THE TROUBLE WITH NORMAL

Music PIck for All Hallows Eve

2011-10-28T12:22:00.002-05:00

Hey! I know we're living in bizarre and tense times. However, with Halloween coming this MOnday, I wanted to clue you in on some spooky tuneage. So, here's our Halloween Holiday music pick.

THE DESTRUCTORS - Helloween

I know this had been out since last year but there are a couple of reasons that I waited unti now to review it. First up is the usual excuse: my backlog pile takes time to get through and it would've been well about said day before I got to it. Then there's forgetting this CD when I temporarily moved to KC for a short term job so I couldn't get to it then. Add to this a rough as hell 2010 personally and you have an idea. However, since ALl Hallows Eve is this weekend (give or take a day), there's no better time to review this than the present.

The Destructors offer up a batch of stright for the throat punk and HC full of loud relatively fast power chords and a ton of attitude. However, while the band has experimented with horror and gore themes in the past, this time they aim squarely for it and embrace it. Songs about surviving in a horror film, monsters, zombies, the undead, et al make up this Halloween themed disc along with covers of the Ramones classic "Pinhead" and Dead Kennedys' "Halloween" thrown in for good measure. This is raw music that suits the darker themes while allowing some humor and a bit of tongue in cheek attitude to pop through (they have a song about wanting to dig up Elvis on here). It's rough but a fairly fun listen for this Holiday time.

The only down side to this (for us American fans at least) is the struggle to look for it, which for some means getting the download. However, this is well worth the cost and should help make for a veeerrrrrry scarrrrryyy Haloween weekend.

(destructors.co.uk)

Today Wall Street, Tomorrow (insert locale here).

2011-10-01T13:25:00.002-05:00

It seems one of the hardest things to do is write about history when it appears to be happening.

For the past two weeks protestors have occupied a park near Wall Street in order to protest our current financial system and its role in screwing up the nation right now. Starting with roughly 5,000 on September 17, 2011, numbers have varied (with estimates ranging from as low as 50 to several hundred or more), it was at first viewed as a novel one-off thing. However, most of the mainstream media covered the initial protest as a blip and then treated the protests as if they never happened. At one point, a protestor's video posted on You Tube even caught people in one building on Wall St drinking champagne in bemusement towards the protestors. People still maintained the occupation at Zuccotti park to varying degrees but the mainstream media refused to take notice. On the last Seturday of September, the NYPD arrested over 80 people in an attack that at one point saw a police deputy inspector pepper spraying people who were already behind a pen of sorts then doing the same to people walking away from him. That, for better or worse, brought Occupy Wall Street to the mainstream media's attention.

That's the basic extremely short version of Occupy Wall Street as a protest movement's evolution from something that was written off by many as a marginal thing to what appears to be a nationwide movement that's grown somehow on its own more via social networking than any established organizing. What's almost as surprising as its apparent sudden beginnings is how it's spread like wildfire nationwide in cities ranging from Boston to Chicago to Columbia, MO to Youngstown, Ohio. The fact that its grown like this actually is something I can guarantee nobody would've predicted a month or so ago.

Yes there are criticisms towards this movement. One of the big ones is that Occupy Wall Street and the similar movements that have pophttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifped up throughout America seem to be too amorphic; that there are no hard specific goals or talking points. Yes, there is some truth to this (especially since there's no one leading group for this). However, at the risk of blowback, one can also say that many of the Tea Party protests of the past couple of years were similarly off topic (especially since for every sign about health care reform, there appeared to be more signs that veered towards other topics ranging from somewhat related (I remember one pic of someone with a sign saying "Obamacare means Forced Drugging" [a concern I actually find somewhat legit]) to the Wall St. bailouts to birthers, and veiled threats of violence in regards to the Obama administration. Where they differed was the media narrative (hint: Fox News and talk radio) worked massively to spin this as organic (which, while some tea party movements were organic, others were products of organizations such as Freedomworks who were about as insider as you can get). In addition, the critique of Wall Street actually makes sense when taking into account how the housing bubble turning mortgages into derivatives as well as how bank deregulation led to a situation where the distribution of wealth got so lopsided that they were able to use the "too big to fail" card when called into question by Congress.

It's also true that open ended activism like this is easier to do when there are no work or other obligations. This explains the varying degrees of attendance over the past two weeks. While some people have managed to keep the area occupied, others do what they can in between their jobs, family life, and other things they have to get done in their lives. This is an issue almost every movement has to deal with, especially now when people can't automatically get off work to go to a protest or may have to take care of a sick family member or deal with something else at the moment.

The above concerns are somewhat legitimate. Other criticisms range from mere attempts to dismiss the protestors (such as NY Mayor Bloomberg calling them "misguided") to concern trolling (for example, one post suggesting protestors wear polos and khakis so as not to appear too "hippieish"). This is also to be expected as something every movement faces, especially in the starting phases.

What is interesting here is that while this has been a surprise, it shouldn't have been. The rise in protests in Wisconsin and Ohio against their state's attempts to bust unions is to some degree as much as flicker as the "Arab Spring" protests in middle eastern countries earlier this year (the latter is which has been seen as a reference point more in the media). Also interesting is that, while the media has tended to view this as a strictly left wing situation, there also appears to be reports that some Ron Paul supporters have been joining in. Is this is true, it appears that people are becoming aware that this is far less of a left-right issue as it is a top-bottom issue.

Will this lead to any change? At this point it's way too early to tell. Movements tend to have an ebb and flow that can be hard to predict. In addition, different factions could either unify or fall out depending on circumstances. As for police crackdowns, arrests in Boston and a possible raid in Chicago shows this will be a longer ride than people expect. As for NY, there are reports of the NYPD counter terrorism unit monitoring Occupy Wall Street. These scenarios as well as many others will have an effect on what goes down as the movement arises.

Regardless of the outcome we are witnessing a chapter in history that few, if any, saw coming in the U.S. In two weeks time what most people probably thought was a blip on the national radar has gotten to the point where uniformed airline pilots marched in solidarity with them and get the support of a large union. While proving that a wide swath of people are pissed off at the government (and are trying to resist nonviolently) it also shows that sometimes what you least expect can have the potential to become history in the making.

Brief Thoughts on The WI Recall Election

2011-08-09T13:29:00.002-05:00

Well, it’s August 9th 2011. Within 24 hours we will learn the results of the Wisconsin general elections recalling six Republicans in the state legislature. It has been a strange year for that state as the newly elected Governor Scott Walker almost instantly began the path of stripping state workers of their collective bargaining rights with the help of a Republican http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmajority in the state legislature. What wasn’t expected was the blowback as Democrats in the legislature fled the state and went into exile in order to delay the vote and people got pissed off over the sudden loss of hard earned rights for workers and the possible end to what job security they had. So, instead of quiet acquiescence to trying to implement the Shock Doctrine in the U.S. one state at a time, people occupied the state house in Madison, and protests of some form or another managed to maintain outrage to some degree as petitions to recall politicians were undertaken.

That leads to what WI faces today. Six Republicans in the state legislature have seats up for grabs in the recall election today. The Democrats only need three to shift the majority their way and hopefully (knock on wood) work towards reversing the shift backwards that the people are facing. However, while past moment may have seemed on their side it might not be as simple.

In the weeks leading towards today the Republicans in what some have referred to as “Fitzwalhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifkerstan” have been busy trying to keep their hold on the state. From trying to redistrict in extremely quick fashion before today to billionaire funded endeavors such as ALEC, the right wing has been working just as hard to make sure their changes to our rights remain. As similar things happen in Ohio and several other states, some people see what’s ahead as an attack on the middle class and working people. Because of this many of the organizations supporting the recall are saying it’s currently too early to tell who will win.

Thus, we’re currently going to have to wait and see it unfold (as least those of us who don’t live in Wisconsin). Regardless of what happens, I have a feeling that we’re in for a long hard fight ahead.

Debt Ceiling Thoughts II: It’s Crunch Time

2011-07-29T19:52:00.004-05:00

As I type this the Republican House has passed speaker of the house John Boehner’s proposal on the deficit by a 218-210 margin about an hour or so ago with no Democrats voting for it and a number of Republicans opposing it. While plans for a vote yesterday on a deal were halted due to lack of support from the tea party newcomers, Boehner had to offer a number of compromises to appease the “tea party” wing and get their votes, including a balanced budget amendment and other tea party favored positions in order to get it passed by the minimum of votes.

The plan, which only extends the debt ceiling for six months ended up being yet another form of political theater. The Senate quickly shot it down by a 59-41 vote (thus guaranteeing it wouldn’t reach President Obama). As the standoff continues, a reported refusal of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell to negotiate at this point means the current polarization will continue as the August 2nd deadline gets closer (at this point: Tuesday)

As I said in the previous post, I think odds are the debt ceiling will get raised. It’s been passed 90 times since 1940 and in the past it used to be considered a must pass bill (thus, usually done at the last minute). However, while there may be a last minute situation, things are in scary mode. The Republicans are quickly learning that their new enemy might not be the Dems or any liberal boogeyman but the newbies that got elected in 2010. As recently as the end of last year Boehner referred to the debt ceiling vote as “the first really big adult moment for the new Republican majority.” However, the mainstream in the GOP are currently learning that the danger of using a possible bully pulpit to force people to cave can backfire if they decide you’re not worth listening to.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

So what will happen now? Who knows. There’s a chance that the debt ceiling will get a last minute vote and tragedy may or may not happen. There’s also an equally good chance that the far right in the GOP will let the country fall, hoping in some form of twisted glee that everyone will blame Obama for it. As for the possibility of invoking the 14th amendment and having Obama do it that way, the White House said they wouldn’t do that but at this rate there’s a chance he might have no other choice).

Why do I have a feeling that the tea party faction might end up having at least one weekend meeting similar to a pivotal scene from the movie Network? In the fight leading up to now, GOP attempts to have financial experts explain to the tea party types hasn't worked, but both parties are beholden to Wall Street in a lot of ways. And I have a feeling the party leaders may realize that if everything defaults the financial types will throw more cash to Obama and company.

However, at this point, everything seems to be conjecture. Previously it was a matter of course that the debt ceiling would be raised at the last minute but when you have people who are hell bent on making sure the President fails by any means necessary, under guidance from non elected power brokers (seriously, I don’t recall anyone electing either Karl Rove or Grover Norquist), it’s hard to say what will happen. At this point it’s a 55-45 chance that the debt ceiling will get raised but how we get there, and more importantly what gets sacrificed along the way, could lead us down the path for a far crueler future than anybody would’ve thought possible a year ago.

Debt Ceiling Thoughts

2011-07-21T15:26:00.000-05:00

As I type this President Obama and House Republicans are playing yet another round of the will they or won’t they make a deal talks in hopes of getting an agreement on raising the debt ceiling by the August 2nd deadline. In the past this has been one of those occasions where it passed without comment and most Americans had no clue whatsoever what a debt ceiling was. However, with the threat of both the tea party wing of the Republicans in the House to let the country default as well as credit rating firms like Fitch and Moody’s threatening to lower the U.S.A.’s AAA rating, the debate has become more known than anyone would want to admit.

Personally, I think it will have to be raised when all is said and done. Wall Street and the financial industry, as vicious as they are towards anyone not in the top one percent, realize that if the US defaults they may take a big hit and investors will lose money. In addition, these people have their tentacles in both sides of our one party state that pretends to be a two party state (not to say there aren’t differences between the GOP and the Democrats, especially these days – but that they often have the same backers). The party leaders get this, as well as the possibility that if they let this happen they bulk of the cash flow may head towards the Democrats (this hasn’t been covered at all but let’s get real, anyone who figures out how American politics works can likely se this writing on the wall).

As for Obama’s talks of cuts on the big three (Medicare, Social Security), this is either dangerous politics or delicious irony. The dangerous politics lies in possibly aiming for independent voters by possibly further throwing the base under the bus and starting from compromised positions. The ironic part may be that Obama finally gets that no matter how much he tries to offer the GOP what they want, they still refuse it. This refusal to support something they once advocated the moment Obama picks it up has been probably one of the more humorous (in a sick way) traits of the Republicans since he took office over two and a half years ago.

On the GOP’s end people like Boehner and McConnell are having to handle what happens when decades of appealing to the far right that has currently become their base mixes with the idea of permanent campaigning. While the tea party faction of the Republicans in Congress seem more and more hell bent on making sure nothing gets accomplished than on actually doing their jobs. Part of this is the differences between Democrats and Republicans in attitudes towards their base in that the Dems usually have a barely concealed hatred for their base that they almost blatantly show any time other than when they want money or votes while the GOP has grown to fear a base that has managed to increasingly drive moderate voices from the room. While the media push of the tea party types must’ve seemed like good politics to them up until the 2010 midterm elections, their increasingly bully pulpit is getting in the way.

So what’s up ahead? Some say the “gang of six” proposal is gaining steam and might be a good compromise. However, so far the House Republicans are worshipping a trinity of Reagan (while overlooking his tax increases), Grover Norquist (of Americans for Tax Reform) and the latest pundit of the moment. The idea that no taxes can be raised whatsoever is becoming a problem that could hinder us much more than anyone expects. Even with this proposal offering a three to one ratio in terms of cuts versus revenues isn’t making friends. Add to it the fact it might not be doable before August 2nd and its future seems uncertain.

But what about the latest GOP proposal of “Cut, cap, and balance” you may ask? It passed the House. However, the supermajority required in the Senate these days makes it unlikely to pass even before Obama vetoes it. It’s more of a middle finger to the President than anything else.

So what will happen here is anyone’s guess? I do think the debt ceiling will likely be raised (even if Obama has to go for broke and do some sort of executive order to do it). Since that is the worst case scenario, I have a feeling that somehow the GOP will have it explained to them what will go down if they don’t vote for it, since even the top one percent will feel some heat if the U.S. defaults). I wish I knew if it would be a clean vote (most of the time the damn bill is one sentence, for crying out loud) but at this point it’s hard to say what form it will take (though sacrificing Medicare and Social Security is the political equivalent of Russian Roulette in this country).

As for the reasons for why the GOP has been acting like some kid on a playground who always threatens to hold his breath until he turns blue unless he gets everything he wants, several posts can be written regarding that.

Statistics on Abortion

2011-05-03T13:15:00.002-05:00

I know right now everybody's mind is on the death of Osama Bin Laden and what it may mean to the war on terror. I'm currently trying to work on a piece on it that will most likely be in the next print issue. However, the world doesn't revolve on one topic alone.

I was looking around online and came across this video from the Guttmacher Institute on the topic of abortion in the U.S. Rather than comment on it, I'll let the video make its own case.

I know this is a polarizing topic and, thus, will moderate comments if I feel it is necessary to do so.

The Death of Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-02T01:26:00.005-05:00

Late on Sunday May 1, 2011 President Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden was killed by the U.S. With this act, our reported reason for this country entering into war with Afghanistan has been realized. .

