The Liberal Stenographer

The Occupy Movement

2011-10-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

As of late I have been fascinated with the 99% Occupy Wall Street Movement which has now inevitably spread across the country and around the world. Here in Portland Oregon, blue collar and white collar workers of all sexes, races, religions and political backgrounds now banding together in a collective understanding that corporate greed has now brought this economy, country and world far beyond the tipping point. We all seem to understand now how expendable the middle class has become to the super wealthy. Capitol works for capitol. Not for people.
If you ask 99 people in this movement why they are here, you may very well receive 99 different answers, yet with a very related consensus that something is wrong. Very wrong. I am not a spokesman for the 99%. None exist. I am however one of them. And so, as John Lennon said, "There are no problems, only solutions."
The following is my six point plan to renew a healthy functional economy:

1. REINTRODUCE OVERSEAS TAX TARIFFS

American corporations used to be discouraged from basing business overseas and taking advantage of cheap slave labor like for instance China where an American corporation can legally pay an individual pennies an hour in a sweat shop to perform a task which would cost that corporation real money should they pay a fair wage to an American worker on American soil. This practice of outsourcing labor was discouraged by overseas tax tariffs. This essentially meant- if your corporation decided to to be based overseas and take advantage of cheap slave labor, fine. However, The United States will impose a very steep import tax when you attempt to ship your finished product back to American soil. So steep was this tax, American corporations understood that outsourcing was bad for their business. They could in fact make more money by simply producing their products in The United States.

Of course the incentives were to keep production factories here, thus keeping Americans working and the wealth circulating in our own economy. Beginning in 1981, Ronald Reagan took the first steps to destroy overseas tax tariffs- beginning an new rise to globalization and corporations running wild.

2. INCREASE CORPORATE TAX AND CLOSE TAX LOOPHOLES

For generations in this country, the corporations and the rich paid a very steep tax. Lest we forget this. Critics will proclaim any tax increase on the rich is unpatriotic. I would submit that by their own standard and definition, we never should have fought WWI or WWII because frankly we were an unpatriotic country in those days, with the rich having to pay high taxes and all.

Are critics of raising corporate taxes suggesting we were a Socialist nation all the way up until around 1981?

3. UNIONIZE AND ORGANIZE

Collective Bargaining has always been and always will be one of our most effective and powerful tools for a strong middle class America.

4. BOYCOTT!!! DEMOCRACY STARTS WITH YOU!!!

Remove your money from any and all corporate banks and transfer your funds to a Credit Union. Boycotts work! Bank of America is feeling the pinch as I write with thousands of people pulling their money out and closing their accounts as a result of a straw which broke the camels back; the $5.00 monthly debit card usage fee. (Of course only if you have less than $10,000 in your account.)

One of the greatest parts about our democracy is we have a daily opportunity to vote with our money- who we will support, who we will not. Our vote counts. Especially when it comes out of the pocket of the 1%!

5. LOBBY REFORM

Washington DC lobbyists are out of control. Far too many politicians become politicians simply to "get rich quick" from the fruits and bribes of lobbyists. Our elected officials fly around the world on exotic vacations while having their palms greased in cold hard cash from lobbyists representing Philip Morris, Exxon, BP and Pfizer. Meaning, the system itself is corrupt. The lawmakers are corrupt.
-----------LOBBY REFORM NOW!!!!!!!------------------------------------------
Demand any acceptance of any gift accepted by a public official from a lobbyist valued more that a ball cap or writing pen be deemed as a bribe and punishable by federal law.

6. REGULATE

Thomas Jefferson warned us of this day...these times...to not allow the corporations to take control of our democracy. The corporations answer to the people and the government. The people and government shall not answer to the corporations. The very idea would be the indisputable practice of fascism. Is this where we are?

