Progressives of Alcona

10/08/2025

🎸 “Hang On to Yourself” — A Reminder for the Moment

When Bowie wrote “Hang On to Yourself,” it was more than glam swagger — it was a call to hold tight to who you are when the world around you starts to spin out of control.

That message still hits hard today. In a time when noise and manipulation try to drown out truth, hanging on to your own voice — your values, your sense of justice — is an act of rebellion.

We don’t need to conform or fall in line with the political machines. We need to move, create, speak up, and stand firm. Whether it’s in music, art, or community action — it’s all part of the same rhythm of resistance.

So hang on to yourself, Alcona. The dance floor’s changing, but the beat of progress still runs through us.

10/07/2025

When the music’s over, turn out the lights,” sang The Doors—a call to pause, reflect, and reckon with the world we’re shaping. In times when leadership and institutions are tested, these words feel eerily prescient. The song reminds us that moments of reckoning are inevitable, and change—whether gradual or sudden—demands attention, responsibility, and action from all of us.

In our communities and beyond, it’s up to us to ensure that when the music stops, we’ve been awake, aware, and ready to move forward together.

10/06/2025

Detroit taught the world that noise can be power — from the MC5’s roar to the Stooges’ raw defiance, from Eminem’s truth to Jack White’s grit. That sound wasn’t just rebellion — it was resilience. It said: We’re still here.

That same spirit lives in Alcona County. You can feel it in the determination of neighbors who look out for one another, in the farmers, artists, and small businesses who keep going no matter what. It’s quieter here, but the heartbeat’s the same — steady, strong, unbroken.

Progress isn’t about forgetting where you came from. It’s about carrying that fire forward — from Detroit’s streets to Alcona’s backroads.

10/05/2025

🔥 Echoes of Resistance 🔥

I remember when Detroit’s underground still shook the city — when The Fifth Estate spoke truth no one else would print, when the White Panther Party called out power with fearless defiance, and when bands like the MC5 turned amplifiers into weapons of liberation.

Even though Kick Out the Jams was released in 1969, its roar still echoed in 1974 — loud enough to shake the walls of indifference and fuel a generation ready to act.

The first campaign I ever worked on was in 1974, for Sander Levin in his campaign against William Milliken. I was about 14, in junior high, inspired by my social studies teacher to get involved. We were still living with the hangover from Nixon — the corruption, the chaos, the sense that the country had gone off track. That spark lit something in me that never really went out.

We’re living through our own Nixon years again — different faces, same corruption, same divide-and-conquer games. But there’s still a heartbeat under all this noise — people waking up, connecting, and remembering what resistance feels like.

Turn it up. Speak out. The revolution might not be televised, but it can damn sure be heard.

10/04/2025

🔥 “It’s 1969, okay…”
The Stooges’ raw Detroit energy still speaks.

I saw that same spark in Alcona County with Kamala Harris. Unprecedented turnout. People-powered excitement. Real action.

But national politics? Democrats or Republicans—it’s the same story. Big money rules. People lose. Party labels won’t fix it.

What matters is compassion, justice, courage. Money out of politics. People first. Always.

The spark is alive. The energy is real. Now it’s on us to carry it forward. Beyond parties. Beyond labels. Into real change. 🎶✊💚

10/03/2025

Yesterday I shared ‘All the Young Dudes,’ about the younger generation stepping up where the older generation has stumbled. Today, Tom Waits’ words feel just as fitting: ‘you can never hold back spring.’

On this beautiful fall day in Northeast Michigan, the bright skies and crisp air remind us that change is part of every season. Just like spring always returns, so does hope, energy, and resistance.

Growing up in Detroit in the ’60s and ’70s, I remember the fierce spirit of resistance — the White Panther Party, MC5, The Stooges — that relentless drive to challenge injustice and demand change. That same spirit lives on today in young people stepping up to take charge, refusing to let fear or chaos define us.

But it’s on those of us who are the elders now to nurture, foster, and encourage all the young dudes, to help them carry the torch forward and make the world better. The political climate may feel dark and chaotic now, but it won’t last forever. Renewal is coming. No matter how hard some may try, you can never hold back spring

A good song.

