Thursday, August 31, 2017

Southern Poverty Law Center Transferred Millions to Offshore Accounts - Unprecedented for a Non-Profit of Its Type

"Your support is critical for our accounts in the Cayman Islands"

The Washington Free Beacon just published a fascinating story on the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), based on an analysis of its 2015 tax returns and other financial records.

The SPLC is the advocacy organization that publishes a "hate map" and list of "hate groups" across the United States. Recently it came under fire for adding mainstream conservative and Christian family organizations to its map, along with the Ku Klux Klan, skin head groups and black supremacy organizations.

The traditionalist Catholic publication The Remnant has long been on the hate map. I assume this is because of alleged anti-semitism - Catholics, and now traditionalist Catholics, have always had a mixed relationship with Judaism - though calling The Remnant anti-semitic is of course a slander.

In my view, the SPLC is itself an anti-Christian hate group. But that's not the point of today's post.

In their article, the Free Beacon reported that the SPLC has transferred millions of dollars in assets to foreign accounts based in the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and Bermuda.

This was deemed "extremely unusual," "a red flag" and "unethical" by experts on non-profits:
Tax experts expressed confusion when being told of the transfer.
"I've never known a US-based nonprofit dealing in human rights or social services to have any foreign bank accounts," said Amy Sterling Casil, CEO of Pacific Human Capital, a California-based nonprofit consulting firm. "My impression based on prior interactions is that they have a small, modestly paid staff, and were regarded by most in the industry as frugal and reliable. I am stunned to learn of transfers of millions to offshore bank accounts. It is a huge red flag and would have been completely unacceptable to any wealthy, responsible, experienced board member who was committed to a charitable mission who I ever worked with."
"It is unethical for any US-based charity to invest large sums of money overseas," said Casil. "I know of no legitimate reason for any US-based nonprofit to put money in overseas, unregulated bank accounts."
"It seems extremely unusual for a ‘501(c)(3)' concentrating upon reducing poverty in the American South to have multiple bank accounts in tax haven nations," Charles Ortel, a former Wall Street analyst and financial advisor who helped uncover a 2009 financial scandal at General Electric, told the Free Beacon.
Read the rest here.

There is much more information in the article, much of it embarrassing, on SPLC finances. Essentially the SPLC has an annual budget of $50+ million and assets of $300+ million. It has multiple employees with salaries in the $150,000 to $350,000 range.

The organization engages in political advocacy - publishing articles on its website and writing press releases on anything from the Charlottesville protests to the resignation of Sebastian Gorka. It creates "anti-bias" resources for schools and educators through its "Teaching Tolerance" program. It engages in legal actions on behalf of "victims of bigotry and discrimination."

And, of course, there's the Hate Map.

I've been involved with non-profits for most of my life. Some of the information on salaries and expenses is embarrassing, though many people would be surprised at the high salaries and expenses at even some of the most well-run and above-board non-profits.

On the other hand, the SPLC's political advocacy and education programs could be supported with only a handful of staff. This means that most of the non-administrative expenses should go to their legal activities. But they seem to have few active legal cases. On the other hand, lawyers, even if they're in-house lawyers, tend to be expensive.

But it's crass at the least, and unethical and potentially illegal at the most for a non-profit dedicated, among other things, to alleviating southern poverty, to have an administrative and salary structure similar to a for-profit law firm.

And then there are those offshore accounts...

I had to laugh at one of the details, not mentioned by the Free Beacon, that I found in the tax returns.

If you live in Chicago or many other major cities, you've probably been solicited by those street canvassers campaigning for the SPLC - "Do you have a moment for LGBT rights?" (A few years ago, I replied, "Sure. I also have a moment to tell you that I don't appreciate you labeling my favorite Catholic newspaper a hate group.") The canvassers are actually employed by Grassroots Campaigns, a vender that raises money for various liberal organizations. In 2015, their canvassing operation grossed $623,596 for the SPLC.

How much of that was paid to Grassroots Campaigns as the cost of fundraising. 25%? 50%? If you're cynical or know something about how these canvassing operations work, you would probably name a figure closer to 90%.

