John "Savage" Thompson

John "Savage" Thompson
Born :  March 18, 1950
Passed:  August 9, 2020

 Well…, he always said, “They’ll never take me alive”…, and there is no chance of it now.  He passed away of natural causes on August 9, 2020.  I thought 2020 was cruel and depraved and sadistic after the fire and all…, not to mention climate change…, COVID-19…, financial Armagedon.., and the political three ring circus running non-stop through this country…, yeah…, “clowns to the left of me…, jokers to the right…, stuck in the middle”… wish you were still here to help pilot me through this quagmire.

Whoever is calling the shots now days got this one completely wrong.  Not that it could not have happened at other times back down the road on some pretty wild rides.  And I was along on a few of them.  Did you notice the missing ring finger on his left hand on the photo above?  Yeah…, I was along on that ride.  

Happy Hour at The Clearwater Club is over…, we pile into his Mazda pickup with three of the wildest of the wild women…, it was a bit crowded and that caused a wide turn and little detour up over the wrong side of the road curb…, that a cop happened to witness and thought he ought  to investigate.  It was just two blocks to his parents house…, and we beat the cop there and Savage headed into Mom’s house…, thee Wild Woman…, who would spend the rest of her life with him .., stepped up and told the cop that it was her that piloted the Mazda up over wrong side of the curb and pulled into John Thompson’s Mom’s driveway.  OK.., this cop is a bit more Andy than he is Barney …, and says, “Look I am sure I saw John Thompson exit this vehicle and run towards the house…, “ and Jeannie says.., “No, no.., it was me.., “ .., and Mom arrives on the scene…, and Andy departs the scene grinning and shaking his head.

HOME FREE  !!!  Thunder Storm brewing…, and The Great Escape executed…. Somewhere near Zan’s Beach on the way to Weippe…, the storm cut loose …., and so did the traction on the Mazda…, and it didn’t seem like too bad a deal to be upright and perched atop a boulder battling the Clearwater River.  Seemed like a secure position at the moment…. , and nobody was injured…, so Savage was in the bed of the little truck gettting a suitcase…., and I thought it would be a good idea to get the bottle of R&R from under the seat in the cab.  I was about half way inside the cab on my stomach reaching under the seat when the little truck cut loose from the boulder.  It kind of catapulted me over the top of the rolling pickup on down into the river and I remember being on my hands and knees in the water and making a wild scramble to get out of the way of the little pickup rolling my way.  When I made it back up to the highway there was Savage…, with a missing finger.  A couple of friends from up on The Hill made a timely entrance and got us all to the hospital.

That wasn’t the first time we exchanged pleasantries between us in a hospital…, but I do believe it was the last.  The first was after the Blue Mountain Rock Festival at the University of Idaho in Moscow.  Yeah…, it must have been The Russians…, witnessing Savage taking a little nap during the festivities…, delivered a swift kick to the jaw.  The next day I stopped in at the hospital to listen to him talk through a wired shut mouth.  The other time it was he who took me to the hospital to get a split lip stitched up.  And well he should have…, he was the one who took us to the biker gang, Highwaymen’s Club House in Lewiston…, and by the time we left there…, with four of us in an old Dodge Power Wagon…, our driver decided to do a burn out from the stop sign before turning right on Snake River Avenue.  It took us by surprise and the momentum pushed that driver nearly out the door that was not properly secured…, hanging onto the steering wheel with one hand to keep from landing out on the street does not allow you to straighten out the turn…, and we crashed right into the rock wall.  We all kind of went our separate ways…, but managed to find our way back to Savage’s house in Clarkston, WA…., without my 10x Beaver Stetson cowboy hat I might add.  I didn’t think things were that bad…, the bleeding had pretty much stopped and we had opened up a new bottle of 100 proof Wild Turkey…, and after a few shots I let them take me to the hospital…, where my mustache got shaved for the only time in the last 40 some years.

Hey…, they weren’t all bat shit crazy adventures…, but when he bought the raft…, I went right down and bought a Stearns life vest…, and still have it.  But I never bought a parachute when he bought the hang glider…, and I never went along on any of those rides.  And I am glad that he had provided wet suits that spring day when we rafted the Irish Railroad Rapids of the North Fork of the Clearwater River.  As we scouted the rapids I told his drop dead gorgeous sister Ellen…, that she should position herself with her 35mm camera right below a big flat rock where the main channel was hitting hard…, I told her we would probably end up right on top of it.  Well…, we did slide right up there…, held steady for a moment…, and slide right back into the main channel…, and hit it with a little more force than I was prepared for.  It threw me right out of the raft…, but I managed to  grab the life line on the raft with my free hand…, and kept my beer upright with the other hand.  

