Actually, in a way they are both abusers. Craig, of the state of Idaho and of the country by his anti-gay rights voting record; and Lauer, of the truth and of honest journalism. Lauer's soft-ball approach may have snagged Craig and made him look pathetically emasculated at times, but he failed to ask the larger questions of why Craig is so anti-gay and votes the way he does; why he "doesn't agree with" the gay lifestyle. Does he find it abhorrent, and why? Press this motherfucking abusive right-wing asshole on it. Oh, and Suzanne, wasn't she the picture of the dutiful wife, wearing that red tunic and smiling all the while? I wonder if Craig orders her to wear a suit and tie and shave her head before she goes down on him? Is that a wig you're wearing, Suzanne, you right-wing witch? The whole interview was so creepy, and so illustrative of this fucked-up culture. A whole hour devoted to getting "their side" of the story, of being lied to again and again and again. "Senator, are you gay?" America is dying to know. Bush wants to spy on you sans warrant, and grant immunity to telecoms, and torture and kill some more, but AMERICA WANTS TO KNOW IF LARRY CRAIG IS GAY. Of course he is, you morons! Now boot him the fuck out of office!
Keep distracting us: of course! -- the behavior of the abuser to get us to look the other way while, say, Iraq explodes, and global warming is torching southern California.
In the end this gets us no gay rights, more global warming and more war. Duh.
As for the Minnesota laws on "disorderly conduct" in public restrooms: dude, you really need to re-write those laws. Craig is totally going to win his appeal, clear his arrest record, and continue his gay-bashing ways. Guilty plea? What guilty plea? Fuck no public sex, fuck all cops everywhere, fuck Larry Craig and fuck the Republican Party.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Republican Party as Abusers
Rep. Pete Stark of California last week remarked on the House floor, regarding the lie that is the Iraq War and the inability of Congress to override Bush-Monkey's veto of child health insurance: "You don't have money to fund the war or children. But you're going to spend it, to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq, to get their heads blown off, for the president's amusement." For this the House of Representatives cell of the terrorist organization known as the Republican Party wants to censure him. God-damn them. They will do what they can, every time, to get what they want, to destroy people, to lie, to steal, to exterminate opposition through terror. Abusers often do these things.
But Bush is amused by the deaths and dismemberment of soldiers in Iraq. Just read Justin Frank's Bush On the Couch to get a sense of the reach of Bush's cruelty. There are no limits. There never can be, of course.
But never mind that. The fact that there was a vote in the House to censure Stark for saying the above is indicative of the insanity that is the American culture. Stark did not go far enough. Republicans -- our American Taliban -- will lie and tell us we can't afford this program or that, all the while spending us into an oblivion to pay contractors like Blackwater extortion money to kill innocent people and destroy infrastructure in Iraq. Classic behavior of an abuser. And the all-too-familiar behavior of the abused, i.e. Democrats like Stark, is to apologize (for what!?).
And Republicans ARE the abusers. Of people, of the earth, of common sense, of science, of the truth. They need to be collectively shoved up against the wall with our collective hand on their throats, and told, "If you fuck with us one more time we will kill you."
No apologies.
We need to have a world where Republicans are systematically denied any say in governing or in policy, denied in having any power to rape our minds and bodies. They are willfully and gleefully destroying the earth and all that is beautiful about it, and getting rich in the process. They are shredding our Constitution, laughing at justice and viciously attacking those who would only disagree with their policies. Derrick Jensen pretty much sums up the abuser's twisted psychology in his book Endgame: " 'You asked for it by wearing those clothes,' says the rapist." ..." 'Don't worry about it, I'll take care of everything. Things will change, you'll see,' says the abuser."..." 'I promise I will never hit you again,' the abuser repeats." And most Americans go along with this abuse, are willing to be abused. Absolutely insane.
To be fair, not a few Democrats behave and vote the way of their "opposition." The difference is that Republicans and their "party" are defined by power. That is the single biggest reason for their existence. And how do they maintain power? By terrorizing opponents, of course. Make it so that their position is always the right position, and make the opposition look like the enemy if they disagree. Witness the fraudulent "war on terror." Anyone who disagress with the Patriot Act [sic] must be on the side of the "terrorists." The real terrorists being, of course, Republicans, the ones (always) projecting their terroristic side. They just can't help themselves, you see.