But as Donald Trump might say, "wrong!"

Actually, in 2015, the Southern Poverty Law Center paid Grassroots Campaigns $1,811,174 in return for a fundraising total of only $623,596.

That means their ubiquitous canvassing operations are actually a huge net loss.

SPLC is paying three dollars to raise each dollar. Grassroots Campaigns drained over $1 million from SPLC coffers in one year alone.

Next time you see one of those canvassers, thank them and shake their hand.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Dearborn Church Vandal Not a Muslim - Suspect David Cerne is Iraq War Vet with "Mental Issues," Was Charged in Previous ANTI-MUSLIM Incident

Catholic chapel fireworks attack suspect David Cerne in January, 2017 (inset: crude swastika graffiti he painted on the car of a Muslim man)

Four days ago I reported on the fireworks attack incident at the Adoration chapel of the Church of the Divine Child in Dearborn, Michigan.

A surveillance camera recorded the incident. I wrote that the man was "Arab-looking."

At the time, a suspect was in custody but his name had not been released.

Yesterday, police charged David Cerne, 42 or 43, of Inkster, Michigan with the attack. He is also charged with setting a Dearborn home on fire and is linked with recent vandalism incidents at local businesses.

My post implied that he might well be Muslim.

In fact, it turns out that the reality is largely opposite. A few months ago, Cern, an Iraq War veteran living on permanent disability with his father, had been charged with "ethnic intimidation," among other things, drawing swastikas and scrawling "Ni***r" on a car owned by a Muslim man. He also slashed his tires.

He wrote graffiti using the word, "Ni***r" in at least two other locations.

At the time (January, 2017), Cern's lawyer told a reporter:
He is addressing issues he may have regarding mental health. Hopefully we can put these allegations to rest and get him the help that he needs.
Obviously, he didn't get that help.

Cern would move on from anti-Muslim vandalism to anti-Catholic vandalism, with mischief at a party-goods store, a liquor store and old-fashioned arson thrown in for good measure.

Are these "hate crimes"? According to a detective:
"He is not targeting anyone specific or special," said Shafer. "This is just something he randomly went through."
Make of that what you will.

Of course, the fact that he seems to be an equal-opportunity targeter doesn't make things any better for those whom he targeted.

It appears to me that he's angry at people or life in general, and can't help himself from taking that anger out in malicious and physical ways (though in fairness to Cern, his attacks seem never to have progressed to outright assault).

As always, I could be wrong, just as I was wrong a few days ago.

Here is yesterday's report from Fox2Detroit, followed by a story on the earlier charges:
(WJBK) - Video inside the Divine Child church chapel in Dearborn led to fear and outrage after a man set off fireworks inside, burning a bible.
Police say the suspect, 42-year-old David Cerne, has a troubled history.
"He has 100 percent disability from the military," said Det. Brian Shafer, Inkster police. "We believe he's got some mental issues that are being dealt with right now."
Inkster police first came into contact with the Iraq war veteran last year in October. Cerne has been charged with third degree arson, malicious destruction of personal property and assault.
"In my interactions with him, he's always been very timid," Shafer said. "He appears to be maybe like an older child but he's very timid."
Records show Cerne in December was charged with 14 counts including ethnic intimidation and malicious destruction of personal property for spray painting cars with racial slurs and swastikas.
"He is not targeting anyone specific or special," said Shafer. "This is just something he randomly went through."
The court ordered a competency evaluation and Cerne was found competent and was released on bond.
"I know on that particular instance they were also trying to seek some help from the VA down at Third Circuit Court," Shafer said.
Neighbors in his west side Detroit neighborhood say Cerne lives there with his father.
One neighbor said he's seen Cerne throwing bullets into a neighbor's pool and another neighbor who doesn't want to be shown, says Cerne lit her garage on fire. Other neighbors are not surprised to hear about the recent incident.
"He didn't seem too friendly, he would just look at you kind of weird," said one neighbor.
Inkster police said last week on the same day he was seen in Dearborn, Cerne was also charged for attempting to set a home on fire near Spring Hill and Beach.
Police say a witness discovered what he was doing and Cerne was cooperative.
Now in custody back in court Wednesday, Inkster police say they're working with Dearborn and Detroit investigators.
"I don't want him to be a harm to people," Shafer said. "Nor do I want anyone to harm him. He served our country well and I think we should take care of him."
From Steve Neavling at Motor City Muckraker (January 9, 2017):
An Iraq war veteran accused of painting swastikas and racial slurs on a car, van and wall in Inkster was charged Monday with ethic intimidation and malicious destruction of property.
Prosecutors said David Cerne, 42, targeted Muslims living in an apartment building in Inkster. In one case, Cerne is accused of slashing tires and painting swastikas and the n-word on a car belonging to a Muslim man of Asian descent last week.
He’s also accused of scrawling, “Fuck you, N***er,” on a van.
Carne was in jail early Monday because he couldn’t afford the $150,000 bond.
His attorney Roman Ficaj suggested his client is mentally ill.
“He is addressing issues he may have regarding mental health,” Ficaj told Fox 2. “Hopefully we can put these allegations to rest and get him the help that he needs.”:

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Surveillance Video of Arab-Looking Man Setting Off Commercial-Grade Firecracker in Dearborn Adoration Chapel


Surveillance video caught the moment when a man entered the Adoration Chapel of the Church of the Divine Child in Dearborn, Michigan, took a bible from a shelf next to the door and set off on it what has been described as a "commercial-grade" firecracker, causing an explosion which must have seemed like bomb; two female parishioners run out in fear.

An as yet identified suspect in the incident has been arrested on other charges and is currently being interviewed by police.

The man in the video has been described as "white," which seems true, as far as it goes - he doesn't appear to be black.

But (to me, at least), he does look Arab-American.

Or maybe he's simply a balding atheist who likes wearing dark glasses and sandals.

Dearborn has a Muslim and/or Arab population of close to 50%. The police chief, Ronald Haddad, is a Christian Arab-American.

Here are two videos. The first is from surveillance cameras. The second is a report including a short interview with Church of the Divine Child Pastor James Bilot.




Friday, August 25, 2017

Milan's Il Giornale: "If the faithful would have decided, Bergoglio would now not be on the Chair of Saint Peter but in retirement in some parish in Buenos Aires."


The Pope of the People is steadily losing popularity among Italians for his pro-migrant stance.

Il Giornale, out of Milan is, I gather, one of the most influential conservative Italian dailies.

It has published a number of critical pieces on Pope Francis, often having to do with immigration.

In a recent op-ed, it's editor described Francis as a "Pope King, who is also a bit of a Marxist." The editorial was headlined, "The Pope-King's Coup."

Gloria TV reports (h/t Novus Ordo Watch):
The Italian daily "Il Giornale" published an op-ed by its editor-in-chief, Alessandro Sallusti, criticizing Pope Francis' push to grant citizenship to everybody born in Italy. Francis is fighting side by side with the Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, a [former] Communist. 
According to Sallusti, Francis, "holed up and protected in his city-state-fortress tells us that we have to welcome everybody unconditionally." 
Sallusti's question, "Is it possible to make a Pope King, who is also a bit of a Marxist, understand that in a democracy the citizens decide not the sovereigns or the cardinals?" 
He adds, "If the faithful would have decided, Bergoglio would now not be on the Chair of Saint Peter but in retirement in some parish in Buenos Aires." 
Sallusti further points out that the present Italian Prime Minister has no democratic legitimation, "That two unelected persons try to mark the future of Italy is indeed a dangerous thing." 
Of the 149 commentaries underneath the article not a single one is in favor of Francis.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Debate Flashback: When Al Gore Invaded George Bush's Personal Space


In an upcoming book, Hillary Clinton claims that in their final 2016 debate, Donald Trump invaded her personal space:
Do you stay calm, keep smiling and carry on as if he weren’t repeatedly invading your space? Or do you turn, look him in the eye, and say loudly and clearly ‘Back up you creep. Get away from me. I know you love to intimidate women, but you can’t intimidate me so back up.’ I chose option A. I kept my cool, aided by a lifetime of dealing with difficult men trying to throw me off.
The claim is, of course, ludicrous. Watch the video.

