Yes. I know. I am sorry. IT is almost two months into the new year but I have put together some sort of list of my favorite albums of 2008. I am not too into lists of this type and find it sort of silly that we always seem to have to come up with lists like this to quantify different commercial arts.
I also must say that I am in no way saying that these are the best albums of the year but happen to be the twenty albums of last year that at the moment of time where I made this list happened to be the albums that I liked at the time that I have heard this year. It could change tomorrow. It might not.
My main goal of this post is that hopefully you might discover a band you have not heard of before and check them out. Maybe it or future albums by these artists will find your way into a top ten list in your near future.
I will post albums 20-11 today and then at a later time albums 10-1. But first three albums from last year I recently got that I have not had time to properly digest. Maybe with more time they could crack the top 20.
Fucked Up-The Chemistry of Common Life
Gaslight Anthem-The '59 Sound
Atmosphere-When Life Gives You Lemons, Paint That Shit Gold
20) Cut Copy -In Ghost Colors
Kind of like an 80's pop album with modern sensibilities. A pretty strong release but there are songs I do not care for.
Top Songs: Out There On The Ice, Hearts On Fire, So Haunted
19) These New Puritans-Beat Pyramid
These Brits? have the post punk vibe going on. Most of the songs are very angular and bouncy while the lead singer has a very skittish voice. There are also a lot of slower songs which add some time to breath. My only problem with the album is that it doesn't flow well since there are a couple tracks that seem to be filler and don't really add anything.
Top Songs: Numerology, C 16+-, Swords of Truth
18) Vampire Weekend -Self Titled
I'm sure everyone knows these guys. Four liberal arts majors who love wearing sweaters. They make some catchy tunes though. It has been described as Afro-Pop which I say is a fair description. I recommend it with a warning that it all starts to bleed together after a while.
Top Songs- Oxford Coma, Campus, Walcott, Cape Code Kwassa Kwassa
17) Anti-Flag - The Bright Lights of America
I as worried when this album came out since they said it was their experimental album. Luckily in the punk world that means maybe adding an instrument or two to a couple songs and maybe a child choir. Their lyrics are still a little slogany but at least they are singing about some important issues.
Top Songs- The Modern Rome is Burning, Spit in the Face, Good and Ready
16) The Mae Shi - Hillyh
They write punky songs that are catchy as hell that sound like they came from a Nintendo game. Just got into them not too long ago and if that wasn't the case this could be higher up on my list.
Top Songs- Young Marks, Run To Your Grave, Kingdom Come, The Melody
15) The Presets - Apocolypso
A fun little dance album that has some catchy beats. The singer took some warming up to but once I did I was quite surprised by how much I liked this album. Maybe a good way to describe the album is if the lead singer of Joy Division was still around and was in New Order.
Top Songs: This Boy's In Love, Together, Yipyo-Ye
14) Baskervilles - Twilight
I don't know where I found out about this band since I can't find any information about them. They remind me a little bit of Vampire Weekend but they have a female singer as well. I think their arrangements are more exciting than Vampire Weekend and a little bit more chilled out.
Top Songs: Sweet and Sour, Where Did My Summer Go, Caught in a Crosswalk
13) Love Is All - A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night
I really like this album a lot. Catchy as hell and the girls voice really sucks you in. There is a lot of energy on this album with some cool guitar riffs.
Top Songs: Movie Romance, Give It Back, Sea Sick
12) Ponytail - Ice Cream Spiritual
This is some crazy shit to say the least. God knows what the lead singer is singing about but she sounds like she is having a good time. There are some Prog Rock elements to be found i this album that could sway some people away. It might be a little too crazy for some but I really dig the organized chaos. There are not many songs on this album but what there is sure packs a punch.
Top Songs: Sky Drool, Beg Waves, Celebrate The Body Electric
11) Q-Tip - The Renaissance
A very fine rap album. I always liked Q-Tip back when he was in tribe do to his smooth flow. There is nothing too exciting on this album but it is a smooth enjoyable disc with more mellow than most rap found today.
Top Songs: We Fight/Love, Gettin Up, Move, You
10-1 to follow soon along with honorable mentions.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Get ready for the new awesome record from Goro Shimura
Found this on the Avclub (a totally awesome site where I say you should browse regularly). I thought i would post it on here so you could check it out.
New meme: here's a totally random way to make your new random band's new random album cover. Post one! Go to “Wikipedia.” Hit “random” and the first article you get is the name of your band. Then go to “Random Quotations” and the last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album. Then, go to Flickr and click on “Explore the Last Seven Days” and the third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
Goro Shimura
they don't have a J.O.B.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentines Day. Seriously.
It is Valentines Day. I am about to go out to the bar right now. I thought I would just post on here on of the greatest songs dealing with love I know. Enjoy Lagwagon. the song is called Violins
Why I'll Never Find True Love (And This Is Not Because It Is Valentines Day
Valentine's Day might be my favorite day out of the whole calender year. Well actually it might be number three right behind Boxing Day and Taco Night at the Bungelow. Valentine's Day is every one's favorite holiday for both retailers and consumers. The stores get to sell flowers and cards, girls get them as gifts, and in the words of the great philosopher and sage Fred Durst the guy might get some nookie, because hey lets admit it, that was what guys are doing it for. It might be a fair guess that Hallmark has gotten more people laid than Levitra.
I'm sure to most of the people reading this post would be shocked, especially after looking at the picture of myself from my profile page, that I do not have a Valentine's this year. I would usually find this to be no big deal but this year I'm starting to think otherwise. I mean I'm a nice looking young man with disposable income who can stomach whatever lame romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan is currently out in the theater.And if I don't have a Valentine how would I ever expect to find my true love. After much introspection I have finally realized why I stand no chance of finding my true love and it is not for my lack of a Valentines. The answer is rather simple. I don't have my own reality show.
This might be easy to dismiss but lets look at the facts. True people were getting married before reality show appeared on television but I'm sure none of those relationships were based on love. How could they be? They aren't real. Anything that is not televised whether it be on basic cable, premium channels, or the networks just is not real. Hence not true love.
All kidding aside I watch these shows and the things that some of the contestants go through to try to win the heart of Tila Tequila or the big boobed blond twins or Flava Flav. These contestants can only complete these tasks if they are truly in love with whatever former celebrity happens to be on whatever reality show they are on.
Take the clip from above. Those people love Tila so much they are willing to debase themselves in a cage and gyrate for her pleasure. All because they are truly in love with her. Heck I remember the one episode where Tila made the contestants eat a pig's vagina to see who was going to win her heart. I mean seriously, how am I supposed to know if a woman is truly in love with me unless I know that she is willing to eat a pig's vagina?
But I have also watched enough reality shows to understand that you do not always find true love on every television show you are on. Some of these reality stars take two or three seasons to find their true love. Case in point look at the famous singer Bret Michaels from the band Why Did Anyone Ever Buy Our Records. First of all it is understandable why he would need a reality show. He is a huge rock and roll star who has traveled the world and parties all the time; where is he ever going to meet women? But this is Brett's third season and he still hasn't found true love. And if someone like Brett Michaels can't find true love even though he has his own reality show, what chances does a guy like myself have?
So next year I hope to have at least a Valentine but the prospect is not looking good for me since I don't have any of the television networks getting into contact with me about having my own reality show. I guess I could always be a contestant on one of these reality shows but I don't know if that is the right way to go for someone like me. I just don't know if I could do something like eat a pig's vagina seeing as it is a little debasing.
(For Valentine's Day cards, flowers, and tacos are all things Chris would like to receive).
I'm sure to most of the people reading this post would be shocked, especially after looking at the picture of myself from my profile page, that I do not have a Valentine's this year. I would usually find this to be no big deal but this year I'm starting to think otherwise. I mean I'm a nice looking young man with disposable income who can stomach whatever lame romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan is currently out in the theater.And if I don't have a Valentine how would I ever expect to find my true love. After much introspection I have finally realized why I stand no chance of finding my true love and it is not for my lack of a Valentines. The answer is rather simple. I don't have my own reality show.
This might be easy to dismiss but lets look at the facts. True people were getting married before reality show appeared on television but I'm sure none of those relationships were based on love. How could they be? They aren't real. Anything that is not televised whether it be on basic cable, premium channels, or the networks just is not real. Hence not true love.
All kidding aside I watch these shows and the things that some of the contestants go through to try to win the heart of Tila Tequila or the big boobed blond twins or Flava Flav. These contestants can only complete these tasks if they are truly in love with whatever former celebrity happens to be on whatever reality show they are on.
Take the clip from above. Those people love Tila so much they are willing to debase themselves in a cage and gyrate for her pleasure. All because they are truly in love with her. Heck I remember the one episode where Tila made the contestants eat a pig's vagina to see who was going to win her heart. I mean seriously, how am I supposed to know if a woman is truly in love with me unless I know that she is willing to eat a pig's vagina?
But I have also watched enough reality shows to understand that you do not always find true love on every television show you are on. Some of these reality stars take two or three seasons to find their true love. Case in point look at the famous singer Bret Michaels from the band Why Did Anyone Ever Buy Our Records. First of all it is understandable why he would need a reality show. He is a huge rock and roll star who has traveled the world and parties all the time; where is he ever going to meet women? But this is Brett's third season and he still hasn't found true love. And if someone like Brett Michaels can't find true love even though he has his own reality show, what chances does a guy like myself have?
So next year I hope to have at least a Valentine but the prospect is not looking good for me since I don't have any of the television networks getting into contact with me about having my own reality show. I guess I could always be a contestant on one of these reality shows but I don't know if that is the right way to go for someone like me. I just don't know if I could do something like eat a pig's vagina seeing as it is a little debasing.
