The Shazam will be at the Casbah Friday 4/4/03

www.theshazam.com

Upcoming gigs in

Nashville, Johnson City, St. Louis, Chicago

They hit all the mega-centers of American music.

I also said a while back that I would get around to responding to Dink, but Brook has excelled so well at it, that it seems a moot point. Also I felt I should respond to Brook, but she clarified that she was wrong about supporting the troops, so that seems moot too.....

Dink, Capitolism requires a competative marketplace... when contracts are given without bidding, competition is circumnavigated in favor of nepotism. If Clinton had done that would the right wing have stayed quiet?

A couple of questions for ya: How can the right wing justify fighting a war to bring democracy to Iraq, when just over 2 years ago they were telling me that we don't live in a democracy, we live in a republic?

And why doesn't Arkansas rhyme with Kansas??

Finally, when this is all over, and I pray it will be soon, will we have to listen to republicans say how heroic Bush is., when the most dangerous thing he has personally done is hop Marine One to Camp David?

Until next time.....

Promised Ric the other day that I would get this posted, which is ironic in that I really love Michael Moore's work. But I love Voltaires work too...

inside joke:

we all need a ray of blanton sunshine.

07 Star Spangled Banner.mp3

Not sure if this will work, but here's a rare Andyboy mp3 from the 2000-2001 New Years Sessions.

yes it is true halliburton got the job .. thats amercia for you we got a problem we make $ fixing it .. capitalism is bee-u - tee full .. well efficent anyway .. ha ha ...and it is hard to make one of them thangs shine .. grandmaw used that term when we would try and lie to her ,, which was not to often as you can imagine ..hey why do you think the unions are for drilling in Alaska in Anwar ..jobs and $ he picked up the 10 thou + or so halliburton votes right there .jobs and votes .. and we can used there oil to rebuild this time unlike Afganistand,. do you want the iraq people, not miitary ,to shoot at us ? would that be good ? i dont understand .. as allways am a little confused .. must have been the 70's and 80's (in JC TN) put together with some late 1960's .. showing myage ,, i was born in 1957 so i rem the mess we had in vietnam well and had a friend killed there ..i still would rather see the Sandam guy use the gas there in bagdad than here in a big city in the usa .. if he has it which i hope he dont .. hope you are right there .. the bush doctrine is good in that it says if you dont help us get terriorst then,, you are one of them ,(with us or against us )and i didnt see Sadam turn any over ...therefore he must be one ..i know it aint as good as the clinton thing i tried to slip past you all but hey,, its a theory...

'You Should Have Known We'd Fight'
By Burhan al-Chalabi The Guardian - UK
3-24-3

It is now five days since the British and US governments launched an unprecedented military invasion of my country of birth, its people, land, towns and cities. This attack was launched without UN authority, public support or the will of the international community. To win support for this unjust and illegal campaign, it has been claimed that this is not a colonial war of occupation but a war of liberation; a compassionate war. Britain and the US will save the Iraqis by bombing so they can thrive in a democratic Iraq and live at ease with their neighbours. Those who believed the hype expected the Iraqis to welcome the invading armies. After British troops were forced to retreat from Basra yesterday, a military spokesman said: "We were expecting a lot of hands up, but it hasn't quite worked out that way."
 
It is now clear to everyone that ordinary Iraqis are resisting this military aggression with their lives and souls. Commentators and politicians in Britain and America seem taken aback: how come the Iraqis are putting up such a fight? Why do they so passionately resist this attempt to liberate them from the brutal dictator, Saddam? But Iraqis aren't surprised at all.
 
When Iraq was first colonised by Britain in 1917, Iraqis were fed the same British propaganda about liberation through occupation. We fought the best part of last century to get rid of colonial Britain and, since then, have helped a great number of independence movements worldwide. Iraqis may wish for the current regime to change, but anyone who understands our culture will know that in this war Iraqis will fight and die, not to save President Saddam Hussein, but to protect their home, land, dignity and self-respect from a new world order alien to their way of life. We are an enormously proud people.
 
And so history repeats itself. Just as in the past century, the military superiority of the Anglo-American invaders may eventually overwhelm the Iraqi army, which is weak and ill-equipped because of sanctions, containment and isolation. But there is also no doubt that in the end this military crusade against Iraq will fail just like the previous British occupation of Iraq, led by General Maude, where the military odds were just as much in favour of the British army. Iraqis - in particular the Arab-Iraqi Shi'ites - fought bitter and hard and suffered thousands of casualties in order to liberate Iraq from the British occupation. They will do so again.
 
It is true that, this time, the British and US forces may assume control of sea, air and deserts of Iraq, but they will never win the war for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. Not only do the people of Iraq face devastation by the US and UK aggression on a scale not previously known to mankind, but they also face death and destruction by another war - the civil war that would inevitably follow. We know what this means, because we have been there before.
 
As a young lad in the town of Mosul I lived through the horror of the civil war in Iraq in 1959-60, when the communist and Kurdish coalition fought the nationalists for control of the country. With my brothers and parents, we used to hide huddled together, in a small concealed basement for days on end, absolutely terrified of being slaughtered because we were considered to be on the Nationalist side.
 
I saw Iraqis split in half, while alive, by two cars. Girls were hanged from telegraph posts, with fish hooks through their breasts. Men were hanged outside my school gates. We were forced to watch mass hangings in public squares. Dead bodies with their throats slit lay in the streets.
 
Forty years on, in the comfort and safety of London, those images remain vivid. A scar of fear for life, and one shared by a great many of my people.
 
This is the fate that awaits "liberated" Iraq. Only today, the Kurds - backed by the US - have even more violent scores to settle. There are many, many people in Iraq today who fear the sectarian violence that may result from the breakdown of the secular regime; and Iraqi history shows that they are right to fear it. I do not wish this future to await anybody in the world, friend or foe.
 
Neither the British nor the American forces will be able to react quickly enough in order to prevent the slaughter of innocent civilians in the ensuing civil war. In the aftermath there will not be an Iraq to re-build, but simply chaos.
 
So the message from Iraq is clear: go home and leave us alone. You will never be welcome in Iraq as colonisers. Stop destroying Iraq. Do not bury our nation. Stop the war and give peace and the UN inspectors a chance in the name of humanity.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US army said it gave the main Iraqi oil well firefighting contract to a unit of Halliburton Co., a firm once run by Vice President Dick Cheney, without any bidding.

i swear i didn't make this up.

I'll be humming this all day

humming through the westwing:

I WAN I RAQ!
I WAN I RAQ!
I WAN I RAQ!
I WAN I RAQ!

TURN IT DOWN YOU SAY,
BUT ALL I GOT TO SAY TO YOU IS TIME AND TIME AGAIN
I SAY, "NU!"
NU!NU!NU!NU!NU!NU!NU!NU!NU!Nu-cue-ler!"
TELL ME NOT TO PLAY
WELL, ALL I GOT TO SAY TO WHEN YOU TELL ME NOT TO PLAY
I SAY, "NU!
NU!NU!NU!NU!NU!NU!NU!NU!NU!"Nu-cue-ler!"
SO, IF YOU ASK ME WHY I LIKE THE WAY I PLAY IT
THERE'S ONLY ONE THING I CAN SAY TO YOU

I WAN I RAQ!
I WAN I RAQ!
I WAN I RAQ!
I WAN I RAQ!

daddy, I WAN I RAQ!

apologies to dee snider

In the interest of fair play and equal time, the following is from Whitehouse.org:

Don't know if you are familiar with Zell Miller, the past governor of
Georgia, and who is now Georgia's junior senator in Washington, but this
article that appeared in the newspaper is very appropriate. (And believe
it or not, he's a Democrat!)

Zell Miller knows how to boil things down to the basics. That's what
Georgia's junior senator did Thursday when he explained why it's
important that Saddam Hussein be defanged.