And now the question that I'm sure at lot of people, regardless of political views, are asking tonight. Does this mean that the troops can come home? Remember that the reason Obama's predecessor George W. Bush (a/k/a: Dubya, Shrub, etc) for the war on terror was to get Bin Laden, dead or alive. If Bin Laden is dead, this has been accomplished. However, the government has also shifted rationale for the numerous wars a number of times since 2001 as well as using fear as a selling point. So, while many of us would like this to be the point when the troops can come home, I have a sad feeling that we're going to get another answer to that question.

2011-04-19T14:59:00.001-05:00

I watching reading Feministing today and I came across this video of Naomi Klein at the TEDWomen conference discussing the BP oil disaster one year later. After watchign the first couple minutes, I had to share it.

Hope you enjoy it.

It's Been Awhile

2011-04-19T14:58:00.004-05:00

Hey! Sorry I haven't been on here for a while. I've been working a temp job that required temporary relocation. Trying to adjust and the hours et al have meant that I haven't been on here as often as I'd like. I'll try to get back on here more in the future.

Update on Egypt

2011-02-10T12:53:00.003-06:00

So far the protests in Egypt have reached their 17th day, going on nearly three weeks in a country ruled for 30 years under emergency laws and fear. While on Monday Vice President Suleiman offered some concessions that seemed to meet the protesters demands, protesters rejected them in part sine it left Mubarak in power and probably more likely because a dictator can change their mind at anytime. Suleiman would also insist that protests must stop even though the regime would continue to rule with Mubarak until September when he claimed he would step down.

This was intended to divide the opponents to Mubarak and try to dilute the protests. Instead, the protests in Tahir Square actually grew with the largest crowd in two weeks taking part. In addition, the country went on strike as workers joined in the protests. Today we hear that the military may be asking Mubarak to step aside and assuming an administrative role.

The question here if Mubarak does step down is what will happen next? The protesters have already worked on some blueprint for a constitution post Mubarak. Whether the military is willing to cede control if they take it remains a question to be asked. Given reports that some in the military have tortured those who protested it's hard to say what will happen next. At this point it's up to the Egyptian people to create a new country after 30 years of a dictatorship. What happens at the protests tomorrow might be a sign of things to come here.

It will be interesting to see how things unfold.

DN Special on Egypt

2011-02-05T13:14:00.002-06:00

Today Democracy Now broadcast a special two hour show on the uprising/revolution in Egypt. Originally just a stream, it's finally become downloadable. We'll let the program speak for itself. Has a lot of insight here that should be heard.

Egypt, Unrest, Crackdowns, and Possible Blowback

2011-02-02T22:50:00.007-06:00

Like many in the Western World I was surprised by the recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. I say Western World mainly because I have a feeling people in those countries had been seeing the signs and the tension building for a long time now. However, given that international news events aren't often covered all that much in the U.S., for many people what has gone down in less than a month comes completely out of left field.

As I said things have likely been building up for a while so imagine the effect that one person vocalizing what a lot of people have felt can have when it goes viral, like this blog did.

Today pro Mubarak forces decided to attack the demonstrators who have been largely nonviolent for the past week since the demonstrations have happened. While there have been some interesting points made about the protestors such as the relatively secular nature of many of them and the increased role of women amongst them (at least before things got violent), the counter protesters and the attackers have had one thing amongst them: they seem to be connected to Mubarak's government in some form.

Sadly this shouldn't be surprising. It has been common in a lot of countries for people to either infiltrate protesters to push people towards violence (or at least have them painted as violent in the media) or act as goon squads to terrorize people into submission. In Egypt some of the arrested looters were found to have police ID cards on them, for example. Granted some people could say said police were simply trying to help themselves given their poverty. However, in a context like this, it's more likely they were intended to give the impression that the protesters were doing all the looting and that Mubarak needed to restore order. In addition, several of the people in today's attacks on the demonstrators were found to have Interior Ministry IDs on them.

At this point it's too early to tell what will happen to Egypt. The simmering unrest has now exploded. Mubarak unleashing force against the demonstrators has pretty much backfired in terms of world opinion. Tensions are high right now and its hard to see what will happen. Mubarak has claimed he intends to stay in power until the September elections but the backlash he faces as a result of the crackdown could possibly speed up the timetable for him to leave the country (even Sen. John McCain has said "Mubarak must go". What does seem apparent is that things have reached a breaking point as the Egyptian people, struggling with high poverty and years of repression, had finally had enough and want an actual role in election and choosing a government that actually represents their interests.

In honor of Roe v Wade turning 38

2011-01-22T11:11:00.005-06:00

In honor of the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade I post this pro choice anthem from grindcore pioneers Napalm Death. It just seems to fit the climate these days. Hope you like it.

Blog For Choice 2011 Post

2011-01-21T01:15:00.000-06:00

Recently there has been a bit of concern in some circles regarding the status of choice and reproductive freedom. The recent Republican takeover of the House of Representatives has vastly increased the number of anti choice voices in Congress while a number of state elections and ballot measures have set out to, if not completely overturn Roe v. Wade, then at least severely weaken it and make it so the right to a legal medical procedure de facto doesn’t exist.

I’m concerned about the state of choice as it applied to a woman’s right to reproductive freedom and reproductive justice this year. However, the concern has been ongoing for a long time. From ballot measures designed to define the fetus as a full human being to various state restrictions based on age or marital status, the war on choice has been going on for decades now. While odds are they might not get a Constitutional amendment overturning Roe, they know that if they chip away at the right of a woman to make decisions over her won body, said right might as well not exist.

The end result is the usual mix of rhetoric that seems to favor DNA over actual living human beings. The current attack of note implies that women aren’t smart enough to make their own decisions regarding what to do with an unplanned pregnancy, either by not really knowing they’re getting an abortion or getting one just out of selfishness. This approach, while claiming to favor life, is an insult to the women the pro forced childbirth contingent are supposedly out to “protect” in the first place. From that to the “crisis pregnancy center” that falsely claim to be abortion clinics to the targeting of abortion doctors, there is a lot to be concerned about regarding a woman’s right to choose what to do with a pregnancy whether it be birth or adoption or abortion.

In a truly just world, this would be a decision made in private between a woman and her doctor. However, we don’t live in a just world but in one where many people who claim to want less government intervention and cry out over a supposed lack of freedom seem to salivate over playing Big Brother on this issue, wanting a government response to this so large and interventionist the society in Orwell’s 1984 practically seems like a progressive utopia in comparison. I’d find it humorous if it wasn’t so scary that people’s lives were at risk as a result of such attacks. Add to this some politicians on the Democratic side of the aisle seeming more than willing to throw a woman’s right to choose under the bus for a few votes and there is much to be concerned about.

So what can be done to make sure a woman’s right to choose is protected? Mainly, those of us who support this issue have to be vigilant against those who want to take away this right either by legal means or by intimidation of some sort. One can’t automatically assume a politician will uphold the right to choose on principle. It will instead take constant putting the pressure on those in power to make sure reproductive freedom and reproductive justice remain safe and legal in this country. It’s far from a new idea and one that will require a lot of effort and work. However, given that the anti choice/pro forced childbirth contingent will continue to do whatever they think is necessary to get their goals across, those who support choice have to keep the pressure up and make sure they get heard.

It's Not About LIttle Barricuda.

2011-01-13T10:19:00.000-06:00

Like most people I've been trying to process the shootings that happened last weekend in Tucson, AZ that killed six and injured 14 including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. An event like this brings a number of emotions to light. Maybe it's the shock over something so extreme happening. Maybe it's that tragedies like this make one realize that things can change without warning. Regardless, there's something about things like this that shake us out of our usual routine and making us realize that some of the things we get so hung up about aren't all that important in the big picture.

Then there's the video that former Gov. of Alaska turned former vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin posted two days ago. Posted in response to criticism over a pre 2010 midterm election map from SarahPAC that posted gun targets on several Congressional districts (including the one Giffords represents) her response came hours before the Memorial to the victims in Tucson, AZ last night. Coming after days of silence and debate over how heated our political discourse had become it was posted without warning just in time for the morning news cycle.

While many from Keith Olbermann to Newscorp (parent company of Fox News) CEO Rupert Murdoch have urged for a toning down of the rhetoric, Palin took an opportunity to voice sorrow and get people to focus on what went down last weekend and instead cried victim, making it all about her.

IN this speech, Palin tried to play both sides. Claiming responsibility for the shooter was solely on the shooter, Plain said we should never let an event like this deter us from the right to "peacefully dissent" against the government. However, she also implies that those in the media who criticized the rhetoric used by Palin, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and the like were the ones that were provoking violence. This tactic of projecting her tactics onto those that disagree with her did little to examine how such a tragedy could go down and much to continue the path the American right has continued to find themselves on over the past couple of decades.

Palin has gained a justifiable amount of criticism for claiming those that disagreed with her were manufacturing a "blood libel" against her. It's hard to know whether she knew what a "blood libel" actually entailed. She did intend to paint herself as a victim of persecution.

I agree with Palin that such a tragedy shouldn't interfere with our right to peaceful dissent in our society. This is also a stance taken by Matthew Rothschild at the Progressive. In fact, many people who wish the right wing media would "tone it down a notch" actually don't want a law to censor anyone's speech. However, such nuance clashes with the cultural dissonance people like Palin, Beck, Limbaugh and the like have helped to ratchet up since Obama was inaugurated (and have been slowly pushing under the radar since the rise of the Christian right in the late 70s/early 80s).

So why the speech now? Mainly Palin is playing to her base; trying to keep her name in the media outside of her e-mail/text missives to Glenn Beck during the past few days before her video. However, the video also takes a horrific tragedy that shook up most people in this country and, instead of focusing on the big picture, painted herself as the real victim. It is this that is truly sickening about the whole incident.

As for her point about "Peaceful dissent," it becomes laughable given that her facebook page routinely deletes comments critical of Palin though leaving up a hateful comment regarding the killing of 9 year old Chritina-Taylor Green. In addition, her insinuation that those requesting that the rhetoric be toned down actually are cuasing violence is a cheap attempt to have it both ways, stating she can say whatever she and her allies want but those who oppose them shouldn't. So much for "peaceful dissent" in that context.

At this point in time we still don't truly have a whole picture of what led Arizona shooter Jared Lee Loughner to do what he did. However, at a time like this, the worst thing to do is take something like this and make it about yourself. Yes, Sarah Palin has the right to say whatever she wants about any issue she pleases. Making this about herself rather than honoring those who died or were injured in the shooting is extremely distasteful at best.

In other words the best response to this is this: Little Barricuda, it's not about you.

It's sad that she's the last person to realize this simple fact.

A NOTE ON READER COMMENTS: After careful deliberation, I've decided to allow comments on this post for the time being. However, they will be moderated and anything that I don't feel is constructive will be deleted. Given that many on the right routinely delete comments from those they disagree with or don't allow comments at all, I think this is fair.

Holiday Music Review

2010-12-14T16:49:00.000-06:00

Malone Malone for the Holidays EP

In the most recent print issue of TTWN we reviewed the final Malone EP, The Tropic of Malone, thus bringing to a close the history of one of Columbia's more interesting bands. However ther ewas one chapter that was still uncovered and we realized it was time to bring it to light. With that in mind let's exam Malone's late 2009 release Malone for the Holidays.

The three song EP starts off with "Christmastime This Year," a high energy uptempo raveup that takes from both the British Invasion of the 1960s and from 80s "college rock" to create a catchy, rockin' song for the occasion. "Do It For The Kids" is a more introspective number that takes on a midtempo, almost ballad-like nature and a more somber tone filled by guitar anpeggio jangle and a simmering vibe that fits the feel of the song more. Then there's "Christmas on the Moon" which draws from roots rock as much as indie and delivers a partly chaotic, somewhat twangy with rough guitar power chords and a vibe that borders on charging the barricades. It's high energy aural attack brings this to a uplifting, if somewhat humorous, conclusion.

This limited edition release was burned onto CD-R just before a December 2009 show in Columbia. Why didn't we cover it then? We would've if we'd known about it. Instead I found out about the EP at the band's farewell show back in May and realized it was javascript:void(0)best to wait until the Holiday season to look at this EP.

Malone for the Holidays is a breezy, melodic disc that shows the band just having fun with a few songs. Definitely will rock your holiday season.

www.malonetheband.com

Why I’m Not Crying Over Juan Williams Getting Canned

2010-10-28T21:47:00.000-05:00

On October 20, 2010 Juan Williams was fired from his commentator job at National Public Radio after making remarks that said he got nervous when he got nervous when he was on a plane with Muslims on the Fox News program The O’Reilly Factor. Almost immediately conservatives claimed that Williams was a victim of “political correctness” and that his free speech rights were violated. Sarah Palin even asked that Congress defund NPR in the aftermath. Others noted that Williams had gotten complaints regarding doing double duty at both NPR (who have had issues with some of Williams’ statements over the years) and Fox as well as pointing out that sometimes jobs have certain codes of conduct that you can get fired for violating; standards which Williams may have violated by saying what he did on O’Reilly,

Personally, I lean towards the latter on what caused this but I don’t really think that’s the reason. If Palin and Gleen Beck weren’t getting conservatives’ tighty whities in a wad over NPR with all this it wouldn’t be news. So why aren’t I worried? My theory on this is really quite simple.

I PERSONALLY BELIVE THAT JUAN WILLIAMS GETTING FIRED FROM NPR WAS ACTUALLY PLANNED AND STAGED.

I’m sure I’m not the first person to bring this up online. Hell, there’s probably already dozens of posts saying this elsewhere. So why add mine? Well here’s my perspective.

First, the mainstream media seemed to fail to report that Williams was working at both Fox News and NPR. It has been spun as if the man lost his only job over what was a perceived freedom of speech issue. However, he was also a commentator for Fox News, which has been practically making Islamophobia a program in and of itself.

Also, note how quickly the media noticed his new contract with Fox News. Less than 24 hours after NPR let him go it was reported that Williams signed a three year $2 million dollar contact with the network. Newscorp CEO (Fox’s parent company) Rupert Murdock immediately painted Williams as someone who has been attacked for using his First Amendment Rights, thus sending off the campaign to defund NPR in almost lapdog attack fashion.

Then there’s the people shouting the most to defund NPR. What TV news network does both Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck work for? Yup, Fox News. While in any other situation this might kinda sorta be seen as a conflict of interest, the mainstream media now paints it out of said context and people think its a legitimate concern.

With that in mind, can I be a bit out of line to think that maybe either someone at FOX if not Williams himself posited this plan to get him away from NPR before his contract was up? In addition, if Williams was already working for Fox News, why do they point out his contract now? Was it up for renewal? Did his bosses at his new main home ask him to make a choice? The answer right now is uncertain.

What is clear is that Williams lost a job for saying something redonkulous and then got a multimillion dollar boost at his other job. Most people wish they could screw up like that.

As I post this it’s been a week since all this happened. If it wasn’t for all the neocons experiencing tainthurt and wanting to defund NRP over it, this would’ve faded in the news cycle after about 48 hours. Even if you discount the other things I mentioned as coincidence, that alone makes you wonder about it.