Jensen uses the metaphor of the abuser (wife-beater, child abuser, rapist, etc. -- almost always men) to describe our culture as a whole. But I'd like to point out how singularly abusive and destructive the Republican Party is, and has been since Reagan. And this is the machine that spit out the current abuser-in-chief, George W. Bush. Bush is the ultimate abuser. Witness the smirk, the joking about not finding WMD under his desk at that charade that's known as the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner, where all the white-owned corporate media types had quite a laugh at the cruel mocking of the misery and suffering in Iraq, a nation full of worthless brown people, of course. What assholes. And we wonder why Iraq is not the lead story on every newscast. The more to distract us with the news of Britney's comeback.
To quote JFK, as Jensen does: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable."
To those who would censure Pete Stark: Go Fuck Yourselves. No apologies.
But Bush is amused by the deaths and dismemberment of soldiers in Iraq. Just read Justin Frank's Bush On the Couch to get a sense of the reach of Bush's cruelty. There are no limits. There never can be, of course.
But never mind that. The fact that there was a vote in the House to censure Stark for saying the above is indicative of the insanity that is the American culture. Stark did not go far enough. Republicans -- our American Taliban -- will lie and tell us we can't afford this program or that, all the while spending us into an oblivion to pay contractors like Blackwater extortion money to kill innocent people and destroy infrastructure in Iraq. Classic behavior of an abuser. And the all-too-familiar behavior of the abused, i.e. Democrats like Stark, is to apologize (for what!?).
And Republicans ARE the abusers. Of people, of the earth, of common sense, of science, of the truth. They need to be collectively shoved up against the wall with our collective hand on their throats, and told, "If you fuck with us one more time we will kill you."
No apologies.
We need to have a world where Republicans are systematically denied any say in governing or in policy, denied in having any power to rape our minds and bodies. They are willfully and gleefully destroying the earth and all that is beautiful about it, and getting rich in the process. They are shredding our Constitution, laughing at justice and viciously attacking those who would only disagree with their policies. Derrick Jensen pretty much sums up the abuser's twisted psychology in his book Endgame: " 'You asked for it by wearing those clothes,' says the rapist." ..." 'Don't worry about it, I'll take care of everything. Things will change, you'll see,' says the abuser."..." 'I promise I will never hit you again,' the abuser repeats." And most Americans go along with this abuse, are willing to be abused. Absolutely insane.
To be fair, not a few Democrats behave and vote the way of their "opposition." The difference is that Republicans and their "party" are defined by power. That is the single biggest reason for their existence. And how do they maintain power? By terrorizing opponents, of course. Make it so that their position is always the right position, and make the opposition look like the enemy if they disagree. Witness the fraudulent "war on terror." Anyone who disagress with the Patriot Act [sic] must be on the side of the "terrorists." The real terrorists being, of course, Republicans, the ones (always) projecting their terroristic side. They just can't help themselves, you see.
Jensen uses the metaphor of the abuser (wife-beater, child abuser, rapist, etc. -- almost always men) to describe our culture as a whole. But I'd like to point out how singularly abusive and destructive the Republican Party is, and has been since Reagan. And this is the machine that spit out the current abuser-in-chief, George W. Bush. Bush is the ultimate abuser. Witness the smirk, the joking about not finding WMD under his desk at that charade that's known as the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner, where all the white-owned corporate media types had quite a laugh at the cruel mocking of the misery and suffering in Iraq, a nation full of worthless brown people, of course. What assholes. And we wonder why Iraq is not the lead story on every newscast. The more to distract us with the news of Britney's comeback.
To quote JFK, as Jensen does: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable."
To those who would censure Pete Stark: Go Fuck Yourselves. No apologies.
"In Rainbows": A Review
Okay, so I've decided to play music critic/reviewer for this one time. Radiohead's new LP, In Rainbows, was the catalyst, and that's what I'm reviewing.
For starters, there is no price. You pay what you want, and none of that money goes to a greedy record company. Right off the bat the band deserves praise for this move. Yes, they are in negotiations right now with independent labels to put out IR in CD-format, but it will be on their terms, with a temporary license for the songs, the ownership of which will ultimately rest with the band. But back to the music.