The Liberal Stenographer Returns

2011-05-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

I have now officially and successfully completed my one year break from blogging and politics in general. I hear there is much to fight as of late, as well as to embrace. Now more than ever it seems, we desperately need sanctuary from the madness all around us. I have no regrets for my year of sanctuary...we should all be so lucky. I have much writing to do, as some may have guessed...I have much to say in regards to recent events which have transpired involving the gutting of our fundamental entitlements such as Medicare, Medicaid...and they (republicans) will come for Social Security next. Followed by an unrelenting assault of gay rights and women's rights. Followed by the stripping of federal assistance programs such as food stamps, unemployment insurance and an aggressive attack on pro choice. (See attack on women's rights) Followed by the complete destruction of workers rights. But for now, I give you Jimmy Page and Roy Harper performing "1948ish" from the little known album JUGULA. It was recorded in 1984. This song in particular is on of my favorite recordings as it was inspired by the book 1984 by George Orwell. Enjoy!

The Southern Crossing...Part 1

2010-05-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

With only one week left here in the South, I'm struggling to find exactly what it is I have taken from this two year experience. Not in the sense of broken dreams and relationships, this can happen anywhere. But rather the culture itself. I still find it curious the happiest black people I have ever met live in the South. Memphis, the same town Dr. Martian Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in and the white rednecks always quick to remind black men of this fact. (Over the CB radio of course due to their self loathing cowardly nature.) That town. A town where white Southern Evangelical's manage to lift their glasses in praise of one another, never forgetting to praise their God which ironically looks lust like all of them; yet still find time to utter words of damn racism in the same breath.

But this is not a letter of loathing. This is what I have taken from the experience. However, it is imposable to describe the South without including the blatant division...the hate...the arrogance...and the segregation which is still very much alive and well underneath the cloak of government regulation.
To their credit, many people down here are truly god fearing. Not that I personally consider this a positive trait, but with certain reservations I can understand where this voodoo comes from down here. The weather is often unpredictable and angry. All of ones life work may at any time be swept away by a tornado, or high winds or a flood. The nice summer days are filled with humidity which draws all of the energy out of one's self. The crashing thunder and lightning storms come out of nowhere and would humble even the strongest of men. There are snakes which can kill you and alligators that can eat you should you simply wade in the wrong water. The mosquitoes are beyond tolerable at times and shootings are so common down here, they are scarcely reported.

Is it reasonable to suggest the people of the south by in large, black and white are god fearing because they live a life of fear? Fear cloaked by pride? The terrain of this place certainly requires a different mentality to overcome. I wonder, what would happen to your mentality if your terrain was your god. To finally come to understand, you have conquered nothing. You belong to this terrain. You are a part of it. This kind of understanding can release the fear of a community.

You Didn't Get Mad

2010-02-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

The following is an e-mail sent to Mike Malloy by one of his friends which he read on the air about the teabagger protesters:

We had eight years of Bush and Cheney, Now you get mad?
You didn’t get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President..

You didn’t get mad when Cheney allowed Enron to dictate energy policy.

You didn’t get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed for disagreeing with the President.

You didn’t get mad when the Patriot Act got passed which destroyed the Constitution.

You didn’t get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn’t get med when it came out that the reasons we went to war were all lies.

You didn’t get mad when we spent over 3 trillion(and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn’t get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq .

You didn’t get mad when you found out we were torturing people, when we executed Japanese soldiers for doing the same thing.

You didn’t get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn’t get mad when we didn’t catch Bin Laden.

You didn’t get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn’t get mad when we let a major US city drown.

You didn’t get mad when we gave a 2 trillion tax break to the rich.

You didn’t get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.

You didn’t get mad when we bailed out Wall Street

You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans… oh hell no.

Listen to The Mike Malloy Show M-F 9pm-midnight EST.....it's gettin' good!!!

Strange Archaeology

2010-01-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

Ever heard Evangelical Christians insist the world is only 4,000 years old? I always wondered what story they conger (or are told to conger up) to explain simple things like the tooth I am shown holding in my hand.

I found this little gem on Ebay. It is a tooth from a Spinosaurus. I never saw the movie, but I am told this cute little critter was the star of Jurassic Park III. Weighing in at an estimated 4 tons and being the largest of the meat eaters. It has been carbon dated to 95 million years old. (give or take a couple of days)

Now again, it matters nothing to me what someones belief system is, put your faith in the purple cookie monster for all I care. But when religion has become a tool for political change, I submit we should allow this on the condition that the church begin paying taxes.