But he's also a good storyteller. Here's the text of Mr. Miller's
remarks, made on the Senate floor about the need to help President
Bush deal with Iraq.

"Mr. President, I have signed on as an original co-sponsor of the
Iraq resolution, and I'd like to tell you a story about why I think
it is the right path to take:

A few weeks ago, we were doing some work on my back porch back home,
tearing out a section of old stacked rocks, when all of a sudden I
uncovered a nest of copperhead snakes.

Now, I'm not one to get alarmed at snakes. I know they perform some
useful functions, like eating rats. And when I was a young lad, I
kept snakes as pets. I had an indigo snake, a bull snake, a corn
snake and many others. I must have had a dozen king snakes at one
time or another.

They make great pets and you only had to feed them a mouse every 30
days.

I read all the books by Raymond C. Ditmars, who was the foremost
herpetologist of his day. That's an expert on snakes.

For a while, I wanted to be a herpetologist, but the pull of being a
big-league shortstop outran that childhood dream.

I reminisce this way to explain that snakes don't scare me like they
do some people. And I guess the reason is that I know the difference
between those that are harmless and those that will kill you.

In fact, I bet I may be the only senator in this body who can look
at the last three inches of a snake's tail and tell you whether it's
poisonous or not. I can also tell the sex of a snake, but that's
another story.

A copperhead will kill you. It could kill one of my dogs. It could
kill one of my grandchildren. It could kill any of my four great
grandchildren. They play all the time where I found these killers.

And you know, when I discovered these copperheads, I didn't call my
wife Shirley and ask her advice, like I do on most things. I didn't
yell for help from my neighbors or take it to the city council. I
just took a hoe and knocked them in the head and killed them. Dead
as a doorknob.

I guess you could call it a unilateral action. Or pre-emptive or
even bellicose and reactive.

I took their poisonous heads off because they were a threat to me.
And they were a threat to my home and my family. They were a threat
to all I hold dear.

And isn't that what this is all about?"

Thanks for posting that Bill/Rick (Blick). It illustrates exactly what i mean when i say the troops neither need nor deserve emotional support.

Update: Still no weapons of mass destruction. Still no evidence of a 9-11 connection. Our standing as defenders of democracy and freedom -- in ashes.

Today, It is We Americans Who Live in Infamy
by Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
NEW YORK -- We are at war again -- not because of enemy attack, as in World War II, nor because of incremental drift, as in the Vietnam War -- but because of the deliberate and premeditated choice of our own government.

Now that we are embarked on this misadventure, let us hope that our intervention will be swift and decisive, and that victory will come with minimal American, British and civilian Iraqi casualties.

But let us continue to ask why our government chose to impose this war. The choice reflects a fatal turn in U.S. foreign policy, in which the strategic doctrine of containment and deterrence that led us to peaceful victory during the Cold War has been replaced by the Bush Doctrine of preventive war. The president has adopted a policy of "anticipatory self-defense" that is alarmingly similar to the policy that imperial Japan employed at Pearl Harbor on a date which, as an earlier American president said it would, lives in infamy. more

How ironic that Mr. Milhorn apparently does not share your conviction.

And I will continue to post for those who can't, even if I disagree with thier position. That is what I mean by free speech for everyone!!!! (Until I get kicked off that is!!)

Rick asked that I post this:

the liberation of the people of Iraq is at hand ,, towns people in Iraq lay down arms and welcome the liberators and freedom ... why is this a bad thing again ? ok so i admit i would lay down my arm's to if a missle was pointed at me .. guess we will see how committed they readlly arew and how just dam scared as hell ready to make a DEAL .. see capitalism is working allready

The report from my front, which I find interesting in a disturbing way, is that ALL DAY LONG not one person mentioned, even in passing, that we had just gone to war. Not only not in the work place, but not even afterwards, not even having drinks. Just my eyewitness testimony of day one, here in the States. Not a motherfuckin' word, not ONE.

now thats what bill was talking about ..

Let me state for the record -- godspeed to sons and nephews, sisters and brothers. As soldiers, that was their choice. As soldiers, they don't want our sympathy. As soldiers in an unjust war, destabilzing war -- they are victims of a corrupt government. It is doubly insulting to them (as sons, daughters, etc) to say nothing and sit on your hands, in their name.

(apropos to nothing except my anger which is in full-bloom right now.)

People who VOLUNTEERED for the military -- soldiers -- fully understanding that their sole mission is to KILL bad guys and therefore stand the risk of being killed themselves, DO NOT merit sentimentality in the form of "support our troops," or "bring them home safely," or any crap involving emotional outpouring. They are trained to do a job and their job is to go out there and kill and be killed. The blood of the troops is on Bush's hands. Not mine. Fuck a bunch of "support the troops" propaganda.

Saying it's about supporting the troops is a lame, Wal-Mart brand of state-approved sentiment. We HAVE to SUPPORT the troops or else face the charge of disrespecting the vets like when protesters in the 60s supposedly spat upon returning Vietnam vets. Well, guess what! That is a lie.

No one has ever corroberated the "spitting protester" myth. It never happened. And the only purpose the story serves is to SHAME anyone who might dissent from dropping bombs on third world countries.

All this talk about our poor troops being in danger is insulting. Of course they're in danger -- it's a fucking war for christsakes. They are soldiers serving in the best-equipped fighting force on the face of the earth. They don't require my emotional support. They already have my tax money. That's all they get.

You don't have to be against the war because our trained fighting force might be in danger. Be against the war because His Illegitimacy, Bush, is a lying patsy and he's destroyed more than a half century of collective security in pursuit of a wacko neo-con plan for world domination.

If we really cared about the military we'd make damn sure to avoid this war thru diplomacy.

If we really cared, we'd bitch-slap the Republicans for cutting money to the Veterans Administration and VA hospitals.

And, if Saddam was such a big threat, don't you think one of his belly-flopping SCUDs would have killed some people by now? Where's the Iraq-sponsored attack on American soil? Where's the incursion into Israel? Where's the weapons of mass destruction? If the whole idea is that his WMD are a threat to the US, don't you think he would be putting them to use NOW? We've all been lied to.

ok so the clinton thing was a bit of a stretch...

.and i loved the poem ... ..that was great .. , thank you .. sorry if i was venting .. I 'll slow down and go back to normal .. i guess i was a little worked up .. and worried about those kids .. kids in the desert .. just kids wearing gas mask and puting chemical suits on .. in the desert..

.. wow a one hit war .. if Sadam has 45 decoy Sadam's .???. ( well 44 after this morning attack )..it looks like a Turkey shoot .. excuse the pun i think they are now part of the "coilition of the willing"
bill i look fwd to hearing from you ..
just the fact that we are talking about it is good ...we all are trying to find answers to things going on all around us that is so historic it is allmost too much to digest ... a missle hit sort of kind of seems like a mafia hit allmost ..Team Bush is thinking outside the box ..... it seems like state sponsored assination instead of a war a little bit dont it? .. ( but i guess theres no turning back ).. something we have allways been against but it is a different way to fight a war ...I guess we got some of them but still have 44 Sadams to go ... like a play station game ,,, kill the Sadams with a missle guided from space by some 22 year old kid in a 10x 10 airconditioned moveable control room in Kuwate. .Its like in Doonesberry where the intern calls in an air strikes,,.... for these kids with this technology the screen just goes blank .. they dont die in a jungle on this one it would appear.. boy i would hate to just by bad luck of the draw be a guy who looked like Sadam in that area right now..

Well, here's that poem I said was on the way. It's a sestina. You can see the form--repetition of the words at the end of each line of the first stanza in the following stanzas, only in varying order. There you go. Poetry lesson from Julie, which I know everyone wanted. The poem is sort of indirectly related to the J.C. music scene, but more about myself--the only topic I can speak on with any authority. I'm working on another one though, about the music more specifically. Ciao. Hope it's enjoyed.