After a good, careful listen on my Ipod today, after a few listens at home and away that were partially interrupted by things one can't control, I can only say that this is the most sublime collection of rock music (conventionally known in the past as an "album") that I have ever heard. Yes, I am an avowed and unabashed Radiohead fan, have been since The Bends. No matter. There are no other Radiohead LP's that can match this one, on the whole, for its sheer musical mastery. Witness the almost un-replicable syncopations of 15 Step and Videotape, defying the listener to follow along with a simple one-two-three-four tap on the knee. Add to that the methodical build-up of most songs, from slow, simple melodies to elegiac climaxes of orchestral proportions, such as seen on All I Need, Nude and Videotape. Yes, these elements are found in abundance throught the Radiohead oeuvre, but none so much as in this one single LP. Another thing that pops out to the casual listener is the lack of guitars in In Rainbows. Well, this is actually an ongoing practice for Radiohead since Kid A. I have to say I don't miss them. Thom Yorke is just fine when strumming his acoustic or sitting down at the piano - perfect accompaniments to his unmatched tenor voice. Add to this Jonny Greenwood's mastery at the keyboard, Ed O'brien's unconventional rhythmic guitar riffs, Colin Greenwood's haunting bass and Phil Selway's off-beat percussive syncopations and you've got one hell of a band. And when you really think about it, Paranoid Android's best moment was Yorke's elegant voice solo ("from a great height" indeed) in the middle, not Jonny Greenwood's electric guitar solo near the beginning and its coda at the end. No, a guitar is best when it accompanies, not leads.
I haven't even mentioned In Rainbow's "bonus" songs, available December 3rd to those who pre-ordered the "box set" from Radiohead's website. I've previewed a few from YouTube and Rollingstone.com. One that stands out for me is Down Is the New Up, a playful yet catchy tune that, in Radioheads new funked-up version of it (Yorke has a solo version that ITunes released earlier in the year, just he and the piano), is destined as a crowd-pleaser. I can't wait to hear these songs when they come out as studio releases.
So yeah, these songs got to me. This is nothing new for those who know me, as I get absolutely giddy with each new Radiohead LP. The band starts "touring" next May, so I've read. Yorke has said he does not like touring in the conventional sense, as it is just exhausting to constantly travel, and he adds it is not doing the environment any good. Agreed. I hope to see the band at a music festival, as is their preferred venue, away from big stadiums and greedy sponsors.
For starters, there is no price. You pay what you want, and none of that money goes to a greedy record company. Right off the bat the band deserves praise for this move. Yes, they are in negotiations right now with independent labels to put out IR in CD-format, but it will be on their terms, with a temporary license for the songs, the ownership of which will ultimately rest with the band. But back to the music.
After a good, careful listen on my Ipod today, after a few listens at home and away that were partially interrupted by things one can't control, I can only say that this is the most sublime collection of rock music (conventionally known in the past as an "album") that I have ever heard. Yes, I am an avowed and unabashed Radiohead fan, have been since The Bends. No matter. There are no other Radiohead LP's that can match this one, on the whole, for its sheer musical mastery. Witness the almost un-replicable syncopations of 15 Step and Videotape, defying the listener to follow along with a simple one-two-three-four tap on the knee. Add to that the methodical build-up of most songs, from slow, simple melodies to elegiac climaxes of orchestral proportions, such as seen on All I Need, Nude and Videotape. Yes, these elements are found in abundance throught the Radiohead oeuvre, but none so much as in this one single LP. Another thing that pops out to the casual listener is the lack of guitars in In Rainbows. Well, this is actually an ongoing practice for Radiohead since Kid A. I have to say I don't miss them. Thom Yorke is just fine when strumming his acoustic or sitting down at the piano - perfect accompaniments to his unmatched tenor voice. Add to this Jonny Greenwood's mastery at the keyboard, Ed O'brien's unconventional rhythmic guitar riffs, Colin Greenwood's haunting bass and Phil Selway's off-beat percussive syncopations and you've got one hell of a band. And when you really think about it, Paranoid Android's best moment was Yorke's elegant voice solo ("from a great height" indeed) in the middle, not Jonny Greenwood's electric guitar solo near the beginning and its coda at the end. No, a guitar is best when it accompanies, not leads.
I haven't even mentioned In Rainbow's "bonus" songs, available December 3rd to those who pre-ordered the "box set" from Radiohead's website. I've previewed a few from YouTube and Rollingstone.com. One that stands out for me is Down Is the New Up, a playful yet catchy tune that, in Radioheads new funked-up version of it (Yorke has a solo version that ITunes released earlier in the year, just he and the piano), is destined as a crowd-pleaser. I can't wait to hear these songs when they come out as studio releases.