I personally find it repulsive these imbeciles are focused on not allowing gay people to get married over helping the least of their brothers and sisters. But consider the logic...there is none. These people reject carbon dating. Which means they reject science. Which means they live in a make believe world. Which means they are insane.

On the other hand, if you don't believe in science, you don't believe in gravity. So here's what you do. Go climb a water tower, (make it a tall one) bring a can on spray paint with you and when you get to the top spray Jesus loves you on the tower big enough for the big guy to see, climb over the rail...and jump. You'll be fine, you don't believe in all that scientific crap about gravity and carbon dating remember?

Republicans For Rape

2009-10-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

The Al Frankin proposal has been on my mind.
You know, the radical idea that if an American working for Blackwater, rapes a woman overseas, maybe that should be...oh I don't know...ILLEGAL?! Well here are the names of the Republican Senators who believe that should NOT be illegal:

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)

Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO)

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS)

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY)

Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS)

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA)

Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE)

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Sen. James Risch (R-ID)

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL)

Sen. John Thune (R-SD)

Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)

Go to Republicans For Rape.org and tell these trolls what you think!

(no offense to trolls)

The balloon boy

2009-10-17T00:50:00.000-07:00

Far be it from me to begin commenting on stories about water skiing squirrels or cats who know how to flush toilets. But this balloon boy story keeps pulling at me on several fronts.

Although I'm not a big fan of Judge Judy, she has a mantra, "If something does not make sense...it's probably not true." I tend to agree with this statement assuming the interpreter of the facts had some level of sense to begin with.

To my knowledge, no one has pointed out the odd timing of this story, so remember...you heard it here first.

I was driving my 18 wheeler down the road headed to a shipper. I had my SIRIUS radio set on CNN and I was listening to President Obama address the people of New Orleans. His speech was quite impressive, even for him. He made very bold statements and even sounded a little cocky yet always positive as he is so notorious for being. At a time where he is most under fire, there he was sounding better than I've ever heard him sound...and it was about to get better, the people of New Orleans cheered him on as he became increasingly intimate with the crowd like only Obama seems to be able to do. This man has a very valuable gift to become very personal with his audience. He is somehow able to separate himself from his position and show the people...hey...it's just me. Don't get me wrong, I'm very critical of this man but I truly recognize his natural ability to not only inspire but calm down rather than escalate tension. The country could use that right now.

So there I am, listening to him speak and smiling when I hear how happy the crowd is. I hauled so many FEMA loads of steal beams to New Orleans I've seen first hand for several years how badly these people need a break and how dire the conditions of life have been in New Orleans. Right as the speech is going to go into a long segment of Questions and Answers...BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!

When I heard the headline about a kid stuck in a balloon, I thought..."well they cut out the rally." Call me whatever you want to but I put up with this shit for two years watching on the campaign trail. EVERY SINGLE TIME Bill Clinton would speak either the video feed from the satellite would be lost, the audio would be lost, or some other technical difficulty would occur. Because the news is no longer a public service but exists solely for the purpose of generating money, it becomes very obvious when the daddy or shall we say Big Brother of Corporate Media ie: General Electric ect.. pull the plug.

Now, I'm NOT saying this is what happened...MAYBE the father is a Republican who staged this with the intent to interrupt an Obama speech, (the 6 year old boy did gaff and state "we did it for the show") MAYBE the Obama speech had nothing to do with it and this was for exposure (the father called channel 9 news before he called the authorities) MAYBE the father was attempting a War of the Worlds and teaching us a lesson on the power of suggestion. But who knows...all we have is a fist full of maybes and a kid in the attic.

Now, after I began to listen to the story, (I could not see the pictures) I thought..."that doesn't make any sense." A Mylar balloon carried a 50 lb kid 7000 ft in the air? The kid locked himself in a box attached to the balloon? A "Balloon Expert" was on the air with CNN for two hours. (I didn't know there was a such thing as a balloon expert, but apparently they spend their lives waiting by the phone for CNN to call just in case such an event should occur.) This man was able to judge by the pictures how much helium was in the balloon and then how much lift it would have. Folks, my Grandmother used to own a novelty shop. She sold Mylar balloons 50 of the jumbo balloons were completely stable with a few pieces of candy to hold them down.