Traveling: A Sestina

Despite the distance, I liked driving from Chicago to Johnson City,
moving across the slick highway like a dry, lone soldier
hoarding images of my own small town past in a suitcase,
insanely composed, ready to hand them over to the bravest human
properly attired; a man who carried his own pain like a torch
shouting, “Hey, fucking look at this!” -- yet hiding.

I remember standing on a stool inside a “music venue”, hiding
behind the noise of something too hip, carrying an entire city
in my veins. You were the only soul who saw my twisted torch;
it was really a stupid billboard; a drama given for some soldier
who had not yet truly suffered. I wasn’t even yet a human
who could name her pain. I was only carrying a suitcase

of misplaced desire. Still, inside that weird vision, that suitcase
of twisted knowledge, I guessed, and I touched you, hiding
out loud. Within my imagination, you see, the word *human*
wasn’t skin and bone singing but more the language of a soldier
whose mind is separated from the huge, billowing torch
that whispers a specific, visceral song. I inhaled a glowing city

and exhaled “nothing”. “See?,” I said. And - “In the glowing city
I can carry my dreams across the highway.” - or - “a suitcase
of understanding that remains private.” - or - “a huge torch
I can fold into precise, measured portions and carefully hide
in a high place.” You laughed. “I didn’t realize that a human
could think of that,” you said, and sat like a true soldier.

Now, when I consider certain melodies, I see outlines of soldiers
propped on their elbows, legs crossed. They see the pure city
of desire, and exhale an empty canvas. Yet they say “Human
emotion is measurable.” Hah. The vast importance of a suitcase
of cheap memories doesn’t go unnoticed. The need to hide
persists. I can hear them. “Poor thing. she still carries a torch

that smells like yesterday.” But they do not hear the soldier
in my voice - the thing that molds then fills an enormous suitcase
of memory. No matter. Like me, they too still carry a torch.

You would win that bet Dink, but not for the reason you may think,,, I will post a longer response to your post when I have the leisure of more time, but for now know that I will keep you nephew in my prayers, along with my son and all others serving this country so bravely. Other than your unfletching support of our soldiers, you are otherwise wrong, I promise I will explain why when I have the time that such a response deserves.

now thats what I'm talking about ,, I bet Bill is happy now .. I really liked the ticket and blow job comparison .. I think the dixie chick and Toby Keith are in a pissing contest right now ,, i saw where her record fell from 1st place on bill board ....i hope you are right about him not having weapons of mass wup ass and destruction .. i am afraid we are about to find that one out .. alll these issues will come to a head and be found out with in the next few days .. except fot the Halliburton we allready know they allready got the contract to put out the fires of oil wells .. that ones allready happen .. did you see the piece on Sadam and his sons favorite way to kill someone ? and mulcher .. feet first using the head is to quick and they had much more fun watching them watch there feet cut to little pieces... nice guy's for sure these o' boz
Didnt say i wanted to stop dixie chick,,, just ashamed of comments like that hours before we send in kids just like in the 60's only 20 years old ,, even think its healthy for protest just not right now .. cops need to be at airports and bridges not carrying around pacifast right now for the next few days till the dust has settled and we are all dead or he is one .. heck i wish it was not that way, as much as anybody but it aint ,, thats what it boil's down to .. us or them ,,, ,, Sadam gives the family of each sucide bomber in Israle thounsands of bucks for blowing themselves up and killing inocents ..thats how the peace protestor got run over by a bulldozer the jews are bulldozering the houses of the familys of the bombers ,, this has slowed it some .. thats the kind of world we live in .. i dont like it but i cant denie it...

Well, if controversy is what you crave...

If the so-called patriotic war-supporters were real, red-blooded Americans, they would be comfortable and confident -- even accomodating of dissent and discourse -- since democracy and freedom are the values we are supposedly fighting this war for in the first place.

Show me evidence that the secular, Stalinist, Saddam had anything to do with the ostensibly Islamist attack on the World Trade Center. Show me the evidence that Saddam has weapons of mass destruction. Show me the evidence of any connection to Al-Qaida.

On the other hand, it is a fact that Bush fabricated, plagiarized and padded intelligence reports. It is a fact that the Bush has bugged and intercepted private correspondence of our allies in the United Nations. It is a fact that Halliburton is profiting enormously from this "war." It is a fact that civil liberties have eroded. And it is a fact that this "war" will promote hatred and terrorist reprisals.

Therefore, it is a fact that everyone, including the Dixie Chicks, has a responsibility to speak up, take part and debate the course of events. To go along with an unjust war is immoral. A president conducting an unjust war is to a president receiving a blow-job what premeditated murder is to a speeding ticket.

ok here goes then if the throat thing was better
i think the suprem ct was right ,, Bush won
I want to kill any person like Sadam and his rapist son's and evil supporters ,, yes i do before they get me and my family I WANT TO KIll anyone who supports terriost who wants to kill me and my family and wants my way of life(ice cream , mouses ear stuff llike that) killed ie.. inifels,and amercia's that means me and you .. or us all unless you are one of his nut followers...
I belive Sadam is a bad guy not Bush
I am ashamed of the ditzy chicks
I think you should ask some one who was in nyc on 911 what they think
I dont think france should set our policy on international affairs
I have a sister's son in the miltary .. gunner on a black hawk over there right now
I think its about more than oil
I think 911 helped send the economy in the tank and the culture of its ok to tell a big un (as enron and all the accounts have done )..ie I did not have sex with that woman ,, and it depends on what is is ...
I think our police have better things to do right now than lift misguided kids into policwe vans right now during this week while we are at war .. but any other time i think it s ok ..
I think the people of Iraq will welcome freedom
I think our miltary only want's to take out miltiary instalations and people who want to kill us unlike the 9-11 cowards and other act's by the terriorist
i like meat
I go to sunday school (that makes me an infidel i guess) and i dont want to kill anyone else who dont or even wants to go somewhere other than where i go
I know martin sheen only plays the pres on tv (pissss he really aint ), maybe when they cant haver the Oscars it will wake them up out on the left coast ..
I think delay will only make it worst and wish we had done this sooner and there are a few more countrys who support terriorst acts against us that we need to get next...
I dont think all that makes me a bad american
i think i have kids i want to see grow up safe
I think they wanted a war well they got it ..
i think the world allready hates us and the middle east is already a mess that we cant make any worst by taking out one madman who's hero and he has tried to model himself after ...is Joe Stalin

hows that bill? better?... let the throat going after begin ..

archives should be back now. they disappear for no reason from time to time.

I watched the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions on VH-1 Sunday night, in an effort to gather a list of it's commercial sponsers so that Lynard Skynard supporters could write the CEO's of those companies to enlist their support.... what I found has left me shaken and confused... The primary sponsers were Ford Motors, Hewlett Packard, Pepsi, Best Buy, Budweiser, and Head and Shoulders. But among the local sponsers was our freinds at the Casbah. Burt's commercial featured none other than Brian and the Nightmares, with shots of The Pleztones as well. It was the irony of this moment that has left me woozey,,, as Scott and Kurt were two of my earliest supporters in this crusade (I figure if Bush can go on a crusade then so can Lynard Skynard supporters) Any way, I urge everyone to contact those corperations and ask them to support the Lynard Skynard induction movement.... I just don't know what to say in regards to the irony of the commercial I saw during the show, and those of you who know me know how seldom I am at a loss for words... the last time was during the Poverty Ranch days if I recall correctly.



By the way Brook, what's up with the archives?