So yeah, these songs got to me. This is nothing new for those who know me, as I get absolutely giddy with each new Radiohead LP. The band starts "touring" next May, so I've read. Yorke has said he does not like touring in the conventional sense, as it is just exhausting to constantly travel, and he adds it is not doing the environment any good. Agreed. I hope to see the band at a music festival, as is their preferred venue, away from big stadiums and greedy sponsors.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Republican Party as Monolith & Why They Suck
Wow, it turns out that in lieu of yesterday's veto override failure, not only Bush but a vast majority of Republicans also hate children. They are smug, selfish, cold, vicious creatures who belong on a deserted island off the coast of Siberia.
Better yet, ship them to Mars, let them build gated communities there and then let them die.
Better yet, ship them to Mars, let them build gated communities there and then let them die.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
George W. Bush Hates Children, Too
Monkey-asshole Bush is at it again, vetoing another program everyone wants and which would benefit millions, this time millions of poor children. What a class act.
So, chucklenuts, I guess you think it's just fine to take out all your aggression against your cold, unfeeling ice queen of a mother out on the country now that you are Preznit. Poor Georgie, all those times you needed your Momma, especially when your younger sister Robin died when you were seven -- Babs was just unavailable. And Pappy, well, forget about him, he was too busy digging for oil in Texas and jetting off on exciting CIA trips to have time for you. You never even got the chance to say goodbye, to grieve for Robin, because your momma, the one who ended up having to stick around to "take care" of you, is such a cold, uncaring witch. Now you have to project all that bad stuff, all that neglect, out onto the world, out onto other even more unfortunate children than you.
I get it, I totally get it. But you don't, and you never will.
So, chucklenuts, I guess you think it's just fine to take out all your aggression against your cold, unfeeling ice queen of a mother out on the country now that you are Preznit. Poor Georgie, all those times you needed your Momma, especially when your younger sister Robin died when you were seven -- Babs was just unavailable. And Pappy, well, forget about him, he was too busy digging for oil in Texas and jetting off on exciting CIA trips to have time for you. You never even got the chance to say goodbye, to grieve for Robin, because your momma, the one who ended up having to stick around to "take care" of you, is such a cold, uncaring witch. Now you have to project all that bad stuff, all that neglect, out onto the world, out onto other even more unfortunate children than you.
I get it, I totally get it. But you don't, and you never will.
Radiohead the Revolutionaries
The music industry is about to get a big kick in the ass thanks to Radiohead. Their new EP, In Rainbows, due out October 10th, will not have any promotion or come with any pricetag. You can download it entirely for free, or pay whatever you want.
This is huge.
The best rock band in the world is about to give away their new album. No record company, no promos, no manufactured buzz. Just a band offering their music for anyone to download, pay what you want. This is exactly what needs to happen with music. This is fucking amazing; this is...this is just huge. Pay what you want for the recorded music, then go see the band in concert, live, where you'll pay more. Simple, egalitarian, meritocratic. Fuck you, record company whores and theives! What you gonna do now? Clone more Ashley Simpsons? How's that working out for you? And I see the record stores are just booming in sales, aren't they?
Now if only other big acts like Madonna and Prince could follow suit, what a flood this would be.
[Update: Prince already has offered a pay-what-you-want album; still waiting to see what Madonna does with her new record deal.]
This is huge.
The best rock band in the world is about to give away their new album. No record company, no promos, no manufactured buzz. Just a band offering their music for anyone to download, pay what you want. This is exactly what needs to happen with music. This is fucking amazing; this is...this is just huge. Pay what you want for the recorded music, then go see the band in concert, live, where you'll pay more. Simple, egalitarian, meritocratic. Fuck you, record company whores and theives! What you gonna do now? Clone more Ashley Simpsons? How's that working out for you? And I see the record stores are just booming in sales, aren't they?
Now if only other big acts like Madonna and Prince could follow suit, what a flood this would be.
[Update: Prince already has offered a pay-what-you-want album; still waiting to see what Madonna does with her new record deal.]
Monday, October 01, 2007
MacBook Adventures II (Cont'd)
...But it turns out I don't need Windows on my Mac because the Student version of MS Office for the Mac, i.e. MSWord, works just fine. So, six long days and nights and a couple of Starbucks mobile office set-ups later, I finished, zombie-like, at home hunched over my MacBook on the rolling table, sitting in our lounge chair, at 6:30 in the morning. What a relief, but also quite a lesson in time/task management.
Now that I've sold me G4 IMac, me only computers are me laptop, me phone and me brain.
Now that I've sold me G4 IMac, me only computers are me laptop, me phone and me brain.
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