Once I got to the shipper, I checked in and noticed the television on FOX News in the lobby with several other drivers fixated on it. (What else is new?) One driver looked at me and said,"Have you heard about this? A boy is in that balloon!" At this point I looked at the picture on the television and saw a half deflated balloon with no basket. I thought,"there is no boy there, that's just a damn balloon..." But the driver insisted, there was a boy on that balloon. Later, after it lands...CNN determines there must have been a basket on the balloon earlier (even though they never had a picture of it) and the basket must have fallen off the balloon!!! Now the balloon expert is an expert on baskets attached to balloons and when and how they might become disconnected. Wow...lucky for CNN to land this guy.

Again I don't know what happened, but I have to take this opportunity to point out the power of suggestion.

George Orwell 1984: How many fingers do you see (holding up three) Five...I see five.

A plane DID hit the pentagon even though the impact sight does not suggest that and no plane parts were found. A few people with box cutters DID overtake entire crews of passengers and gain control of commercial flights. The towers DID collapse after the solid steel beams were melted (even though they both appeared to contain every characteristic of controlled demolition known to man and no building has ever collapsed in the manner described in the official story) WTC #7 DID spontaneously collapse because it was scared. The hijackers WERE from Saudi Arabia and we Did attack Iraq and blame it on Afghanistan....Wait....I'm confused.........
Oh yeah, don't look over there....look over here. There IS a boy in that damn balloon.