(For Valentine's Day cards, flowers, and tacos are all things Chris would like to receive).
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Everything I ever needed to know about human rationale and personal relations I learned from a single scene from Independence Day.
For some strange reason that eludes the movie Independence Day has been on basic cable almost constantly over the last couple months. I mean it is on almost every channel I swear; TNT, Bravo, TBS, BET, Verses. I did not really care for the movie then nor do I now.
I remember seeing that movie in the theaters when it originally came out years ago. There were two things about the movie that pissed me off (besides that it existed). The first one was that all it took for the people of the world to unite and work together was the mass extermination of the human race as a species by an extraterrestrial threat that was leap years beyond the people of earth in both terms of technological know how and strategic capability. I hope this thought makes you sleep well at night as it does me. Though I'm sure the minute after Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith lit up their stogies and Goldblum finally won the acceptance of the President by implementing a virus into the mother ship to drop the defensive shields that protected the martians from our ineffective weapons that Israel continued to illegally create more settlements on the Gaza Strip while The United States tried to put missiles in Poland to piss off Russia. I guess for the whole we are the world feeling to kick in again we'll have to wait for Independence Day 2 which I'm sure will involve some sort of asteroid slowly making it way to the earth that will obliterate all civilization as we know it.
The other thing that I remember about the movie Independence was the whole scene where the aliens finally decided to obliterate various parts of the earth with their high tech martian death rays. What we the viewers get to see is millions of people dieing what I can only guess are quick painless deaths. The particular scene that pissed me off was towards the end of all the death and destruction and I'm sure you will remember it to. It was the scene where Vivica Fox's character and her son have to run from their car to escape their impending doom. They are able to break open a door in some sort of tunnel(!) so they can live to be reunited with Will Smith (was it worth it)? Wait one second though because Max the family dog is doing what most dogs do; standing around like a fucking idiot on the street while a wall of fire is rapidly approaching him. Luckily Vivica Fox's tears must smell of kibble so the dog was able to jump in through the door and barely escape a horrible, fiery death.
What I remember really pissing me of at the time was that the whole theater applauded in unison when the screen faded to black and the dog was safe. I for one did not clap because of two reasons. The first reason being I'm not a fucking toddler. The second reason is that I find it hard to clap when millions of people are whipped off the face of the earth in a nanosecond while one dog escapes! Are we serious as a society? Did anyone clap when Vivica Fox's character and her little kid were safe? I don't think so. What does this say about us a society that we value animals more than we do human life. I can bet that if something like this happened there would have been less clapping and more people demanding their money back.
Hey. I do like dogs. I swear I do. I have even had some as a pet. You would be surprised that I even got sad when they died. But I think it says something about who we are as a society that we get upset about cruelty to animals but don't really get too concerned about the quality of life or suffering of are fellow human beings.
And I know what you are saying. "Webby you are full of shit. Independence day is just a movie. You're point sucks." I know it is just a movie. I only recently learned that it wasn't based on a true story like Spaceballs was. Let me remind you of a recent event and how you felt about it in relation to other events around the world.
Remember the Michael Vick case? I'm sure you do because it was all over the news. He is now in jail for federal charges related to his involvement in a dog fighting ring. Yes I know that dog fighting is a vicious and inhuman activity. I know it is particularly egregious since the dogs really have no choice in the matter involving their participation in such an event. How outraged were you? You had a right to be.
Now take into account the amount of people in this country who don't have health care. Statistics say that around 46 million people do not have health care insurance. How do you think their quality of life is? How about our soldiers who fought over in Iraq who lost their lives, limbs, or their mind? How outraged does that make you especially considering the way the war was sold to the American people and managed by those in charge? How about the vast number of Iraqis who have either been killed in the occupation or the millions who have been forced to leave their homes and their countries. How about the thousands of people who died in the Gaza Strip recently. How about are homeless situation? The exploitation of children in third world countries?
I think it says something about are culture and us as Americans when we get more worked up about dogs than we do each other. I would blame the media for pumping up the Vick dogfighting story but I think the American people are more culpable in this situation because the media are only providing what they think the American people want.
I understand why the deaths of some dogs get people more worked up. They are seen as innocent entities and they are cute to boot. Admitely is easy to get worked up about it and people should. I just wish it was easier for people to get as outraged about something like the Michael Vick situation as it it is to get pissed off about the suffering and death of their fellow man. This planet might be a better place. And maybe it wouldn't take an alien invasion and our threatened extinction by an interplanetary enemy to unite the people of earth. Or even worse another horrid we are the world song. Talk about human suffering!
(And I do love dogs honestly. But I should disclose that to keep my youthful appearance I drink the blood of kittens while bathing in the blood of golden retrievers.)
I remember seeing that movie in the theaters when it originally came out years ago. There were two things about the movie that pissed me off (besides that it existed). The first one was that all it took for the people of the world to unite and work together was the mass extermination of the human race as a species by an extraterrestrial threat that was leap years beyond the people of earth in both terms of technological know how and strategic capability. I hope this thought makes you sleep well at night as it does me. Though I'm sure the minute after Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith lit up their stogies and Goldblum finally won the acceptance of the President by implementing a virus into the mother ship to drop the defensive shields that protected the martians from our ineffective weapons that Israel continued to illegally create more settlements on the Gaza Strip while The United States tried to put missiles in Poland to piss off Russia. I guess for the whole we are the world feeling to kick in again we'll have to wait for Independence Day 2 which I'm sure will involve some sort of asteroid slowly making it way to the earth that will obliterate all civilization as we know it.
The other thing that I remember about the movie Independence was the whole scene where the aliens finally decided to obliterate various parts of the earth with their high tech martian death rays. What we the viewers get to see is millions of people dieing what I can only guess are quick painless deaths. The particular scene that pissed me off was towards the end of all the death and destruction and I'm sure you will remember it to. It was the scene where Vivica Fox's character and her son have to run from their car to escape their impending doom. They are able to break open a door in some sort of tunnel(!) so they can live to be reunited with Will Smith (was it worth it)? Wait one second though because Max the family dog is doing what most dogs do; standing around like a fucking idiot on the street while a wall of fire is rapidly approaching him. Luckily Vivica Fox's tears must smell of kibble so the dog was able to jump in through the door and barely escape a horrible, fiery death.
What I remember really pissing me of at the time was that the whole theater applauded in unison when the screen faded to black and the dog was safe. I for one did not clap because of two reasons. The first reason being I'm not a fucking toddler. The second reason is that I find it hard to clap when millions of people are whipped off the face of the earth in a nanosecond while one dog escapes! Are we serious as a society? Did anyone clap when Vivica Fox's character and her little kid were safe? I don't think so. What does this say about us a society that we value animals more than we do human life. I can bet that if something like this happened there would have been less clapping and more people demanding their money back.
Hey. I do like dogs. I swear I do. I have even had some as a pet. You would be surprised that I even got sad when they died. But I think it says something about who we are as a society that we get upset about cruelty to animals but don't really get too concerned about the quality of life or suffering of are fellow human beings.
And I know what you are saying. "Webby you are full of shit. Independence day is just a movie. You're point sucks." I know it is just a movie. I only recently learned that it wasn't based on a true story like Spaceballs was. Let me remind you of a recent event and how you felt about it in relation to other events around the world.
Remember the Michael Vick case? I'm sure you do because it was all over the news. He is now in jail for federal charges related to his involvement in a dog fighting ring. Yes I know that dog fighting is a vicious and inhuman activity. I know it is particularly egregious since the dogs really have no choice in the matter involving their participation in such an event. How outraged were you? You had a right to be.
Now take into account the amount of people in this country who don't have health care. Statistics say that around 46 million people do not have health care insurance. How do you think their quality of life is? How about our soldiers who fought over in Iraq who lost their lives, limbs, or their mind? How outraged does that make you especially considering the way the war was sold to the American people and managed by those in charge? How about the vast number of Iraqis who have either been killed in the occupation or the millions who have been forced to leave their homes and their countries. How about the thousands of people who died in the Gaza Strip recently. How about are homeless situation? The exploitation of children in third world countries?
I think it says something about are culture and us as Americans when we get more worked up about dogs than we do each other. I would blame the media for pumping up the Vick dogfighting story but I think the American people are more culpable in this situation because the media are only providing what they think the American people want.
I understand why the deaths of some dogs get people more worked up. They are seen as innocent entities and they are cute to boot. Admitely is easy to get worked up about it and people should. I just wish it was easier for people to get as outraged about something like the Michael Vick situation as it it is to get pissed off about the suffering and death of their fellow man. This planet might be a better place. And maybe it wouldn't take an alien invasion and our threatened extinction by an interplanetary enemy to unite the people of earth. Or even worse another horrid we are the world song. Talk about human suffering!
(And I do love dogs honestly. But I should disclose that to keep my youthful appearance I drink the blood of kittens while bathing in the blood of golden retrievers.)
I am on Blogger Now!. Which is obvious.
Hello people on Blogger. I have decided to jump head first blind folded into the deep end onto Blogger!
I left LiveJournal and have taken residence here. I have taken the liberty of taking some of my old post from the Livejournal and posting them on here. Some of them are missing videos so it could be a little confusing. Most of them bash the Republican Party and George W. Bush in particular if you remember who that guy was.
I plan on trying to post more on here than I did the previous one. It will probably be less political than the last one. I try to write in essay form and tend to stay away from the grind which is my life.
Anyways I hope you read this blog because lets face it that is why it exist. Also I would like to hear your feedback/comments/crazy thoughts and would love to check out your blog.
I left LiveJournal and have taken residence here. I have taken the liberty of taking some of my old post from the Livejournal and posting them on here. Some of them are missing videos so it could be a little confusing. Most of them bash the Republican Party and George W. Bush in particular if you remember who that guy was.