10/01/2025

🎸 “All the young dudes, carry the news…”

Back in 1972, Bowie handed Mott the Hoople an anthem for survival. It wasn’t about bowing down to some fake savior — it was about the next generation owning the future when the old one had already burned it down.

Sound familiar? Because here we are in 2025, watching the MAGA circus roll on — a movement propped up by fear, anger, and an older generation that let the nation slide into this mess. We were supposed to leave you a stronger democracy, not a Trump rally on repeat.

But here’s the thing: Bowie’s words still ring true. The young dudes carry the news.
Not the lies, not the cult, not the nostalgia for a past that never really was — but the real news: equality, climate action, justice, truth.

This is your anthem. Your turn. Your time to turn down the volume on the old men shouting at clouds and turn up something new.

Because the future doesn’t belong to the MAGA movement. It belongs to the young who refuse to inherit their delusions.

09/30/2025

Here are my comments about the recent uproar in the uninformed about the new Alcona County solar project.

When color TV came out in the ’60s, people said it was too expensive, black-and-white worked just fine, it would never catch on, and my favorite: “Sit too close and it’ll give you cancer.” Fast forward—nobody wants to go back. Solar’s going through the same thing. Myths like “It only works in direct sun” or “It’s not reliable” are just outdated talking points. Today’s panels work even on cloudy days, and every new generation is cheaper and more efficient. A lot of the hate around the Alcona solar project isn’t coming from locals—it’s coming from the fossil fuel propaganda machine. Big oil and coal companies have spent decades spreading fear to protect their profits. They know what’s coming, and they’re scared. Let’s also be real: most of the land being leased wasn’t prime farmland. It was low-yield or sitting idle. Now it’s producing something else—electricity. Just like growing crops, it’s a product. The landowners are earning income, and the land is still working. And visually? A solar array is a lot easier on the eyes than a coal plant belching smoke or a wood-burning facility with stacks and haze. Clean, quiet, and no pollution. Take the Wolverine Power plant in Lincoln—it was a wood-burning and hazardous waste incineration facility. It shut down because it was no longer financially feasible to operate, and its environmental impact was far greater than anything a solar array could ever produce. That plant belonged to an era of dirty energy. The economics and the health risks finally caught up with it. The future always wins. This time, it’s clean, renewable, and shining bright. 🌞

09/29/2025

🕊️ “Wake Me Up When September Ends” isn’t just a song—it kind of feels like the mood right now. The shooting/fire in Grand Blanc… it’s not happening “somewhere else.” It’s right here, close to home. Places I know. People I’ve probably crossed paths with.

And maybe it’s just me, but it feels like everything’s been heavy lately. The warmth of summer’s fading, and what’s left behind feels colder than it should. Add in the political noise, the confusion, and it’s like nobody’s really listening to each other anymore. Just shouting into the fog.

Green Day’s lyric keeps echoing: “Here comes the rain again, falling from the stars…” And yeah, maybe we all need a little help right now. Not the kind in a bottle, but the kind the Stones sang about—Mother’s Little Helper. That quiet cry for relief when life gets too loud, too broken, too much.

I’m not saying panic. I’m saying pay attention. Be honest. Be the light for somebody. Because if we don’t name the darkness, it just grows. 💔

09/27/2025

On October 18, communities across the nation will rise up to make clear to President Trump that in this country, we don't have kings or wannabe dictators. America belongs to us. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.

Download protests signs to share in your community: https://www.au.org/get-involved/activist-resources/

09/24/2025

Worth a look see.

Every three years, NEMCSA listens to YOU.

Through our Community Needs Assessment (CNA), we gather input from residents, partners, and leaders across Northeast Michigan. Your voices guide how we focus resources, design programs, and advocate for lasting change in our region.

The 2025 CNA results highlight the Top Five Needs for Northeast Michigan:

Safe & Affordable Housing
Livable Wages
Alternatives to Private Transportation
Childcare
Medical Specialists

These findings shine a light on the challenges our neighbors face and the opportunities we have to build stronger communities, together.

Thank you to everyone who shared their voice in this CNA. Your input will shape the work we do over the next three years to support families, strengthen systems, and inspire solutions across Northeast Michigan.

View the entire CNA here:
https://www.nemcsa.org/reports-data/community-needs-assessment.html