A Letter to George W. Bush on the Eve of War
By Michael Moore, MichaelMoore.com
March 17, 2003

George W. Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC

Dear Governor Bush:

So today is what you call "the moment of truth," the day that "France and the rest of world have to show their cards on the table." I'm glad to hear that this day has finally arrived. Because, I gotta tell ya, having survived 440 days of your lying and conniving, I wasn't sure if I could take much more. So I'm glad to hear that today is Truth Day, 'cause I got a few truths I would like to share with you:

1. There is virtually NO ONE in America (talk radio nutters and Fox News aside) who is gung-ho to go to war. Trust me on this one. Walk out of the White House and on to any street in America and try to find five people who are PASSIONATE about wanting to kill Iraqis. YOU WON'T FIND THEM! Why? 'Cause NO Iraqis have ever come here and killed any of us! No Iraqi has even threatened to do that. You see, this is how we average Americans think: If a certain so-and-so is not perceived as a threat to our lives, then, believe it or not, we don't want to kill him! Funny how that works!

2. The majority of Americans – the ones who never elected you – are not fooled by your weapons of mass distraction. We know what the real issues are that affect our daily lives – and none of them begin with I or end in Q. Here's what threatens us: two and a half million jobs lost since you took office, the stock market having become a cruel joke, no one knowing if their retirement funds are going to be there, gas now costs almost two dollars – the list goes on and on. Bombing Iraq will not make any of this go away. Only you need to go away for things to improve.

3. As Bill Maher said last week, how bad do you have to suck to lose a popularity contest with Saddam Hussein? The whole world is against you, Mr. Bush. Count your fellow Americans among them.

4. The Pope has said this war is wrong, that it is a SIN. The Pope! But even worse, the Dixie Chicks have now come out against you! How bad does it have to get before you realize that you are an army of one on this war? Of course, this is a war you personally won't have to fight. Just like when you went AWOL while the poor were shipped to Vietnam in your place.

5. Of the 535 members of Congress, only ONE (Sen. Johnson of South Dakota) has an enlisted son or daughter in the armed forces! If you really want to stand up for America, please send your twin daughters over to Kuwait right now and let them don their chemical warfare suits. And let's see every member of Congress with a child of military age also sacrifice their kids for this war effort. What's that you say? You don't THINK so? Well, hey, guess what – we don't think so either!

6. Finally, we love France. Yes, they have pulled some royal screw-ups. Yes, some of them can be pretty damn annoying. But have you forgotten we wouldn't even have this country known as America if it weren't for the French? That it was their help in the Revolutionary War that won it for us? That our greatest thinkers and founding fathers – Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, etc. – spent many years in Paris where they refined the concepts that lead to our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution? That it was France who gave us our Statue of Liberty, a Frenchman who built the Chevrolet, and a pair of French brothers who invented the movies? And now they are doing what only a good friend can do – tell you the truth about yourself, straight, no b.s. Quit pissing on the French and thank them for getting it right for once. You know, you really should have traveled more (like once) before you took over. Your ignorance of the world has not only made you look stupid, it has painted you into a corner you can't get out of.

Well, cheer up – there IS good news. If you do go through with this war, more than likely it will be over soon because I'm guessing there aren't a lot of Iraqis willing to lay down their lives to protect Saddam Hussein. After you "win" the war, you will enjoy a huge bump in the popularity polls as everyone loves a winner – and who doesn't like to see a good ass-whoopin' every now and then (especially when it 's some third world ass!). So try your best to ride this victory all the way to next year's election. Of course, that's still a long ways away, so we'll all get to have a good hardy-har-har while we watch the economy sink even further down the toilet!

But, hey, who knows – maybe you'll find Osama a few days before the election! See, start thinking like THAT! Keep hope alive! Kill Iraqis – they got our oil!!
Yours, Michael Moore

 

May I suggest that the blog was more interesting when we were at each other's throats???

i been there and done that ,,the beer fest that is ...when i lived at buc court it may still be going on ...we would drink 5 kegs in one night ,, charge 3 bucks for all you could drink (ladies free except for them heavy drinking big o ugly chicks it was one buck .. it was allways ladies night )and then take up a collection at about 2 in morning and then call the law on ourself's and go out and talk to cop s and turn around and tell everyone they needed to leave ,, we would have the lsat 1/2 of a keg left and the $ from collection ,, beer for sunday and $ for next par-tay ,, ..

Lisa: Tamara Saviano was a producer for a country cable channel in Nashville. She sent an e-mail to a co-worker expressing her political views about the war, and she was fired.

I'm gonna post a poem soon---I think. I have two I'm writing--one very much about the music scene, and the other not so much.

Favorite bumper sticker: Muppets Kick Ass

Colgate has a commercial running in which a woman talks to "Mister Beaver".... just thought you should know.

HHHmmmmmmm Dink, so if I am a Freemason, I would have to say, "I say" alot,, kinda like foghorn leghorn...

I say I say you can't have too many cheese curds, no matter what your cardiologist reccommends....

I say Dink should start planning an International Beer Festival!!!

I say free speech for everyone!!!!

The Free Mason's are "THEY" ..you know as in "they say" ..maybe thats just what we need more cheese curds ..

best mother of all bumper sticker i have seen in the last few weeks

" I love small animals ,I think they are delicious"

I had promised several people a post tonight explaining the connection between the rising of Summeria, UFO's, the Free Masons, the Cabazon Indian nation, parking meters and Voltaire....... but today I discovered that Mountainview Bulk Foods in Chucky now has Cheese Curds with crushed red pepper.

Mmmmmmmmmm delicious, life affirming cheese curds........

Thanks, Julie. What's the skinny on the Tamara firing?

My topic for the week is Dick Cheney's attorney strong-arming whitehouse.org about its fictitious bio of Lynne and its FAKE presidential seal. Apparently parody laws don't cover you unless you make your disclaimers BIG enough to suit the powers that be. (You can read the text of Addington's letter on the website.) So y'all, buy a bumper sticker or something.

New Beatles Album Cover

Dare I mention the firing of Tamara Saviano, the producer fired from Great American Country cable? That should open up a whole can of Internet "worms" as have other similar scenarios. Just what is this territory anyhow? Privacy laws? Ain't none. Sets me shakin'.

Just wondering if anyone saw the governor's speech last nite.

He looked tired and unhealthy, but his speech was well delivered and fairly inspiring. The "family budget" metaphor brought it down to earth and went a long way to suggesting that we are all in this together.

It's strange how the Highway Fund isn't playing a major role in the new budget. During the tax protests, all the tax-revolters would have you believe the Highway Fund was the ultimate budget-patch. It's only amounting to 19 percent ($66 million) of the total cuts. Fifty-eight percent ($207 million) is coming from Departmental Cuts, with the lion's share coming from Higher Education ($102 million). None of these numbers mean very much to me though. It's all theoretical until people start losing their jobs. There's a strange vibe though, that state jobs aren't "real" jobs, like in private corporations.

I wonder how Sundquist's administration is going to go down in the history books. In addition to the budget mess and the tax fiasco it looks like he's in pretty deep doo-doo for old-fashioned back room deals.

It seems to me that he got to the end of his term and just went ape-shit, playing golf and ignoring the state's business. I find it ironic that it takes a democrat to clean up the budget mess created by a republican -- but when you think about it, that's what Clinton had to do. I guess we'll also have to wait for a democrat to fix the economic problems caused by the Bush administration -- unless, of course, the war fixes everything. That'd be great. It really sucks waiting for that to happen, though. I'm tired of hearing there's a "hiring freeze," until the economy is more stable. I'm tired of property values dropping. I'm tired of gas prices going up. I can't wait until Bush wins this war and everything is all better like when a democrat was president.

I agree Tony, it was a general admonishment and am proud to share the glory of the moment in your company!! Again, not as cool as being called down by a priest, but darn near,,, and yes, I do remember talking to the carnations,,, and stealing alot of wine!