I plan on trying to post more on here than I did the previous one. It will probably be less political than the last one. I try to write in essay form and tend to stay away from the grind which is my life.
Anyways I hope you read this blog because lets face it that is why it exist. Also I would like to hear your feedback/comments/crazy thoughts and would love to check out your blog.
Newt Gingrich and Porp 8
Wow. This is a long convoluted story that has a ton of background that I hope I can breeze by. Sure it might sound sexy because it involves gay marriage, Newt Gingrich, and Bill O Reilly. No Newt and Bill-O are not going to catch an Amtrak regional up to Connecticut to exchange their vows in some sort of No Spin ceremony because I’m pretty sure Newt is still totally in love with his third wife but you can thank me for putting the mental image of these two very old traditional warriors giving each other a reach around in some grimy bathroom stall minutes before going on television to talk about compassionate conservatism.
As I’m sure most people reading this entry are aware of Proposition Eigh
t that was present on the California Ballot. The proposition passed by a majority vote, which meant that same sex marriage was made against the law. People who supported the Proposition said this was a referendum on traditional marriage and were trying to preserve it. Opponents of the Proposition said that it stripped civil rights away from a minority group. I say, metaphors aside, that the passage of Prop 8 was a pretty dick move.
Newt Gingrich, the man who ushered in the Republican majority in the 1990’s with his Contract With America went on the O’Rielly Factor on Fox News not too long ago to talk discuss the protesters who were rightfully pissed off about the passage of this Proposition. Again I am totally jumping a head of myself and you deserve more background.
The main reason that this Proposition passed was because the individuals that supported and voted yes on the Proposition in California were better organized and enjoyed a huge lead in what was the fundraising battle until days before the ballets opened. Unfairly or not after the Proposition passed many people blamed the Mormon Church because their congregants donated a lot of money to the cause. There were also some back and forth ads during the campaign which created some bad blood between both groups.
Cut to a couple weeks ago and the gay marriage supporters had protests across the United States. Sure most of it was peaceful but with any mass movement there were some rather goofy individuals who went a little over board. There is video of some protesters disturbing a church service and it was reported that some old lady who supported Prop Eight had her cross ripped away from her and stomped on (why she had a huge cross is something that I don’t really understand. Was it B.Y.O.C. to the local Crucifixion at her local park)?
Which brings up Newt’s quote from the No Spin Zone: "I think there is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence, to use harassment. I think it is prepared to use the government if it can get control of it. I think that it is a very dangerous threat to anybody who believes in traditional religion."
It is important to remember this quote. Newt Gingrich's critical thinking process is about a step above a magic eight ball. IF he was on another program where the host was not to agree with Newt in regards to his theory on the “gay secular fascism” that is present in this country maybe I would not have to write a blog post about this subject. Most of the people who are to actually believe that Newt is some great scholar either don’t know the history behind him or will not employ any basic logic to see through the mountain of bullshit that he spews here.
I don’t want to go off on how all the ills of society are derived from religion but look at the Mormon Church. I am pretty sure by donating over twenty million dollars and picketing on the street they are proposing their will on America as well which is their constitutional right by the way. But if this were truly a free society gay people should have equal rights in regards to marriage. Religious people; don’t go to a gay marriage and don’t have them get married in your church. But Newt, don’t come out and say that the gay fascists are imposing their will while letting those who want to impose their religious ideology on others off the hook. They are going the same thing as the those you labeled the gay fascists. But Newt that would be intellectually honest unlike your campaign to dupe your followers into believing that drilling for oil offshore would immediately reduce the price of oil (Wow Newt, again gas went down and how much of it was from that oil that we got off our shores).
I really wish to end this blog here but since Newt just pisses me off more than the forty five minutes of the movie Napoleon Dynamite I was able to stay awake through but I will keep on going.
Newt is also worried about the gay crowd preparing to use government to get control of it (it, in this case, I guess equal right for gays). Well Newt I’m sure you’re familiar with the notion of separation of church and state but I’m sure you do not have a problem how the fundamentalists Christians have used the government to implement policy they want to subjugate all of us to like having doctors read statements to woman that are untrue to woman who are thinking about getting an abortion and the implementation of abstinence only education.
And Newt where was this violence you talk about that the gay army’s wrecked their vengeance on the traditional religious folk (where the people who trampled the poor worker at Wal-Mart gay)? I saw Brokeback Mountain and I’m pretty sure the people who killed Jake in that movie were probably wearing their Sunday best when they did it.
And those who want equal marriage rights for gays don’t want to destroy traditional religion which again (what is traditional religion? You don’t define it. Would that even be Monotheism? You are a clown).
I am not sure what Gingrich thinks is traditional religion. But I do know that he knows what traditional marriage is. Why do I know this? Because he has had so many of them. Don’t believe me than just ask Jackie Battley his first wife who happened to be his high school geometry teacher. Her mind might be a little hazy about the divorce since she was in the hospital recovering from surgery she had in relation to uterine cancer. His next wife must have also liked the fact that while he was married to her he was having an affair with who would eventually be his third wife (and to make this even more delicious is that while this was going down Newt was leading the Congressional Investigation in regards to Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky). When Newt goes on television or the radio to defend traditional marriage try not to take him so seriously.
I wish this would have ended with these stupid and might I say hurtful comments Newt made but sadly it didn’t. Some journalists who will sadly probably win more awards than I ever will named Hendrik Hertzberg accurately quoted the exact words I quoted Gingrich saying earlier and came to this conclusion: “This sort of sludge may or may not prove to be of some slight utility in the 2012 Republican primaries, but it is, increasingly, history.”
So Bill on his show goes on to say that this far left zealot Hendrik “ totally distorted” Ginrgich’s comments which he did not. If you are familiar with Bill’s show he sent one of his stooge’s out to confront Hendrick on the street.
Of course because some people in this country still take Newt seriously as some sort of intellectual he had to be asked of his impressions of the video from above that O’Reilly played on his show. Here was Newt’s impressions: If you go back and look at what I said, it was a very narrowly focused reference to people who were invading churches and in one case surrounding a 65-year-old person and harassing her about wearing a cross. Now, in my judgment, people who do that are fascists. And whether they are fascists on the right or fascists on the left, they're fascists, because they believe in imposing their views on you, outside the law, or they believe in using the law to force you to change that you are. And I'm opposed to fascism of any kind."
First of all no Newt you sued those two examples as some sort of overarching theme on where the gay fascists are heading. You labeled the whole gay movement as some sort of third Reich hostile takeover that wanted to control are government by any means necessary. Back pedal all you want but this is what you were clearly implying.
And finally Newt is now calling those traditional religious people as fascists now as well. Aren’t those who actively campaigned on the street that were against gay marriage trying to impose their views on those who supported gay marriage. I won’t call them fascists because I don’t like throwing the word around as much as you like to.
Here are some words I do like throwing around usually when thinking of you. Hypocrite. Liar. Intellectually dishonest. Full of shit.
Anti-War Rallies And Total Freaks
This post looks at various rallies that take place in America and the various reasons why I find them to be inefective events that don't help implement any kind of change.
Take for instance the Democratic Convention in Denver and the group that is there right now who calls themselves Recreate ’68. Though they say their intended purposes are not to create the riots that happened at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago during 1968, why would they pick a name that makes most people think about the riots? To be fair they say they want to create the same kind of civic engagement that they claim was responsible for many social and civic institutional changes that are present today such having a presidential candidate who is African American. They believe that the two party system does not represent the American people but rather corporate interests. The sad part is I agree with most of the issues that they want to implement in America such as universal healthcare and a compassionate immigration policy but I deplore all of these poorly organized and ineffective rallies no matter the cause and group endorsing it.
There will be a video later in this piece that Fox News produced what I can only call required viewing for anyone who simultaneously gets off on an anchor’s sheer stupidity and anyone who understands basic FCC laws. It just goes to convey my underlining point that these rallies are ineffective because the way the media will portray the people in attendance. I would like to first talk about my own experiences I had when I attended an anti-war rally in Washington D.C years ago.
If I remember correctly this particular rally took place in the fall of 2005 by a group calling themselves United For Peace and Change. I largely agreed with what their aim was which was to end the war in Iraq but the worst part about any protest is that any idiot who has any kind of belief no matter how bat shit fucking insane it is will come out and dilute your message.
There were all kinds of different freak shows that showed up at the rally in the fall that I would sometimes forget that I was at a rally to stop the war. Listen I’m all for people having their own opinion and expressing yourself but when you have these whack jobs coming out spouting bullshit about Little Boy Lovers of America for the Nuclear Weapon Obtainment of Israel you are going to have some problems. People who are most against the anti war cause are going to single out the freak shows and fringe elements to effectively display that most of the people coming to your rally are so out of touch with the most common beliefs of mainstream America that no one will take your rally seriously.
The worst part about this fringe element is the same thing that makes the devout religious people so hard to take seriously at their various rallies. They are true believers and because of this they are going to be the loudest, most abrasive, embarrassingly pathetic people you will see at the rallies which will unfortunately turn them into the public face of your rally.
Of course when TKO and myself went to the anti-war rally we went only to see The Bouncing Souls, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and Washington Wizard Eton Thomas who were all scheduled to perform at the rally. Name an aspect of the war in Iraq and we are most definitely against it but we would never show up at one of these rallies if it weren’t for the above mentioned who would be performing. Why I find these rallies to be so ineffective when it comes to dictating a change of policy is because this is an institutional problem and can only be changed from the inside. Maybe if some of these people running the rally could get elected into office they could effect an institutional change but it won’t happen in a two party system. These rallies might work in countries like France but only because they have more than a two party system. Of course I could be wrong and maybe the rally did make a difference but I don’t recall between the present day and the fall of 2005 when the Rally to End the War took place the United States pulling its troops out of Iraq.