Knowing the priorities…, Rob Christopherson saved my beer first…, then dragged me back into the raft.  And ever foxy Ellen has the pictures to prove it.  

Speaking of Ellen,,., reminds me of the Marshall Tucker Band concert in Pullman, WA that Savage secured tickets for me and her…, thank you brother…, many thanks indeed.  I just could not seem to secure a date with her on my own.

And another big thank you for coming all the way up to Weippe…, tracking me down and taking me to Troy, OR…, for The River Bottom Stomp.  Yeah…, when Credence Clearwater Revival broke up…, John Fogerty found the most isolated place that I have ever been…, and settled in.  But every year they held a little get together in Troy…, there were even Hollywood stunt men there doing flaming dives off the bridge over the Grand Ronde River and rockin’ all night.  I was never a CCR fan prior to that…, but I have been a Fogerty fan ever since.

I am not sure that I had really met “Savage”…, and never could figure out how he acquired that handle…, he was a lot more fun lovin’ and full of laughs and good humor than anything else…  but on the night of The Weippe Rodeo…, I got a little ahead of myself and had to take a little nap…, and a gal that I had admonished a few days before for waking me up on a work night and not performing as she should have…, woke me up again with intentions of making things right.  Well…, as we we headed for my bedroom.., we found it occupied by Savage and another female figure.  And not many weeks later after I knew him better he caught up with me at The Logger’s Lodge…, I was eating a cheeseburger…, in paradise…, and he says that he was just over at my place and the cops were there…,  asking questions.  Well…, I knew that there was some stuff there that I didn’t want discovered.., so I went to a friends house to spend the night.  We had to work the next day so I head to my place to suit up and build a lunch about four in he morning…, when I hear the gravel  crunching of a slow moving vehicle outside…, I peek out the window to see a F-ing cop car!  Well…, I have had some panic attacks in my day…, but if that isn’t the Oscar winner…, I don’t know what is.  I am sure you have all had to double flush a toilet…, and waiting for the bowl to fill back up can seem a little slow…, but when you are expecting the front door to be busted open by jack booted thugs…, time can literally stand still.  Well…, that door didn’t get busted down…, and my heart held up…, but some other stuff went needlessly down the drain.  Found out later that the boys living downstairs were the suspects…, they had robbed the local store for food…, my friend Jack Smith wrote a song about it…, “Weippe Hamburgers Don’t Turn Me On.”

One night up in Weippe we were  in the apartment of my cousin and her friend…, they had managed to ditch us…, can’t imagine why… but they hadn’t locked the door to their apartment…, and there we were…, Savage pulls out his 380 Walther and aims it at the door knob…, I am thinking he is bluffing…, I should have known better.  Well…, no more damage than that Belgein made Walther 380 made to that cheap door knob…, he graduated to a 9mm Smith & Wesson Model 59 with a 15 round clip soon after.

Probably a good thing that he didn’t have it when he and another guy got back from a logging gig in AK.  Yeah…, they had a bit of cash and hit Tacoma where some guys were brewing a concoction they called Mescaline…, that tested out to be LSD.  Well…, they did take him alive that night…, and when his partner made it back to Weippe and told the story…, I volunteered to drive back to Tacoma to help bail him out.  I didn’t have the money to bail him out…, his partner did…,but when they told him that if he waited until Savage appeared in court on Monday he would be release with a $25 fine instead of a $250 bail.  His partner opted for the $25 option…, I wish I would have had the money partner…, you would have come home with us.

RIP brother…, nah…, raise a little hell…, a lot of hell…, it will make it easier for me to track you down…, and you won’t have any trouble recognizing me…, I will be the guy in my dear old Dad's 7x Beaver Stetson  cowboy hat..., with the orange Stearns life jacket on..., lookin' for another ride!!!

"I got this old black leather jacket. Got this pack of Marlboro reds.
Got this stash here in my pocket. Got these thoughts in my own head.
I'm gonna run until I have to walk, until I have to crawl.
Got this moment that I'm living in and nothing else at all.

"Play a train song, pour me one more round.
Make 'em leave my boots on; on the day they lay me down.
I am a runaway locomotive, out of my one-track mind.
Play a train song. Play a train song."