Uh-oh. It would appear the rough-and-tumble nature of some of my recent posts has caused some concern in the house of blog. I don't think much of what I said was all that inflammatory, but some of it was pretty sharply pointed, I guess. If I drew blood on any innocent bystanders, just email me and we'll work it out...I don't find the comments sections to be a very workable solution, as people have to dig for your replies to top-level posts. By the same token, if anybody's really in the dark about what my point was to Coker, I'll explain it to you, but unless I hear otherwise, I'll trust that most of you got it.

Bill: You gotta admit is was a little reminiscent of "Do you still beat your wife" but I certainly accept that it was unintended. As to being called down by Brook, I took that as a general admonishment. If it was directed at me then I protest. Check the record. I did not make personal comments to or about anyone unless snide or insulting comments were made to or about me. And that includes Brook.

Remember telling wedding quests that we were Church Security and talking into our chrysanthemums?

Wow. The Japanese Beatles.

i put Keokee Virginia--where i grew up-- into google and it started al these UFO stuff ,, things i had never heard ,, the highest piont in the st of KY boarders lee co there ,, and there have been several reports of odd lights and the standard stuff reported when they see stuff in the sky but i really liked the addition of the humvees coming into town at all hours of the night ,, new twist to the standard tale ..

And now for something completely different. Meet the Japanese Beatles. Featuring John Smith and Brian Relleva.

Yes Bill, and we've been over this and over this a thousand times. It did'nt happend! No body saw anything! Forget this and let it go. Cow hearts and "allegedly" sodomized hobos and drifters do not an abuction make! Quit reading nonsense into things that just aren't there. Next thing we know is you'll be visited by men in black, I suppose.

Tony: I was not linking the shootings and bombings to your writings, and apologize for any confusion there, I was merely pointing out that the orignal reason for linking RICO to the anti abortion movement was not an effort to subdue peaceful protest, but the interstate organization of those crackpots that use violence in the name of God. The impetus to use RICO came, as I recall, from that group of wackos that were publishing dead or alive posters with pictures of Doctors on them. One of those Dr.s was among those shot, and of course Rudolph was linked to the abortion clinic bombings prior to the Atlanta bombing,,,,,,

That being said, being called down by Brook on a blog is almost, but not quite, as cool as getting called down by a Priest at Vicki's wedding (which is still the coolest story not yet told on the blog)

On a side note, at various "turning point" times in human history there have been increased reports of UFO activity, Roswell and the H-Bomb being just one of many examples. Has anyone besides me heard of encounters in the southeast since last fall?

Bobby: Thanks for the info. I did have the two confused. The net effect of this is still that a particular political group faces felony charges for engaging in non-violent civil disobedience. In my original blog I expressed a general impression that democrats, who have long used civil disobedience as a tool to address their political concerns, were largely unconcerned and mostly supportive of this law. I question the constitutionality based on the principal of "fair and equal treatment" under the law. And I don't consider the ACLU to be anything; they defend everyone's civil rights regardless of political belief.

Bill: You are right. A woman seeking an abortion does, by law, have a right to be unimpeded. However, your attempt to link bombings and shootings to my writing is still despicable. Everthing I have written clearly concerned non-violent civil disobedience.

Elizabeth: Since you were offering up Brook's TBI story as evidence of "protest quashing" (it clearly is not) I did assume that perhaps you did not fully understand the meaning and weight of the word. If you did understand, then why did you cite as evidence something that doesn't even vaquely resemble the definition?

As to your requirement that it is incumbent upon me to prove that a legally gathered protest group has not been quashed I must again assume (sorry) that you don't fully grasp certain logical concepts. It is impossible to prove a negative. No one can prove that something didn't happen. This has been a fundamental principle of logic since the Greeks first started thinking about thinking. An assertion has been made, using unambiguous terms, and I have asked for the evidence that supports it. To date it has not been provided.

speaking of the sea horse ,, what are they doing with that building ? is it still there ? so much has changed in JC around the school..

Admin note:

We came here as friends -- people who share common experience -- and the ultimate goal is to encourage relationships and multiply connections.

I opened up the discussion to include current events and political topics because we live in interesting times and as interesting people, we all have something to share. In the interest of preserving a place where everyone feels comfortable to have their voice heard, I'm asking, please, tone down the confrontational manner in your postings.

Everyone is welcome to share ideas, stories and rants. No one needs to be picking fights or cultivating an environment of hostility.

Example: riff all you want on a particular topic. Let people respond. If you must argue a point, do it in the comments section and avoid personal attacks.

Lets play nice. Don't make me come over there. :)

Wait a minute,,, if I am "despicable", then who is the 'wascally wabbit"????

Citing a lack of concern from liberals (presumably the ACLU) regarding RICO and transferring that to everyone on the blog is a stretch. I think it is a mistake to assume everyone's opinions are that easily known. I agree the RICO statute applying to abortion protests set a bad precedent. However, Bill is right to note that legal remedies were sought as a response to violence and threats of violence by abortion protestors. Bill is also correct that access to clinics cannot be blocked, and it has nothing to do with RICO, it's the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

By the way, just noticed the Shazam is on Charter's Homedmade Jam tonight; that means it should rerun Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (I think). I saw them recently at Gatsbys. They were great, but it was a strange crowd there at Gatsbys. I'm starting to feel my age now; I kept wondering who all those half-naked youngsters were. Women wear more make up than days of yesteryear, and hair companies have somehow successfully marketed hair products to guys. Who would've thought that? Anyway, the Shazam rocked!

just seems to me these peace protest are lame and sterial like kids today ,, no new idees .. no winder smashing ner nutin ..no wonder they could'nt swing the election in Fl.... hell yuppies in BMW's out protested em there also ..da radicals better get more radical if they want to make change happen ,,, damm da man.... go buc's one more win and we go to the big dance and is that not whats really imporant here ,, the big game mentality .. lets take off the vol flags from our big o' SUV's and put the stars and strips on there .. go team army beat Irac.. bad

You know , this thing on the blog has been amusing for a time, but boredom is setting in with this megalomaniac just lashing out blindly at everyone, getting cheap mastabetory thrills out of all the negative attention and reinforcement that he seems to thrive upon. He has accused me of projecting what he assumes to be my issues on to him and he doesn't appreciate it. Hey, I just calls 'em as I see's em Slim. His petty attacks hurt no one, and I am just amused at his psuedointellectual oratories that just ramble and focus on nothing. I might suggest that he get's his own Blog spot and call it something like.... "The World as you should see it. I know who and what I am, being a rather self-actualized fellow ( surely he does remember Maslow, doesn't he?). Methinks he doth project too much. So let us all take pity on this wretched and traumatized inner-child that is very angry that someone did'nt love him enough or show him enough attention.

In case you were not aware Tony, it is illegal to impede the movements of others seeking medical care. You being a scholar of the law and all else in the world must surely have know this, I feel silly pointing it out to one of your amazing intellectual prowness......

Pardon me Tony, please allow me to correct myself:


Well for one thing Tony, in your 3/1 post you say that a woman seeking an abortion has no MORE right to be unimpeded in entering a clinic,,,, as a matter of fact, she does. Also you assume that the protestors are only impedeing those seeking abortions, actually they impede everybody trying to enter, and as pointed out by at least one other post, not everyone entering a womens clinic is going there for an abortion, Do you feel that women seeking mammography should be harassed by screaming and taunting republicans? And please don't tell me that does not happen. In 1988 the Tinglehoff crowd decided to lock hands and block a womens clinic in Bristol. As a result several were arrested and my office ended up supervising several of these folks. Now actually they were really nice, well meaning individuals and were a breeze to supervise. Just imagine the look on their faces when we told them that no abortions were scheduled on the day they were arrested (in fairness they had protested for several days.)
Also you refer to the target abortion protestors as "non-violent".... exactly how is setting off a bomb at Olympic Park in Atlanta, as abortion protestor Eric Rudolph did, a "non-violent "event?? Is the the "compassionate conservative" version of "non-violent?" Or how about the guy in New England currently on trial for shooting a women's clinic Doctor? Would you compare him with Martin Luther King??? How wrong did you need to be???