Commentators are already noting the irony of Mrs. Clinton's complaint, given that she's been married to a serial space invader, as it were, for 40+ years (see the cases of Juanita Broderick, Kathleen Willey, Paula Jones and others we will probably never know about).

In fairness, Trump's words in that debate were strong and aggressive, often personally so, though anyone following the primaries would know that this was Trump's M.O. in every primary debate, where his targets were other men.

Not including Marco, of course.

It's rich that a "feminist" like Clinton would imply that things should be different because she's a woman.

During the early primary race, I thought Trump's debate style was obnoxious and off-putting. Later, I came to think it was righteous and effective, or at least it was so in that debate with Clinton. I suspect his lively performance that night was one of the reasons why he won.

And now Hillary is whining that it was unfair.

But back to personal spaces. The most memorable personal space intrusion in modern debate history (indeed, it's the only one that I know of) was Al Gore striding up to George Bush in their final 2000 debate in St. Louis. I have no idea whether it was planned or even really intentional. But in any case, it backfired, with Bush feigning a funny surprised greeting at Gore's sudden looming appearance, eliciting a laugh out of the audience and an awkward grimace from Gore.


Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Tipoff from Spain Leads Police to Evacuate Rotterdam Rock Concert - Van with Spanish Plates, Loaded with Gas Canisters, Found Outside


Wednesday's Muslim terrorist incident of the day, in which casualties were avoided, has many elements of farce.

Rotterdam is known by some as one of the "Muslim capitals" of Europe, with a Muslim population of perhaps 25% or more, though some analysts suggest it may top 50% within the next few years.

The city has a Muslim mayor, though he appears to be relatively pro-Western. After the Charlie Hebdo attacks he said on live television that Muslim immigrants who do not appreciate Western freedoms can "pack your bags and f*** off." Confusingly, the mayor's last name is similar (to an English reader) to that of the terrorist driver in the recent Barcelona attacks.

The American Rock band playing the Maassilo venue, tonight, is named "Allah-Las," and, due to its name, has apparently come under criticism from Muslims in the past. (According to band members the name is an affectionate tribute to its music's Eastern influences.)

There seems to be a connection with Muslim terrorists in Spain, although authorities appear to differ on whether there is any link to the Barcelona attacks.

From the Daily Mail:
Spanish tip-off sparks Dutch terror alert: Rotterdam police cancel rock gig and arrest one man as van filled with GAS CANISTERS is found near concert venue
  • Allah-Las were due to perform at Maassilo venue in Rotterdam on Wednesday
  • But gig was canceled after tip-off from Spanish police about a terror attack
  • Officers swooped on the venue and found a van with Spanish licence plates filled with gas canisters sitting outside before arresting the driver
  • It comes six days after terrorists in Spain killed 15 in two vehicle attacks when their plan to build bombs out of gas canisters failed
A rock gig in Rotterdam has been canceled after a tip-off from Spanish police about a potential terror attack. 
Armed officers swooped on the Maassilo concert venue around 7pm and found a van with Spanish licence plates filled with gas canisters outside. 
The driver of the vehicle has been arrested, though Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutalebsaid it isn't yet clear whether the threat and the van were connected. 
It comes just under a week after terrorists in Spain killed 15 in two vehicle attacks after an attempt to create bombs using gas canisters failed. 
Police have since said the incident is not directly connected to the Spain attacks. The venue was cordoned off as a bomb squad was brought in to search the van.

A video from the scene shows several officers inside the back of the vehicle examining objects with flashlights.

It is not clear why the venue was targeted, but California band Allah-Las were due to play that evening. Their name has caused offense to Muslims in the past. 
A venue owner Turkey once called off a gig because he did not feel comfortable with the moniker which uses the Arabic word for God.