Was Juan Williams getting canned from NPR actually planned by Williams? I don’t know. However, much weirder things have happened in the American workplace (remember John Ashcroft losing the 2000 Senate election to the late Roger Carnahan only to end up Dubya’s first attorney general).

Reconsider Columbus Day

2010-10-11T10:33:00.000-05:00

Hey! I know it's been a while wince I last posted but there have been a lot of things on my mind lately and I needed to get them sorted out. I have a few things to post here but given that Columbus Day is upon us, I thought I'd let this video from Reconsider Columbus Day state the case since it says it better than I ever could.

Dreams, Rodeo Clown Asshats, and Further Divisions

2010-08-28T09:22:00.001-05:00

Today marks the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Long considered one of the benchmarks of the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and 1960s, King's vision of an America where racism wasn't woven into the system itself and character mattered more than skin color has become taught in schools and part of our history with a message that shouldn't be messed with.

Which brings us to today. Right wing pundit and self described "rodeo clown" Glenn Beck is holding his "Restore Honor" march and rally at the same location. Claiming to be a benefit to raise money for a charity for the families of soldiers, Beck's real motive has come through in the publicizing of the event.

First, he claims that black people don't own Dr. Martin Luther King. Never mind that nobody said they did just as nobody gets upset if a white person claims MLK as one of their personal heroes, Beck is using this as a smear to claim that those people in the civil rights movement who continue to work on liberal causes have stolen King's legacy. IN fact, Glenn Beck says this event will "recalim Dr. King's legacy." To say that is a form of arrogance that's a combination of scary, ignorant, and plain out fucking stupid.

I know some people might say, "Dr. King talked about content of character. So does Beck and the conservatives. So why do you attack Glenn Beck?" Well, once you know the facts it's quite easy to debunk Glenn Beck's fucking bullshit on this issue.

First up goes into religion. Within the past year or so Glenn Beck has spent a lot of time attacking churches that preach "social justice." Beck's claim is that social justice is code for communism and Nazism. How does that compare with Dr. King? Dr. King devoted and gave his life for social justice. In King's later years he spoke out against poverty, attended rallies for striking workers, and even spoke out against the war in Vietnam. The media response was King being attacked as "having diminished his usefulness to his movement" and as a perceived communist just as the right wing in this country do today thanks to people like Beck, Sarah Palin and the like.

Then there's the political angle. There have been some people in the past couple of decades who like to say that if Dr. Martin Lither King Jr. were alive today he'd be a conservative. While we'll never know if that's true given that King was assassinated in 1968, a look at the last years of his life indicate otherwise. King, in fact, had moved beyond his earlier views to the point of considering the Vietnam War "an enemy of poor people" and supporting a "guaranteed annual income" and that the movement itself must "restructure the the whole of American society."

It's possible for people's views to change over time. However, judging from what we see here if Dr. King were alive today he'd be attacked by the same people who today are trying to "reclaim" him. Some even say King would've ended up on Beck's black board. Media Matters even shows how he'd fit on there.

So what is Beck and his ilk doing? Basically, on one level he's dropping trou and taking a giant runny shit on everything Dr. King stood for and then claiming he's honoring our troops in the process. However, it goes deeper than that.

Beck and company may not know history but I do think they're aware of how Dr. King's legacy has been frozen in 1963. BY often overlooking King's work on labor issues and against the Vietnam war in the last few years of his life, King had been co-opted and turned into a harmless figure in the eyes of the American mainstream. Because of this, it's easy for conservatives to claim that King would be one of them. Knowing that most people are too busy to fully research current issues and that American History is often so poorly taught (by design, in my opinion) that it keeps people from learning what really went down, it's easy for those wanting to distort the facts to twist things to their will.

That is what Beck and his ilk have symbolically done to Dr. King today. Their cherry picking of facts have created a situation where people are being misled about an American hero who was far more radical than the schools have taught them. Thus, any claims that they will reclaim King's legacy ring as hollow as the tears Glenn cries at any given moment on TV (thanks to his friend Vapo rub).

Does Glenn Beck and his scary band of neocon liars have a right to say what they want? Of course. However, their attempt to claim Dr. King as one of their own is not only insensitive but dishonest to the nth degree.

When all is said and done it's just another layer of bullshit that those wanting to know real history have to dive through to find out what things are really like.

Some Stuff on G-20

2010-06-28T14:07:00.000-05:00

This past weekend marked the kickoff of the G20 conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Like many people I knew little of what was going on since it kicked off around a weekend (why do I get a feeling they were hoping it would be a news dump item?), and right after the Social Forum in Detroit.

At a COuncil of Candaians event last Friday, Naomi Klein offered up some vital info on the G20 and the negative things about it not often reported.

rabbletv on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

In the past weekend, nearly 600 protestors were arrested at the G20 as Toronto was reportedly turned into a fortress to keep the delegates away from the people.

Also here's some food for thought regarding sexism amongst the G20 protestors. I do wonder how many of the people smashing shit are actually "anarchists" or undercover law enforcement posing as anarchists (before anyone thinks I'm being paranoid,

it has happened in the past

).

Regardless of ones views I have a feeling that in the weeks to come we're going to hear a lot of stories about police overreaction, abuse, and the like. Thus, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds and whether anything actually gets accomplished that helps anyone at the forum.

P.S.: Regarding police possibly posing as "anarchist" protestors, looks like there may be some proof already of it going down at the G20. Sometimes things like this make you go hmmmmm.......

New Platform, Recriminalization, Irony and Texas

2010-06-25T15:52:00.000-05:00

Yes a lot has gone on in the last couple months but just when I was wondering on what to put in, things took a turn for the ridiculous in Texas. Yes, the new platform for the Texas Republican Party wants to make performing same sex marriages a felony.

Never mind that Texas doesn't allow same sex marriages anyway, if the Texas GOP had their way preforming them would be a felony. It would also mandate jail time for straight people who abet a same sex marriage. All of this for something that can't be performed there now.

Between this and their stance to recriminalize sodomy, it seems the conservatives are more hellbent than ever in taking the culture war into full bully mode. Other stances on the platform is forcing women who want abortions to have sonograms beforehand and a measure to change birthright citizenship to include only those people born in this country to a citizen.

Granted many people will see this platform as throwing meat to their base. Several of the measures here would require changing the Constitution (the 14th amendment has been interpreted to mean if you're born in the U.S. you're a citizen) and Supreme Court precedent (in 2003, the Supreme Court ruled state anti sodomy laws unconstitutional) to force the country to be just like the far right in Texas want it to be. When you consider that, in order to achieve these goals (which also include banning oral sex, anal sex, and strip clubs), Federal law would have to be changed to suit these people's desires, then it should be scary regardless of where you live.

So what are the chances of this happening at the moment? While I can't be certain, I don't think it's likely. If the more extreme measures of this were made law, a court would most likely block it or it would be ruled unconstitutional. It does show just how the fangs of these people are coming out. They don't simply want to abide by the constitution but to make us all play by their interpretation of it.

Am I the only person who finds it ironic that the party that wants less government interference wants a large interventionist government when it comes to a woman's body or what people do in their private lives?

I have a feeling I'll be looking into this more in the print issue.

Checking Back In

2010-06-25T15:44:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since I posted last. The past month or two has been hectic in way too many ways between a death in the family (and all the dealing with grief that comes with it), the 100th Issue Show, and a short term job that kept me busier than expected near the end. As such I hadn't been posting on here as much as I used to.

I'm trying to change that and get more on the ball in the near future. However, things might occasionally slip through the cracks. For now, its time to get back to this.

Political Art Exhibit in Oly (for Any Readers in WA State or Thereabouts)

2010-05-13T13:53:00.000-05:00

Hey! I know this has been going on for a couple weeks now but just wanted to let anyone reading this in the Olympia, WA area know that The Black Dot Museum: Political Artists From Vancouver is happening at Northern; The Olympia All Ages Project until May 28. Co curated by the radical underground rock duo Mecca Normal it features art from Jean Smith, David Lester, Gord HIll, and Brian Roche.

Wish I could be there to see it. Just wanted to let you know.

A few days and Counting

2010-05-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let you know that the show for the 100th issue of TTWN is happening this Thursday. We finally got one of the two flyers for it (produced by Scott Walus of Pat Boone's Farm). Check it out.

100th Issue Show Update - New Date and Lineup

2010-04-19T18:44:00.001-05:00

As you know we at TTWN have been planning a special show to commemorate reaching our 100th issue. While the original plan was for Saturday May 1, we have been forced by circumstances we have no control of to change the date. In addition, there has been a change in the bill as Bruiser and Non Serviam have had to drop out for various reasons.

The new date for the show is Thursday May 13, 2010 at Mojo's.

The lineup is (still planning who goes on when): BIG MEDICINE, JERUSALEM AND THE STARBASKETS, PAT BOONE'S FARM, SPECTRAVOX, BOOKMOBILE.

That's all the info we have for now.

Roeder Convicted of Murder

2010-02-02T14:34:00.000-06:00

On Friday January 29, 2010 Scott Roeder was convicted in a Wichita, KS courtroom of first degree murder for the May 31, 2009 killing of Dr. George Tiller. While the more radical side of the pro forced childbirth movement hoped to make this trial a referendum on abortion (Tiller was one of the few doctors who would perform late term abortion when medically necessary) it ended up only taking 37 minutes for a jury to reach a verdict.

Roeder's attorneys tried to allow the jury to convict Roeder of voluntary manslaughter. While the judge allowed it to be entertained, in the end the jury was barred from considering it.

The main question now lies with the sentencing - whether his life sentence (automatic from what I understand) will be 25 years or 50 years before he's eligible for parole (yes, you read that right - this dickweed will be eligible for parole). Prosecution's pushing for a hard 50 (which means Roeder would be over 100 years old before he could receive parole).

I know some people would want the death penalty instated here. However, even supporters of capital punishment should oppose it in this instance for one reason - it would definitely make Roeder a martyr in the eyes of some extremists in the pro forced childbirth movement - a man who sacrificed himself to allegedly save the present and future unborn. While some of these people will view him as a martyr as it stands now, killing this asshole would simply enshrine him to near sainthood in the eyes of some misguided souls in said movement (not everyone but enough people to make it a problem).

Another issue on the martyr trial is a lesser known fact in the Roeder case: he was also convicted of aggravated assault.

Don't be surprised if you didn't know that. Hell, I only learned about it a couple days ago. When Roeder murdered Dr. Tiller he didn't just wait to be arrested, he pointed a gun at two church ushers and tried to make a getaway. That doesn't help the "misguided self defense" trope Roeder and his attorney tried to make at the trial. Obviously the murder charge is the most important but given the guy's past this puts some things into perspective.

As expected Roeder is appealing the conviction saying the jury wasn't allowed to fully ponder the manslaughter defense (supposed based on the belief that Roeder had an "unreasonable but honest belief that circumstances exited that justified using deadly force."

So while justice has been served in the eyes of all but those who may be considered extremists in the pro forced childbirth movement (at least publicly) we'll most likely hear more about this case in the future. That's the unfortunate part.

SOTU Address in Context...

2010-01-28T11:33:00.000-06:00

Via Democracy Now.

We've all seen President Obama's State of the Union address and know basically what it says. This clip puts things into context.

R.I.P. Howard Zinn

2010-01-28T10:19:00.000-06:00

We just learned that people's historian Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States among other books, died of a heart attack yesterday at 87. Our condolences to his family and friends.

Trust Women

2010-01-22T09:16:00.000-06:00

Okay, the theme for Blog for Choice Day is Trust Women, a slogan based on a button Dr. Tiller used to wear before he was murdered. The question: what does that mean?

In a truly just world this would be a non issue. In this context it simply means that women, as individuals and in general, know what's best for themselves and their particular situation when they make decisions regarding their own bodies. Whether that means looking at their lives and deciding that an abortion is the best thing to do at the moment or choosing to have a baby, it's still up to the individual woman to look at her life and make that choice.

Seems simple enough, right? It should be relatively obvious that the individual should make the decision over what happens to their bodies, especially in situations like an unwanted pregnancy. However, as we all know, we don’t live in a truly just world.

Over the past decade a number of bills have been proposed in various state legislatures aimed at covertly limiting access to abortion. From requiring pregnant women to view ultrasounds of the fetus to waiting periods to counseling sessions to laws requiring parental and/or spousal notification/consent, these bills (some even passed into law in some states) are aimed at making a medical procedure that’s legal more difficult to get, especially for poor women or women who have to travel long distances to get an abortion. While some people claim these measures are to protect the unborn, supporters of these measures also tend to state that they want the women to know what an abortion is before they have the procedure.

Apparently, these legislators and their pro forced birth supporters are under the impression that a woman who chooses to terminate a pregnancy is unaware that she’s getting an abortion. One of the talking points some in the anti choice/pro forced birth movement like to state regarding abortion is that women get it for selfish reasons such as to not miss a trip to Europe or to fit in a prom dress. Along with the various proposed bills, statements like these have one purpose: to imply that women act on impulse and are incapable of knowing what’s best for them when it comes to medical procedures and their own bodies. This approach not only manages to insult the intelligence and logic of each individual but manages to be the most glaring and obvious sign that they believe women can’t be trusted to make their own decisions.

The truth is there is no one reason why a woman would have an abortion or choose not to have one. The reasons are as varied as each individual and take in factors ranging from current circumstances to past abuse to the simple realization that one may not be ready to be a parent at this time. While the anti choice/pro forced birth movement would like to hypothesize women as one monolithic group, it doesn’t work that way with human beings.

That’s where trust comes into the picture. Since we can’t live other people’s lives, we have to understand that it’s up to them to decide what to do in a given situation. Abortion isn’t an issue that just pops into a woman’s mind at the spur of the moment. It’s something that a woman has thought about and discussed. As for things like the consent laws mentioned earlier, most women facing an unplanned pregnancy discuss the issue with their families before making a decision and the women that don’t bring it up to them usually have a legitimate reason not to discuss her choice. To demand the consent of a third party into what should be a personal decision between a woman and her doctor annihilates the issue of trust and turns the status of a woman from human being with agency over her life to nothing more than someone’s property. That is the issue.

Trust requires that we view human beings as individuals who can make their own decisions and deserve accurate information in order to do so. Too often, especially when it comes to issues in the reproductive freedom and reproductive justice movement, the powers that be along with certain people practicing a rigid interpretation of their chosen religion have chosen to mislead and condescend to both men and women interested in this issue rather than do the right thing and realize that individuals can and should make their own decisions regarding these issues whether it’s exercising their right to get an abortion or choosing to give birth in a manner that they don’t feel dehumanized by to even making sure that people have access to contraception and emergency contraception without unnecessary delays or other people using their values to deny someone the right to exercise the decisions they made and wish to stand by in their own lives. Only when a woman can make a choice on these matters in a climate free of intimidation or fear of reprisals and/or violence can a society be said to truly trust women.

It seems so simple when you think about it.

Earthquakes, Prisons and Haiti

2010-01-21T15:22:00.000-06:00

Democracy Now reports that the tragic earthquake has had the strange effect of freeing the prisoners at Haiti's National Penitentiary in Port au Prince. While some people would see this as something to fear there's an irony - many were not charged with any crime. Watch the clip.