The actual rally was horrible. Someone got up on stage and told us to boycott the restaurant Subway because they endorsed some sort of pro war rally. I am sure that former fat fuck Jared had told Subway if they didn’t tow the Conservative Republican party line he would take his miles of stretched out skin that hangs off his body and walk his former fat ass over to Quiznos. Then a who’s who of the progressive movement got up on stage and said the exact same thing as the person who preceded them. A shitty band or some sort of African Tribal Group that tested the patience of my time and my ears would usually perform in between speakers. We walked over to the ESPN Sportszone because from our years of experience beer makes most things more tolerable no matter how bad life gets. We came back to the rally and had to sit through about another forty-five minutes of monotonous speeches because there is nothing more that a true believer loves then to hear everything they all ready believe in being told to them over and over again.
Ted Leo finally went on for a set that was way too short considering all the bullshit that preceded it which was followed by more of the same. It got so bad that we decided not to stick around and see the Bouncing Souls who I must admit are probably the best band that I have ever seen live in my whole life performance wise. Luckily they will be coming to Washington D.C. this October.
That is what makes this clip so funny from a recent Fox News broadcast. This takes place in Denver where the Democratic National Convention is taking place. It involves the above-mentioned group Recreate 68; a name that is all ready associating them with policies and beliefs that are not likely to be in the mainstream of the American people. Even though their website states they advocate non-violent protest it does not help matters out any when your chosen name is most likely going to be associated with the riots at the Chicago convention.
Of course you can tell from watching the video that this rally was very well organized even though it looks like it is total anarchy (sarcasm alert)! The way Fox News reports the whole situation makes it even more bizarre. They were shocked that most of the people walking in the protest were not going to vote for Obama even though they equated them to being liberal democrats. If Fox News was so smart they would have connected the dots and realized that why would these people bother to show up at a protest if they bought into the democratic parties polices?
The toolbag who goes into the crowd, who it should be noted only did so to stir up trouble, says one of the strangest and ultimately dumbest things I have ever heard which should get his journalism credentials stripped away from him. He asks the protesters if they believe in free speech and then comes to the conclusion that they don’t. I’m sure people who are taking place in a political protest probably believe in the notion of free speech.
Update: The toolbag from the Fox News video is on the Bill O Reilly Show right now describing the protest as being ineffective and inconsequential and chastised the participants for being demented individuals who do not care about the safety of children. The protesters are labeled a fringe element and he said that he felt he was in danger from the unruly crowd. He also says they do not really believe in free speech since they would not let him interview them which does not make any sense at all. Again, the reason these rallies don’t work no matter how noble the cause is the lack of organization and a cohesive message.
It has happened to me again. A movie that I have been looking forward to checking out in the movie theatres for the longest time is not going to be playing at a movie theatre near me. Actually this is unfair since the movie in question will be playing at a theatre in D.C. that is only about ten or so miles away from me. But what the fuck I basically have a movie theatre within walking distance from me and another one that is probably ten minutes away from me.
I understand why some of these movies don’t get wide releases. In regards to War Inc I’m sure that the American people did not want to see a movie that was a satire of the military industrial complex even if Lloyd Dobler was in it. In regards to Hamlet 2 I am sure that middle America is not looking forward to a movie that has a time traveling Jesus who dances around on stage while singing Rock Me Sexy Jesus.
What I don’t understand is that Hamlet 2 was purchased at Sundance for ten million dollars. If you are going to buy a movie for that much why would you not put it in as many markets as you could. Along with the price the movie studio paid for the movie it has gotten mostly positive reviews from critics.
One reason it is not in theatres is because there are no big stars in the movie. The lead is a bloody Brit for Christ sake. Let’s say the movie starred Ben Stiller. Hamlet 2 would be playing on over 1,000 theatres in America probably even more. Another reason why this does not get a wide release is because it is not a movie geared to little fucking kids or the teenage audience. Every movie that is created is written and marketed to attract the attention of sixteen-year-old boys. Why do you think there is a huge market of horror movies that are rated PG-13? These studios want to maximize their profit margins so they take out all of the violence and nudity to get the fifteen year olds ten bucks. A horror movie with a PG-13 rating is sort of like watching a porno that doesn’t have a money shot. What the fuck is the point.
The American people are more interested in seeing crap. I recently had the pleasure of watching a movie that was pure explosive shit on HBO called Transformers. I don’t know how many people saw this movie in the theatre but apparently it was enough to warrant a sequel. There were so many things I hated about this movie besides the fact it is aimed specifically at six year olds and people who get boners when they see a car. The humor was juvenile and for a movie about robots there weren’t that many robots beating the shit out of each other. When the robots did beat up on each other it was filmed so poorly I had no idea what was going on. If your idea of a humor is a robot pissing gasoline on a guy then I think you should probably set yourself on fire.
The best review I could find about the movie Transformers comes from one of the members of the band Propagandhi. This is from a post on their official website:
tonight, in a bout of insomnia, i managed to watch 1 hour, 11 minutes and 58 seconds of what has to be the all-time King of all terrible, useless, obnoxious, stupid, insipid, horrid, putrid, fetid, utter shit movies: Transformers. Don’t ask me why i even tried. Just don’t. It’s not important. All i know is that my eyes actually smell like shit right now thanks to this visual bus-station toilet called a movie. I have in the past jokingly implied that violence should be visited upon those who have enjoyed such sad films. The joke is over. I hereby truly encourage people to hunt down every single person involved in the making of the Transformers movie (and their extended family members — including children and grandparents) and actually kill them. Literally. If you yourself enjoyed this movie (or were merely ambivalent about it), please consider killing yourself by nail-gunning your own eviscera to your own stupid face while sitting naked on a pail of bees you idiot.
So in honor of not being able to see Hamlet 2 at a movie theatre near me I will look at the movies being played tomorrow at my local theatre and review some of the movies playing there (even though I have not seen most of them) and I think we could find couple of movies that Hamlet 2 could possibly replace.
The Dark Knight
I have actually seen this movie. It was pretty decent but ran long. What I did like about the movie was that even though it was based off of a comic that is seen as being a medium for juveniles it actually had complex ideas and issues found within it.
Death Race
What we have here is a remake of an old movie where there was a race across America where you got points for running people over. I’m sure this movie will not have that aspect in it and I also think that this movie will have a lot of quick cuts and over the top violence. My problem is that this is another remake of an older and sadly probably a superior movie. If you ask me this movie screams straight to DVD but somehow is getting a wide release. And isn’t it sad to see Joan Allen in this movie that is an actress that is very talented and under appreciated?
Hancock
Fuck you Hancock we don’t need another movie about Superheroes. I’m sure since it is a Will Smith movie any complex ideas that were present are going to be dumbed down so it reaches the most amount of people that it can. And enough with superhero movies. Is the general movie going public made up of thirteen-year-old virgins who collect action figures?
Hellboy 2
I saw this movie as well. Another comic book movie that was kind of goofy considering the main character was the son of the devil. The movie had all kinds of stupid logic in it but it had all kinds of interesting creatures in it.
Henry Poole is Here
Who the fuck is Henry Pool and why is he here?
The House Bunny
Again this is one of these lazy formulaic movies that for some reason do well when they are in the theatres probably because they cost something like 14 million dollars to make. The Playboy Bunny turns a lot of women who are losers into winners. Of course the only thing wrong with these women is that they have braces or wear baggy clothes. Or maybe they wear their hair the wrong way or vote republican. Fuck this movie that gets a wide release while movies that actually try to do something like Hamlet 2 play at one theatre.
The Longshots
The only long shot with this movie are the chances of me ever seeing it. It is a Disney family movie starring a guy whose group wrote the song Fuck the Police. I think I should write a song called Fuck the Longshots.
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Another remake. This time in 3-D.
Mamma Mia
I can’t talk shit about this movie. I don’t think there are eough musicals in the world even though I usually find them either to happy or just plain boring. “ll give this movie a pass.
Mirrors
I’ll give this movie a pass as well. It probably sucks but at least it is a horror movie that is rated R that will have some strong a disturbing violence in it which is rare in todays market.
There are too many movies out and going through the list and I don’t want to go over all of them. Wall E is still playing and I have no desire to see a movie about a robot in love with a coffee machine only because I am not seven years old. There is a computer animated Star Wars movie coming out that looks worse than all the other Star Wars movies but for some reason the losers who obsess over these movies will go see anything that has Star Wars in the title probably because they have a lot of spare time on their hands since they are not drinking, fucking, or doing drugs. With all this crap you think they could have played Hamlet 2 somewhere. Sigh.
Dilenger Escape Plan/Fleet Foxes
This week I look at two albums that came out that could not be further apart in style. The Fleet Foxes and Dillenger Escape Plan.
Dillenger Escape Plan – Ire Works
I went through a faze of my life where I listened to a lot of hardcore music and I was downloading as many hardcore bands as I could find so I could rock the hell out and annoy the Christian girls who lived next door. This phase lasted about seven hours. Duringg these seven hours I downloaded a couple of Dillenger Escape Plan songs and enjoyed them but did not pick up any of their albums until later in life.
The Plan started out as a math core band, which I think, means something like a band having a high level of technical musicianship. Who really knows what all these labels mean since I’m still trying to figure out emo. I know the screaming turns off a lot of people and some people criticize the band saying it is just a bunch of noise but there is actually a lot of things going on in their songs. Listen to this song 43 % Burnt off of an earlier album Calculating Infinity.
