Here's something everyone in America ought to know about. Besides the 150 thousand or so soldiers we have in Iraq, there are about 100 thousand more mercenaries, usually referred to as "contractors" that we know very little about. Each one of them is making about from 30 to 60K a MONTH. Watch this...
I am way into politics. I sway back and forth between the two main parties, so I guess I'm a centrist. I'm mostly a social liberal/fiscal conservative, but some of my views skew toward the libertarian agenda. For instance, and the folks at church probably wouldn't dig this, but I believe we should legalize, regulate, and tax narcotics and prostitution. We should then focus on cleaning up the messes the war on drugs has created, lay off and retrain the thousands who earn their living from it, and start spending those billions of dollars saved on awareness and prevention and counseling and treatment for addicts. It would be alot safer, there would be no need for dealers and pimps carrying guns to protect turf, and we'd pay off the national debt in six months. Here's a clip from a new movie called "American Drug War, The Last White Hope," coming soon from Sacred Cow. Everybody in America ought to see this...
Of course ending the drug war is much too sensible, and therefore it will never happen. One reason is that Americans don't know what's really going on, and what's more they are being kept that way, and what's even worse than that is that they don't even give a shit! I was trying to tell a friend this the other day, and she said "I don't want to know." Pretty scary stuff. And she's in the majority. Here's George Carlin putting my feelings into words most succinctly...
I also think we need to revoke all the subsidies to the unbelievably rich that Bush's regime has instituted. We can't afford them, and they don't NEED them. One of the most dangerous things we have allowed these bastards to do is change the FCC rules regarding media conglomerates only being allowed to own a certain amount of media outlets. Now a very small number of rich men control all of the ways we are able to get information. They choose what we hear and see. This is the same way Hitler got control of Germany. It is happening again. If people would bear in mind that everything they are seeing on TV and hearing on radio is probably some form of propaganda, they might very well look at it in a very different way. I hope and pray this will happen, because that is most certainly the case. Another tactic they love to employ is sensationalist non-journalism. They do 24 hour vomit-casts about Britney Spews and OJ Scumson and we tune in and tune out all of the things that are really going on in this wholly-owned-and-operated world, staring at the screen like the zombies we are...
Here's a game to play to let out your stress over this issue...
I also don't think we should be in Iraq. I'm pretty firmly convinced we are only over there to protect the oil supply and to make Bush, Cheney, and their cigar-chomping cronies a boatload of money. (refer to graphic courtesy of "America is Brainwashed")
Kind of like Viet Nam, a war that isn't meant to be won, only maintained at all costs. And guess who's bearing the costs? I agree we would have had to deal with Saddam sooner or later and it was good to do it while he was still weakened. Also something like 5,000 children a month were dying under the sanction regime that was in place as Saddam was keeping all the oil-for-food money for himself. This was of course an intolerable situation which had to come to an end. I just wish we'd sent in a seal team to take him out and make it look like an accident. Meanwhile, the very real fact of the matter is that we are there now. And while I agree this is indeed acting as an "asshole magnet," thereby perhaps keeping the Islamic Nutjobs from attacking us here, it seems to be a bit too powerful... It has become Al-Quaeda's biggest single recruiting tool. Fortunately, the "surge" seems to be working. We aren't hearing about hundreds of people being killed in one day anymore. It's just a shame about the thousands who have already been killed. But I guess they didn't really matter. (not Rich, not White) Kinda like in Darfur...
I'm not even sure that we are not behind some of the attacks designed to foment sectarian violence. Do you remember hearing about British commandos being captured apparently attempting a terrorist-type bombing while costumed in the local garb? The British then sent in troops to bulldoze the jail where they were being held before the authorities could get any information out of them. Did this not this make anyone's ears perk up? The REALLY scary thing is that now that Iraq seems to be basically pacified, the Neocon machine needs someplace else to operate in order to keep those rapidly-devaluating dollars coming in, so its next step is to attack Iran. They've been carefully warming the population up to the idea for several years now via their various propaganda outlets. (the Murdoch empire particularly) I know I have been trained to hate them. How about you? Even the networks and other major news outlets seem to be carrying the Kool-aid. Iran's population is two-and-a-half times that of Iraq, and they are much better-organized and several times crazier. The Bush/Cheney Neo-Asshole War Machine should be able to draw this one out for decades. Former Bush administration flunky Scott Ritter put it this way...