Amidst all the questions the arise from a tragedy like this ranging from the bottlenecks in getting aid to whether there's a possible occupation to the stories of people still being pulled out alive from teh wreckage stories like this don't get as much recognition as one would think.

Couldn't Say This Better Myself - Taxes and Health Care Version

2010-01-14T21:59:00.000-06:00

I saw this video post over at Pandagon and had to post it here. The Center for Reproductive Rights put out a video on the Hyde Amendment (which since 1976 has banned Federal funds for apying for abortions) and asked a number of people what they don't want their tax dollars going for. A definite worth watching clip.

So simple a concept. Almost jealous I didn't think about this approach.

And They Wonder Why People Think Both Parties Are the Same

2010-01-14T10:20:00.001-06:00

In the WTF category, reportedly the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is urging Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan (yes, the guy behind the insidious anti choice amendment in the health care reform bill) to run for re-election out of fear a republican could win his seat.

You know the Democrats have always been kinda wishy washy over the past few decades (thanks a lot for that, Democratic Leadership Council), but at least they used to know where to stand on the reproductive freedom issue. Now, it seems my concern that they'd gladly throw that right under the bus and sell women out for a few extra votes was more right than I ever thought. Sickening on way too damn many levels.

via Feministing.

Not Under The Bus

2010-01-13T10:35:00.000-06:00

Via Feministing.

Just found out today was the WOmen's Media Center Not Under the Bus Day of Action to demand women's rights be protected under the current proposed health care bills currently being reconciled in Congress.

For more information on what can be done see this take action page.

Scary Times Are Never Dull - 2010 Edition

2010-01-11T12:59:00.000-06:00

Came across this scary article from Democracy Now covering a documentary on the rise of the white power movement these days. Scary times.

I wish I could say that these fucking idiots surprise me, but they don't - sadly. Wish these assholes would get a clue and realize the real enemies in terms of class and economic reasons share their skin pigmentation. Sickening!!!

Re: How to Commemorate the 100th Issue

2010-01-02T15:09:00.000-06:00

As you most likely have figured out by now, The Trouble With Normal is just around the corner from putting out the 100th issue of this fanzine. As such we felt it was appropriate to plan something special to celebrate this occasion that nobody thought would happen (I never even considered it myself when we began work on issue one back in 1992). Now we have got the clearance to spill the beans and let you know what’s up…So, before we forget, we’re proud to formally announce

THE TROUBLE WITH NORMAL 100TH ISSUE SHOW!

The show is scheduled at be held on Saturday May 1, 2010 at Mojo's in Columbia, MO.

Currently slated to play the show at this point in time are the following:
Big Medicine
Bruiser
Pat Boone's Farm
Jerusalem and the Starbaskets
Spectravox
Non Serviam
More TBA

We're currently approaching some out of town bands we want to have play. Since we're still in the extremely tentative stages we will announce these bands when we know if they can play the show or not (remember its still four months away as I type this).

Hope this helps. Feel free to come and enjoy this event. We'll let you know more about the show as we get more info and the date nears.

So This Is Health Care Reform?

2009-12-21T11:59:00.001-06:00

The Senate has passed its health care bill today. To say it's disappointing is being mild to say the least. This clip says it more than I could.

CLimate Change News From Copenhagen

2009-12-09T16:26:00.001-06:00

Via Democracy Now.

Just learned of a new secret agreement that allows unequal limits on per capital carbon emissions. Ths interview covers that, what it could mean, and similar things better than I could.. A lot of food for thought in this piece.

The Clip Says More Than I Could on The Topic

2009-12-03T21:36:00.000-06:00

Once in a while something will come across one's radar that just speaks for itself. I was looking at Feministing tonight and found someone posted a clip of actor Patrick Stewart (best known to a lot of people form his work on Star Trek: The Next Generation) speaking to Amnesty International in England on violence against women. This says volumes on a highly sensitive topic. Watch and pay attention.

Holidays 2009 - A Few Thoughts and Some Dates

2009-11-26T20:57:00.000-06:00

Well it’s the ..Holiday.. season again and I’m almost guaranteeing that this post is going to piss some people off.

.. ..

I’m talking about the people who like to whine and complain about the whole “War on Christmas” bullshit. While they have a right to their opinion, I wish they’d take into account that other holidays are celebrated this time of year also. When people say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas it’s out of respect because you can’t always tell who celebrates which holiday this time of year whether it be due to spiritual/religious conversions, customs of the culture they grew up in, etc. This is why the people who act so damn persecuted when someone says Happy Holidays pisses me off.

.. ..

Now as for the Holidays themselves: we know X-Mas Eve and X-Mas is December 24th and 25th. New Years Eve and New Years Day are December 31st and January 1st. However, some holidays change dates (by our calendar anyway) each year. The following are some of those dates according to the Ethnic and Religious Cultural Holidays Page on the KU Medical Center website (though I tried to link to a few sites on the actual holidays themselves)

.. ..

NOVEMBER 2009

27 - Eid al-adha (Islamic, Muslim)

.. ..

DECEMBER 2009
6 - St. Nicholas Day(International)....
8 - Bodhi Day - Buddha's Enlightenment(Buddhist)....
11 - 19 - Hanukkah(Jewish)....
12 - Virgin of Guadalupe (....Mexico....)....
13 - Santa Lucia Day (Sweden)....
16-25 - Las Posadas (Mexico)....
18 - Al Hijra - Muslim New Year....
25 - Christmas (Christian, Roman Catholic, International)....
26 - Boxing Day (..Canada.., ....United Kingdom....)....
26 - Kwanzaa (African-American - Dec. 26, 2009 - Jan 1, 2010)....

Some people will be pissed off at me for this, but remember your culture/religion isn’t the only one in this country much less the damn world. Get over yourselves and live your own lives.

Just Checking In - NOW UPDATED

2009-11-08T16:40:00.000-06:00

Hey! I know it's been a while but things have been a bit crazy around here. Between getting the 17th anniversary issue done, trying to survive, looking for work, and other obligations I sometimes forget to get my head straight. Add to that coming down with a cold the week of Halloween and you have an idea why I've been a little distracted lately.

On a more serious note, the House passed its health care reform bill. Unfortunately it contains the anti choice Stupak Amendment, which not only keeps abortion care out of the "public option" but could keep it out of private insurance plans as well. While I have strong feelings on this misstep, this article at Pandagon states the case far better than I could. So does this post from Shark Fu.

I'll be trying to post more regularly in the future.

G 20 vs the WTO:

2009-09-25T10:25:00.000-05:00

As the G 20 summit gets underway in Pittsburgh, a recent report from Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch finds that the push for regulation at these summits may be undermined by binding advancement by the World Trade Center to further advance deregulation.

Read or watch below:

I hope I'm not the only one out there that sees there needs to be massive change, if not abolishment of the WTO. There has to be a way to do it, and we need to take it seriously.

If this doesn't happen, then this ridiculous cycle that led to the current economic shitstorm will only continue downward.

More G 20

2009-09-25T00:32:00.000-05:00

Today marks the first day of the G 20 summit and, as expected, protestors are facing adversity. From the use of L RAD (sometimes referred to as a "Sonic gun") and tear gas to National Guard troops and detaining activists before the fact, an overly intense law enforcement presence is in full effect.

Earlier tonight I came across footage of riot cops using sonic weapons and asking the crowd to disperse. I wondered how long it would take before we heard of people trying to disperse meeting up with riot cops blocking a way for people to disperse. I figured it would take a day or two to find out. 5 minutes later a friend sent me a link from Cindy Sheehan's blog confirming just such a thing happened.

Like most people aware of how things go down, I'm angered by this but not surprised. While it is likely the cops were given a green light to crack heads and use force, it can't be 100% proved at this time. I also wonder if some of the overreaction comes from those cops and National Guard troops from elsewhere called to the scene who might not be familiar with the protocol. While I'm willing to consider that as a possibility, I have a sinking feeling there's more than a pillar of truth on the former argument.

As the news trickles in from the system of tubes we all rely way too much on these days, new things will emerge. For now, it's another reason that sometimes the new boss is all too often the same as the old boss. Time will tell what happens next on this.

Watch This ......

2009-09-23T22:38:00.000-05:00

With the G 20 going on in Pittsburgh and the economy still in its current state of somewhere between shitstorm and clusterfuck, it seems hard to take in all the issues around us (especially when most people are simply trying to survive). When I came across this interview with Ralph Nader, I had to turn you onto it as it cuts to the quick on a lot of relevant issues these days.

Whether you like Nader or hate him, we need people like him to put things in perspective and keep people in check. We all need to do more things like this - now more than ever.

Some Things Never Seem to Change

2009-09-23T22:14:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow marks the latest round of globalization talks with beginning of the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, PA (a location reportedly chosen by President Obama to minimize protests). As world leaders discuss issues regarding world trade that seems to benefit business over the needs of its citizens, protests are already underway.

As there are protests, there are also reports of police harrassment as activists report being detained and illegal seizures. Though a Federal judge has dismisseed one case claiming no "irrepairable harm" has been done, Seeds of Peace still report police harrassment. This, even though a judge ruled six group can protest the G 20.

While this is a small trickle from an iceberg, I have a feeling that in the next few weeks we're going to be hearing more reports of police harrassment and brutality towards environmental and anti globalization activists in Pittsburgh. If something emerges that Pittsburgh made the G20 pay insurance to the city in case of damages, then we'll know something may be up.

I know some will say this is just an exception or that with added police presence mistakes will be made. However, having seen how things have unfolded in hyperdrive over the past decade in this society, I have a feeling the plans might be made to bust some heads. I really really really REALLY hope that I'm wrong on this, but I have a strange feeling I'm right.

Some of you reading this may disagree with me and that's your right. Now go argue amongst yourselves, I have things to do.

Review - Panther Entropy

2009-09-07T16:00:00.000-05:00

NOTE: We normally don't use the blog to do CD reviews. Once in a while however a release's timeliness to a current situation or potential rarity requires us to make an exception. This is once such release.

PANTHER - Entropy LP

Panther is one of those bands that has snuck up under the radar and surprised a lot of people with their previous album 14kt God. On their latest, Charlie and Joe takes their avant rock in a different direction. Here, pianos play a more prominent role as they filter in a mid 70s pop cum art rock feel into these songs, taking the listener on a journey that can be as emotional as it is unexpected. The overall creation is music that is fairly unique though not as obtuse as some of their previous work could be at moments.

However, the ability to surprise is here as noted by "Birds that Move" where an incendiary guitar solo moves the song from a catchy as hell indie meets classic pop rock hybrid into an increasingly intense aural beast. These atmospherics add a texture of the music that move it apart from much of what is heard these days when it comes to punk/indie rock. This 12" continues to walk the thin line between potential pop classics and driving, unexpected twists and turns as personified by "Bridge on Fire" where, as the song progresses, the rampaging drums in the chorus add an intensity lesser bands wouldn't think to put in a song like this. Closing things out with a pair of dance remixes by Copy ("Birds That Move") along with Lips & Ribs ("Love is Sold") that take the tracks in different directions and you have a record that still has taken me by surprise.

As I said, it's extremely rare that we put a record review on the blog. However, given that this is a limited edition release (to the best of our knowledge only 500 copies are available - and only on vinyl) and it seemed more responsible to place it here rather than wait for the print issue to review it (and then repost it on the TTWN website once we get the issue released). While this will be rare, Panther has released a damn good record that flips the script on what fans may expect from them while taking underground rock a few steps forward sonically. A definite future classic album, in my honest opinion. Get it while (and if) you can.

Availble at either Kill Rock Stars. Or from here (if really anxious)

This Should Scare Us - School Textbook Edition

2009-08-24T11:22:00.000-05:00

It's interesting (and very scary) how the culture war continues in this country. I was taking a break from looking for work today and came across something that should scare everyone. Apparently, the Texas State Board of Education is planning for new history text books that have a definite right wing bias but remove any mentions of those deemed liberal.

Under their plans, the text books would include mentions of Newt Gingrich (former Speaker of the House leader of the so-called "republican revolution" of the mid 1990s), and Phyllis Schlafly (Eagle Forum founder) among others. Who do they want to remove from the textbooks? Several reviewers have mentioned removing United Farm Workers organizer Cesar Chavez.

The question is who else will be swept from history books?

At first glance, one would assume this is a localized example and that those of us who don't live in Texas shouldn't be concerned with it. However, one thing I didn't know until today is guess which state plays a large role in setting national standards for school textbooks?

Now I have a bit of disillusionment towards how things are taught in America's prison, I mean school, system. I do believe the late Frank Zappa's view on schools having a search and destroy program aimed at wiping out any hint o creative thinking amongst kids. However, this takes things to a level even my skepticism couldn't imagine.

Does this need to be fought? Hell yes. Hopefully this won't make it out of the Texas legislature and the rest of us won't have to worry about it. However, it does remain one more instance of how regardless of Obama and his allies' push for bipartisanship and moving forward, the conservatives still have every intention of making sure the "culture war" continues.

Oustsourcing for Assassinations? WTGDMF?

2009-08-21T14:35:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how the further we get settled into the Obama age that more of how his predecessor (and dictator wannabe) got us further into a damn quagmire comes out.

A short while ago, we learned that Dick Cheney had organized CIA assassination squads to kill people in the name of our supposed "national interests" in the months after 9/11. Scary enough if you know history (Chile in 73 anyone?), but just when you think it couldn't get worse - it does. Turns out they outsourced some of this job to guess who?

WHile it should surprise no one with a knowledge of history that Blackwater (or Xe or whatever they're calling themselves this week) is involved in this. It's still scary just how willing to emulate a dictatorship this country was willing to become.

Now the new question should be why does Obama continue to give them money and pay them to work in the middle East.

For a transcript of the video in this post, go here.

Food For Thought

2009-08-03T17:56:00.000-05:00

Like a lot of people, I've found myself worried about the path our country's going to. I realize Obama has the unenviable task of trying to clean up the clusterfuck of the past administration (it will take about three different administrations to really deal with that), but he seems to be more concerned with making deals rather than actually creating the change we were promised (right now he's not on Bill Clinton level yet but who knows).

I was fooling around online when I came across this article which state the case far better than I could.

You might think this is right on. You might think it misses the mark. I do encourage you to check the article out and make up your own minds.

And The Fear Just Keeps On Coming.....

2009-07-29T15:00:00.000-05:00

As we move further into the Obama era, we find ourselves as a culture facing both the possible chasm between promises and reality as well as the fallout from the Dubya years that we thought wouldn't surprise us. It turns out the betrayal of trust from Shrub, Dick the Dick and company flirted even further with dictatorship than we thought.

First up is Dick Cheney wanting to use U.S. troops to arrest terror suspects on U.S. soil. Cheney claimed the President had the power to use troops to arrest people in the U.S. (a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act). Ironically Bush decided to use the FBI to arrest the Lockawanna Six, but this is yet another reminder of how reckless the previous administration wanted to trash the Constitution and create a possible police state.