I am sure he had his boots on..., Whites no doubt..., 

Ruminations - 2020

Well..., you can’t say I didn’t warn you to hold on tight three years ago..., when I last updated The Blog.  And it is damn good thing I took my own advise to heart.  These last three years have been quite the rides around the sun..., let me tell you. 

From a personal perspective it appears to be one speed bump after another.  In December of 2017 I took Julie to Bremerton for what was supposed to be a minor surgery..., as I was out in the waiting room the doctor came out and said there were some major issues and she would be in the hospital for a while.  I didn’t even have a tooth brush or razor with me..., I had to buy those and get a motel room.  She ended up spending four days in the Intensive Care Unit.  We didn’t own a cell phone (still don’t) and I had to borrow a cell phone from someone at the hospital to call the job supervisor and say, “I don’t know when I will be back”.  And the gals running the Motel 6 flipped a switch for me so I could make some long distance calls to let some folks know what was going on.  If I had had my address book with me I could have alerted a few more people. 

A few lessons were learned from that one..., the most important..., was the importance of medical insurance.  When they send you a statement they make sure to remind you of that fact..., they show you in 20 point font what it would have cost you without it.  Over $378,000. 

Even if we only had to pay the price the insurance was charged..., under half price..., it would have been financially devastating for us.  A lot of folks out at the job ask me when I will be retiring..., with an air of, “Shouldn’t an old fart like you be put out to pasture already?”  I have a copy of the insurance statement on my desk and tell them I won’t be retiring until Julie is old enough to get on Medicare.  That will be a couple more years down the road for sure..., now that Bernie has dropped out of the Presidential campaign.  Not too likely that we would get Medicare for All even if he had been elected..., too many politicians..., from both parties..., are raking in too much money from those health insurance companies that are raking in billions to see that happen.

And don’t believe for a minute that those health insurance companies will be hurt by this COVID-19 debacle.  Since Obama Care was enacted they are operating virtually on a cost plus agenda.  They are guaranteed a profit margin..., so the more money they have to spend..., the more money they get to make by raising cost of their plans.  And after all the bluff that the Republicans spewed with vote after vote to repeal Obama Care while the Democrats were in control and all the bluster from The Chump that one of his first priorities would be to repeal it..., when they had the chance with control of the Executive, House and Senate..., it didn’t happen..., see above..., too many politicians are raking in too much money from those health insurance companies to see that happen.  It is all a big money game..., and the big money is literally flowing out..., again..., to rescue the mighty corporations while they sit on their asses..., and our asses are ordered to stay home and wait for a check that might cover the rent..., for a month...,  if we are lucky.

Yeah..., keep on hanging on.  According to Google...,  “In 2017, 335 natural disaster affected over 95.6 million people, killing an additional 9,697 and costing a total of US $335 billion.” “In 2018, there were 315 natural disaster events recored with 11,804 deaths, over 68 million people affected and US $ 131.7 billion in economic losses across the world.”  “In 2019, there were a total of 409 natural disasters events worldwide.”  Hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, heat waves, droughts, flooding, earthquakes, tsunamis, melting polar icecaps, warming and acidifying oceans, coral reef bleaching, fresh water shortage, global warming and climate change are raging..., and nothing is being done about it.

What’s in store for the 2020’s?  I hope our personal experience isn’t a harbinger.  Yeah..., on 1/31/20 I pulled into the driveway of The Ranch after a day at the job..., to see the double wide afire. 

I can’t blame that on The Chump or Climate Change..., or maybe I can.  The Chump denies it..., and the storm that caused the generator to be started because of the power outage could be Climate Change related.  But no need to dwell on that..., it is what it is.  The place didn’t burn to the ground..., we saved a lot of stuff..., my computers, my guns, art work, too many books and record albums, lots of clothes..., but the place is not fixable and The Saddle Bar(n) is now crammed full of that “stuff”.   No human or animal casualties..., thankfully.  We had a little stash of money that enabled us to buy a small camper trailer and we are getting by just fine..., wondering what the future will bring us next. 

One thing that I am sure of is that we won’t have The Chump to kick around much longer.  I have commented to several friends on Facebook not to worry when they say that he will get re-elected.  No matter how hard the Doofus Democrats try to give it away..., and good gosh they are doing everything they can..., short of running Hillary again.  And don’t be shocked if they replace babbling Joe Biden with her..., or if she gets chosen as Vice President running mate for The Babbler.  Yeah..., even Hillary would win against The Chump this time.  She won the popular vote by nearly three million votes last time..., and all the folks that stayed out of the voting booths because they could not stomach a vote for her and because all the polls and pundits said she was a sure thing last time will be out there voting against The Chump this time.  The Chump may not have lost any supporters..., even after needlessly killing a lot of folks by waffling  on the COVID-19 response until the situation was so dire, even he could no longer deny it..., yeah they still love and support him.  But he hasn’t gained any new supporters and he has earned the wrath of many who just thought he was a doofus and a joke.

