hope that i get old before i die…

i was listening to the radio on the way home from work today and they said the title of this post on the air. of course, they were referencing “attacks across iraq today” but it definitely got me to thinking about the peculiarity that is the english language. what other language exists that has so many words that sound alike but have completely different meanings? for that matter, what other language has so many words that are *spelled* the same but have different meanings? i haven’t studied all languages ever in the history of the world, but i have yet to find any which have these problems the same way english does. i’ve heard stories about japanese being similar in this regard but if someone who knows japanese can set me straight on this issue i’d love to know more. still, it’s a wonder that those of us who speak english can understand each other at all considering how these words stack up against each other.

and in other news, i found this story online while waiting for my work email to load. apparently there are a lot of registered sex offenders taking correspondence courses by applying for financial aid which is set aside for those needy students who can’t normally afford a college education. also apparently, there are a lot of lawmakers in this country who think that these ex-criminals don’t deserve to be using this money to actually pay for an education. now, i will completely agree that they should not be spending the leftover money on things that are not related to their education, but this is true for ALL students who receive pell grants and college financial aid.

when i used to get pell grants for college, i sure as hell didn’t spend the leftover on books and school supplies. unless by “books” you mean pizza, and by “school supplies” you mean beer. every college student does this, this is nothing new whatsoever. there are even students who sign up, get their financial aid check, and then drop classes for a full refund of the money. this is also nothing new whatsoever. where the outrage is coming from is the fact that these are sexual predators, registered as such with the various state agencies that deal with such crimes. and in our “tough on crime” society, we have politicians who would rather lock these people up and literally throw away the key than spend one single dime on educating them so that they can one day possibly be released into society again.

we already have laws which decide where these people can live, whether or not they can drive their own vehicle to and from work (assuming they can even *find* a job), how much time they can spend on the internet (if at all), and other limitations on their lives. but now that some of them want to get themselves an education using the law as it is already written, suddenly there is an outrage. yes it’s true that there are some registered sex offenders who have committed truly horrendous crimes against humanity. and some of them definitely deserve to be locked up for most of the rest of their lives. but the ones who are able to finish their sentences and get released back into society should not be held back if they want to better themselves.

as i have always said, it used to be a badge of honor to work yourself up from the bottom and make something of yourself. not only that, but supposedly with a little hard work you *can* make something of yourself in america. but more and more our society is closing its doors to all but the ones who can pay to play. if you don’t already have money, you are not as likely to have a chance to lift yourself up out of your situation. and god help you if you should be convicted of a sex crime, or a drug offense, because that means that you will never be allowed to go to school if you can’t afford to pay for it yourself. but if you were convicted of a sex crime or drug offense, good luck finding a place to hire you that will let you make enough money to afford to pay for college yourself, even a community college or correspondence course….

well, it’s roughly 7 hours until kickoff so i’m going to make a prediction about today’s game. there’s a lot to consider when you look at today’s game between the giants and patriots. on the one hand, the patriots have literally been unstoppable all year. on the other hand, the giants are 10-1 including the playoffs when they play on the road. and this year the giants are the road team, so hopefully that means they’ll be 11-1 on the road including the playoffs.

but in reality, every year it’s always the team with the most commercial break segments who comes out on top, and i don’t think this year will be any exception. until about 8 or 9 years ago, the nfl used to put equal time on the segments they would show both from the game and individual players’ comments about the chance to be in the superbowl. but i’ve had plenty of people insist that the superbowl is fixed, and i didn’t believe them at all until the game between the raiders and the buccanneers. that was when i first noticed this phenomenon.