Story Time

2009-10-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

I was somewhere in Southeast Missouri, I started my workday 14 hours ago and noticed I had been driving for 11. I came up on an old truck stop, nothing fancy but plenty of parking for 18 wheelers. As I pulled off the interstate a loud voice began yelling through the speaker, ”You Goddamn dumb son of a bitch! Why did you pass me back there when you were going to get off?” I had passed the truck behind me some 2 miles back. “That’s fuckin’ bullshit you goddamn dumb mother fucker…………” While he was yelling I reached above my head to the volume knob on my CB slowly turning it to the left until I heard it click. A brief sense of empowerment, but it didn’t last long.
Once I got the truck parked, I sat in the drivers seat for a few moments hunched over the wheel contemplating how badly I needed to urinate. I’m so exhausted, too many people about to pee on my tires, maybe I’ll just go to bed and wait until morning. Then I noticed a tightening in my stomach which told me I was well overdue for a meal. “Damn..” I thought, “I have to go inside.
When I left the restroom I wandered about the little store and came to the realization there was nothing hot to eat here..let alone anything healthy. I focused on the bin of beef jerky. “Don’t do it” a little voice in my head advised. Although it looked somewhat appetizing, a community bin of beef jerky in a truck stop is quite possibly a safe haven for diseases I would never be able to spell, or pronounce for that matter.
Reluctantly, I began walking to the east wing of the building toward a Huddle House restaurant. At this point I had full knowledge my meal had nothing to do with enjoyment. This would simply be the consumption of a brown substance containing protein and trans fat. The restaurant was packed. No booths available, just two seats at the bar. Neither of which had been cleaned off. I stood in front of one of the vacant seats and saw crumbs and used napkins all over the table as well as a used ashtray and a few drops of gravy. I glanced up at the waitress and she said, “Goed’ n’ siddown. I’ll wiper’ down inna’ minute hun.” I sat down in front of the mess.
Fox News was on television, it was blaring loud and every eye in the joint was fixated on Bill O’rilley trashing ACORN. Everyone in The Huddle House hinged on O’rilley’s every word. They would erupt with disapproval when they were told to and nod at each other in agreement when instructed. Although everyone in The Huddle House seemed to be on the same page they all felt the need to convince each other we need to investigate ACORN just like O’rilley suggested.
The man to my left was old and ragged. A dirty old confederate flag patch was sewed into the sleeve of his jacket. He leaned into me and slamming his fist on the counter demanding my attention, “Why “n-th HELL is ACORN still ‘round?” Disgusted, I merely took a deep breath and exhaled. I did not reply, look at him or for that matter acknowledge his presence. I even stopped looking at the television. My arms folded and staring straight foreword in front of my disgusting table. “Jesus,” I thought..”Where’s that waitress?”
Finally the waitress took my order; A triple cheeseburger with sweet potato fries and a Sprite. She set my drink down and again assured me of her intention to clean my table. I thought, “you’re here now…why don’t you…oh never mind.”
The wait for my food seemed long. From time to time I would glance at the Fox News fixated customers and thinking how Orwellian they all seemed. All of them hanging on the words through the telespeak erupting into emotion on cue without question. All while waiting for the Double Plus Good food which will eventually kill them. What good little proles. All but one. There was an old black man sitting at the other end of the bar I hadn’t noticed before. His head was facing forward but his eyes were pointed strait up at the television and a blank expression on his face. He didn’t react with the rest of the crowd and seemed as antisocial as myself. We were both engaged in thought crime.
Finally the waitress arrived with my greasy helping of processed food and put the plate directly down on the mess on the table and walked off. Annoyed, I stood up, grabbed the dirty ash tray and flung it into a dish bucket which was left on the table behind me. I put my silverware on my plate and picked it up and began unfolding my napkin. The waitress came back over and said, ”Are you movin?” “No.” I replied. “Well whatr’ you doin?” She asked. “Your job.” I said firmly as I took the napkin and began wiping down my own table. Upon finishing I sat back down and began to eat my meal. I must have offended the waitress. She never came back with a wet towel.
After I quickly devoured my food, I headed for the cash register to pay. Of course the waitress was in no hurry to assist me with anything so I stood there a few moments and listened to Bill O’rilley ranting that Barack Obama threw The Dali Lama under the bus. (Yeah I know, sounds like a redneck song.) On of the brain dead proles at the bar said, “Oh, you don’t do that…you don’t throw The Dali Lama under the bus.” My first thought was that this man doesn’t give a damn about The Dali Lama, the only reason he cares is…oh, never mind.
Finally the waitress comes over and charges me for the meal. After she handed me back my change she asked, “Ar’ ya stuck here?” Pausing a moment I said “No.” “Ar’ ya from ‘round here?” she asked. “Hell no.” I replied in a cumbersome tone. I then walked back to my seat at the bar and placed two dollar bills on the counter and began the walk back to my truck feeling a little like the character Gregory House as played by Hugh Laurie. Untucked button down shirt, unshaven for two weeks, messy hair and a healthy loathing for the people I encounter. Hell, I even walked with a limp from the long hours of driving and would give my kingdom for a Vicodin right now.
When I got back in my truck, I turned my SIRIUS radio to a channel which was playing Robert Plant. He was singing his own version of For What It’s Worth. I hunched over the steering wheel and focused in on the words, ”everybody look what’s going down.”
When the song had finished I slowly woke from my music induced trance to find the time was 8:03 pm CST. “Damn, Malloy’s on..” I muttered to myself. I switched the channel to 146 just in time to catch the final mutterings of the AP radio newsman before hearing that devious baseline from the Pink Floyd song Run Like Hell which signals the beginning of Mike Malloy’s program. I am finally reminded I do not stand alone. As he navigates through his lineup of relatable topics and relevant issues I am reminded of the Christian Slater quote in Pump Up the Volume, “Feeling fucked up in a fucked up place and in a fucked up time does not necessarily make you fucked up.”
Now, is that not comforting?

More Media Lies

2009-09-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

Bloggers said this photo showed a gargantuan crowd at Saturday's "tea party" protest. But it apparently was taken in 1997 at a Promise Keepers rally.

I got your birth certificate.

2009-07-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

For all those miserable bastards peeing their pants that somehow our President needs to produce a birth certificate.

God damn smart ass kids anyway...

2009-07-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

My cousin sent me this and said it reminded him of me in school. Ah yes, although I would love to take credit for this beauty, it isn't mine.