Of course when we do finally attack Iran, and we almost certainly shall, Russia and China may attack us, and this time it will be AT HOME!!! Think about it. If you were a Russian or Chinese citizen, how would you feel if the US attacked another country to keep control of its natural resources? Hell, we've already conquered two countries in the last five years, one of them for no apparent reason to the rest of the world's point of view. And one of the reasons we attacked Afghanistan (that you never hear about) is that we wanted to run a pipeline through there. I think I'd be a little suspicious of our motives too... You know, attacking a country to protect the flow of oil is just one step away from attacking other countries just to keep them from using so much of it. Now I do realize that our entire economy revolves around the internal combustion engine, and that the stability of the oil supply in the near term probably needs to be protected. This is the real reason we are there. (Just ask Alan Greenspan.) I also believe that this dependence on petroleum products must come to an end, and the sooner the better. The only problem is with the rich maggots whose pockets George Bush lives in that are making an obscene fortune from the oil industry. And the fact that their profit margin becomes even more bloated when there is a threat to the countries where it is produced. Hmmmm--do you suppose there is a connection? Also, electric cars don't require any maintenance. The "big three" are therefore in no hurry to break us of our dependence on black gold either, even though it is apparently destroying the planet. But Mr. Murdoch's "fair and balanced" media machine drums out the message hour after hour, day after day, that this isn't true. It also attempts to paint anyone who believes it is true as a nutcase. I suspect that the main reason for this is that if we ever do own up to the fact that global warming is the result of vehicle emissions, we shall be exposing ourselves (the USA) to an unbelievable torrent of lawsuits, because we in fact have done the lion's share of the polluting over the last century. I spoke to a military intelligence officer (retired) who told me the Bushes actually own one of the biggest oil fields in Iraq (through a chain of untraceable dummy corporate entities, of course). This too may partially explain why we REALLY won't ever be leaving over there. I think those hundreds of billions could be spent here in much better ways. Like sending all of our children to college. Or feeding all of our poor. Hell, it could make most of our population wealthy, and still have enough left over to feed all of the starving people in the world. Or perhaps we could try creating manufacturing jobs here instead of in China. Their economy grew by 10.7% in 2006. Guess where that money ALL came from? We sent 250 Billion dollars to China last year in exchange for often-faulty, sometimes-poisoned, and always cheap products that should still be being produced in the good old USA. And the benevolent (malevolent?) bushies set up tax breaks for the companies that moved all those jobs over there.
And don't even get me started on the illegal alien invasion that Mr. Bush refuses to do anything substantial about. This situation alone should convince people that he cares nothing about our feelings. In fact,one of the reasons is that he fully intends to institute the conglomeration of the US, Mexico, and Canada into one nation under the banks. This will be our contribution to one-world-government. The president's grandfather, Prescott Bush, was part of the banking syndicate that funded Hitler. Their goal has for decades been to consolidate all governments and gain control over people's lives, keeping the poor poor and making the rich even richer. And of course the "progressives" see the latinos as a potentially huge voting block if we continue to give them enough free services, as it sadly seems as though we shall... Since both major parties have turned their backs on the wishes, indeed DEMANDS of the American People, we shall most likely never be rid of these parasites. I swear to you that I'm not a racist. I don't hate them because they're Mexican(Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Honduran, whatever) I hate them because they're HERE. And because we have to pay for their healthcare, education, and food due to the fact that most of their income is under the table. Oh, and they cause a dramatic downward pressure on our wages. This is the super-rich's favorite thing about them... They also have this pesky little habit of getting shitfaced and climbing behind the wheel and killing innocent people by the thousands--more people than 9/11 killed every year! There's the BILLIONS we have to spend keeping thousands of them in our prisons. Oh, and there's the diseases they bring in with them, and the fact that Al Queda members come through the same holes. Did I forget anything? Maybe the ridiculous "anchor baby" law that allows any pregnant bitch to cross the river and have a puppy that is now an officially recognized American citizen. Of course, the entire immediate family of said offspring are all now allowed to stay too. What the fuck are we thinking?! Did I mention that they play their music WAY too loud and that it sucks? There's a new documentary out now called "Border" that Hollywood is reportedly trying to prevent from being released. I haven't seen it, but if it comes near me, I certainly shall. Here's the trailer...
Here's part two...
Inexplicably the immigration issue is the one place where the Murdoch Empire parts company with the bushies. They actually agree with me on this one. It's either the fly in the ointment of my paranoic theories or they're trying to throw us off the scent of the fact that they exist only to spread the propaganda of the right... This is not paranoia. It is the simple truth that "they" do not want you to hear. We thought "The Matrix" was just a movie. Who knew... Some of the clips on this page came from a movie called "Zeitgeist," and it can be seen in its entirety at www.zeitgeistmovie.com
Please, please, believe me when I say that it grieves me beyond belief to know that these things are true. I voted for the shrub twice, and was a true believer for a long time myself, dutifully defending him on the message boards and in heated conversations. It's doubly painful to know that I share in the responsibility for the damage he and his boss Dick Cheney have done to our country.