Ire Works has a lot of songs in this mold. The first song Fix Your Face starts out loud and stays loud. There is a lot of interesting guitar work and odd chord progressions. The Plan has always been interested in adding some jazz and odd time signatures to their songs and this album is no different. Like their album before this they have a couple songs that are a little more melodic than what the hard-core Plan fans would like to hear. Here is a song called Black Bubblegum.
It is not as exciting as their other songs but it is still has some cool stuff going on. It also adds more to the album because as we will learn later things need to be shaken up a little bit throughout the album or else things start to get stale.
Horse Hunter towards the end of the album is probably my favorite song on the album. Like most songs on the album there are a lot of things going on and trying to explain it would do no good.
Listen you are either going to either going to dig this crazy shit or be absolutely horrified by it because I understand how it can be a little off putting. Granted I’m more into the crazy shit as opposed to something a little bit more orthodox but that is just me.
Seven Smiley Faces out of eleven.
The Fleet Foxes – Self-Titled
I have had this album for quite some time now and have never gotten around to listening to it as of yet. From what I have read around the internet it is supposed to be a rather splendid disc so I must admit I was looking forward to actually sitting down and giving it a spin (I don’t have it on record but on my computer so I guess the correct phrase would be to give it a click as opposed to giving it a spin).
The first song on the disc is called Sun it Rises and it starts off like something from the Grapes of Wrath. After a couple of seconds of this the lead singers voice kicks in which sounds like a more sedate Pink Floyd but with some artsy folk music playing in the background. It lacks any sort of energy but picks up a little bit before slowing down again. It is only the first song on the album and maybe after it things will pick.
The second song is another baritone selection. Not too exciting. Song three on the album Ragged Wood is a little bit more upbeat until the midpoint of the song brings any momentum the song had to a screeching halt. The next song Tiger Mountain Peasant Song goes the same way.
I have to stop right now. The sun has gone down and if I listen to this album anymore I will nod off and I’m trying to stay up and watch Bill Maher on Larry King Live (does that say something about how boring The Fleet Foxes are if I want to tune them out for Larry King)? Look I am not saying they are a horrible band and I understand why they are getting the mostly positive reviews from most publications whose opinion holds water in the music world. They make proficient, competent, inoffensive music that can unite the people who are into folk, indie, or classic rock.
I can’t listen to more than a couple of songs on this album without reaching for the razorand I cannot imagine what a live show would be like. Fortunately we have the youtube.
Ok. I’m not too sure if this is an actual Fleet Foxes show or an open-mic night at some tiny liberal arts college in Seattle. Instead of a parental advisory sticker for explicit lyrics on the CD cover they should slap the sticker on it that says “Do not operate heavy machinery while listening to this band.” If you had Attention Deficit Disorder and ran out of Ritalin pop this album in. When someone dies in the hospital instead of the flatlinning sound how about they just play Meadowlarks.
Two and a half high fives out of nine.
I went through a faze of my life where I listened to a lot of hardcore music and I was downloading as many hardcore bands as I could find so I could rock the hell out and annoy the Christian girls who lived next door. This phase lasted about seven hours. Duringg these seven hours I downloaded a couple of Dillenger Escape Plan songs and enjoyed them but did not pick up any of their albums until later in life.
The Plan started out as a math core band, which I think, means something like a band having a high level of technical musicianship. Who really knows what all these labels mean since I’m still trying to figure out emo. I know the screaming turns off a lot of people and some people criticize the band saying it is just a bunch of noise but there is actually a lot of things going on in their songs. Listen to this song 43 % Burnt off of an earlier album Calculating Infinity.
Ire Works has a lot of songs in this mold. The first song Fix Your Face starts out loud and stays loud. There is a lot of interesting guitar work and odd chord progressions. The Plan has always been interested in adding some jazz and odd time signatures to their songs and this album is no different. Like their album before this they have a couple songs that are a little more melodic than what the hard-core Plan fans would like to hear. Here is a song called Black Bubblegum.
It is not as exciting as their other songs but it is still has some cool stuff going on. It also adds more to the album because as we will learn later things need to be shaken up a little bit throughout the album or else things start to get stale.
Horse Hunter towards the end of the album is probably my favorite song on the album. Like most songs on the album there are a lot of things going on and trying to explain it would do no good.
Listen you are either going to either going to dig this crazy shit or be absolutely horrified by it because I understand how it can be a little off putting. Granted I’m more into the crazy shit as opposed to something a little bit more orthodox but that is just me.
Seven Smiley Faces out of eleven.
The Fleet Foxes – Self-Titled
I have had this album for quite some time now and have never gotten around to listening to it as of yet. From what I have read around the internet it is supposed to be a rather splendid disc so I must admit I was looking forward to actually sitting down and giving it a spin (I don’t have it on record but on my computer so I guess the correct phrase would be to give it a click as opposed to giving it a spin).
The first song on the disc is called Sun it Rises and it starts off like something from the Grapes of Wrath. After a couple of seconds of this the lead singers voice kicks in which sounds like a more sedate Pink Floyd but with some artsy folk music playing in the background. It lacks any sort of energy but picks up a little bit before slowing down again. It is only the first song on the album and maybe after it things will pick.
The second song is another baritone selection. Not too exciting. Song three on the album Ragged Wood is a little bit more upbeat until the midpoint of the song brings any momentum the song had to a screeching halt. The next song Tiger Mountain Peasant Song goes the same way.
I have to stop right now. The sun has gone down and if I listen to this album anymore I will nod off and I’m trying to stay up and watch Bill Maher on Larry King Live (does that say something about how boring The Fleet Foxes are if I want to tune them out for Larry King)? Look I am not saying they are a horrible band and I understand why they are getting the mostly positive reviews from most publications whose opinion holds water in the music world. They make proficient, competent, inoffensive music that can unite the people who are into folk, indie, or classic rock.
I can’t listen to more than a couple of songs on this album without reaching for the razorand I cannot imagine what a live show would be like. Fortunately we have the youtube.
Ok. I’m not too sure if this is an actual Fleet Foxes show or an open-mic night at some tiny liberal arts college in Seattle. Instead of a parental advisory sticker for explicit lyrics on the CD cover they should slap the sticker on it that says “Do not operate heavy machinery while listening to this band.” If you had Attention Deficit Disorder and ran out of Ritalin pop this album in. When someone dies in the hospital instead of the flatlinning sound how about they just play Meadowlarks.
Two and a half high fives out of nine.
Bush The Comedian
I remember in what seemed like ages ago the Presidential Primaries were under way and I for one was not really excited about any of the candidates. Sure I liked Tom Tancredo but only because it was so exciting to watch him spin every one of his statements into a long winded diatribe on how illegal immigrants are the roots of all our problems. Though Tancredo was good for comedic effect I would really appreciate a candidate I could really stand behind and not be embarrassed to vote for.
On October 16th popular comedic pundit Stephen Colbert announced he was going to run for president on both the Democratic and Republican Party ticket. Finally a candidate I could firmly stand behind; someone that would protect America from bears which are soulless killing machines. Unfortunately it was not meant to be because Stephen did not want to pay the thirty five thousand dollar fee to run as a republican and the democrats refused to put him on the ballot. Even though he was only going to run in the South Carolina primary I was hoping it would be the springboard that would catapult him into the White House. What I failed to realize was that we all ready had a comedian in the White House.
For years I thought that George W. Bush was a joke as a president starting with that horrible Supreme Court decision, it just took the rest of America to get the joke. He will probably go down as one of the worst presidents we have ever had and a firmly believe that years from now he will replace Teddy Roosevelt in the presidential races at Washington Nationals games (it should be noted that Bush has a better approval rating than the Nats). What I failed to recognize is that Bush must see himself as some sort of comedian because it is the only thing that can explain this little punch line he peppered the Chinese Government with while he was Bangkok Thailand before he headed to China for the summer Olympics. Bush said the following “"America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates, and religious activists.”
I could not help but laugh out loud at this ridiculous statement. I can prove to you how laughable this statement is and all we have to do is look at one person. This person is Salim Hamdan and by examining his story we can see how utterly ridiculous Bush’s statements are and how he has no right to chastise another country on human rights even if they are a Communists Country.
Salim Ahmed Hamdan was captured during the invasion of Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 and was imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. He admitted to being Osama bin Ladin’s personal bodyguard and chauffer and said he only worked in this capacity because he needed the paycheck. He was charged with conspiracy by the Department of Defense and would have a trail before a military tribunal on November 8th 2004.
Why this name might sound vaguely familiar is because he now has a Supreme Court case named after him that he actually won. In Hamden v Rumsfeld the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-3-plurality decision that the military commissions that were established lack "the power to proceed because its structures and procedures violate both the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the four Geneva Conventions signed in 1949.” Because of this ruling the Bush administration created and Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that grants the President the necessary authority to create military commissions. Simply Bush uses the power of the executive branch to bypass the ruling the Supreme Court made because what the hell do they know?
In two separate rulings pm June 4th 2007 all charges were dropped against Hamdan because it was ruled that the man's Combatant Status Review Tribunals had merely confirmed the man's enemy combatants status; while the Military Commissions Act only gave the Guantanamo Military Commissions the authority to try "unlawful enemy combatants", they lacked the jurisdiction to try the men.
So it was decided to call him an illegal enemy combatant so they could have a military tribunal. His trail has finally ended and the military tribunal found him guilty of one charge, providing material support for terrorism. Before I continue I just want to let you know that if you are kidnapped by an organization that is recognized as a terrorists organization and you pay a ransom to get out you can be found guilty of providing material support for terrorism. What is sad about Hamdan’s situation is that it took seven years of abuses, human rights violations, coercive interrogations, and sexual humiliation and all they found him guilty of was material support of terrorism. Let us not get into how fair and impartial it is to have the jury made up of Military Officers.