in that game, there was something like 8 players from tampa bay talking about playing in the big game, and only jerry rice from the raiders as i recall. every year since then it’s followed the same pattern. so look out for which team is favored in the commercial segments to be the ultimate winner in this game. and if it happens again this year as it has over the past 8, i will finally believe that this game is more corrupt than a heavyweight boxing match.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7215226.stm

for years i have heard from too many u2 apologists who make excuses for the sub-par music that their favorite band has produced in the last 15 years. when “achtung baby” came out and the band switched from a political rock band to one more concerned with radio play and airtime, i heard a lot of people say that u2 was just focusing on their music instead of their politics, that the music should be more important. i took this one in stride, because i definitely respect a band which would take time to release music that they want to sound the best it can be. but half the tracks on this album sound like they were afterthoughts, and the album as a whole was most definitely beneath the quality of “the joshua tree”. but then, nothing u2 has done has ever equalled the excellence of that album, so it’s not a fair comparison in hindsight.

but my main interest in u2 was always the fact that they were so strong in their political convictions, and especially on topics that i was also interested in: the ongoing conflict between britain and ireland, illegal whaling, apartheid south africa, and a few others. this was a band that i admired in all aspects of their personal *and* public lives. not only did they release some of the best music i had heard in my life, but they took some bold (in my mind at least) stances on issues that were difficult to solve. but then i heard bono sing the high praises of then world bank president james wolfensohn, and what a great job the world bank does worldwide. this despite the fact that the world bank gets countries out of poverty by putting the country’s resources in the hands of foreign investors who only want to profit at the expense of a country with an excessive amount of poor people who are ripe for exploitation.

so when i hear larry mullen and the edge say, after the release of “achtung baby” that they didn’t feel attached to the music, they were just putting this album out to make money off of it, my image of the band as a group of guys standing up for their ideals began to crumble. the apologists would say, again, that the band was focusing on the music, and why shouldn’t they be allowed to make money with their music? the problem with this argument, as i have always felt, is that if the music is only there to make money then how are they any different from the “hit machines” of top 40 radio? you know, the ones who have a few hits, make their money and then cash out before people realize they have no more musical talent than your average vending machine?

after “achtung baby” u2 released one mediocre album after another and my respect for their music has dwindled to little more than reliving the glorious years leading up to the joshua tree. i think the icing on the cake for this phenomenon was when they released a video for the song “vertigo” as an ipod ad before it even hit the stores in order to sell as many copies of “the u2 ipod” as possible. this band has been coasting for years and have been more concerned with commercial success than in creating the kind of music that inspired millions of people throughout their first decade as recording artists.

so yesterday, when u2’s manager paul mcguiness came out in favor of forcing ISP’s to prevent people from downloading music not approved by the recording industry, i was forced to finally admit that u2 is nothing more than a bunch of money hungry millionaires who care not one whit for fans of music. the music industry succeeded for so many years because people were forced to pay inflated prices on media costs. that cd your favorite record store puts on the shelf and prices at $15? it costs the publishing company less than a dollar to pump one out. that other $14 you pay goes to lining the pockets of the recording industry, and if the artist has negotiated a good contract they may see $1 from each cd sale, if that. so for industry folks to try to pretend that the artists are suffering is really not happening at all. what’s going on is that industry executives see their six martini lunches threatened by a changing market and they want to prevent that market from innovating them out of existence.

the basis of an economy is the law of supply and demand. when the consumers demand something, the economy reacts by trying to increase supply. but when consumers demand a downloadable, digitally encoded file instead of a clunky, plastic ring to listen to their favorite music, the suppliers are fighting tooth and nail to keep that from happening. they want to force the world to keep paying $15 too much for that plastic ring because then their profits are continually assured year after year as long as they keep an absolute dictatorship over the supply source. if this were truly about artists not making any money on the music they create then the industry should renegotiate those contracts and give the artists a bigger slice of the music sales pie.

radiohead just proved that an established band doesn’t need a big name label to get people to buy their music. this is what the true issue is where internet-based music is concerned. the artists make the vast majority of the money off of concerts and merchandise, not in cd sales. i have friends who are literally “starving artist” musicians who don’t care if they give away their cd’s as long as people support them by coming to hear them play and telling their friends what great musicians they are (links to come for anyone who is still reading who wants to support some great musicians! ) the point is, that music can still be given away for free and the artists will not have to starve for it. the ones who are afraid of starving are the people who cling to an antiquated, dying industry in the hopes that they can continue to line their pockets on the backs of the musicians and artists who get pennies on the dollar for each album purchased in a store somewhere.

on that note, here are some GREAT musicians that you should support in any way you can because they are making some of the best music you’ve never heard before:

Ryan Hanifl — his latest CD “Sourpuss” is an amazing journey of sound and emotion.