Speaking of COVID-19..., the delayed response and failure to isolate and contain it early on led to an explosion of infections that was indeed scary.  In the beginning the number of positive cases in the U.S. was doubling about every four days and increasing nearly 20% every 24 hours.  The number of deaths in 24 hours was doubling every three days and increasing at a rate of 36%.  With numbers like that it is easy to see why alarm bells were ringing and the projections were for millions of deaths in America alone.  But it has tapered off immensely..., as of 5/1/20..., about a month later..., it is taking almost 25 days to double the number of positive cases and they are increasing at just a 3% clip.  The deaths are taking 21 days to double and increasing at a 3% rate.  This trend is most definitely a good sign..., that isn’t getting much attention.  Here's a link  https://www.ianwelsh.net/may-1st-us-covid-data/  The media like to report just the numbers..., “2000” deaths a day the headlines scream!  Don’t get me wrong..., that is bad..., but not nearly so bad as it would be if the initial numbers had continued in the manner they started out at.  And a couple days in late  April only recorded 1000 deaths. It is debatable whether the “lockdown” has actually been the cause of this trend..., I tend to side with those who say it was unnecessary and ineffective.  Mike Whitney says  http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/55111.htm 

The lockdown was conjured up by made-for-TV infectious disease experts who based their recommendations on the results of discredited computer models that don’t square with reality. In short, their calculations were wrong, thus, the policy they cobbled together, is also wrong. This is not a liberal vs conservative issue.  This is not a Democrat vs Republican issue. The issue is whether policy should be shaped by data and science or by fake computer models and the relentless fear-mongering of the media. That is the heart of the matter.

    ...

The virus isn’t something we choose or don’t choose, and it’s certainly not something that can be avoided by bolting the door and hiding under the bed. There are only two paths to immunity: Vaccine or the natural immune response of antibodies. That’s it! There is no third path. Self quarantine is not a solution, at best it’s a temporary fix.  Eventually, everyone will have to emerge from their respective spider-holes and reenter the real world. What other choice is there?

The social distancing certainly helps..., we have known that for years just from dealing with cold and flu virus..., but the masks are really only necessary if you are around someone infected or if you yourself are infected.  I know..., you never know who might have it or even if you might have it yourself..., but if you don’t get close enough to let people drool on you..., you shouldn’t be in too much danger.  Yeah..., take some common sense precautions if you are healthy..., and more precaution if you are at risk..., but I don’t believe that there is reason to panic or carry things too far.  The thinking that we can keep this lockdown and mask up routine going  until they find a vaccine is pie in the sky hopium.  We have never found a vaccine for the common cold virus and we won’t find a miracle cure for this one.  Keep in mind that this virus didn’t “wipe out” any cruise ships or nursing homes..., the survivors significantly out numbered the deaths..., so there is some kind of immunity in our bodies that can be tapped..., and it looks to me like that immunity is being spread.  Let’s hope that it is spreading faster than the virus.  

We must not forget about the financial-economic situation that this COVID-19 calamity has “caused”..., bullshit..., I call bullshit.  It is a a “God send” I am sure Goldman Sachs is saying..., something to blame the the meltdown on.  In 2008 Goldman and all the other To Big to Fail Banks and Wall Street were bailed out and given a new lease on life by the Federal Reserve and the bought and paid for politicians..., with not so much as a reprimand or corrective action taken.  In fact..., nothing was done to insure that this would never happen again.  Well..., here we are..., with another bailout that literally dwarfs the 2008 one.  And me and you are still waiting for $1200 “stimulus checks” to see us through a stay home with no income lockdown and a make your own mask pandemic..., while the plutocrats are raking in $billions.  Yeah..., and to pay for it..., our taxes will be transferred from safely net programs to million and billioniers to pay for their tax cuts.  Who needs food stamp money when we can give it to rich bastards that know how to put the money to good use..., by buying back stocks, paying out dividends to stock holders and “compensating” CEO’s and other executives for screwing over the hired help?  

Well..., I guess that is about enough for now..., hope you are fairing a bit better than us.  We will keep plugging along..., for as long as they let us.  Oh..., and don’t forget to hang on tight..., this ride is going to be one to remember.