However, it may appear that the military has already violated Posse Comitatus Act when activists in Olympia, WA filed a Freedom of Information Act request and discovered a military operative was spying on them. The guy claimed to be a civilian employee at Ft Lewis but was actually a member of Ft. Lewis' Force Protection Service. While activists try to figure out what happened, the damage is done.

Some in Congress want hearings into U.S. intelligence activities and their possible abuses. If they happen, we should also ask how much of this occured under Obama's watch as much as from the known war criminals of the previous administration.

What happens next is too early to tell. However, as the title of this post suggests, teh fear just keeps on coming. So much for transparency.

R.I.P. - Walter Chronkite

2009-07-19T18:48:00.000-05:00

When I got to where I was crashing Friday night I was coming back from the Sonic Youth concert in St. Louis and wanted to see what was up. It was then that I learned that TV news legend Walter Chronkite had died at 92.

While we've all heard or read the memorial pieces about him, this piece from Glenn Greenwald was the best piece on Chronkite I'd come across. It mentions the apparent difference between what Chronkite did and what journalism (especially on the telly) has become today.

I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Catching Up - The Topics Edition (Part One)

2009-07-16T18:01:00.000-05:00

Hey, I know it's been a while. Sorry for not posting in a while but I got distracted between all the things going on as well as trying to get some personal things dealt with (trust me - you don't want to know). With that in mind, I'm going to try my return here with a multi topic post that I hope doesn't fall flat.

First up is the murder of Dr. George Tiller a month and a half ago. While I think anyone regardless of their views on abortion find the way he died repulsive, I'm especially sickened by the way some in the anti choice/pro forced pregnancy movement have made his killer Scott Roeder into some potential martyr, with some assholes even claiming that he's a hero sent by god. What the fuck are these people up to?

It's obvious that Roeder ain't no damn hero. It can also be said that, since Roeder was caught vandalizing a clinic the day before that it's possible this could have been avoided.

However, we can't change the past. I do wonder though why the system gives more leeway to an asshole like Roeder, who claims his jail conditions are "barbaric" than it does to some animal rights activists and environmentalists sentenced to CMU units inside U.S. Prisons. This is still a story in progress so I have a feeling I'll be going back to this topic now and then for a while.

Now let's move on to the Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court hearings in Congress. Like many people I saw a bit of news footage but hadn't seen the whole thing because I have things to do. However, am I the only one that thinks the Republicans bringing up the "Wise Latina" comment is beyond tired? Yes I know the neocons (which the GOP has been pretty much reduced to after eight years of these people gone wild over the Constitution) are playing race issues as often as possible, but this is ridiculous. Between this and the usual playing politics, the news clips would be entertaining if these people weren't serious. Hell Pat Buchanan wants race brought up more as a wedge issue.

So why do the Republicans keep bringing up race and the "wise Latina" comment? Mainly 'cause they know if they repeat something out of context enough times they can get people to believe it. Add to this Sen. Tom Coburn (R, OK) and his imitation of Ricky Ricardo and I'm amazed that Sotomayor has stayed calm. Most likely she'll get confirmed to the Court, but nothing surprises me with the neocons.

There is one thing that should be brought up in the Sotomayor case: the fact that a wrongfully convicted inmate (later cleared by DNA evidence) had his appeal denied by Sotomayor. This should be brought up and discussed, if for no other reason than transparency.

While I do worry that Sotomayor might move the Supreme Court further to the right,it's obvious she's more qualified than some of the people Dubya appointed.

So what next? I don't know. But this should be a start for now.

Far RIght Polarization, Recent Shootings, and What Now?

2009-06-15T23:47:00.000-05:00

The last couple of weeks have taken some surprisingly unsuspected turns for the worse in our society. Between the May 31st shooting of Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, KS while he was at church and last Wednesday's Holocaust Museum shooting, which killed security guard Stephen T. Johns, it appears that lone gunman are committing horrific acts seemingly out of nowhere. In both cases, the tragedies were shocking and reported as if they came out of nowhere. But were they?

Back in April a Dept of Homeland Security report was leaked that sought to warn law enforcement agencies about the possibility of violence from far right wing organizations. Especially noted was anti abortion extremism and a possible rise in anti Semitism as well as using these organization potentially using the economy to try and get recruits.

It's definitely a bit ominous - even scary. However, Obama's Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano had to apologize for the report after it was attacked by neocon pundits and bloggers ranging from Sean Hannity to Focus on the Family's James Dobson (who claimed "there were no Timothy McVeighs out there" and that they were "making a big deal out of something that hasn't happened and may not happen". Michelle Malkin even claimed the report was proof that the Obama administration was doing a hit job. Thus while the report was worried about neo-Nazis, white supremacists and the like, these people automatically claimed they were being persecuted and blamed Obama.

The funny thing about the controversy regarding aid report was this - the report was requested by the Bush administration.

Yes, another instance for the right wing in this country to attack the current administration on something the President they supported all these years actually requested. You;d think most of these people would see it was about neo Nazi types and distance themselves, but instead they cried victim (funny how the right seems to do that a lot these days).

Soon it was pushed into the media version of the rabbit hole until the murder of Dr. Tiller. While pro forced pregnancy groups condemned the act they also in the same breath attacked Dr. Tiller and what he did. While it did temporarily bring the previous memo to light, it appeared to be a one time thing. Then suspect Scott Roeder called the AP from his jail cell claiming that more anti abortion violence is planned nationwide. While the topic continued to make its way in the news, it would soon be eclipsed by Von Brunn's shooting at the Holocaust Museum.

At first glance it appears that both Roeder and Von Brunn were lone wolves, people who committed acts of terror that weren't members of specific extremist organizations. However, both suspects had ties to organizations even if they weren't hardcore members. Roeder for example had the phone number for Cheryl Sullenger, Operation Rescue's senioer policy advisor, on the dash of his car when he was arrested. Von Brunn had over the years had connections with Willis Carto of the white supremacist Liberty Lobby and had received praise from the White Supremacist web site Storm Front.

So how are the neocons reacting to Von Brunn. Well, they're claiming he was a leftist. Yes, I shit you not. They're actually claiming that this neo Nazi piece of fucking shit is part of the left wing movement. ONe of the more ridiculous ones include right wing blogger Andrew Breitbart's voicemail to gawker claiming Von Brunn wasn't a conservative and was actually a multiculturalist. Claims like these would be funny if they weren't scary and devoid of reality.

The truth of the matter is that assholes like Roeder and Von Brunn are the most obvious examples of the polarization this country has undergone over the past 25 or so years. Pushed to the breaking point by right wing radio hosts and Fox News, this movement has played a large role in creating a climate where people of opposing views cant communicate. While the right wing claims the left and their "PC culture" is to blame, the fact that they pushed their purge like attitudes even further during the Dubya era tends to show otherwise. It seems that many gravitate to this strain of conservatism when life doesn't turn out exactly as planned and they'd rather blame others than look inward and make changes. At this point, most of these people don't go to bombing places or shooting people (it's easier to cyberbully and troll websites on the other side using the Internet's anonymity to state things in a manner they might otherwise not say to a person's face). However just because most of these people don't reach that point doesn't mean the neocons had nothing to do with being a factor in Roeder and Von Brunn going batshit crazy and committing these inexcusable acts.

So what now? This question is way easier to ask than answer. Nothing is solved by censoring other opinions (and with the Internet the way it is that may be very impossible to do). While we shold allow free speech (if for no other reason than that knowing one's enemy is easier when one states their views out in the open) there are already laws that cover assault, vandalism and the like. When the line is crossed (and if we're going to have laws and government in the first place) those should be the go to when shit falls apart. However, in Roeder's case he was caught gluing the locks of an abortion clinic in Kansas City the day before he murdered Dr. Tiller (a clear violation of the FACE act) and was not arrested proving that if an existing law isn't enforced than new laws probably won't help things.

I know this has been a long, winding read. Sadly, this is the tip of the iceberg as things stand now. Currently this story is being written as it unfolds. What happens from here on out is up to us.

Breaking News

2009-05-31T13:42:00.001-05:00

I was getting looking around online briefly before having to get some yard work done when I decided to see what was up at Feministing. I was immediately shocked to learn that Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider in Kansas, was shot to death.

Besides being disgusted by this type of idiocy (as I think most people would be regardless of their stance on this issue), I don't know which is worse. That some asshole killed a doctor because of what he did or that Tiller was shot at church.

I've always had some issue with a lot of the people who call themselves "pro life" over inconsistency on some of their stances on certain issues once a person is born and actually becomes a person(especially in regards to war, the death penalty, torture, etc). Shit like this doesn't help. Fucking sickening.

Andrew Sullivan points out that this issue may have some connection (although influential more than concrete) to Bill O'Reilly.

Preventative Detention? WTF?

2009-05-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

Many of you have at least probably read about President Obama's speech last week regarding a plan to shut down Gitmo. While he said a lot of good things, there was one chilling thing that deserved to be criticized. Part of his plan calls for "prolonged detention," which allows the government to detain someone without charges possibly indefinitely.

Scary shit, right? I think this deserves criticism regardless of who proposes it. Obama says it would only be used on those small minority of people held at Gitmo we can't try, but what's to keep the government from expanding it to everyday people (remember Dubya said they were only wiretapping suspected terrorists, but actually monitored all of us).

ONe of the better responses towards Obama's stance on reviving the military commissions and prolonged detentions came from WI Sen. Russell Feingold, who's letter to Obama is a must read.

I'll likely say more on this later, but this article should be a good starting point to get food for thought. Click on the link and read it.

Is Abuse Still Goin' Down At Gitmo?

2009-05-22T13:22:00.000-05:00

There's been a lot of talk about President Obama's plan to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay amidst allegation of torture from the Bush years. Obama signed an executive order to shut it down in the next year and is facing resistance from the Democrats in Congress over where the detainees will go. While this is an important issue, there's something scarier that hasn't been fully examined.

President Obama has promised that things would change on his watch, but recently I came across this article claiming that prisoners might still be abused at Guatanamo. Also here is the mention of a US soldier who underwent the same treatment in the name of training, with a code word to stop it, and ended up with brain damage because this force refused to stop. Watch below for more on this.

Why isn't the mainstream media calling Obama and company to account for this (yes, I already know the answer on this)? Yet more proof that any change we get in regards to the government only happens when we do everything in our legal power to make sure it happens, regardless of who gets elected. Scary shit indeed.

Scary Times Are Never Dull - Swine/Spring Breaker Flu Brief

2009-05-05T16:49:00.000-05:00

My apologies for not being around here the last couple months. There has been a lot on my mind to deal with and a short term job kept me busy. Thus, I had less time to go online than anticipated. So, just to ease in a bit, Let me hint at some things to think about that I've come across.

With swine flu being the big news story (though little is mentioned of how globalization plays into it) I came across this article mentioning North Con and whether it will end up in all this mess.

A lighter approach on this comes from my friend Channing, who brings up the Spring Break aspect of H1N1.

And now a piece on globalization and swine flu that's worth reading.

Many of you have probably already read these, but I thought they were worth linking to. I'll be back with other things to talk about soon. For now let's be aware but not jump to any conclusions - especially the fucked up racist ones.

A Little LIght Humor

2009-03-17T11:37:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since I last posted. Being as there's a lot of heavy info coming at us from all over I thought it would be nice for a little humor to balance things out. Thus a clip from last night's Countdown with Keith Olbermann interviewing Janeane Garofalo on the "left wing smear machine" recently ranted on Fux Snews by Bernard Goldberg and Bill-O. There's a serious turn on this near the end, but it's time we knew the truth - ha ah!!!!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The big question on Bill-O and crew: since Garofalo is know on 24, does that mean they're gonna boycott said show? Just wondering

Just Found Out About This Myself

2009-03-10T18:02:00.000-05:00

This is something I feel embarrassed about posting so late in the day. However, I didn't find out about it until a few minutes ago. It turns out today, March 10, was the National Day of Appreciation For Abortion Providers.

I know that things seem to be moving in the right direction on this issue but providers still face a lot of hassles and struggles. So, I wish to offer my appreciation here (though few may read it). My apologies for not getting to this sooner but I really didn't know until now.

International Quirkyalone Day

2009-02-14T11:56:00.000-06:00

With all the hoopla surrounding Valentine's Day (a day which must be destroyed in my humble opinion), it's easy to forget that February 14 (today) is also International Quirkyalone Day. The Trouble With Normal wants to wish its Quirkyalone readers a very happy IQD today. May it be everything you want it to be like.

Checking In, Deadly Crash etc - Catching Up

2009-02-14T11:01:00.000-06:00

Hey! Hope all is well with you. First I want to offer belated condolences to the family friends of those who died in the crash of Continental Connection flight 1349 in Clarence Center, NY Thursday night. I was going to post another piece in my battle against the exploitative and wretched pseudo holiday today happens to be. However, in the big picture that doesn't seem as important.

Why is it only when a tragedy happens that many people tend to find perspective? We all fall into these ruts at one time or another where the day to day drudgery we have to endure to survive gets in the way and drags us down (and yes, I include myself in that). As a result we often don't tell people how we feel and what they mean to us unless something really horribly bad happens. I wish I could say I've successfully broken this chain but in a society where honesty and telling people what you think makes you an almost automatic target, there have been times I've fallen into the shit myself.

As for the crash, investigators are still looking into it, though the flight crew reportedly saw significant ice before this tragedy went down. As much as we as a species want to avoid hurt, pain and tragedy, there are times when bad things do happen and there's nothing anyone can do. Realizing that is humbling, angering, and scary. However, it's something we all have to deal with at one point.

So what do we do now? I wish I had the answer. Hell, I wish I knew if anybody is actually going to read this. However, when we encounter a tragedy like this (even if nobody we know is involved), we tend to have an idea what to do. Thus, these are the times when we tend to have perspective and let people know what they mean to us and not take things or people for granted. Even just putting yourself in someone else's shoes and trying not to judge can be helpful. I think we have an idea what to do when something bad happens, we just don't want to deal with doing these things every day until something bad happens and we have to examine it.

I wish I had a better answer than that, but that's all I can figure out. In terms of February 14, think about these things and remember that not everyone may be as fortunate as you regarding what this pseudo holiday represents so please try not to look down on them or judge. I hope everyone has a good weekend. Now go argue about this amongst yourselves.

Is Love Fucked 2009!????!!!??!!!

2009-02-09T19:17:00.000-06:00

As we all unfortunately know, this Saturday is that most E-V-E-Y-L Evil of all pseudo holidays, Valentine's Day. While I hope those friends of mine in relationships are happy and doing well, this is the one day I would love to see terminated with extreme motherfucking prejudice.

Since you can't actually do that to a day we decided to call attention to my 1994 article on this topic. Make sure to click the link at the bottom to my more recent commentary regarding this piece (it was reprinted online for the 15th anniversary issue in late 2007).

Just wanted to let you know about this.

R.I.P.Lux Interior

2009-02-05T14:34:00.000-06:00

We got the very very sad word last night that Lux Interior, lead vocalist of punk rock legends The Cramps, died yesterday in a Glendale, CA hospital of an existing heart condition. He was 60. The Trouble With Normal offers its condolences to his family, friends, and fans (among which we consider ourselves).