I do recall in 1991 an Army recruiter visiting our math class. After his pitch he passed out book covers to the class for our math books. The teacher then instructed the class to apply our new covers to our books as part of a new rule starting today. Any student without a book cover on his book will not receive a grade for that day. I refused because of course the cover displayed Army slogans, Be all you can be I think it was back then; as well as pictures of solders in a tough pose with automatic weapons in hand. My refusal to apply the cover to my book led to my failing grade as well as several weeks of Saturday school for non compliance.

When I got home and told this to my Father and Grandmother, they insisted I should write my experience in full detail to the War Resisters League and they gave me some money to send as a donation. My first issue of W.R.L. displayed my letter published on page one.

But the apple never falls too far from the tree. My fathers birthday was the first one picked in the Vietnam War draft and he filed conscious objection. I also recall that outlaw grandmother of mine being arrested in the early 80's for standing in front of The White Train during a protest. (Transporting nuclear warheads)

Anyway, thanks for the thought cousin!

Reasons I hate the South;

2009-05-17T07:19:00.001-07:00

Any questions?

Fuck You Andrew Wilkow..

2009-04-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

I deeply apologise to my millions of adoring fans who have waited patiently for my next blog..(hey...if Brad Pitt can cheat on Angelia Jolee...I can bullshit myself!)

But this week, the bullshit department belongs solely to Andrew Wilkow. I know...who? Yea, yea...Right wing political talker about my age and not a very good one apparently. I only know of this punk because I have a Sirius radio in my truck at the moment, purchased only for the purpose of listening to Mike Malloy and Thom Hartman and found myself unimpressed with the lineup of Alex Bennett and Ed Fucking Schultz. So naturally I would listen to a little music, a little Howard Stern here and there and being the complete socialist/communist I have been accused of being for years now...I flip to the PATRIOT CHANNEL....sorry but typing that in caps just seems funnier to me!

So anyway this right-wing fuck Andrew Wilkow gets on the airways and begins spewing off all the normal right wing racist selfish knuckle dragging propaganda I expect out of these braindead morons. But then this fuckstain goes a place I found astonishing....

***Disclaimer******
The below quote is not verbatim...it is the best I can recall combined with the essence of what Wilkow was attempting to communicate. If Wilkow ever wants to clear the air of this...I am always ready to debate, blog or even take a call on the air with him.

"God Bless the band Metallica...I don't listen to that kind of music...I don't know why...but that style of music just never appealed to me but I just saw their video 'The Day That Never Comes' and I must say...God bless Metallica. Metallica is a band who started out just wearing jeans and T Shirts because their audience was wearing jeans and T Shirts...but now they have arrived at a higher state and with that has come a broader message and when I saw that 'pro military' video of The Day That Never Comes I was blown away by Metallica's Pro Military stance."

Andy, Andy, Andy...where do I start? The only way I can even begin to expose how ignorant you are of the subject is to first and foremost inform you how wrong you are of the video 'The Day That Never Comes'...I am not a spokesman for Metallica but I believe myself to be much more qualified in the art of Metal lyric and visual art than you so boldly seem to think you are. First of all, watch the video again; only this time put your small member back in your pants and put the lube back under your bed. I know seeing American troops killing and dying gets your naughty parts all tingly but seriously Andy...take the TV off mute and actually LISTEN to what James Hetfield is attempting to say. The Day That Never Comes is about 'No End In Sight' you half wit. It is consistent with the arrogance and ignorance of an incompetent Bush administration who left our solders out in Iraq for two,three,four extended tours and shaved home time. It is about the soldiers who are being driven slowly insane and can no longer recognise civilians from the enemy Andy.

But that's right Andy...you don't listen to this kind of music. If you did, you may remember a little song called Disposable Heroes off the album Master Of Puppets. This song is clearly not pro military. It is a very aggressive testament of a young teenage soldier who lay dying in the battlefield with the final rage he felt as it became clear to him he had wasted his life for a lie.

Let's not stop there Andy........