In an interview with The Guardian last year, the band said they chose the name simply because they wanted something 'holy sounding' and did not realise it would provoke such a strong reaction.

'We get emails from Muslims, here in the US and around the world, saying they’re offended, but that absolutely wasn’t our intention,' singer Miles Michaud said.

Images from outside the venue show officers surrounding the concert hall which has been taped off, as bemused members of the public leave the scene.

Allah-Las were escorted from the venue after the gig was called off, and guarded by officers on motorbikes as they drove away in van, it is reported.

The band said in a statement: 'In response to the police, we are forced to cancel the concert of Allah-Las tonight in the Maassilo.

'It does not make sense to come to the Maassilo. Sorry for the inconvenience, more information follows.'

The building has a total capacity of around 1,000 people. Allah-Las were supposed to share the bill with Dutch-Turkish group Altin Gün.

Thirteen people were crushed to death and more than 100 injured when terrorist Younes Abouyaquob drove a van down Las Ramblas in Barcelona last Thursday.

Abouyaaquob then stabbed another man to death as he stole his car and fled the scene, while a second attack by five more jihadis killed one woman and wounded another 16 people in the town of Cambrils.

All five Cambrils attackers were shot dead by police at the scene, while Abouyaaquob was shot dead in Subirats on Monday. Four more suspects were arrested and appeared in court on Tuesday.

In court documents, a judge said the dead men launched their attack after a bomb factory filled with gas canisters in the town of Alcanar exploded, killed the alleged plot mastermind and his assistant.

Police video released the same day showed officers searching the homes of the arrested suspects, where more gas canisters were found.

A chilling message posted by a pro-ISIS account later the same day warned of further attacks by terror cells still embedded inside Europe.

12 Propositions on the Afghanistan War

Farah City, Afghanistan

The only long-term solution to the problem of Islamic terrorism is to de-Islamicize the Middle-East (and, thus, I suppose, the rest of the world) - in the same way that we de-Nazified Germany after World War Two. Obviously, there is currently no political will to do this on the part of any Western government.

Short of that, there are still some things that we can do, although precisely which things we can do are by no means obvious. Clearly, what happens in Afghanistan is important. It is a sort of test case for fighting Islamic terrorism without targeting Islam. The only thing that is obvious (to me) is that the right policy on Afghanistan is not obvious.

President Trump's recent commitment to renew and continue the military fight in Afghanistan, involving a change in military strategy as well as a probable (small) troop surge, seems reasonable to me. But I could be wrong.

Here are twelve propositions on the Afghanistan War. Let me know if you agree/disagree with them.

  • "Winning" in Afghanistan means being able to leave without the country becoming a base for Islamic terrorism.
  • We will never be able to win in that sense.
  • This is because aggressive Islam - which is the soil that nourishes contemporary terrorism - remains the religion of the vast majority of the population, and we explicitly have no intention or plan to change that.
  • Though secularism appeared to be on the rise in Afghanistan, a few generations ago, there is no evidence that this trend will return again to any segment of the Islamic world, at least in the foreseeable future. In the 21st century, it's more likely that Western Europe will go de facto Muslim than that secularist momentum will return to the Islamic world.
  • Even though an Afghanistan victory in the conventional sense is impossible, that doesn't mean that military involvement is useless or inadvisable. As George Bush famously claimed, "it's better to fight them over there than to face them here." While this dictum may be misapplied, it is not false.
  • A corollary of the above is that a relatively low-level military commitment may be the best option. Just because more troops won't enable us to win doesn't mean that continuing to invest in a fight involving a relatively small number of troops - minimizing lives and materiel lost - is a bad idea.
  • That indefinite military involvement with no possible victory may still be in the national interest cannot be stated publicly by political leaders, (though many Americans may nevertheless understand and agree with it), or, at least, no American leader has tried to state it.
  • This is another reason why low-level involvement may be preferable - involvement on a larger scale will be more likely to lead to calls for withdrawal.
  • That continuing involvement in a small-scale war may actually be healthy for a military force as a whole - in terms of tactics, training and so on - is a reasonable proposition.
  • This also cannot be stated publicly by political leaders.
  • American withdrawal from Afghanistan will probably mean that Iran, Russia and/or Pakistan will attempt to fill the vacuum.
  • This might be, on net, in our national interest (they would be doing the fighting for us). Or it might not.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