Feel better now???

"Also you refer to the target abortion protestors as "non-violent"....exactly how is setting off a bomb at Olympic Park in Atlanta, as abortion protestor Eric Rudolph did, a "non-violent" event?? Is this the "compassionate conservative" version of "non-violent?" Or how about the guy in New England currently on trial for shooting a women's clinic Doctor? Would you compare him with Martin Luther King? How wrong do you need to be???" Bill Edwards.

"As to that last paragraph, you begin by regaling us with a story of "well meaning individuals" blockading as abortion clinic ( clearly the type off non-violent civil disobediance I was defending in my blog ) and suddenly your into bombings and shootings by criminals ( not "protestors" ) in a pitiful attempt to portray what I wrote as something other than what it was. That is despicable" T.Cecil.

When you put those two statements side by side, it's easy to see that T. Cecil has not picked up on one or two crucial details in his egomaniacal rantings. And by the way - fish swim and lack the physiolgy to do much else, let alone shoot guns, silly rabbit.

The rules of proof, Tony, require that for it to be credible, you must provide me with the means of looking up your information for myself. Brook did that by posting a link. You give me and your fellow bloggers no way to confirm what you have seen on tv. It's ancedotal. In other words, all you've said is, "Believe me, you guys, there's never been a story on this." By what objective yardstick would you have someone find this acceptable proof? All we could do is comb thru the C-Span archives, and you have quite a nerve if you expect us to do your research for you. We don't even have a way to quantify what your "alot of the time" watching amounts to. Presumably you don't sit in front of the tv with a chamber pot at your feet and someone schlepping your meals to you on a tray, so we know at the very least you might have missed something. The question of whether no tv coverage of protest quashing proves that no protest quashing has taken place will have to remain outside the scope of my discussion until you can at least figure out that until you offer credible, verifiable data to back up your point of view, it remains nothing more than just that. Which, by the way, seems to be what you're trying to accuse the rest of us of doing with statements like, "...the rhetoric in this blog...bears little or no resemblance to reality. "

And on a personal note, I refuse to have a dictionary quoted to me by anyone who cannot figure out how to properly use IT'S and ITS. Shooting fish in a barrel, indeed.

Bill: I did not say "a woman seeking an abortion has no right to be unimpeded". If you can't quote me correctly, even when the words are written down for you, then this is going to be a long, repetitious haul. I said "A woman seeking an abortion has no MORE right to be unharrassed or unimpeded" than anyone else in America. We are on the verge of going to war with a country that assigns special rights to some and not to others. We have already fought many wars to stop those who believe that some have special rights over others. If that is the America you want to live in then look for me on the side fighting against your rebellion. And as a matter of fact Bill, by law, she doesn't have any more right to be unharrassed or unimpeded than anyone else. I guess you didn't read the part where I point out that the law has recently been overturned by the Supreme Court.

As to that last paragraph, you begin by regaling us with a story of "well meaning individuals" blockading an abortion clinic (clearly the type off non-violent civil disobedience I was defending in my blog) and suddenly your into bombings and shootings by criminals (not "protestors") in a pitiful attempt to portray what I wrote as something other than what it was. That is despicable.


Elizabeth:

quash: to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely; to nullify, especially by judicial action.

One TBI officer asking questions at a rally does not even come close to 'quashing'.

But I do find your notion of proof intriguing. Let me see. How does one go about proving that something DIDN'T happen. That's a bit of a puzzler. How many examples of something not occurring must I accrue to constitute proof that it didn't? I suppose I could identify in detail each of the non-quashings, where they didn't occur, the number of people not arrested or disbanded, the number of police or national guard it took not to quash them...

Nah.

Did I say that this is like shooting fish in a barrel? It's more like fish shooting themselves in a barrel.

Re: strong claims requiring strong evidence. Let's just talk about credibility of evidence for now. So far we have one verifiable story from a major newspaper vs. "I watch C-Span all the time and they haven't shown me an incidence of 'x.'" How would you cite that as a reference, Tony? By my count, the score is Brook 1, T. Cecil 0. And that pretty much leaves you hoisted by your own petard.

Well for one thing Tony, in your 3/1 post you say that a woman seeking an abortion has no right to be unimpeded in entering a clinic,,, as a matter of fact, she does. Also you assume that the protestors are only impedeing those seeking abortions, actually they impede everybody trying to enter, and as pointed out by at least one other post, not everyone entering a womens clinic is going there for an abortion, Do you feel that women seeking mammography should be harassed by screaming and taunting republicans? And please don't tell me that does not happen. In 1988 the Tinglehoff crowd decided to lock hands and block a womens clinic in Bristol. As a result several were arrested and my office ended up supervising several of these folks. Now actually they were really nice, well meaning individuals and were a breeze to supervise. Just imagine the look on their faces when we told them that no abortions were scheduled on the day they were arrested (in fairness they had protested for several days.)
Also you refer to the target abortion protestors as "non-violent".... exactly how is setting off a bomb at Olympic Park in Atlanta, as abortion protestor Eric Rudolph did, a "non-violent "event?? Is the the "compassionate conservative" version of "non-violent?" Or how about the guy in New England currently on trial for shooting a women's clinic Doctor? Would you compare him with Martin Luther King? How wrong did you need to be???

I'll break my own lunch table rule this one final time only to help poor T. Cecil - they seem to be doing wonderful things with Halcyon based drugs these days. Rampant paranoia and delusions of granduer do not become anyone. First step is admitting that you have a problem. Doing the same thing and expecting different results is ...umm, ..oh who am I kidding? Damn, I gotta shit.........

Is that the best you can come up with, Brook: one TBI agent asking questions at a rally? Gotta give you credit for trying. It is at least something tangible around which to form an opinion, even an unrealistic one. Much better than the lame non-responses from pretty much everybody else. But it does not amount to protest quashing. Strong claims require strong evidence. Also, you might want to re-read my blog. It had nothing to do with abortion or Bill Clinton. It was about protests and the total lack of concern by the Left when a particular group of people were singled out for some extra special punishment for doing nothing more than was being done by PETA, Earth First and other Left Wing groups. I believe I did a fair job of making all that clear. Anything else you read into it came from you, not me. Perhaps if you engaged more gray matter and less viscera...

Bill: Show me one thing in my blog that was not true. When you can't, ask yourself why people refuse to adjust their mind-set when they are shown that their perceptions are wrong, or at least, wildly innacurate.

vee hav vays ob make-ing u talk!!!

TBI took names at MTSU peace rally
A top official with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation admitted one of its agents was collecting information about speakers at a Murfreesboro peace rally yesterday.

(Really ya'll, it's for your own protection. If you don't have anything to hide, you wouldn't mind giving them your info. We're ALL on the same team.)

Hi Flankie!

Our new house. It needs some work, but I am sure we can find some help.

I got a screw driver stuck in my neck once and, luckily, had it removed at a Planned Parenthood Clinic in Ithaca, New York. That's my response to the March 1st post.

Chris: I'm not much into boxing, but I really like Oscar de la Hoya (did I spell that right?) ---for reasons other than his boxing ability. My brothers really love to watch boxing. Back in the days of Mohammed Ali, I was a big fan. I liked his rhymes.

In fairness Brook, it's T. Cecil, not Cecil T., and I debated responding to his posts because I figured it would only encourage him, but the T man is always good for an arguement, even when he is wrong and mislead by republican heathen ways,,,, and I think it is Fox News he is watching, not C-Span. And I note that Tony has never ever asked anyone to stop responding to his posts, even if you do have to occasionally point out that the truth will stand when the world is on fire. All that being said, he is still wrong.