A Few Thoughts Regarding My Personal Mishaps and Unsolicited Advice.

2009-02-02T18:12:00.000-06:00

Many of you who actually know me in the physical realm (i.e.: the offline world) are aware that I don’t exactly have the best luck in my personal life (or lack thereof). Hell, I think a case can be made that I have the worst luck in the Western World when it comes to matters regarding romance/relationships/etc (maybe not a good case, but a case nonetheless). While I don’t want this post to be a pity party or some ruminations on my loneliness, there are a few things I want to get out of my system.

First, there’s the hassle of societal expectations. When you’re single past a certain age, you’re either considered sad and pathetic (society usually applies this to women but men get this to some degree as well) or irresponsible (i.e.: they think you’re falling from wild party to orgy and back). In both cases people often assume you know what to do to change things. It never occurs to people that one may be happy with where they’re at or that they might just be having really bad luck in this department. Often people want to think that if it’s easy for them then something should be easy for everyone. Guess what? It isn’t. Get used to it.

Then there’s one of the biggest things about this that pisses me off. Often when you’re down in this part of your life people feel the need to give you unsolicited advice on the matter. They don’t seem to want to really help but are more than willing to tell you to stay positive or not to give up. After a while of hearing this, one can begin to think that for every person who actually means what they say with this, two others may be throwing out platitudes to get you to shut up. This is where I find myself at right now and it’s pissing me off.

As a result I find myself ready to have a new rule (which I hate to do) regarding advice and my lack of a personal life (usually when it seems down, but sometimes even as passing comments). Any person who offers me unsolicited advice on my personal/love life (or lack thereof), including mentions to think positive and mentions of self fulfilling prophecies has to introduce me to women. Those not willing to help me out this way should please do me a favor and shut the fuck up.

I don’t like the idea of having rules but this is something I feel needs to be done since I’m not sure who really wants to help and who just wants me to shut up if I’m a bit skeptical and not kill their buzz. Besides, I think anyone willing to offer advice should at the very least help out. If I want advice I’ll ask for it.

That’s it for now. Hopefully people reading this will take this in the spirit intended. While maybe some people will help out, I have a feeling people more than likely will shut up rather than help. It may even make the situation worse (I've learned from experiences via past writing about my problems that things don't seem to turn around after I write about it, unfortunately). Maybe I’m wrong on this, but who knows.

Much Worse Than We Thought

2009-01-26T18:06:00.000-06:00

Okay, we're about a week into the Obama administration and so far it seems he has his hands full just trying to undo the various crisis' Shrub and company left. This is far from news - a welcome change of pace, but far from news. However, a few days back we learned something that definitely should shock the hell out of people regardless of their belief systems. It now appears that the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program may have targeted journalists as a group.

Former NSA Whilstleblower Russel Tice said on Countdown with Keith Olbermann that he was told they were paying attention to journalists just to take them out of the loop but it was going on all the time. He also mentioned that they possibly had the correspondence of all of us. Watch part one of the two part interview and hear things for yourself.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Does anyone else find this awfully scary as fuck? Yeah, I admit I'm getting old but I remember being a kid in school and being taught that this was the sort of thing those "evil Soviets" did and that a free country like the U.S. would never do. Of course, as we all know, the schools do tend to lie to us in the best of situations. However, even someone as skeptical of the system as me didn't think it was this bad. If we're to be the beacon of democracy then adopting the worst aspects of the former Soviet empire isn't the path we should be taking if we're to move forward.

Granted there are a lot of questions. Did the Bush era NSA use this to go after those who questioned the wisdom of Shrub, Dick the Dick, Turdblossom and friends? Was this used to create a database? For political purposes? These are the questions that need to be asked if we ever need to know what the fuck is going on here. I knew Dubya couldn't be trusted, but this shit is ridiculous even for him.

We're at a crossroads here. Thus we have to do what we can legally to make sure this sort of shit isn't allowed to continue. The story is still unfolding, but I guarantee this will get scary before it gets better.

Get Yer Weekend Pumpin'

2009-01-23T17:16:00.000-06:00

Wow! What a week. Between Obama's inauguration (as well as the various responses to Rick Warren giving the opening prayer at it), the adjustment to life without Shrub and company, and people getting ready to mark the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, it's been quite busy for many people. Now it's the weekend and I think it's safe to say people want to let loose for a couple days.

Now I'm not a dance-y kind of person (while my taste can be all over, my heart's in the hard loud fast stuff). However, when I saw this clip on a recent Colbert Report I knew its kickin' beat would get all of us psyched for the weekend.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Stephen's Remix Challenge

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

That actually got me into the groove, so the speak. Anyway, I wish everyone a kickass weekend and hope things are going good. As for me I have to get over this cold.

Blog for Choice Post/Pro Choice Hopes

2009-01-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

So we're officially a couple of days into the Obama administration and may see the government move into a direction more amenable to reproductive freedom. The question of what my hopes are for Obama or the Congress are in terms of reproductive freedom and justice issues has come up as something to discuss. In my case the challenge has been trying to determine which one to put up here as well as wondering if I have anything to add that hasn’t already been said on other blogs regarding this. Having to narrow down from the way too many things that many participating in this feel need to change after all these years of reproductive freedom and reproductive justice being under attack does tend to be a challenge of sorts. From getting rid of the Global Gag Rule to maybe simply ensuring access to abortion and birth control to more people (i.e.: maybe overturning the Hyde Amendment), it was hard to pin it down. However, I think I finally found one factor in this issue that I’d definitely like to see the Obama administration as well as Congress tackle ASAP.

The big hope I'd like to see is the passage of the Freedom of Choice Act (H.R. 1964/S. 1173) into law, thus guaranteeing women in the U.S. the fundamental right to determine what to do with their bodies in case of a pregnancy, including the right to get an abortion. Given the defeat anti-choice ballots in several states faced during the last election, this shouldn’t really be an issue. However, with reproductive freedom and justice (from abortion access to birth control) a highly hot button issue means that this bill is and/or will be contested. President Obama has said he'd sign it if it passes Congress, but I have a strange feeling that quite a few Republicans will try to filibuster this bill any chance they get just to prove their anti choice credibility (I’ll leave the decision of whether to call these people “anti choice” or “pro forced pregnancy” up to you).

In a sane and just world, this wouldn’t be an issue. This would be considered a personal decision between a woman and her doctor and left at that. Unfortunately, the anti choice/pro forced pregnancy contingent have made it clear that they intend to make the rest of us abide by their worldview by any means necessary rather than simply live their own lives according to their convictions. Thus, the issue of choice, reproductive freedom, and reproductive justice becomes politicized and what should be a personal decision places the lives of women and those that care about them at risk for threats and possible physical harm at times.

Will this bill become law? I really hope it does. However, Congress may have its hands full on this one trying to get it passed before making it to Obama’s desk for his signature. Thus, its up to us to put the pressure on and make sure the people elected to supposedly watch out for us know we want this to make it through.

What Should Be Next for Dubya

2009-01-20T09:37:00.000-06:00

Yes, the end is here. AS I type this George W. Bush and his family have packed up and are all but ready to leave 1600 Pennsylvania Ave (i.e.: the White House) on their way to life as private citizens and 10 years of Secret Service protection (ironically, lifetime protection was ended by Congress in 1999 (a Republican congress, at that) with the last President to get such protection being Bill Clinton). Which leads us to the question of what should happen to the Bush administration post script.

Obama is facing pressure to press charges in regards to torture and war crimes. Bush is off to a house in an exclusive neighborhood in Dallas, TX. So what should the new administration do. I have my ideas on this, but when I came across this special comment from Keith Olbermann, I realized it says it better than I could.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

It's quite a lot to take in, I admit. However, I hope it places things into the proper context. I know right now most people want to be hopeful and focus on the possible good ahead after the eight year long national nightmare. However, this issue has to be addressed. Here's hoping (with our help and encouragement, of course) that the Obama adminstration does the right thing - or at least works with the UN to do it if all else fails.

MLK Day

2009-01-19T17:12:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to mention that today was Dr. Martin Luther King Day. I hope you take this day and what Dr. King meant to heart. I think it's important to note that while we have gotten a hell of a lot closer to bringing Dr. King's dream of equality to reality, we still have a long way to go.

It's still fucking tragic that racism still exists in the 21st century. Some people may use Obama's election as proof that we're in a post racial society, but we still have a long way to go before we eliminate a learned behavior that's been institutionalized in our culture to the point that many people may not be aware of how deep it goes.

So where do we go now? We're at a historical moment with Obama's inaguration tomorrow and the end of the Bush 43 era. However, it's important to keep in mind that bringing about a better and saner world required more than just voting in an election. It's a lifelong effort that mandates all of us to further our awareness and go beyond what we've merely been taught, whether its on race, politics, etc.

That's it for now. I hope you've had a good MLK Day.

Dubya's Last Day

2009-01-19T12:44:00.000-06:00

Well, the day has finally arrived. George W. Bush's last day of President of the United States. It's a day many feel couldn't come soon enough. In fact when he gave his last TV address last Thursday, I was among those worried that he might decide to stay and pull some sort of coup (see dictator remarks in previous post for why). Outside of him pimping the horrific tragedy of 9/11, there wasn't much to see.

It's somewhat ironic that his last day falls on Martin Luther King Day. Both are controversial figures for completely different reasons. However while Dr. King caused controversy for trying to move this nation and humanity somewhat forward, Dubya managed to try to push humanity back to a simpler, more willfully ignorant, scarier time.

So how do we say bye to G.W. Bush? I don't know. I'm just glad this long national nightmare is over. The next four years may bring their own set of problems, screw ups, and things that have to be challenged. However, I don't think things can get much worse than what we've been through.

The Goodbye Dubya

2009-01-15T15:23:00.000-06:00

In a few hours, President George W. Bush will give his final address to the nation before leaving office Tuesday (when Barack Obama actually becomes President and can drop the elect part of the title). Given the recent round of interviews (which for someone who claims not to care what others think seems like he's overcompensating) it'll probably be the usual round of self congratulation that's shown him to be an even more smug, self satisfied prick than he was eight years ago. I know it's the supposed death knells for the Bush II era but I'm still worried.

What if Dubya decides not to leave office and thinks a coup would be a good idea? I really hope this is just part of those paranoid nightmares everyone has once in a while but we forget about his 2000 statement on if it were a dictatorship.

Feel free to watch if you don't believe it.

The media played this as a joke. However, it did seem to answer a lot of questions about how he governed over the past eight years (hell, he made Nixon at his worst seem passable in comparison). However, how do we know he won't pull this shit?

I really really REALLY HOPE I'M WRONG about this. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope these really are the last four or so days of the George W. Bush presidency.

The Godbiscuit knows we can't afford to continue this.

Trouble Everywhere

2009-01-14T14:58:00.000-06:00

Hey! I know things seem to be busy with an inauguration next week and everything. However it is important to be aware of the problems elsewhere that may or may not effect us.

I've been meaning to comment on the recent invasion of Gaza. However, given the complexity of the situation I prefer to do it right. In the meantime I linked to a blog detailing human rights in Gaza and Israel while this goes down (see it to your right in the links/sites we like section.

Then there's Dubya's farewell tour, so to speak. I have to agree with Jon Stewart on the irony of someone who claims not to care about people's opinion but is doing interviews like he has a new album about to drop.

As for me I have to finish the new print issue and get that ready so I've been busy and more than a little worried. That's it for now. Feel free to argue amongst yerselves.

R.I.P. Ron Asheton

2009-01-06T13:42:00.000-06:00

We have just learned that Ron Asheton, founding member and guitarist for legendary band The Stooges was found dead in his Ann Arbor, MI home. He Was 60. Our condolences to his family, friends, fans, and fellow band members.

NEW YEARS GREETINGS!!!!!!!

2008-12-31T13:18:00.000-06:00

Hey! With 2009 little just hours away I just want to wish everyone reading this a Happy New Year and hope you all have a great 2009.

As for New Years Resolutions and the like, I don't really have any and I'm cautious about the next year. While I hope 2009 is better than 2008, I also hoped for a better 2008 last year and things all went downhill in ways you don't want to know about. Thus, while I'm trying not to be too down about things, I am approaching things with a lot of caution.

Tomorrow is another year (it's always weird to say that). Hope all is well with everyone.

Quasi Unexpected Holiday Music Recap

2008-12-24T10:40:00.000-06:00

I know this is really cutting things to the bone here, but I realize I need to get this in now or it won't get done. This entry will highlight a few holiday music records: a unique disc released for a small time each year but not normally available. This time there's three that we want to let you in on. One I'm sure you know about but the other two I feel need some attention. Let's start with the most known one first.

Stephen Colbert and Friends - "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All soundtrack" download

This is basically what the title implies. The soundtrack to the Colbert Report host's recent Christmas Special. Musically, this varies from the lounge/standards of Colbert's "Another Christmas Song" to guest appearances by Toby Keith ("Have I Got A Present For You," which is amusing when just audio but funny as shit when watched), Feist ("PLease Be Patient") and several duets (including one with Jon Stewart called "Can I Interest You In Hannukah") as well as a group singalong of (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" (Keith's appearance on this song is something I can honestly say I never thought would happen). While those unfamiliar with Colbert and his work might not get this, Colbert fans will love it. Snarky, tongue in cheek, and funny as hell. Only available on itunes but worth it.

(Comedy Central)

Destructors 666 - "Bah Humbug" CDEP

This band has been making an impression here at TTWN HQ (or whatever passes for it) for a while now, so imagine our surprise when this Christmas EP appeared. As you may have guessed, this is tear down the walls punk rock delivered with lots of aggro guitars and a tongue and cheek approach. Starting with "Just Another Christmas Song" (no, not the one Colbert did) on, this is a more sarcastic take on the season that's sometimes humorous, sometimes confrontational (one song is titled "Merry Christmas & Fuck Off), as well as a cover of Fear's early 80s classic "Fuck Xmas" for good measure. Straight ahead and loud, this is a great CD to listen to for a little relief from the usual drama that unfortunately occure this time of year for many of us. Well worth getting for next Holiday season (I checked the band's website and I don't know if they have it, but you can definitely find it on itunes).

(www.destructors666.com)

Gentleman Auction House Christmas In Love CDEP

In our holiday music wrapup comes this EP from Gentleman Auction House. A brief collection of originals songs (with one or two exceptions), the band's layered power pop sound fits in this setting as tight hooks and clean harmonies mesh with a blend of synthesizers and guitars for a vibe between the old chestnuts and the more personal tales of love, relationships about to fall apart et al during this time of year What emerges though is a more somber take on the holiday as trying to move on from a breakup et al is the more prominent than any of the forced happiness that the media tries to get us to march lockstep to this time of year. While Holiday traditionalists and those not into poppier stuff might not enjoy it, this is an entertaining little disc that at least puts the season into context.

(www.emergencyumbrella.com)

I hope this helps you in finding some new music for holiday cheer in its own unique way.

