, I would hang around at the Gift’s Galore variety store and play pinball until about five PM and then go home, by parental order. The owner had just cleared a back storage room and installed five new machines. He had two of them out by the sales counter previously, but I bet the sight of several teenagers playing pinball didn’t do a lot for his other business. This had the advantage of adding more machines (more money) and getting us out of sight at the same time (more money) for him. I loved pinball and all of the regulars were above average players. As I would walk home at around five o’clock, I would walk right past the courthouse on my way from Gift’s Galore.

That day, Dennis and I went straight to his house after school to watch the cartoon Speed Racer and the game show Match Game ‘74. As usual we arrived at the foundry gates around four o’clock. The skies were becoming cloudy, but no storms were within sight. We were on the second floor cleaning the locker rooms and offices, when at about five o’clock, the power in the foundry began to go on and off. All of us headed for the foundry floor downstairs after the lights finally went out. There was enough light to see down there because of the open doors and windows. After a few minutes one of the foremen in the foundry came and told us there were tornado’s in the area and the safest place for us was back upstairs in the cafeteria in the front of the building. I wasn’t so sure that was the safest place, but if something happened in the foundry and molten iron was being blown around by a tornado, the cafeteria was fine for me.

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U.S. Declaration of Independence: The Signing Order

July 3rd, 2010 . by Alexander Fisher

US Declaration of Independence It always has really bothered me when someone would say they hated history in school. The nicest thing I can say is, that’s dumb. The other is that because so many people feel that way, we are doomed to repeat the lessons America has already learned, but also lessons that other nations have learned and sometimes had to re-learn.

Yesterday my wife called me with a question about which U.S. president signed the Declaration of Independence first. Her company was having a contest featuring Independence Day trivia. The choices were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or John Adams. Only two future presidents signed the document, Jefferson and Adams. So that would eliminate George Washington from consideration entirely.

There were two procedures in place for the signing of the Declaration of Independence:

  1. The colonies’ (states) delegates signed first in the order of north to south.
  2. The signers signed the document from right to left.

The only exception was John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress, who signed first.

The only reason I can think of for this procedure was a possible compromise to allow the northern states the honor of actually signing the document first, but it would appear to the British or any other interested party at the time, that the southern states had that honor. It probably was to keep everybody happy at the meeting. If you didn’t like history in the 21st century, It certainly would appear that the answer to the question, reading left to right, was Thomas Jefferson.

Knowing the procedure in place, at the time, would not allow you to come to that conclusion though. As John Adams was from Massachusetts and Thomas Jefferson from Virginia, looking at a map would show Massachusetts north of Virginia and looking at the document will show John Adams’ signature on the upper right at the bottom of the page.

Therefore the answer is John Adams.

When my wife returned home, she told me that the “official” answer she was given was Thomas Jefferson. I suppose someone just looked at the document and figured that it was signed left to right and John Adams must have arrived late to the meeting.

The world will not end because of that error. But it saddens me that July 4th in America is more about contests and mattress sales than remembering our country’s independence from the distant rule of kings, queens, and the Church of England. Many love the fireworks just to see something get blown up more than the symbol of our Independence they are.

I only expect the situation to get worse in the future.

The Old Burger Chef in London: The BC Lounge Burns Down

November 15th, 2008 . by Alexander Fisher

Burger Chef, the last one

Just recently I found out the old Burger Chef in London, Ohio had burned down. They said that the fire was suspicious, but I have never heard what they ever found out about it. More recently it had been a Rax restaurant. Thirty-five years ago it was in the busiest part of town, but that activity mostly shifted about two miles to the north-east twenty years ago now.

I remember when they built the Burger Chef in the early 1970’s. It was the first real fast food restaurant and had the first drive-thru window in town. My sister got a job there and I was treated to one of the first meals served at the restaurant during a family night event they held the night before the grand opening. There were about twenty to thirty people, all standing at the counter ordering free food. You would have thought civilization had finally just come to London after all these years looking at everyone’s faces.

The previous popular teenage cruising loop had been from the Dixie Drive In to the Red Baron restaurant. That was probably about three miles and five traffic lights long. Almost immediately the Burger Chef became the main part of the new loop for the local cruisers. You would get a mix of local hot rods, hot rod wannabe’s and teenagers in their dad’s four door sedans driving through the parking lot. Cars and people would be everywhere, especially on a summer weekend night. On those evenings, the parking lot would be full. There would be people just milling about and on bicycles. Kraco 8-tracks players with Bass 48 wedge speakers battled Craig Powerplay car stereos with Jensen Triaxials for audio dominance. There were houses across the street and most of the time the residents would sit on the porch to watch the procession of cars and people.

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