Ya know, I've gotta stop talking to people that I would not have let sit at my table during lunch back in....well.... at ANY point during my years in school.

Personally, I didn't reply to Tony's post because his rouse of the imaginary "protest quashing" just seemed ham-fistedly inflammatory, in that old-man-been-drinking-in-the-basement-listening-to-the-G-Man-sort-of-way. But also, I thought it was Tony Black, which seemed so very much out of character, that I thought he might have lost his mind (sitting at home watching C-Span). It seemed like the nice thing to do not to call any more attention to it. Now that I know it's Cecil T sitting at home watching C-Span all day -- getting worked up about Clinton and protesters and abortions -- it all makes sense!

Actually, I was wondering why my blog didn't attract more response. Then it hit me. I can see it now. All of you rushing to the internet or local library to desperately search for any instance of protestors, permits in hand, being surrounded by swat teams wearing "Bomb Baghdad" buttons who herd the frightened and utterly passive citizens into the backs of paddy wagons to be hauled off into the night while one tiny protestor, her sweet face framed in the paddy wagon bars, bats her teary blue eyes toward Washington DC saying, "Why, George Bush? Why? Why are you quashing our protest? Why?"

David J: I already have. Twice. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.


tony not Tony: That's 'Southern Libertine'.


Chris: Thanks for the editorial critique. You should have seen the original draft. Your concept of ' word-bomb' is right on the money, but I stand by my phrase. By the way, doesn't my one word bomb pale in comparison to the minefield that is this Blog? So far the only people who seem to have even understood what I wrote are you and Elizabeth. She at least acknowledged that maybe there isn't any protest quashing going on out there. The rest was a little rambling and hard to follow, but it was an effort to respond with something of substance rather than go off on a tangent or just cry "wolf". I understand that people sometimes need to blow off steam, especially in a world filled with political tensions, but a lot of what I read in here (and elsewhere) seems to be just hot air.

(apologies to wayne coyne)

do you realize since the war on terror started, the singing senators stopped singing?
ashcroft hasn't butchered anything sacred, like the beatles in awhile. trent lott left the group, refusing to sing "il castroto."

do you realize you can freely protest abortion protestors? but the thing to do is go to the churches(their worksites) and pull a "right to life" -type blockade early sunday morning. arm in arm, chant things like, "dogma is murder" "crucifixion is fiction." "sunday school is child abuse". "jesus is coming: are you gonna spit or swallow?" no RICO issues now. attack. attack. use your freed'ems or loos'ems.

points further:
you know you are a real anarchist in america if you are in prison.

cocks fight. roosters crow. hens crow if no roosters are around.

i'm not sure anyone who responded to Tony's March 1st post actually understood what he wrote. any way, during the 1996 election cycle he told me he was a Libertine...

Makes no sense and with no basis in fact? And a truly remarkable chance of absolutely no economic growth whatsoever?

Dave: I think what he is saying is that this blog is much like the Bush Economic program.....

Pray then Tony, do enlighten the rest of us as to what reality actually is - thrall us with your accumen

John,

Of course not. I'm just pointing out that some of the rhetoric in this blog (and everywhere else) bears little or no resemblance to reality.

Allan; didn't know that about the Nascar Cafes there - But the one in Nashville did open and close within around 2 years here, right behind Planet Hollywoods closing. But then that Bastard Bill never keeps me informed about a damned thing! But sure, I was kinda wondering about that Gapsys thing myself.

Getting Into the Rock Hall of Shame

"...Ritchie Valens, singer of "La Bamba," who perished "The Day the Music Died" in 1959, also has no award. Neither do R&B groups The Dells, The O'Jays, or The Manhattans. Also missing from the Rock Hall's self-made history: Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, Mitch Ryder, Iggy Pop with and without the Stooges, the MC5, Jack Scott, Cat Stevens, Carly Simon, Black Sabbath, The Guess Who, Blue Öyster Cult, Electric Light Orchestra, Yes, Chicago, the Moody Blues, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Carla Thomas, Irma Thomas, Sonny and Cher, Jimmy Webb, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Three Dog Night, Leon Russell, Randy Newman, Gram Parsons, Genesis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jethro Tull and Hall & Oates.

According to the Hall of Fame's charter, all of those acts should have preceded this year's crop by several years. Artists are supposedly eligible 25 years after their first release. Nevertheless, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson each have been inducted twice — once as part of a group, the second time as a solo act"

David: JC already has two of those: a NASCAR Cafe. Granted, it's not downtown. Loft apts are already being built downtown on the same block as "The Plasma Palace."

Dink: Not sure what a Gapsys is. A hybrid Gap or do you mean Gatsbys?

You're kidding!!! Rooster Fights??? Well Hells Bells - let's get that action back!
You know Dink, evolution should apply to everything. You know why these small five and dime stores fell by the wayside? People didn't appear to support them, but they did support Super Wal-Mart. Things come and go, civilzations rise and fall, Dynasties collapse, and critters become extinct everyday. And so it goes with rooster fights and downtown areas of neglect. It could be worse Dink - It could be like Nashville and be taken over by Gaylord Entertainment, you could end up with a Planet Hollywood, a Nascar Cafe, and loft apartments that are just way the hell too expensive for anyone to live in. Then, 2 years later you can watch all that collapse as well.

there used to be hair cuts and roster fights out behind the beer cafe and 5 and dime stores downtown ,, then came the 60's then the 70's both gave us a mall a wal mart , magic mart, k mart .. now whats down town jc got ,, aint there a Gapsys and pool hall down there ?

chris.



Wow, I forgot. We now have in the United States a legal definition of "hate-speech" with attendant legal consequences.




For my assignment I present The Johnson City Blogger, unless of course "moron" and "ogre" are just endearing nick-names for George Bush. I realize that this does not meet the legal defination of hate-speech, but the very existence of "legal hate-speech" means that they one day could.





Bill






First of all there are no "innumerable persons arrested in the United States" at Gitmo. 99.99 percent of them were brought over from Afghanistan as prisoners of war. Of the few people arrested in the United States, most are suspected of being part of terrorists cells acting in the United States and are not US citizens. I have seen only one instance of a United States citizen being held without access to his attorneys. He is accused of traveling to the Middle East and trying to contact members of Al-Quida. Maybe his civil rights are being violated. Then again, maybe people are alive today because they are holding him for questioning.

As to your remarks concerning civil disobedience, you apparently didn’t understand a thing I said unless of course you support charging protesters with a felony, fining them six figures and giving them double digit jail terms for blocking a sidewalk or chaining themselves to a nuclear power-plant gate.

Nope, hold on there Hoss, the Swiss GNP is $226 billion - and that's not in them puny little metric Euros - that's US cash American!

That's ok JulieFann - Bush confusses them too.

Check Wal-Marts total sales. I'm not talking total revenues; I'm talking total sales. Wal-marts sales figures for fiscal year ending January 31, 2003 were reported as $244 billion. And I did get the country wrong---Switzerland, not Sweden.

Hells Bells Bill - of course we can. We can even build shit and burn it up as well! I'm in....

Very well put, Bill. Always glad to hear the voice of reason amongst the self-styled boheimian new radicalism. And I always felt young republicans to be a contradiction in terms. Me, I'm an Anarchist but I tend to go about it in an orderly fashion. Bill, I suggest we hold the international beer festival in conjunction with this years "Paganpalooza" [(c) David J. Willis. All rights reserved]. I can secure the town park (that doesn't exist yet) and we'll just have the whole shooting match here.
And I wish I could exceed the gross national product of Sweden. And how did Sweden get on this site anyway? Damn JulieFann! Don't bottle up them feelings - let it out and tell us how you really feel.