In His Last Interview, Jerry Lewis Completely Destroys Annoying SJW "Journalist"


This utterly cringe inducing "interview" was apparently the last one Jerry Lewis ever gave. In it, he completely destroys Andy Lewis (no relation), a "journalist" from the Hollywood Reporter, who keeps obsessively asking annoying questions about Jerry Lewis' age (in fairness, Hollywood Reporter was doing a series on 90-year-old performers). Jerry Lewis gives one-word answers while pointedly glaring at the interviewer in contempt. Yet Andy Lewis forges on, digging himself ever deeper.

Who is Andy Lewis? His Twitter feed shows him to be an SJW cliche. Though he is associated with the Hollywood Reporter, there's almost nothing about Hollywood or film on the feed. Instead, 95% of his tweets are comprised of political hate - attack after attack on Donald Trump, his family, Christians, "Nazis" (anyone who disagrees with Andy Lewis's cliches), and so on and so forth. Many of his tweets and retweets feature obscenities. Then there's that ubiquitous "punch a Nazi" meme, which has of course been used to legitimize violence and censorship.

Based on the sound of his voice, I'm sure Andy Lewis couldn't punch himself out of a wet paper bag.

The video quickly went viral. And now, after Jerry Lewis' death, it appears to be going viral again.

True to form, Andy Lewis seems to think it's all about him, and even appears to be proud of his effort, especially as it was the Hollywood Reporter's most watched video up to that time. So, yesterday, he exploited Jerry Lewis's death to reveal the "inside story" of the embarrassing segment. "I did Jerry Lewis' last interview," he bragged. It is impossible to know whether anything he says about it is true. Jerry Lewis was tired, etc. And he's such a "tough interview," anyway, etc, etc.

That's odd, Jerry Lewis wasn't a tough interview here.

On the contrary, I think Jerry Lewis sensed that Andy Lewis was (apologies) a snotty little wuss, and reacted accordingly.

After someone else from the interview team finally gets Andy Lewis to stop - whispering, "okay we're finished" - Jerry Lewis stands up from his chair and says:

"Alright, clean it outta here."

I transcribed the interview, which picks up some of the tone. But I also recommend watching the video. It's probably the most awkward interview you will ever see.

But for those of us, middle-aged or older, who have always wanted to metaphorically punch a smirky millennial, it's damn righteous. 



Andy Lewis: Have you ever thought about retiring?

Jerry Lewis: Why?

AL: Was there never a moment that you thought it might be time to retire, or that you would want...

JL: Why?

AL: You come from, um, you come from a generation a little older, and I think of Bob Hope, George Burns, Sinatra, people you knew, many of whom didn't want to, uh, or never retired either, um, do you see similarities with them?

JL: None.

AL: None? What do you think drives people like you and them to want to keep working?

JL: Because we do it well.

AL: And how about, um, what, um, what's different about performing now for you than say 20 years ago how is it, how is it different for you?

JL: It isn't.

AL: Not not at all?

JL: Not at all.

AL: Have you made any, do you have to make any concessions to being, you know, older in your performing, or does it...how do you keep the material fresh for yourself?

JL: By working at it.

AL: You've had a number of health issues over the last few years as people of your age do...

JL: Anyone that's 90 does.

AL: Anyone that's 90. Does continuing to work, does that, does that actually help you get healthier, you know, does being sort of busy and engaged, do you think that's actually, helps you get, get healthier?

JL: No.

AL: Do you think it hurts, like do you think...

JL: No.

[Long pause]

AL: You've been been coming to Vegas for, uh, you lived here for a while, you've been coming here for a long time, how is Vegas different for you than when you first came here, what was the first time you, you performed in Vegas?

JL: 1947.

AL: What, can you tell me what, what Vegas was like when you first showed up?

JL: It's not, it's the same.