Does Rick Warren Have A Role In This Too?

2008-12-22T13:07:00.000-06:00

Yes, like many people, I was taken aback by President Obama wanting Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration (why are we having clergy at these things anyway, but I digress), creating a possible slap in he face between Warren's support for Prop 8 (which banned gay marriages in CA) and the people in the LGBT community that helped him get in office. While some said that Prop 8 wouldn't cancel those already married, it looks like we spoke too soon. Now they're trying to nullify already existing marriages. While I sincerely hope that Rev. Warren isn't involved with this, why do I have a feeling he wouldn't oppose it

This is problematic for one huge reason: it gives the state the power to decide which marriages are allowed to exist. If this is allowed, then what lies ahead? Would interracial marriages be next? Would the far right try to stop companies from allowing benefits to non married couples? Supporters of Prop 8 and similar foolish bills and laws claims marriage is supported in the Bible. However, while many of these people claim to be social conservatives who want less government intrusion when it comes to personal issues they want the state to play God.

Just frustrating. Hopefully we get our heads on straight and move forward from this step back.

Why I'll Miss Moral Orel

2008-12-15T10:07:00.000-06:00

I don't normally do posts about things like TV shows but this is a case where I had to make an exception. I just hope I did justice to what I wanted to get across.

This Thursday will mark the last episode of the TV show Moral Orel, thus marking the end of one of the more bizarre shows to appear on US television and, in some ways, one of the more surprising. The story of Orel (hence the title), a deeply religious 12 year old who wants to do good but misinterprets the somewhat skewed messages given by his family (especially his father Clay, who seems more interested in using his belt than actually teaching his son), school, and church and ends up getting in trouble. While the show has one of those people tend to either love or hate, there is a reason I'll miss the show.

Is it the show's ability to make fun of topics some would consider taboo? There might be some of that. In the shows run Orel's misunderstandings of rules and lessons has led him to raise the dead, get addicted to crack, and unintentionally become a pimp among other things. While I admit sometimes I don't get the direction a certain episode takes, it's been one of those journeys where a stop motion animation show can show us a window on the society at large. But that's not the reason I'll miss Moral Orel.

The real reason I'll miss Moral Orel is simple: the show is probably the most accurate warning shot of what society would be like if the conservative Christian right really controlled everything. The town of Moralton in the show is a place where religion and rules reign supreme and the appearance of piety (in this town the librarian actually burns the books herself) seems more important than what's inside. While the adults in the show appear to be content, they more often than not want to pass the buck (especially when it comes to Orel's quest for advice and help) and then often not realizing their role in what got Orel into trouble in the first place. It's also telling for the show that the character of Stephanie, owner of Moralton's only sex shop, is the one adult that's actually worth a damn, treating Orel with a certain amount of respect and concern, as opposed to the other adults who just brush him off, more concern with their own problems than providing even a remote resemblance of social guidance. With this last season, we learn some of the reasons why the adults around Orel are the way they are and, in a way, how they seem to pass on the mistakes done to them onto the next generation (especially Orel), taking the show on a darker turn, but one that actually added a context to the show other than the feel you're watching an episode of Davy and Goliath gone horribly worng.

In the last couple decades, there's been a lot of talk about a culture war. Social conservatives like to believe that if we can erase the upheaval the social movements of the 1960s helped to create, then things would be more peaceful and orderly, creating a world that's safer and better, especially with the church taking a major role in everyone's life. While this seems like a nice theory, the reality of this society would most likely be exactly like Moralton.

Here's hoping (and to doing what we can) to ensure society never gets to that point. R.I.P. Moral Orel - you will be missed.

I Can't Believe It!!!!!

2008-11-20T15:54:00.000-06:00

It doesn't take a genius or an expert on U.S. policy to realize that the various people in the Bush administration have largely thumbed their noses at the law and the Constitution with regularly over the past eight years to face no consequences for their actions. Thus, I think many people (including myself) have gotten used to (though extremely fucking angry about) the fact that Dubya, Cheney and company will screw this country over and get away with no punishment. Imagine my shock when I learned a day or so ago that vice president Dick The Dick Cheney and former attorney general Alberto "Double Lie Gonzo" Gonzalez have been indicted by a grand jury in Texas.

The state charges relate to Cheney and Gonzalez' connection to a company running a privately run prison and allegations of prisoner abuse. While a very small thing compared to the war related atrocities the Bush administration has tainted our country with for most of the last eight years, I think many people are trying to pick their jaws up off the floor over the idea that Dick Cheney and Alberto Gonzalez were charged with anything at all. How will this case pan out? I have no idea. Odds are Dick the Dick and Double Lie Gonzo will find a way to weasel out of this, but I hope they don't. It would be nice to see a karmic payback of sorts with these two having to take responsibility for something bad they were connected with.

He's Only Got Two Months To Fuck Up The World

2008-11-11T01:42:00.000-06:00

On November 4, 2008 the American people voted in record numbers that led to the election of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th President. While Obama's election certainly makes history with him being both the first African American (a term more literal given his father was from Kenya and his mother was from Kansas, making him also the first biracial) president of this land it sometimes can be hard to keep in mind that he's now the President-elect and his term doesn't actually begin until January 20, 2009. Thus, it's easy to forget that for a couple months we still have George W. Bush to deal with. And he's gonna leave his mark long after he's gone back to Texas (and yes, Texans, you have to take him back).

Whether it's bypassing privacy laws in regards to homeland security or relaxing environmental regulations to allow uranium mining near the Colorado River, Bush seems hellbent on carving his legacy in stone and having them take effect before Obama's inauguration (before 60 days and he could stop them from going into effect). The Bush administration also appears to push socialized banking further with a bailout on top of the $700 billion bailout Congress and Bush proposed a couple of months ago. Add to this the environmental gutting laws Dubya passed during his first term (remember the Healthy Forests Initiative, for example) going into full effect in the next couple of years, and we have a situation where one leaders foolish legacy may have plans to take his successors down with him. Some sources I've come across report Bush and company plan an orgy of deregulation to go into effect before leaving office. There's also the possibility of the banks helping to gut the treasury even more before January 20th. Currently it's too early to tell whether he plans to pushing a neocon social agenda into law under our noses (and using the lame duck lack of interest) before his term ends, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Why is he doing this? I have no idea. Reportedly, his approval rating is now lower than Nixon. He has to has some idea that these actions will make him less popular with the American people. Is this some weirdass plan to help bring forth the Rapture so hm and his fellow conservative so-called christians will go to heaven and laugh at those left behind? I'm not being flippant here - I really want to know why he wants to fuck up this damn bad. Usually the final days in office are basically not newsworthy, except for those last minute pardons (who wants to bet that Duke Cunningham and Ted Stevens both get pardoned by old Shrub). Dubya wants to use the lack of interest to push the country further into the shit.

Time is of the essence for George W. Bush. He's only got 69 days to fuck up the world, so he has to sink to new lows. The rest of us will have to clean up his goddamn mess after he leaves office. Here's hoping he doesn't go for totally batshit crazy in the last couple days.

You Can Stop Blaming Nader Now

2008-11-08T14:20:00.000-06:00

As I type this it is four and a half days since the election of now President elect Barack Obama in an election with reportedly one of the highest percentages of people voting than any election in recent history (if not all U.S. history). With a margin that some will even consider a mandate if not a landslide, it is time for the Democrats to finally end one of their sillier recent traditions.

I'm talking about the blaming of Ralph Nader and the Green Party for Al Gore losing the 2000 election (in fact, the election was stolen). Since this unfortunate event (and the eight years of hell we've faced as a result), it has become a habit for the Democrats to claim if Nader hadn't ran then Gore would've won in 2000 (even though Gore not even winning his home state could be a sign of things otherwise). Some have even gone so far as to sue to keep Green party candidates off the ballot in elections since then (does this seem a little anti-American to you?). Absent from this is the fact that one, Gore largely cost himself an election he might've won if he'd fought harder. Two, Bush and his cronies did everything they could to steal the election (and may have even stolen the one in 2004 as well). While the specifics can be considered conjecture, this election should put that to rest.

With Obama set to enter the White House in January and the Democrats holding the majority of seats in both the House and the Senate (though at this writing it's uncertain whether they have a filibuster proof majority), it appears on the surface that times are changing. Hopefully, the Democrats will step up to the plate and act like it.

So is they shouldn't blame Nader anymore, what next? One suggestion: stop acting like you're the only game in town for anyone not into the GOP. A lot of votes this election came from independent voters; this should be kept in mind when decisions are made. Also, maybe instead of trying to keep third party candidates from running for office, how about bringing back the Fairness Doctrine both sides allowed to die during the later Reagan years and allow all the candidates time to get their messages heard (we can discuss the need for instant runoff voting on another post). Granted these are small things to consider within the big picture, but the days of everyone blindly following a two party system may be numbered and it's time the Democrats deal with it rather than blaming a messenger (which, in best case scenarios, Nader was) that the electoral process is flawed.

Will the Democrats stop blaming Nader for 2000? Probably not, but I would like to think that the current victories can help write a new chapter rather than continue the same damn mistakes. Regardless, it's up to each of us to watch politicians like a hawk and make sure we actually get some well needed change.

History Has Been Made - What Next?

2008-11-04T23:26:00.000-06:00

I originally posted this over on the blog on my MySpace page but decided to put it here as well for those who either don't have a myspace page or anyone who comes across this post.

We have just witnessed a historic election. Like many people in this country I was surprised by the outcome. Relieved as hell, but still surprised. America has at least taken a baby step towards eliminating institutionalized racism by its election of Barack Obama tonight for President. The polls looked like it would happen, but after two stolen elections, many people were both keeping their fingers crossed and not getting their hopes up. Now there's some quasi breathing room.

However, with all the talk of change and hope, there's still a lot of work to be done regardless of who you voted for. Despite Obama's hope for putting division behind us it's safe to say America will be just as divided a country in January 2009 as it is now - if not more so.

As for what changes need to happen, I came across this interview with Jello Biafra that says it in many ways better than I could (especially important is the two part answer to question 9, whether you supported Obama, Nader, McKinney, or even McCain please pay attention to this).

Yes tonight's election result was a small step in trying to alter the clusterfuck of the past eight years (and god only knows what Dubya will screw up before he finally heads back to Tejas), but while people can get a small nap now, the work is extremely far from over.

Some people may disagree with me and that's their right to do so. Now go argue amongst yourselves, I have to pick my jaw up off the floor.

Voting Is Not Enough

2008-10-28T18:08:00.000-05:00

As I type this the U.S. is one week away from the 2008 Presidential election. Seven days left until voters theoretically (remember the electoral college really chooses that office, unfortunately) decide who will lead the country for the next four or so years. Unlike the last two elections there appear to be some more than surface level differences between the two major party candidates. However, the three third party candidates (Bob Barr (L), Ralph Nader (I), and Cynthia McKinney (Green)) are still considered obscure, not allowed into the debates or to get their platforms heard by the voters. Between that, voter suppression efforts by the GOP, and the increasing polarization of this country, its getting more difficult to get your voice heard much less come to a consensus on its future.

I admit I have a problem with the concept of how voting is done in this country. I also admit that I vote whenever I possibly can (though the more anarchist leanings in me feels bad about doing it). Before I get any angry responses, let me say first that I have absolutely no issue with as many people voting in an election as possible. In fact I think more people should vote (though I respect people's right not to). However, too often in America democracy has been reduced to casting a vote once every two to four years and then doing nothing while other people make decisions regarding the forces that control our lives. That is a problem.

Because of this fact, too often it seems that politicians take advantage of inactivity and push through things that counter how a democracy should go. The last eight years are an obvious day-glo example of this (especially Dubya's overuse of signing statements when signing bills into law). Whether it's getting our country into unpopular (and unnecessary) wars, slowly cutting off a woman's right to reproductive freedom and reproductive justice, or the seemingly slow creep towards martial law via mandatory minimum sentences and the like, it seems America tends to lose its way regardless of who gets into office.

Now I understand that most Americans are extremely busy. Between having to work (often multiple) jobs, trying to keep their families alive, and just make ends meet it can be hard to keep up on what's going on around you. In that context it's easy to see how people can fall into this cycle. But under this cycle nothing seems to change. If we are to survive than things must change in how things work out.

Voting alone is not enough. We all have to do what we can to hold the politicians' asses to the fire and make sure things change course. This means everything from writing (or e-mailing) Congresspeople to making what vigils and demonstrations you can make and everything else along the way. It's not always pretty and it's definitely not glamorous but those things have to be done. I'm aware that it can seem like an uphill struggle at times and keeping up with current events can seem daunting. It still has to be done if we are to become as a culture what we were taught America should be - or to become something better than that.

About a year ago I saw Noam Chomsky on CSPAN and he was asked about whether protests and raising awareness of issues to force change worked or not. His response was surprising when he said, "It's the only thing that ever has." He went on to explain that change can happen though it sometimes doesn't happen as fast as we'd like. While ti may seem like running into a brick wall at times, Chomsky makes a valid point: it's up to us to bring change about.

It's easy to think that if we just elect the right person then things will automatically change and the problems of previous administrations will go away. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Thus, it's up to me and you to make the world a better place. We can't do it all alone but for better or worse we're the only people who can do it.

I know some people reading this may disagree with what I say and where I'm coming from on politics and issues. That's okay - they have to right to do that. Just like we have the right to disagree with the shambles they've made of our world slowly over the previous decades and at warp speed over the past eight years.

We alone can work to make things right. We're the only ones who can do it.

Long Time Update.

2008-10-18T16:13:00.000-05:00

Hey! Hope your weekend is going well. It's been a while since I posted on the blog so there are a few things that I've been needing to post here.

First some quasi good news. In mid September St. Paul,MN police dropped charges against Democracy Now journalists arrested covering protests of the RNC convention. Unfortunately it's uncertain whether there wil be an investigation and there have been some reports that in both Denver and St. Paul the cities asked for insurance coverage in order to hold the conventions. GIven all the hoopla about the upcoming election, this has gained little coverage.

Elsewhere, crowd response at the McCain/Palin rallies have taken a very scary, ugly, and even racist turn as we near the election. At a time when conservatives have harped about how racism doesn't exist when it suits them, this tells a different story. Between this and the use of Obama's middle name, desperation is setting in for the GOP.

Also, if John McCain claims former Weather Underground leader BIll Ayres is all washed up and he doesn't care about him, why does he keep bringing Ayres up?

That's it for now. Stay tuned for another post in the hopefully very near future.

Only 22 Days 'Til The Election!!

2008-10-13T18:34:00.000-05:00

Yes it's only 22 days until the election. I know it seems like the campaigns have gone on forever but it's only been finalized for a little over a month. For most people the choice is between Obama and McCain (despite there being five candidates for president if one factors in Bob Barr (L), Ralph Nader (I), and Cynthia McKinney (Green)). The debate is Wednesday and if the performance of the last two is any indication, McCain's in for a rough ride. As for Obama, aside from the fact he should be thanking the memory of Shirley Chisholm's 1972 campaign on a daily basis, seems to be in the lead. However, given the GOP theft of the last two Presidential elections, I have to say anything is possible - and that's truly a scary thought.