I know what you are saying. This Hamdan character sounds like a bad guy and he quite possibly is. I don’t know because me and him we don’t meet at the Bungelow Thursday nights and bond over one-dollar domestic beers. I’m not trying to defend him but rather point out how fucking narrow minded and grossly inadequate our detention policy is. What is also sad is that there are other people in Guantonimo Bay being held who are facing the same obstacles Hamden has but they are probably innocent of any crimes relating to terrorism. According to an article from the Washington Post “A CIA analyst warned the Bush administration in 2002 that up to a third of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay may have been imprisoned by mistake, but White House officials ignored the finding and insisted that all were "enemy combatants" subject to indefinite incarceration, this according to a new book critical of the administration's terrorism policies.”
According to the same article when this was brought to the attention of one of Cheney’s top aides he said, “"The president has determined that they are ALL enemy combatants. We are not going to revisit it." So look at all the bullshit that Hamden had to go through and apply it to one of the individuals at the prison who is probably innocent and has never had any involvement with a terrorist organization. That is why I find Bush’s statement about the Chinese government’s detainment policies so funny. Granted Bush’s statement was criticizing China’s imprisonment of “political dissidents, human rights advocates, and religious activists,” but it seems that we are holding some innocent people in prison who aren’t even a citizen of this country and their only crime was being a certain religion and ethnicity at the wrong place at the wrong time, so where the hell does the Bush administration get off.
I really wish that instead of all the bullshit and fear mongering that we could just have a regular trail for those in Gitmo. To me it seems that the team Bush seems to be stacking the deck anyway against these “enemy combatants” just so they can get their convictions so they can justify the extreme measures they employ to fight this war on terror like warrant less wiretapping and all the bullshit that was thrown into the Patriot Act. Now if Bush wants to criticize the Chinese government on their lack of their political leaders taking a vacation and cutting down trees on their ranch in tight jeans I would understand but criticizing how other countries detain their citizens is a joke. It is a rather lame joke if you ask me, one that reeks of the lazy and fragmented writing I would expect to see on an episode of Friends.
The Bush administration also broke the cardinal rule when it comes to comedy; always leave the audience wanting more. You have to know when to go out on top. Even before the jury ruled on the Hamdan trail Pentagon spokesperson Geoff Morrell decided to put the cart before the horse. Morrell had this to say: “Even if he were acquitted of the charges that are before him, he would still be considered an enemy combatant and therefore would continue to be subject to continued detention. Of course, that said, he would also have the opportunity to go before the administrative review board and they could determine whether he is a suitable candidate for release or transfer. But in the near term, at least, we would consider him an enemy combatant and still a danger and would likely still be detained for some period of time thereafter.”
Even if he was found not guilty he would still be locked up and Bush still thinks he can criticize other countries. What a fucking joke but I think it would be funnier if the rest of the world were laughing with us instead of laughing at us.
On October 16th popular comedic pundit Stephen Colbert announced he was going to run for president on both the Democratic and Republican Party ticket. Finally a candidate I could firmly stand behind; someone that would protect America from bears which are soulless killing machines. Unfortunately it was not meant to be because Stephen did not want to pay the thirty five thousand dollar fee to run as a republican and the democrats refused to put him on the ballot. Even though he was only going to run in the South Carolina primary I was hoping it would be the springboard that would catapult him into the White House. What I failed to realize was that we all ready had a comedian in the White House.
For years I thought that George W. Bush was a joke as a president starting with that horrible Supreme Court decision, it just took the rest of America to get the joke. He will probably go down as one of the worst presidents we have ever had and a firmly believe that years from now he will replace Teddy Roosevelt in the presidential races at Washington Nationals games (it should be noted that Bush has a better approval rating than the Nats). What I failed to recognize is that Bush must see himself as some sort of comedian because it is the only thing that can explain this little punch line he peppered the Chinese Government with while he was Bangkok Thailand before he headed to China for the summer Olympics. Bush said the following “"America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates, and religious activists.”
I could not help but laugh out loud at this ridiculous statement. I can prove to you how laughable this statement is and all we have to do is look at one person. This person is Salim Hamdan and by examining his story we can see how utterly ridiculous Bush’s statements are and how he has no right to chastise another country on human rights even if they are a Communists Country.
Salim Ahmed Hamdan was captured during the invasion of Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 and was imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. He admitted to being Osama bin Ladin’s personal bodyguard and chauffer and said he only worked in this capacity because he needed the paycheck. He was charged with conspiracy by the Department of Defense and would have a trail before a military tribunal on November 8th 2004.
Why this name might sound vaguely familiar is because he now has a Supreme Court case named after him that he actually won. In Hamden v Rumsfeld the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-3-plurality decision that the military commissions that were established lack "the power to proceed because its structures and procedures violate both the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the four Geneva Conventions signed in 1949.” Because of this ruling the Bush administration created and Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that grants the President the necessary authority to create military commissions. Simply Bush uses the power of the executive branch to bypass the ruling the Supreme Court made because what the hell do they know?
In two separate rulings pm June 4th 2007 all charges were dropped against Hamdan because it was ruled that the man's Combatant Status Review Tribunals had merely confirmed the man's enemy combatants status; while the Military Commissions Act only gave the Guantanamo Military Commissions the authority to try "unlawful enemy combatants", they lacked the jurisdiction to try the men.
So it was decided to call him an illegal enemy combatant so they could have a military tribunal. His trail has finally ended and the military tribunal found him guilty of one charge, providing material support for terrorism. Before I continue I just want to let you know that if you are kidnapped by an organization that is recognized as a terrorists organization and you pay a ransom to get out you can be found guilty of providing material support for terrorism. What is sad about Hamdan’s situation is that it took seven years of abuses, human rights violations, coercive interrogations, and sexual humiliation and all they found him guilty of was material support of terrorism. Let us not get into how fair and impartial it is to have the jury made up of Military Officers.
I know what you are saying. This Hamdan character sounds like a bad guy and he quite possibly is. I don’t know because me and him we don’t meet at the Bungelow Thursday nights and bond over one-dollar domestic beers. I’m not trying to defend him but rather point out how fucking narrow minded and grossly inadequate our detention policy is. What is also sad is that there are other people in Guantonimo Bay being held who are facing the same obstacles Hamden has but they are probably innocent of any crimes relating to terrorism. According to an article from the Washington Post “A CIA analyst warned the Bush administration in 2002 that up to a third of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay may have been imprisoned by mistake, but White House officials ignored the finding and insisted that all were "enemy combatants" subject to indefinite incarceration, this according to a new book critical of the administration's terrorism policies.”
According to the same article when this was brought to the attention of one of Cheney’s top aides he said, “"The president has determined that they are ALL enemy combatants. We are not going to revisit it." So look at all the bullshit that Hamden had to go through and apply it to one of the individuals at the prison who is probably innocent and has never had any involvement with a terrorist organization. That is why I find Bush’s statement about the Chinese government’s detainment policies so funny. Granted Bush’s statement was criticizing China’s imprisonment of “political dissidents, human rights advocates, and religious activists,” but it seems that we are holding some innocent people in prison who aren’t even a citizen of this country and their only crime was being a certain religion and ethnicity at the wrong place at the wrong time, so where the hell does the Bush administration get off.
I really wish that instead of all the bullshit and fear mongering that we could just have a regular trail for those in Gitmo. To me it seems that the team Bush seems to be stacking the deck anyway against these “enemy combatants” just so they can get their convictions so they can justify the extreme measures they employ to fight this war on terror like warrant less wiretapping and all the bullshit that was thrown into the Patriot Act. Now if Bush wants to criticize the Chinese government on their lack of their political leaders taking a vacation and cutting down trees on their ranch in tight jeans I would understand but criticizing how other countries detain their citizens is a joke. It is a rather lame joke if you ask me, one that reeks of the lazy and fragmented writing I would expect to see on an episode of Friends.
The Bush administration also broke the cardinal rule when it comes to comedy; always leave the audience wanting more. You have to know when to go out on top. Even before the jury ruled on the Hamdan trail Pentagon spokesperson Geoff Morrell decided to put the cart before the horse. Morrell had this to say: “Even if he were acquitted of the charges that are before him, he would still be considered an enemy combatant and therefore would continue to be subject to continued detention. Of course, that said, he would also have the opportunity to go before the administrative review board and they could determine whether he is a suitable candidate for release or transfer. But in the near term, at least, we would consider him an enemy combatant and still a danger and would likely still be detained for some period of time thereafter.”
Even if he was found not guilty he would still be locked up and Bush still thinks he can criticize other countries. What a fucking joke but I think it would be funnier if the rest of the world were laughing with us instead of laughing at us.
Campaign Music
Ludacris has recently put out a rap song that endorses Obama but unlike most other endorsements a candidate receives this one was in rap form.
Apparently a lot of old cranky white guys are pissed off because Ludacris among other things calls George W. Bush mentally handicapped, raps John McCain should be in a wheelchair and he calls Hilary Clinton a bitch. He also raps which most of the commentators in the media don’t like as well because they are old, white, prude men who still haven’t gotten over the death of Elvis who they still think is totally rock and roll. I will admit that I do find this song offensive but not for the same reasons everyone in the media is. If you ask me, like the rappers name, the way this whole situation has gotten out of control is ludicrous.First of all most of the people in the media criticizing the song like Sean Hannity and Bill O Reilly do not know one thing when it comes to rap (and a lot of other general aspects of life). I can’t go on the record and say I am the most knowledgeable person when it comes to the history of rap and the popular artists. What the commentators don’t know is that rap has a lot of hyperbole and ego in it. I always thought that like most musicians they sing about the things they know, the things they’ve witnessed in their lives and the places they came from. The Eagles can sing about Hotel California because they originated in that area and I’m pretty sure they had a pretty sunny upbringing. Most rappers are brought up in less than ideal situations and environments that commentators like the aforementioned don’t care about because the policies they endorse don’t typically help those in the communities these rappers come from.