AL: It's, it's the same?

JL: Exactly the same.

AL: Like what, what is it about Vegas that you like, or what is it about, like how would you describe the place, like when you show up in 1947 what was it, it wasn't it a little bit of a dusty cow town, it was, what was it, what was it like?

JL: A dusty cow town.

AL: And you still think of it as a sort of dusty cow town?

JL: No.

AL: And how about, uh, is performing in Vegas now for you different than it was then, like, just either the mechanics or the size of it...

JL: Nope.

AL: Not at all? And how about, um, what's your audience like, you know, now, you're still performing, you're 90, what, what's your, what's your audience like, who are your, who are your fans, are they different than they, than they used to be?

JL: No. They're still the same.

AL: Even, but you must have younger fans, who...

JL: Some are younger.

AL: What do you think it is, you have in, that, that attracts you to younger fans, like, like how have you sort of maintained your, your audience over the years?

JL: You tell them you're playing there and they show up.

AL: And you, nothing different than that?

JL: No.

AL: How about you have a, you've had a long and distinguished career, do you have a favorite period of your career a, a part of your career you look back on as, as a moment when you were, um, a favorite, happiest or your most creative?

JL: What do you mean?

AL: Like is there a period in your career you look back on where you, that was your, your happiest time or your favorite time?

JL: When my partner was alive.

AL: When your partner was alive. So working with, with Dean Martin was that your favorite...

JL: Yup.

AL: Uh, part of your your career?

JL: Yup.

AL: What, what made that partnership work for you, like what was...

JL: I'll show you some material - you'll know.

AL: But if I'm not looking at the material, can you give me, like, a sense of, like, what, how it worked for you?

JL: It was terrific.

AL: And how about, you have any advice for young, young 80-year-olds about staying active at 90, just sort of...

JL: Get a day job.

AL: Get a day job. But you've never had a, you've never actually had a, quote, day job, you've been a performer your, your whole life, isn't that right?

JL: Mm-hmm.

AL: And you just, you just, um, did a movie a couple years ago, just is coming out, Max Rose, what was it like to step behind...

JL: What movie?

AL: Ah, Max Rose, right?

JL: Yeah, I'm glad you remembered it.

AL: Uh, what was it like performing again after not having done it for for more than a decade?

JL: It's great.

AL: But was it, is it like riding a horse, you never forget, what was it...

JL: You never forget.

AL: Was it, was it at all scary or intimidating to come to...

JL: Not at all.

AL: Not at all. And you enjoyed it. Would you do another movie?

JL: Absolutely. We're planning one now.

AL: For you to star in?

JL: Mm-hmm.

AL: And, are you also, I think I read that you're, you're also still writing some screenplays or doing work...

JL: Right.

AL: Is that right?

JL: Yup

AL: Is it, is it easier now to write a screenplay...

JL: No, just as hard.

AL: Just as hard. And how about, do you take some time you say to write, or how do you, you do it, in a dictaphone, how do you do...

JL: if I tell you, you'll be doing it.

AL: Heh heh heh.

JL: Heh heh heh [Imitates his laugh].

AL: Well I meant the sort of mechanics of it, do you actually, like, you write by hand or do you, you type it, how do you do it, you type it on the computer...

JL: Mm-hmm..

AL: And so what are your, you're on tour now, what else do you have, um, planned for, for this year, 90th year?

JL: Mm-hmm.

AL: You have anything else like...

JL: Yeah, but nothing we want to talk about.

AL: And so you've worked with a lot of, a lot of people over the years, what, you have a favorite story about, like, Dean or, or Frank Sinatra or somebody that you, that you worked with but you know, over the years that you like to share?

JL: No.

AL: Not at all?

JL: None.

AL: How would you, do you have an unfavorite story you'd like...

JL: Nope. Not, for this.

Voice off Camera: So I guess we're finished.

AL: Sure. Anything else you want to...

JL: No.

Voice off Camera: So we're finished.

AL: Sure.

Voice off Camera: Thank you.

JL: [Getting up from chair] Alright, clean it outta here.