And Justice For All...album where Metallica pronounced the death of The American Dream during........................wait for it.............The Reagan administration 1988 shortly followed by George HW Bush.

---ONE,
Metallica's 1st MTV video. Yes Andy, this song and video was about war...but before you begin to masturbate know this, the song and video was inspired by the book 'Johny Got His Gun' a very famous piece of antiwar literature written by Dalton Trumbo in which the main character has his arms and legs blown off via landmine. He is also rendered deaf dumb and blind. This book is still in circulation and the new forward is written by Cindy Sheehan and endorsed by Michael Moore.

---Blackened,
On the And Justice For All album.
Further describes the pain and insanity of war which in turn could lead to the utter destruction of our very existence as a species. Keep in mind, in 1988 we were living in a Reagen world and had endured the threat of Soviet/United States Nuclear War.

---Don't Tread On Me,
Begins with a guitar riff from West Side Story "I like to be in America, OK by me in America, everything free in America, for a small fee in America" was the West Side Story version. Don't Tread On Me is a mockery of the American mentality which proudly and ignorantly proclaims time after time, "If you fuck with us, we will kill you." That Andy is the mentality Metallica was mocking!

Now....God Bless Metallica Andy? Are you SURE???

---So What,
This happy little tune goes like this,"I fucked a sheep, I fucked a goat, I rammed my cock down an old mans throat. So What?"Hey Andy, I know what your church thinks about gay sex, but where do they stand on the issue of intercourse with farm animals? You look it up and get back to me OK?

---Bow to Leper Messiah,
listen to it Andy, it's about god 'n stuff!

---The God That Failed,
Awww...I'm sorry Andy, this isn't making you cry is it?

Let's get to brass tax Andy, you are about my age and you have lots to say about Metallica even though you don't like their music...I got news for you brother, guys like me used to lock guys like you in lockers in high school! Metallica isn't even considered hardcore you wuss!!!! That's OK Andy, just get out your lube and watch Metallica videos on mute while listening to Toby Keith.

You can always tell Winston Smith to drop this letter down the memory hole so you can continue your lies to the proles.

Yours Truly,
Sparky

The War Prayer by Mark Twain

2008-12-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

My little contribution to the celebration of the Winter Solstice this year is to post this yet again fitting piece by one of the greatest writers of all time, Mark Twain.

It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.

Sunday morning came -- next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams -- visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender! Then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag, or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation

*God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest! Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!*
Then came the "long" prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory --

An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there waiting. With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued with his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal, "Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"

The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside -- which the startled minister did -- and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:

"I come from the Throne -- bearing a message from Almighty God!" The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. "He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd, and will grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import -- that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of -- except he pause and think.

"God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two -- one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this -- keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.

"You have heard your servant's prayer -- the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it -- that part which the pastor -- and also you in your hearts -- fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: 'Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. the *whole* of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory--*must* follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!

"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.

(*After a pause.*) "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!"

It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.

American Ignorance

2008-10-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

So today, General Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama for President of the United States with Tom Brokaw on Meet The Press. This is not what I applauded. General Colin Powell also did everything short of repent for the mistakes made in going to war with Iraq under faulty intelligence.. at times almost breaking into tears. This is not what I applauded. General Colin Powell also spoke of the respect he personally had for John McCain but knew he would only continue the failed policies of the Bush administration. This is not what I applauded.

Today, General Colin Powell discussed an overlooked issue in this country about our attitude toward the Muslim Faith. An issue I touched on in my blog titled Evangelicals...The New Weird?

"Well, the correct answer is, 'He's not a Muslim, he's a Christian — he's always been a Christian.' But the really right answer is, 'What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?'

"The answer's no, that's not America.... Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion he's a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists." Powell said.

Powell went on, "Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? This is not the way we should be doing it in America."

Powell closed his point with the following comment, "I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son’s grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards–Purple Heart, Bronze Star–showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn’t have a Christian cross, it didn’t have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Ra shad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life. Now, we have got to stop polarizing our self in this way. And John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know. But I’m troubled about the fact that, within the party, we have these kinds of expressions.

This I applauded.

Sparky