Secondly, it makes me a little upset how most of these commentators have the critical thinking skills of a third grader. Obama was once quoted as saying something to the effect that Ludacris is a talented artist and a great businessman but can sometimes have lyrics that are derisive. Some commentators say Obama can’t have it both ways and I call bullshit. What about the businessman who cuts jobs and other expenditures so his company can turn a higher profit? These people are considered great business people and he will be praised because he is taking advantage of the free market. What about the shrewd stock broker who makes all his clients money but has a coke problem? But when someone like Ludacris has a song calling a prominent politician a bitch it is the greatest injustice known to man but not a good business move even though he is getting a lot of free publicity.
What I find really horrible about this whole situation is that all the people who are outraged about Ludacris calling Clinton a bitch have never been her biggest fan. In the past they have used words to describe her that are as unflattering as Ludacris but have not actually used the same term he did. Even though you are not explicitly calling her a bitch does not make you any better than Ludacris when you do it implicitly.
So now Obama is expected to disavow and condemn Ludacris’s song and this makes me mad. Apparently because they met one or two times and Obama has a couple of his songs on his Ipod that instead of talking about foreign policy or social security he has to condemn a song that truthfully isn’t that good to begin with and was probably thrown together in a couple hours. Obama is running for to be president of our god damn country; he is not a music critic from Rolling Stone magazine and should not have to condemn every little thing like this that comes out.
Never fear because McCain has had a prominent country music artist write a song for him and I can tell you that it rocks. Actually, if you ask me I think it is as offensive as the Ludacris song. How can a song that comes from a music industry that basically crafts songs that are so bland and patriotic as to not offend their target demographic come out with a song that is offensive? It’s not like that fucking hillbilly who sings the Monday Night Football song ever wrote a song about how great life would have been if the South won the war.
The popular country artist that I have never heard of named John Rich wrote a song about McCain probably in response to the overwhelming amount of songs and artists who have come out to support Obama. Rich is on the show called Nashville Star which I have never seen but I’m sure is a rip off of American Idol which is a rip off of Star Search which I’m sure is a rip off of something, and he is half of the country rock group Big & Rich. I’m would not be able to pick him out of the group but I am sure he would be the one who wears the tight wrangler jeans and the big goofy fucking hat.
Looking at his discography I notice Big & Rich have the song called Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy which every time I hear I want to pull a Picasso and cut off my ear and not for a romantic reason but on the chance that I’m ever in any location ever again that might play this song. I’m sure his discography is full of great hits about Ford Explorers and loving God but the song I want to look at in particular is the song he made as a gift for John McCain called Raising McCain.
Actually it was not just a gift for McCain but as Rich has stated "the words to 'Raising McCain' are my gift to the campaign, and the song is my gift to America." Thanks Rich it’s the gift that America never asked for; some shitty song you wrote on the kids placemat with a red crayola at the Knoxville Cracker Barrell while eating your Chicken and Dumplings after what I’m sure was one of your well received shows that had more American Flags around than the Taiwanese shop that mass produces them. He also stated, "Senator John McCain is a man of extraordinary integrity who I believe has, and will always, put our country first...." which doesn’t even make sense because I don’t think anyone has ever thought otherwise. Anyways, I find this to be just as offensive as the Ludacris’s song and I think you will agree with me after examining the lyrics.
Well we're all just raisin' McCain
Everywhere across the USA
You can get on the train or get out of the way
We're all just raisin' McCain
And we're all just raisin' McCain
Everywhere across the USA
You can get on the train or get out of the way
We're all just raisin' McCain
Well he got shot down in a Vietnam town
Fighting for the red, white and blue
And they locked him up in the Hanoi Hilton
Thinking they could break him in two
He stayed strong, stayed extra long
'Til they let all the other boys out
Now we've got a real man with an American plan
We're going to put him in the big White House
Well we're all just raisin' McCain
Everywhere across the USA
You can get on the train or get out of the way
We're all just raisin' McCain
Play that American guitar, son
And we're all just raisin' McCain
Everywhere across the USA
You can get on the train or get out of the way
We're all just raisin' McCain
I said we're all just raisin' McCain
Everywhere across the USA
You can get on the train or get out of the way
We're all just raisin' McCain
Well you can get on the train or get out of the way
We're all just raisin' McCain
This is the song which is supposed to, as according to Rich "…energize and engage people across the country.” This piece of garbage that is made up of eighty percent of the same lyrics is what is supposed to be the song that captures the " maverick spirit” of McCain. I’m sorry but I think if McCain really did have a Maverick spirit, instead of some lazily thrown together country song he would actually have a song by I don’t know, someone like Ludacris. That would be something a maverick would do if you ask me.
And also, what the fuck does the song mean when it says “Well you can get on the train or get out of the way?” Does McCain even ride a train to his campaign events? A matter of fact if McCain had his way we wouldn’t have to worry about getting out of the way of the incoming train because as he has demonstrated in the past he refuses to give the only major passenger train service Amtrak any funding to modernize. It might just be me but if you are too fucking stupid and get hit by a train because you are standing on the tracks you deserve to get hit by it no matter who the Engineer on the head end is pulling for in the presidential election.
But besides the lame lyrics the reason this song and the Ludacris one offends me is that it was lazily thrown together over the course of a couple hours to appeal to their narrow minded fan base who is more interested in shit like this than the real important issues that affect them. These people should not be allowed to vote. And these songs are not art. They come off as cheap and lazy, which offends me more so than the content because they do not really have any redeeming value in an art context and will not endure the test of time.
End Note: I'm actually watching the John Rich video right now for the first time and it is a whole lot lamer than I thought it could possibly be.
The Hold Steady/Vampire Weekend
This week I will be looking at two fairly recent releases from two bands that are pretty popular in the indie rock world even if it is debatable how indie-rock both these bands are. The Hold Steady and Vampire Weekend.
The Hold Steady-Stay Positive
The pressure seemed to be on The Hold Steady since their last album because 2006’s Boys and Girls in America ended up on a lot of critics best of list at the end of the year. While their 2006 release was mostly riff heavy and was usually compared with the aesthetics of classic rock, their new album is a, well, pretty much the same thing.
That is not necessarily bad and I bet this album will be on many critics best of lists at the end of this year as well even if they have a couple slow songs that aren’t really my thing. Make no mistake this band basically writes songs that make almost every critic cream their pants because they are new enough for the kids to love and have enough components of classic rock to make the old folks happy, plus they do make very enjoyable music that for the most part does rock.
The album starts off with a bang with Constructive Summer which has a propulsive guitar riff kicking things off with more interesting guitar work in-between the gang shouted chorus to make for an excellent album opener which signifies to the listener that they have not missed a beat since their last release. The lyrics are about the endless summer nights were the memories of drinking with your mates and avoiding responsibility and growing up make for a truly memorable song.
The next song Sequestered in Memphis has a cool piano line but the chorus lacks any energy or bite. The next song One For the Cutters is one of the better songs on the album; while not as riff heavy as what they are known for tells an interesting story through the lyrics about no matter how pretty a city or town might be there are always the seedy underbellies that you won’t see in those tour books.
Navy Sheets and the title track Stay Positive with its Ohhh Ohhh Ohhh’s and lyrics about the legacy of the music they listened to when they were young and hopefully their music has the same effect on people. The last song is a slow burner that I find to be an effective way to end the album.
Though not as strong as their last release I would recommend the album but would recommend picking up Boys and Girls in America first. 3 ½ Stars out of Four.
Vampire Weekend – Self Titled
Vampire Weekend is one of these bands that the blogosphere built up before they even released their album, sort of like the Arcade Fire and the Arctic Monkeys. This is a trend that has been worrying me for some time and I plan on writing about it at a later date. Like the before mentioned album I am sure this album will be on a lot of the critics best of lists at the end of the year. The album has been out for a while now and the hype has slowly faded away so let’s see if the album lives up to the hype.
The album starts out with Mansard Roof. It has what makes all Vampire Weekend songs highly recognizable. A hint of Latin and Afro pop instrumentation, reggae influences, and the singer’s sedated voice. It is a good song and is followed by two other great songs, Oxford Comma, which might be the best song on the album, and A-Punk, which is one of the faster and louder songs on the album which admittedly isn’t that loud or fast.
The next couple songs come on strong as well but the problem is that they start to blend together. It also seems that they have the same guitar lines in a bunch of their songs which becomes repetitive and cheapens the album a little especially if you listen to it all the way through. The last two songs break up the monogamy of the rest of the album with its tonal shift in styles. Walcott is a piano driven song that is hummable and extremely catchy but is missing a killer chorus. The last song The Kids Don’t Stand a chance is almost a straight up reggae song but a hell of a lot catchier and better than any reggae song I’ve heard.
I wish this review didn’t seem so negative because this is really a strong album from a promising new band. It is an album that will make you smile but I would understand if there were stretches of it you would skip over since most of it blends together after a while. The songs all seem to have the same basic structure and for the most part don’t try anything exciting. I don’t know if the Vampire Weekend album would translate well live but it is a rather strong release from a fairly new band.
Three Thumbs Up Out of Four.
The pressure seemed to be on The Hold Steady since their last album because 2006’s Boys and Girls in America ended up on a lot of critics best of list at the end of the year. While their 2006 release was mostly riff heavy and was usually compared with the aesthetics of classic rock, their new album is a, well, pretty much the same thing.