Arrica Rose and the …’s — a local folk rock band featuring some of the most dedicated musicians i have ever met in my life. plus arrica and her guitarist abby kincaid are part of a group of female musicians calling themselves The Bombshell Alliance which is set up as a charity for some very good causes. these ladies are worth supporting just on that alone, but they still produce some incredible music too!

Curtis Peoples — Curtis likes to put an 80’s retro sound on some pop hooks and turn it into something that sounds familiar but yet still brings you in with its energy and passion.

Ernie Halter — Ernie has an amazing voice and a great flair for arrangement in his songs. plus you get to play the “Ernie Halter drinking game” that i invented. every time Ernie says “Love” in a song, take a shot. (ok ernie, it’s a joke, please don’t hurt me! )

Joey Ryan — Joey puts an amazing sound together between himself and his guitar that i have yet to hear from another artist. and it’s his birthday in a little over a week, so get some of his music just for that reason!

The Elevaters — I took a friend to see these guys play last week and she thought they were one of the best bands she’s seen in a long time. they play a funk/soul/hip hop fusion which turns into some of the most energetic music you will see onstage. these guys also have big hearts off the stage and will be playing some charity benefit concerts in the LA area this week. definitely another band to support just for their dedication to these issues alone.

Laura Jansen — I used to call Laura Jansen “the little girl with the big voice” when i would describe her to anyone who had never heard her before. she is definitely one artist that you should not miss if you have a chance to see her play because it’s hard to believe that she has such a powerful voice if you don’t experience it for yourself in person.

and last but not least Sara Hickman. I can’t say enough about this lady and what she does, both musically and life in general. Sara is one of those musicians whose heart is bigger than her fan base. she works with half price books and other charities to provide poor and sick children the opportunity to have access to books. i have written about sara before in these pages, so i won’t say too much more about her, except that she is one of my favorite people on this planet and i feel privileged to have met her on more than one occasion.

these artists, and others like them, are the ones who everyone should be supporting in any way they can. the best way would be to pay for a ticket to see their shows. but if you can’t do that, as long as you make other people aware of the kind of talent they possess and help them reach out to more and more interested fans then we can prevent people like paul mcguiness and the u2’s and metallica’s of the world telling us how we are allowed to spend our money on music. don’t forget that the music market is built on supply and demand. if you don’t demand it, they won’t supply it. and if they stop allowing music to be freely shared among fans, then music made by artists like the above may never be heard.

i know this is slightly old news, but as i’m feeling a bit sick and can’t sleep tonight anyway, i just want to express my absolute disgust at the hypocrisy that our supposed “leaders” in government have shown once again. it all centers around the SCHIP program which was just vetoed by bush a few weeks ago, and which veto was upheld last week. every election year we hear the politicians screaming about doing “what’s best for our children”. this excuse is used for anything from imposing curfews on teenagers to attempted censorship of music, film and tv, all the way to new laws designed to keep certain criminals in prison forever, whether they can be reformed or not.

but in all this “discussion” about what is best to protect the children of this country, the one program which would actually help the most is vetoed over nothing more than brain dead politicians trying to impose their draconian political will on the least fortunate of society. under the guise of “socialized medicine” — something that is apparently even scarier than dying in a nuclear holocaust to these people — the bill which would have provided medical coverage for an extra four million kids has been vetoed and has no chance of recovery. there is no doubt that there are plenty of supporters judging from the overwhelming majority of senators and representatives who voted for the bill. but to prevent parents from having help with medical expenses, no matter how much they make collectively, is beyond description.