What is needed on a national level is adopting the Instant Runoff Voting (advocated by the Green party and used in several other countries) which would allow for people to vote the first choice as well as several others for each post. Yes the vote counts would take longer, but I think more people might go to the polls if they knew they could vote their conscience. As for those in the two sides of the one party system current in charge, you'd still benefit since your candidates would be many of the third party candidates' second or third choice. Sadly, November 4th won't have this so people will still be fretting over who they vote for.

So what's ahead? In the past I'd have an idea from looking at the polls. However, things have been so topsy turvy the last couple of election cycles that it can't be known until November 5th - if then. Here's hoping the change is for the better.

Review

2008-10-13T17:25:00.000-05:00

NOTE; I normally don't use the blog to do CD reviews. However, given the timeliness of this release, I felt it would be good to make an exception.

TED LEO & THE PHARMACISTS - Rapid Response download EP

Many people in this country were shocked an appalled by the police response to protestors during the Republican convention in St. Paul back in August, especially the arrest and attacks by police on journalists. Upon learning of what was going down, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists decided to respond - producing this EP in the process. The first two songs are original tracks written for this release kicking off with the rousing rocker "Paranoia's Never Enough" detailing the police repression in St. Paul. "Mourning in America," the other original song, addresses the ugly specter of racism as an election issue. Rounding this off is a cover of Cocksparrer's "I Got your Number" and a version of Amebix' "Nobody's Driving" performed solo with Ted's own take on the HC/proto grind anthem.

Recorded and released quickly, the sound quality is a little rough. However, it is fitting given the circumstances around us that this download isn't the most slickly produced (it's more punk if it isn't). Only available from T&G, thew proceeds benefit tow organizations worthy of support: Food Not Bombs and Democracy Now.

Get it at touchandgo

Debate Update

2008-10-01T14:33:00.001-05:00

Okay, it's been about a week since the first debate. McCain did show up, but seemed more interested in pushing his agenda than offering any solutions. Obama was able to counter but did on occasion appear to not be as tough as he should've been. While each side claimed they won, the polls (in some effect driven by the economy) seemed to favor Obama. Since they were the only candidates one can only guess whether the results would've been the same if Nader, McKinney, and/or Barr were allowed into the debate (which I would've loved to have seen by the way).

The VP Debate with Biden and Palin is tomorrow night. While on the surface things seem like an easy outcome to predict, this election cycle has shown that nothing should be assumed. THus hot things will turn out is anybody's guess.

The Debates Are Here....Or Are They

2008-09-25T23:26:00.000-05:00

As most American readers of this know tomorrow (as I type this I still have a half hour) marks the first Presidential debate of the 2008 election. As usual they unforunately won't be open to all the candidates (it doesn't help that the Debate Commission is a business of sorts) but only in theory to Sen. John McCain (R) and Sen. Barack Obama (D).

Normally I wouldn't say in theory on this. However, things have gone topsy turvy as Sen. McCain allegedly suspended his campaign (yet allowed campaign ads to air during this time) to supposedly get the financial bailout package through, even cancelling on David Letterman at the last minute to supposedly fly to Washington (in reality he accepted an interview with CBS News taped at the same time Letterman does and stayed in NYC to speak at the Clinton Global Initiative the next day). He also called for the first debate to be postponed, to the dismay of many people.

So the question is will the debates happen? The Commission says they will but as I type this it's anyone's guess, especially since the bailout talks almost went somewhere until conservatives started speaking against it. Also, what happens if Obama shows up at Oxford, MS but McCain doesn't? Do they cancel? Does Obama get the whole time period to himself? These are things to ponder.

Personally I think if McCain doesn't show up, have the debates and maybe invite the other candidates to indulge in what McCain passes on (yes, this includes Ralph Nader - who wouldn't be a thorn in the Democrats' side if the Dems would quit trying to stop Independent and Green Party candidate and fought more against the GOP). I know it won't happen but it would be an interesting debate.

At this point, we're in a country where the economy seems to be going the way of the buffalo or the condor. Jobs are vanishing and most Americans are struggling just to maintain an existence which is precariously close to being above their means. We'll have to wait until Friday night (i.e.: Friday September 26, 2008) to see what goes down with the debates, but things are scary and to quote the British band AOS3 "Scary Times are Never Dull."

Random Notes, Housesitting, Etc.

2008-09-06T17:22:00.000-05:00

Hey! Hope all is going well. Not much going on here for the most part. Spent the last couple weeks basically housesitting and looking for a paying job. Apparently the unemployment rate here in old MO is at the highest in 16 years. And they say the economy is going well.

Anybody else see footage of the RNC and the protests and think things have gone way out of whack. With the police arresting journalists covering the protests ranging from an AP photographer to several people from Democracy Now and four people from a college newspaper in Kentucky one wonders if anyone in power seems to be aware of freedom of the press anymore. Then there's the choice of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate who has enough baggage to scare any sane person between now and November 4th (If anyone's interested let me know and I'll put up a post regarding what I think is ironic about the song they chose to use after her speech).

I hope people in this country are aware of how things have gone so far down the tubes over the past 20 years (and at double warp speed in the past eight), but I also know the dangers of underestimating how Americans can be misled so damn easily. Maybe my worries are unwarranted. I hope they are but we could be in for a scary ass ride.

A lot of you have probably already seen these posts and clips but for those unaware of what went down in the past week check out this post on pre-emptive raids. As more information comes out regarding these things it will be interesting to see public reaction to this in retrospect.

So where does that leave us now? I really don't know. The polarization in this country is arguably almost as bad as it was during the apex of the Vietnam War (and I have a sinking feeling it will get worse before it gets better). I wish I had an answer to this but hindsight is always 20-20 and things tend to be murkiest when you're going through it.

Sorry for the downer theme of this post. I needed to vent and get things off my chest. I think everyone wants things to be better but it's not hard to get cynical when the gap between those in power and the rest of up seems to be growing towards the size of a damn ocean.

What's next? Who knows? Maybe I'll have a lighter post sometime soon but everything's up in the air at the moment.

If you disagree with me that's fine now go argue amongst yourselves. I have to take care of things.

LInks to Read on RNC Police Harrassment

2008-09-04T20:31:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't come across these already. The following are a couple of place to find out how police reaction to activists during the RNC. One Two

And People Wonder Why Activists And Aware People Don't Trust Cops

2008-09-01T11:29:00.000-05:00

The Republican National Convention is going down in St. Paul, MN this week. IN this midst of John McCain trying to have his cake and shit on women's reproductive freedom and reproductive justice with choosing Sarah Palin as a running mate comes news of the police conducting preemptive raids against activists.

It's time like this that make me wonder if those in the government and the police realize that they don't help themselves when they pull this shit.

DNC Protest

2008-08-29T12:44:00.000-05:00

One of the more interesting things regarding the Democratic National Convention was this protest by Iraq Veterans Against the War. Between 3,000 (media estimates) and 10,000 (IVAW estimate) marched on the Pepsi center to ask Presidenital candidate Obama to endorse their goals. Along the way the march had a standoff with Denver Police.

Is it just me or is there something ironic about a standoff between police and war veterans?

Some Things Never Change

2008-08-27T16:15:00.000-05:00

As you know the Democratic National Convention is going down this week in Denver. While calls for change are being made inside the convention area amongst them (and to the TV audience), police pepper sprayed and arrested 91 demonstrators.

According to one observer in the video report (mentioned in the transcript, but you can see it in the video)it is clear that he is walking in front of police who have no badges or ways to identify them. Not shocking if you know what's up but still disturbing and not good for the future of the country. Sad

And They Say Big Brother Doesn't Exist

2008-07-22T15:58:00.000-05:00

In the last few years we have lived in very scary times for the Constitution and our rights. On Thursday July 17, 2008 the ACLU revealed that Maryland State Police Had Spied On Anti War and Anti Death Penalty Groups. Thus once again revealing how out of touch those in power are when it comes to issues such as fear, safety, and dissent (to name a few things).

I know it shouldn't surprise me that those who want a different future than the ones offered up by the current administration (and its corporate masters) are more likely to have their rights violated in the name of security than the government would try to track down actual terrorists, but it still angers me. Somehow the lessons we, as a nation, should have learned from COINTELPRO and the Church Committee hearings of 1975 seem to have been forgotten as we seem to line dance towards potential fascism. Yes, we live in a somewhat dangerous age in the seven or so years since the 9/11 tragedy. However, we seem to forget that when we give up our liberties and allow things like this to happen then the people we're supposed to be scared shitless of have won.

I really hope steps are taken to put the brakes on this bullshit. Still, it does prove the English dub/punk/rock band AOS3 right when they said "Scary Times Are Never Dull."

New Summer Blockbuster _ Return of The Caveocrats

2008-07-10T12:49:00.000-05:00

Remember back in January when Congress actually showed a rare instance of having a spine and refused to pass a bill on warrantless wiretapping that allowed immunity (retroactive and otherwise) for telecom companies. WHile the Democrats tried to compromise the GOP decided to let the bill die rather than hold the phone companies accountable. At the time the question was would the Democrats hold firm on this or would they eventually do what they're too damn often known for doing these past however many years - cave and give Dubya and the right what they want. We now have our answer.

Yesterday Congress voted on a "compromise bill" that allowed for the telecoms to receive "retroactive immunity." Bush is pleased and signed this into law. A handful of Democrats, including Sen. Russ Feingold (D, WI) who called this a "black mark not only on the Democrats, but on the Congress, and really the history of our country."

Whether this is a compromise or a capitulation has been debated in Congress and by the pundits. However, one thing can be taken into account - some Democrats may have voted for this because they want the power to do what the Bush administration has done; not everyone but I'm sure there are some who lust for power on that face of our one party system.

One thing i do wonder is if Obama gets elected, how quickly will the Republicans all of a sudden gets concerned about the Constitution and the right to privacy? Not for any real reasons but simply 'cause they only want that power themselves. Some readers may think it won't happen but if and when it does it will make for an ironic, and stomach turning, twist.

Now if the Democrats would realize that, election year or not, caving to the right wing of our country doesn't help them - not even a little bit.

40 Years Ago Today

2008-04-04T12:44:00.001-05:00

Today is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, TN. Let's have a brief moment of silence.

Okay, now let's talk about the state of things since King was murdered. As we view much of the news today there will inevitably be at least one story on this topic. Usually commenting briefly on his civil rights activism and try to paint how far we've come without having to really say anything (something the corporate owned media likes to do). However, while things have progressed somewhat (institutionalized segregation is largely a thing of the past for example) there's still a long way to go and some people trying to turn back the clock. IN an election year the fact that the Kasas GOP was caught with a caging list of voters they're going to challenge is one example (such lists are usually used to target African American voters) shows that we still have a long way to go.

As for remembering Dr. King himself, the mainstream media always seems to want to keep him frozen in 1963 with the I Have A Dream speech. While it's a great speech to hear, they tend to forget that when King took on the Vietnam War much of the same media went out of their way to attack him, claiming he was no longer relevant to his cause (look up the criticism King got to Beyond Vietnam for examples). So, on the 40th anniversary of this tragic day, let's keep what Dr. King fought for in our thoughts and try to make this world a little better than it is now. I have a strange feeling that's how he'd really like to be remembered.

Never Has A Name Been More Fitting

2008-03-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday March 19, Vice President Dick Cheney was interviewed by ABC News to try and spin the 5th anniversary of the current war in IRaq. When the interviewer brought up that polls show 2/3 of the country felt the war in IRaq wasn't worth it, Cheney's response was "So!" Then when asked if he cared what the American people think he said it was important "not to be blown off course by polls."

Now we know that the Bush administration has always treated public opinion as an afterthought to manipulate at best and something to deride when things don't go their way, but this takes the procerbial cake.

All I can say is this is a moment where someone fully deserves the name Dick.

Slightly Delayed Report of 1,000 Strong For Peace

2008-03-19T17:56:00.001-05:00

In Columbia, MO a few days ago (Sunday March 16, 2008) Columbia Peace Coalition held their 1,000 Strong For Peace event protesting and remembering the 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq (which is exactly that date on the day I type this). The organizers were hoping to get at least 1,000 people to appear and express their opposition to the war. The actual total was around 1,100 (as the event started 1,009 has signed up beforehand while others had showed up without registering to appear). After a rally/vigil at Courthouse Square, the crowd marched to Peace Park where several musicians appeared to perform for participants. It was a suprising event that should've had more people, even with the organizers expectations surpassed.

I'll try to get some pictures up on the web site soon on the rally. It's great that so many manage to voice their opposition to an insane war on this date but here's hoping some more of them appear as regualrly as they can at the weekly vigils or rush hour demonstrations.

Winter Soldier 2008

2008-03-19T17:35:00.000-05:00

Last weekend something unexpected happened. Veterans and active duty soldiers who served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan spoke of their experiences at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, MD. Dubbed Winter Soldier (modeled after the Vietnam Veterans Against the War event of the same name in 1971), the event meant to bring about awareness of what most Americans havent' heard about "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and the horrors that they faced while serving there.

If you didn't know this happened, don't be surprised. The mainstream media pretty much ignored the meeting or its intended purpose. Caught up in the election news, a bad economy, and the fallout from the Elliot Spitzer sex scandal, many Americans seem more willing to tune out the news and focus on their own lives. The pundits would rather focus on supposed "experts" rather than the words of many of the people who saw the reality of this war. With the exception of Democracy Now and some web sites, the American media pretty much pretended it never happened.

It's sad really. When the current war started, the government told us we had all that weneeded to know about how it happened. However, when we need to know the truth, those forces who are supposed to clue us in are caught not doing their job.

If you're interested in learning more about the latest Winter Soldier, Democracy Now has some great coverage of the event. (The main page right now has links to th elast several days of stories as well as audio of the programs.)

Some readers may disagree with me on why this is important. That's your perogative, but at least find out more about it.

Issue 87 Reviews Up

2008-03-11T20:53:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to let you guys know that the record reviews for the new issue are now up on the website. To get to the page to access the reviews click here.

The War Turns Five (Time to Get Ready for Kindergarten)

2008-03-11T20:46:00.000-05:00

As you all know, the war in Iraq is nearing the fifth anniversary since it officially started (I'm still trying to figure out how all the no fly zone bombings meant we still weren't at war with them between 1991 and March 2003). It doesn't take a genius to realize what has gone down since then and how little the reality there resembles what the first term of Dubya's administration tried to sell us.

In the next week or so there are probably going to be vigils and rallies regarding this. Those in the Columbia and MId MO are may want to check this out.

Check your local area to see what's going on if you want to speak out against the past five years of bullshit.

Happy Birthday Peace Sign

2008-02-21T18:11:00.000-06:00

According to Democracy Now, today marks the 50th anniversary of the Peace Sign. Created as a semaphore of the letters for Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, it has become both revered and demonized depending on ones religious or political point of view. Still, it's ecome something pretty much instantly recognizable to most people in the world. So, happy birthday !