Yesterday I visited my optometrist downtown, after my daily entry and a quick lunch. I started off walking, but decided to hop on the bus that came along, on account of the cold. From there I walked to meet John for a tea, which we had in style at the Lancaster.

Then it was on to the Memorial library to return the Kumare DVD and have a quick read in the Globe. Walking all the way back this time I was freezing cold by the time I got home. This moisture laden cold is very penetrating as I know from my youth in Holland.

Having missed my snooze so far, I stretched out and was away from this world for over two hours, making it high time to cook my supper. After which I cruised the web news, marked up my daily entry enhanced with a photo of my late friend Sharen.

Lots of interest for a person who did not exist and all that two thousand years after the fact!

Then I read the Trouw [Dutch] article titled - translated - ‘Jesus never existed’. It had over three hundred (300) likes and 120 comments. Lots of interest for a person who did not existed and all that two thousand years after the fact! Who says that people have no interest in religion?

My cousin Henk, who I met in Holland last summer, alerted me to this Trouw article, which I had overlooked. He and I share a strong interest in theology, which we discovered last summer when we first met. ‘Thanks Henk’, because I would have missed reading it.

I wrote an essay called ‘Jesus the Man’ and held a talk on this topic as well - all posted on my website. This is all quite a few years ago, but I am surprised that this latest Dutch article still resonates with me again.

Later on lunch with Herman at our old trusty Blackfoot spot. The other new one did not work out on account of its ambience. Now we’ll have to pay a bit of an ambience premium, but we only pay once a month each and that won’t break the bank.

At first I went to see the movie ’Searching for Sugarman’ at the Globe Theatre after watching a short clip on the CBC National about Rodriguez, now about three years ago. He was performing in Toronto at the time. The movie won the Academy for Documentaries as well that year. The sound track song clips haunted me and I enquired about the songs, which were published on a CD. This I bought and the DVD a little later.

In the movie there is this strongly expressed surprise at to why Rodriguez remained in obscurity in the USA, despite the quality of the lyrics and the melodies of his songs. Surprise indeed, as you get to discern those lyrics after some time.

This mystery was cleared up for me, about two weeks ago on Saturday as I listened to ‘Banned Songs’ by Randy of Vinyl Tab’s show, shows broadcast on CBC radio, the latter on Saturday night radio one.

Randy explained that banned songs were not censored songs, but were banned from play on the airwaves by stations. They refused to play songs that had references to either drugs, sex or violence in them.

Well that qualifies Rodriguez’ creations for this ban, since ‘Sugarman’ is the drug dealer, sweet Sweet Mary Jane is marijuana and ‘Jumper’s Coke’ some other stimulating product.

Then there is the song that asks ‘How many times have you had sex?’, which is followed by ‘Do you know who’ll be next?’. To top it all off are his mentions of ‘the establishment blues’. All this taken together is content that could not find a sponsor for the radio to play, I’m sure. So, no profits for the radio, no play of the song.

There is this saying ’Money talks’ and now we can add the saying ‘Money Silences’ songs on the radio!

This is censorship by commercialism in a free society. So, expression of opinion is not as free as it could be in a free society thought to hold freedom of expression as a high value.

There is this saying ’Money talks’ as meant in the case of bribery and now we can add the saying ‘Money Silences’ as in freedom of expression, but that behaviour does not get much air time either!
<9:47am~