nevermind for the moment that the “socialized medicine” bogeyman is always trotted out whenever government starts trying to allow its citizens some chance of receiving medical attention for reduced cost, or even free in some cases. the america i was taught to believe in always takes care of its own because that is the right thing to do. the fact that we came incredibly close to losing this program completely because of the political grandstanding of a few morons in government is undeniably unamerican. we are slowly but surely becoming a society in which it’s “every man for him/herself” instead of “love thy neighbor”. does it really matter in the long run if expanding SCHIP is one step closer to universal health care for everyone? is it *THAT* important to keep kids everywhere from getting the medical care they deserve? are we going to insist that kids begin working for their benefits next? we have labor laws that prevent that from happening, but the direction this country is moving in, i wouldn’t doubt that those laws would be repealed if someone in washington decided it was expedient enough to put kids back to work in the factories again so that the almighty private industry can provide their health care for them instead.

but then what do we truly expect from politicians? these are the same people who are known to be liars and cheats after all. we are all aware of the empty campaign promises that come about pretty much every november, and a few other months during the year too. why would we believe that politicians have our kids’ best interests at heart when they have insurance lobbyists and HMO’s telling them how much money they stand to lose if this bill passes. profits which will not end up in those same politicians’ campaign funds if the bill passes. we hear it all the time that this country is going to hell in a handbasket, but not for the reasons that they would have us believe. no, the true test of our society’s worth is how well we treat those less fortunate than ourselves. and killing this bill shows that our “leaders” are only interested in their own power and that they have no compassion for the future of our country.

bush commutes “scooter” libby’s jail term. as if it wasn’t bad enough that libby has been convicted of obstruction of justice for his role in the CIA leak scandal, now president bush has seen fit to spare him the penalty that was handed down by our court system. ok, except for the big fine libby has to pay. big fucking deal. as if being connected to such rich and powerful friends is going to prevent libby from raising the necessary money to pay that fine or something.

but this is just another example of how bush & company feel that they are above the law when it comes to dealing with the agenda they have for their own power. on this day when we celebrate the document that said that government should not be run by tyrants and the people have the right to change that government as they see fit, it is sad that these stories are largely going unnoticed by the average american public.

this current administration has overstepped their bounds on a daily basis, and yet the speaker of the house, nancy pelosi, has already said that impeachment is off the table in regards to anything bush/cheney may or may not have done. excuse me, but isn’t impeachment one of the things that is supposed to provide a check to the power of the executive branch? and when you have an executive branch that is constantly abusing its power, isn’t it a good idea to at least leave open the idea that abuse of power should be punished? obviously not, since any abuse of power will just be met with a presidential pardon anyway.

so on this 4th of july, i will be celebrating with some friends, and doing my absolute best not to think about how our country has been co-opted by a bunch of evil power hungry assholes who only care about themselves and not the people and the laws they are sworn to protect and uphold. happy 231st birthday, america. may you live to see 232….

i went to see this film tonight and it is unbelievable the way that america treats its citizens, and how the american way seems to have turned into “every man for himself”. i won’t go into any spoilers in this post, so if you still plan on seeing this movie, feel free to continue reading

all in all, i think moore did a very good job at pointing out the shortcomings of the health system in america. on the other hand, i don’t think a lot of the footage that he staged would have gone the way it did if he hadn’t staged it. once you watch the movie you should get an idea of what i’m talking about here, suffice to say that i doubt a non-celebrity could get away with the things that he does. there were also some moments of “clever editing” but then, this *is* a michael moore film after all…

coming out of the movie it becomes incredibly apparent that having a shitty health care system seems to be part of the american experience. just talking to a couple people after the movie made me realize that we have *all* had our fair share of problems trying to get medical treatment of some sort. to paraphrase one of the canadians in the movie (and giving a sort of spoiler but not really), he was referring to the suggestion that maybe someone who didn’t pay into the system doesn’t deserve free service. and he replied “we take care of each other. it’s just the right thing to do”. it’s outrageous to realize that this simple sentiment does not make its way into the greater society of the US. not just evidenced by the health care industry but even in the reaction to the victims of katrina. as if the ones who are suffering have somehow brought this fate upon themselves.