Dave!!! It's true!!! A Wal-Mart Super Center is coming to Elizabethton!!! While there are some who oppose it, progress marchs on!!!! The great mystery of it all is why anyone would oppose a company that keep prices low and competes mainly with Sears, JC Penny, and Target, I guess some folks just are against anything that does not meet their boheimian standards, it is that sort of cultural eliteism that costs us democrats elections. I don't know if they have Wal-Mart Super Centers in Sweeden, but I bet they wish they did!!!!

Tony, I would point out that there was never a story called "The Night Thoureu Spent Watching TV." One of the points of civil disobediance is getting arrested.... Ghandi and King both did jail time for thier beliefs. If the abortion protesters demonstrate, fine,,, but if they break the law in doing so, they should be arrested. If they organize across state lines in an effort to conspire to break the law, that falls under RICO, or should if the Supreme court interpreted the law as common sense says it should. Further, if anti-war prortesters, or Skynard fans, or the Fucking Prudes, conspire across state lines in an effort to break the law, they should be eligible for RICO as well. (Wouldn't a Prudes reunion be AWESOME!!! Perhaps for the Grand Opening of the Elizabethton Wal-Mart Super Center!!!!) And regarding civil liberties, when will the Republican/Conservatives stand up for the constitution?? Doesn't article one state that Writs of Certori cannot be suspended? Then why are innumerable persons arrested in the United States being held without access to courts or attorneys in Gitmo? Does the Geneva Convention superceed the Constitution of the United States in the Conservative New World Order? I mean, if getting a hummer in the oval office is grounds for impeachment, you would think that wipeing your ass on the Constitution would......

Dink, as there is little commercial appeal for Moonshine,, have you considered an international beer festival? We could have celebrity judges, and open drinking in the streets!!! For judges we could get George Wendt, Woody Harrelson, and Jenna Jameson (I am not familier with her work, but am told she is an expert on head.) Just imagine, a week of drinking beer in order to judge the best beers in the world, that is a plan I can support!

Wal-Mart fucking sucks. Any company whose yearly profit exceeds the gross national product of Sweden fucking sucks. And Plane Jane Has a Date sucked too, as did many of those bands back then. But the weird tornado that got that music scene going may just be the last great mystery of this country. Really, I think the southeast is the last great mystery of this country. And that Rhode Island bar fire? What the hell? WHY would any band choose to do pyrotechnics when the wall behind you is made of egg crate foam? That was my first thought after the whole thing happened. And why would anyone go see a band that would be stupid enough to do that? And by the way, the Fucking Prudes sucked too.

maybe just sing roll your boat ashore and let our hair grow long ,,, worked once

I was just reading some of the Blog from a few weeks ago when I learned of the Super Wal-Mart coming to Elizabethton! Is this true? Hot Damn you guys are lucky! As a former resident and founder of the "Elizabethton School of Funk" I'm so excited that my dick is hard!!! Damn fine place, Wal-Mart. Here in BeelziBuckle all we have is the Bell Buckle Cafe - home of of the worst bluegrass imaginable! Look up their web site!
But Good news! Not only are we getting a Super Wal-Mart this summer in nearby Shelbyville, but we got the regional distributing hub only 4 miles from here! Man, I can't wait to get out there and roll around the parking lot bare assed nekkid! Goddamn, life is good!

or not

Politics? Is that what it's come down to now? If that's all that's what all the grey matter is about now, then let me weigh in for a moment with a few musings from a guy who doesn't make politics a hobby.
George W. is the most laughable character in Washington since Oliver North and George Sr. were jamming at the White House. And let us not forget that the George's have the most remarkable history of absolutly no economic growth in the country whatsoever. I have to agree with Elizabeth about Clinton being the better politician. I would've voted for him again. Liar! Sex fiend! Is that what you're thinking? Well so fucking what. I would not have cared in they had 2 lines of women going in to see him every day - he got the job done! And lord knows he's not the first one to occupy the White House with lovers, male and/or female, or used his position to grab every perk he could lay his hands on. I fault him only for having a jones for ugly women. The rest of it was between Hilery and himself.
As for Saddam Hussien, what of him? He's not our problem. George W is the most dangerous man in the world today. I'll take Elwood Blues' view on the topic; "Let's throw out the archaic Marshall plan and stay at home for the next 10 years!"
But if we MUST deal with Hussien, then hire the Mousaud to go in first and then back the Israeli Army, the undisputed Badasses of the World, to handle the mop up operation. It's more economical than a head first illegal invasion on our part.
I make NO apologies for the spelling! Damn!

Well, if protests are NOT being quashed...GOOD! Ah, er, ahem...RIGHT?

Maybe Clinton was just a better POLITICIAN than Bush. True, maybe what we really need are leaders in a time when we all get are politicians, good, bad or indifferent. Is a bad politician better than a good one? Who fucking cares? Maybe if you're STAUNCHLY pro-choice you should prefer that the net effect of any one politician's political maneuvering supports your position than that someone else's has dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's and ripped the guts out of what you say you stand for. You think a conservative-dominated government won't make use of the overturning of that "disgraceful" law for its own ends? Cough, cough, she says, very gently. Bottom line, all you have left these days is a choice about what you say is right, or at least MORE right. Is it more right if the right thing is done the wrong way, or if the wrong thing is done the right way? The larger question still remains: Why have our choices come down to only this?

I work at home a great deal and have CSPAN on a lot of the time. I have seen dozens of protests ranging from a few thousand people here in the states to over a million in some European countries. I have yet to see a single instance of any lawfully gathered protest being "quashed" anywhere. I have seen 'some' protestors arrested by 'some' police officers but not once have I seen a protest disbanded by authorities. So where did this "quashing" occur? And keep in mind that any group who wishes to convene a large gathering must adhere to local ordinance and permit requirements, whether it's to protest the war or get Lynnard Skynard in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So tell me, where has a legally convened protest been "quashed"?

Regarding civil liberties, where did each of you stand when President Clinton signed a bill elevating non-violent civil disobedience to a felony under the Rico Statutes? I recall an overwhelming lack of teeth-gnashing and garment-rending from Democrats over that, and you all know why. The bill was designed from the ground up to intimidate and "quash" Pro-Life protest. Did any of you write a letter to the editor decrying the death of civil liberties? Did you once say to a friend during a drunken bull-shit session, "You know, maybe the threat of hundred-thousand dollar fines and twenty year jail terms is a bit harsh for blocking a sidewalk or harassing a women seeking an abortion." Well, did you? And don't even try that 'freedom of access to a medical clinic' rationalization. The only 'medicine' that takes place in a Family Planning Clinic is non-emergency elective procedures; no one goes because they have blood in their urine or a screwdriver stuck through their neck. A woman seeking an abortion has no more right to be unharassed or unimpeded than a woman seeking to buy a mink coat at a department store. And those who are harassing and impeding whether it be PETA, Earth First or Operation Rescue have a reasonable expectation of reasonable punishment for engaging in non-violent, civil disobedience. It wasn't until businesses started using the act against groups like PETA and Earth First that democrats began quietly and with little fan-fare to seek to have it nullified. You can all thank the conservative-dominated Supreme Court for recently overturning this disgraceful law. By-the-way, just for the record, I am staunchly pro-choice.

As for the "give the inspectors more time" crowd, you do realize that if not for George Bush there would be no inspectors. It is an unfortunate historical tenet that despots and dictators are more responsive to rattling sabers than shuffling papers. It is difficult to comprehend the vitriol and hatred directed at the President when Bill Clinton, in 1998 and part of 1999, tried to warn the world about Hussein's continued defiance of the U.N. and on many occasions suggested the use of ground forces, if necessary, to bring him into compliance. Was he a warmonger? Was he a moron? Was he just after the oil? It is too bad that President Clinton was not more committed to his belief. Had he pushed the issue then, I seriously doubt we would have seen the current level of democratic hand-wringing and hate-speech. And, just maybe, there would be a Hussein-free Iraq that was actually able to feed it's children and provide some modicum of civil liberties to it's citizens.