That is not necessarily bad and I bet this album will be on many critics best of lists at the end of this year as well even if they have a couple slow songs that aren’t really my thing. Make no mistake this band basically writes songs that make almost every critic cream their pants because they are new enough for the kids to love and have enough components of classic rock to make the old folks happy, plus they do make very enjoyable music that for the most part does rock.
The album starts off with a bang with Constructive Summer which has a propulsive guitar riff kicking things off with more interesting guitar work in-between the gang shouted chorus to make for an excellent album opener which signifies to the listener that they have not missed a beat since their last release. The lyrics are about the endless summer nights were the memories of drinking with your mates and avoiding responsibility and growing up make for a truly memorable song.
The next song Sequestered in Memphis has a cool piano line but the chorus lacks any energy or bite. The next song One For the Cutters is one of the better songs on the album; while not as riff heavy as what they are known for tells an interesting story through the lyrics about no matter how pretty a city or town might be there are always the seedy underbellies that you won’t see in those tour books.
Navy Sheets and the title track Stay Positive with its Ohhh Ohhh Ohhh’s and lyrics about the legacy of the music they listened to when they were young and hopefully their music has the same effect on people. The last song is a slow burner that I find to be an effective way to end the album.
Though not as strong as their last release I would recommend the album but would recommend picking up Boys and Girls in America first. 3 ½ Stars out of Four.
Vampire Weekend – Self Titled
Vampire Weekend is one of these bands that the blogosphere built up before they even released their album, sort of like the Arcade Fire and the Arctic Monkeys. This is a trend that has been worrying me for some time and I plan on writing about it at a later date. Like the before mentioned album I am sure this album will be on a lot of the critics best of lists at the end of the year. The album has been out for a while now and the hype has slowly faded away so let’s see if the album lives up to the hype.
The album starts out with Mansard Roof. It has what makes all Vampire Weekend songs highly recognizable. A hint of Latin and Afro pop instrumentation, reggae influences, and the singer’s sedated voice. It is a good song and is followed by two other great songs, Oxford Comma, which might be the best song on the album, and A-Punk, which is one of the faster and louder songs on the album which admittedly isn’t that loud or fast.
The next couple songs come on strong as well but the problem is that they start to blend together. It also seems that they have the same guitar lines in a bunch of their songs which becomes repetitive and cheapens the album a little especially if you listen to it all the way through. The last two songs break up the monogamy of the rest of the album with its tonal shift in styles. Walcott is a piano driven song that is hummable and extremely catchy but is missing a killer chorus. The last song The Kids Don’t Stand a chance is almost a straight up reggae song but a hell of a lot catchier and better than any reggae song I’ve heard.
I wish this review didn’t seem so negative because this is really a strong album from a promising new band. It is an album that will make you smile but I would understand if there were stretches of it you would skip over since most of it blends together after a while. The songs all seem to have the same basic structure and for the most part don’t try anything exciting. I don’t know if the Vampire Weekend album would translate well live but it is a rather strong release from a fairly new band.
Three Thumbs Up Out of Four.
Apparently Barock Obama hates our troops almost as much as he loves socialism, mandatory financing for every Planned Parenthood and raising your taxes so high you’ll be paying taxes on your taxes. Talk radio and the conservative websites are madder than a member of the Thomas Moore Law Center at a gay pride parade because instead of visiting wounded troops at a hospital in Landstuhl, Germany on his recent European trip he decided to work out.
Which of course like most things that originate on talk radio and the conservative blogs and then seeps into the mainstream media is that these charges are false and misleading. Even if they were true should it even be a big deal? Let’s investigate.
Unfortunately like the war in Iraq, there was no end in site for this PR packaged bullshit after the above mentioned because this was just the beginning of what I believe was a coordinated and meticulously planned campaign to attack the Senator from Chicago. Again according to ABC News, a McCain press release from retired Army Lt. Col. Joe Repya criticized Obama the next day for deciding to work out instead of visiting wounded soldiers. Repya said “Barack Obama had scheduled a visit with wounded American troops who have served with honor and distinction in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he broke that commitment, instead flitting from one European capital to the next.”
Because this is America and since this sort of asinine bullshit gets hammered into the general public consciousness until some other issue materializes which can then be used to verbally destroy a candidate this was not the end of this non story. Later on the same day the McCain campaign released an ad that hammered Obama stating the only people in this world Obama hates more than the troops are the troops that have been injured in battle.
The political ad entitled Troops states “And now, he made time to go to the gym, but cancelled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras. John McCain is always there for our troops. McCain. Country first." Of course, since it is McCain’s ad when the line “John McCain is always there for our troops,” the ominous xylophone music stops playing and the I am a patriotic music starts playing to coincide with a picture of McCain standing in front of the American Flag.
There are two things that piss me off about this ad. The first one is that they are not true. The contents of the ad are one hundred percent false when it comes to the reason why Obama did not visit the wounded troops in Germany. The second thing about this ad that makes me upset is that even if it were true, which again one hundred percent bullshit, should this really be something that should be a qualifying factor in a political campaign for someone who is running for president?
Obama did go to the gym but according to his campaign he goes to the gym daily. What is really lame if you ask me is that in the Troops ad it shows Obama playing basketball with the troops during his European trip in Kuwait. So I don’t think it could be said that Obama does not want to spend time with the troops as this video clearly shows him doing so and having a good time while doing it.
What the McCain camp is insinuating is that Obama will only spend time with the troops if the press corpse is around to document it. The Pentagon’s policy is that there can be no press and nobody related to the campaign with him when he visits the wounded. Obama had scheduled for weeks in advance a trip to this hospital in Germany to visit the wounded but canceled it at the last minute so it wouldn’t seem like a political event because the general who would have gone with him was considered a campaign advisor. So the right wing media predictably explodes saying that because he couldn’t bring the press with him Obama said fuck it and hit up the gym.
The only problem with this is that no one can read Obama’s mind except maybe that Crossing Over guy. If this were the case why did Obama make the press sit in his campaign van when he visited wounded troops at Walter Reed hospital on June 28th? Why did he not bring the press along with him when he visited wounded troops in Baghdad earlier in his European trip?
Obama later explained why they decided to cancel his visit. It was because Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Jonathan Scott Gration is considered a campaign advisor and him going in with Obama would have broken the rules set up by the Pentagon. He never planned on taking the cameras in with him as McCain’s Troop ad implies. Obama later stated “And we got notice that [Gration] would be treated as a campaign person, and it would therefore be perceived as political because he had endorsed my candidacy but he wasn’t on the Senate staff. That triggered then a concern that maybe our visit was going to be perceived as political.”
(What I find really funny, and I don’t think anyone in the media is picking this up is that isn’t McCain and all the conservatives who are mocked outraged about this silly story the ones who are turning the wounded troops into a political issue?)
Of course Obama still could have gone to the hospital with just his Secret Service detail and leave Gration behind but that doesn’t change the fact that these allegations about Obama are untrue. What I don’t understand is what the big deal is?
When did visiting wounded troops turn into one of the most important things a presidential candidate has to do to prove to the electorate that he has the skills necessary to be president?
That last statement might have seemed a little harsh so that is why I will withhold my home address so you don’t know where to firebomb me. It sucks that these troops were injured in battle, but a candidate visiting the troops, wounded or not, should be one of the last things that running through your mind when you go into the voting booth this November. How about who has the best plans on fixing the horrible economy, gas prices, hell, even the war in Iraq and Afghanistan? This overblown controversy over nothing should not be getting all the attention it has been getting in the press because it means nothing. It is simple to understand why these ads are so successful in this country because if you can effectively convey Obama hates the troops you can than make people jump to the conclusion that he hates America plus it is easier for a news organization to cover something like this than complex economic policy.
What I find really humorous about the whole situation is that Obama was against the invasion of Iraq from the very beginning so if it were up to him there would be no wounded troops there because there would be no occupation in Iraq. It is Obama and not McCain that wants to pull the troops out of Iraq, which would severely limit the amount of injured troops over in Iraq (not to mention troop deaths). Shouldn’t those whose policies create more troop injuries be the ones who visit and possibly justify to them why they were and still are over there in harms way. That is why I want to bring attention to and honor our Vice President Dick Chenney because he is the perfect example of someone who goes out of his way for the wounded troops.
Unlike Obama Dick Cheney loves our country and our troops because he agreed not only to meet with wounded troops but perform a speech as well. Dick Cheney’s office originally agreed to meet with the Disabled American Veterans association in Las Vegas in August at 8:30 in the morning without all the press Obama surely would have brought with him. Chenney loves the troops so much that once they arrived he would not have let them leave. According to the New York Daily Press, “His staff insisted the sick vets be sequestered for two hours before Cheney's arrival and couldn't leave until he'd finished talking.”
But these damn disabled troops decided that they didn’t want Cheney to come anymore. Why? Because they are ungrateful. Here you have a grand gesture on Dick’s part that goes out of his way to speak to these wounded veterans. Many of these veteran’s were wounded in either Iraq or Afghanistan and many others were critically wounded in wars dating back to World War Two. Cheney’s office only to insure that all the wounded veterans would be on time I’m sure required the sick and wounded veterans to be sequestered two hours prior to his speech and not to be let out until his speech was finished because he knows how hard it is for some of them to get there and he didn’t want them to miss one word in which I’m sure would have been a magnificent speech.
“Word got back to us … that this would be a prerequisite,” said the Veteran’s Executive Director, David Gorman, who noted the meeting hall doesn’t have any rest rooms. “We told them it just wasn’t acceptable.”
So Cheney treats veterans like they are deranged psychopaths who might go John Rambo on him but at least he is not bringing camera crews with him like Obama who only visits the wounded troops when it scores him cheap political points. I guess in the end it’s the thought that counts.
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