so far in fiscal year 2007 we have spent $439 billion on our defense budget. if even 1% of that was taken away, we would STILL outspend the next 10 countries of the world, and we’d have an extra $4.4 billion to throw around on projects that might contribute to the wellness of our citizens. instead we get attack ads and spin from politicians who are solidly in the pockets of the health care lobby. as i said before, this democracy is up for sale to the highest bidder. and unfortunately, the highest bidder is also the one calling the shots…..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6766551.stm

it never ceases to amaze me the lengths that our government is willing to go to get its way, especially where the middle east and israel is concerned. we see on the one hand the refusal to deal with yasser arafat, accusing him and his ruling party (the fatah party) of corruption and not doing enough for the palestinian people to allow the peace process to proceed. nevermind that arafat *did* have problems with corruption for one minute, and the fact that he was known to keep money slated for the palestinian authority and palestinians in general for himself and/or giving it to friends and family. the fact is, arafat was one of the moderates of the ideologies vying for the hearts of his people, and he was going to be more able to make a deal with the US and israel. nevermind all of that because we insisted (practically forced) the palestinians to hold elections for a new government because supposedly arafat was so bad for the peace in the region.

well, in steps hamas with a sweeping victory over fatah in those very same elections we made them hold. hamas has a very extreme ideology and despite what they have said in recent months, their base belief is that israel does not truly exist and their struggle will end with the destruction of israel as a state. not exactly the kind of people who are going to bargain in good faith, or will even come to the table to listen to anything. hamas is an organization that prefers action to words, as they have shown time and again on the world stage. unfortunately for us, they won the elections we insisted on having. so for the US (and the EU for that matter) to turn their backs on the palestinians the way they have for the last year has been incredibly hypocritical to say the least. but then, i guess consider the source of that hypocrisy. it has never been in the best interests of any government to do the most moral thing in any situation, and history has a long lineage of governments which have done very immoral things to further their own agendas — present company included.

so now that the fatah party has basically RE-taken control of the palestinian authority after the hamas-led rout of their militants in the gaza strip, suddenly the US and EU are coming back to pretend as if this is the one true legitimate governing body of the palestinian people. sorry, but it doesn’t work that way! well, i guess it does when you’re dealing with two of the most powerful government bodies in the world who basically write their own rules as they go along, but it *shouldn’t* work that way. and basically, what have we really accomplished at this point? hamas is just as militant as they were before — maybe moreso now that they are no longer considered legitimate members of their own ELECTED government. mahmoud abbas (president of the palestinian authority) has called hamas’ fighting in gaza a coup, but then what exactly did he do by reshaping the PA in his own image?

and again, what has been accomplished? the PA is still controlled by those loyal to the fatah party, hamas is still an extremist islamist organization who probably wants israel to be destroyed even more than before. so now instead of a two state solution, now we’re looking at a three state solution with the current situation. but yet nobody is willing to talk to hamas because of their history of violence. so not only will any deal abbas makes with israel be looked at suspiciously, but he doesn’t represent hamas at all, but yet they control one entire part of the occupied territories. not that i am defending anything hamas has done as far as the violence is concerned, but they were democratically elected to represent the palestinian people at the insistence of the US government, and now they are effectively blocked from any kind of diplomatic arrangements, again at the insistence of the US government. quite a nice hole we’ve dug for ourselves. not that we have much credibility anymore in this situation, but i think what little we had is slowly drying up and blowing away.