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On another morbidly serious front, I am very interested in religion; especially Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I was brought up to believe in Jesus. I am saved, and His Holy Spirit will always live in my heart, and for that I am truly grateful. In my mind, however, I fear I shall always harbor some doubt as to whether He ever actually existed. The video below will explain some of the reasons why I have become an unwilling skeptic. I believe in the "nice Jesus". I think if he ever encountered a homosexual for instance, he would have treated them with the same compassion and mercy with which he blessed murderers, hookers, tax-collectors, and the like. In fact, he probably did, but the homophobes running the council of Nicea cut those verses out of the canon. In fact, I suspect that's actually where a lot of the New Testament was written. They also neglected to mention any major accomplishments by women, other than the virgin birth, and Mary had help with that. Take a deep breath, get a beer, sit down in a very comfortable chair, and watch this clip. If you are a Christian, prepare to have your world rocked. This is the real reason churches tell their members not to study Astrology...
There are two more parts in the religion section of the Zeitgeist movie. You can easily trace them down at Youtube or hit the link above and watch the movie in its entirety, and I highly recommend it. Let me assure you that all of our candidates running for the presidency, both Republican and Democrat, know these things. (That all religion is Bullshit) The chances are pretty good that your rich preacher does too, particularly if he or she is of the "Prosperity Doctrine," TBN-type ilk... No matter what they say for public consumption, they are using these religious myths to continue to keep the masses under control and sending in those checks, cynically manipulating us on an unbelievable scale.
George Carlin has a slightly less-reverent, yet more-funny take on the issue below...
It saddens me to no end that this seems to be true. I can't share this with my Mom, because she's a true believer if there ever was one. She is near the end of her life, and is the one that taught me to believe, as she was by her well-meaning parents. She is counting on a life after death with her glorious Savior, and I don't intend to deny her that fantasy. But I have to face the truth, because my gut tells me it IS the truth. I shall no longer be manipulated unaware.
Wanna see something really scary? Watch these babies being brainwashed into the faith...
I'd like to meet:
Already met her... The most wonderful woman in the world. My sweet Georgie... The picture right below this is NOT her... Please refer to the lovely lady standing next to me in my top friend's spot...
Music:
I was born in Seattle, but I was raised in the South, and therefore cut my teeth on Southern Rock. I was learning to play guitar at the time the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special, The Allman Bros. Band, Marshall Tucker, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Kiss, Boston, Kansas, Aerosmith, Journey, the Police and so many others I can't possibly think of them were having their heyday. I therefore learned to play these kinds of music. It was tragic to me when Disco happened and pushed all southern rock from it's pinnacle point of coolness. Disco still sucks, and I shall never forgive it! I get into gospel music as well. I love point of grace, michael w. smith, rachel lampa, rebecca st. james, the martins, third day, kutless, switchfoot, and many others again too numerous to list. I also really love John Prine. To me his first album was his best, and every song on there is a classic to be studied carefully. As far as the newer acts go, I dig KT Tunstall, Kings of Leon, David Mead--it's a travesty that he isn't a major star.
I got David his first record deal with my buddy and long-time co-writer Brad Stine's label in Orlando, Fl. It kinda went sour unfortunately, but it was a good thing he came back to Nastyville when he did, as he had an RCA deal within months of returning home. What a wonderful talent!
I used to play a writer's night along with David and several other good writers, including a fellow with the pen-name of Matthew Ryan. Matthew is another magically gifted human being...
It was in a little place by Vanderbilt University called Guido's Pizza. Those were wonderful days, at the old Mark & Martin's Tuesday night show. I remember Matthew telling me once that I was the first one there that "got" him. It wasn't long after that that he had a record deal...
I also love Nickelback, NickelCreek, Allison Krauss, and Keith Urban.--
I hosted a writer's night for three years at Jack's Guitar Bar here in Nashville. I wandered in there one night when trying to get away from my psycho girlfriend of the time, and just fell in love with the place. (And Jack) I noticed the PA sounded like a cardboard box full of dirt, and bought a new system and put it in there and basically ran it every night while Jack fed me free beer. Keith Urban would come in occasionally. What an awesome musician. He played the bar regularly. It was a real little hole-in-the-wall dive of a place in a bad part of town (though fortunately located near I-440), but it was the only place Keith played in Nashville for a long time. This just shows what kind of cat he is. I think he did it to help Jack out. Keith is a truly cool human being. The place was always packed to the rafters when he played. Patty Griffin used to play my show every Wednesday night. She was simply amazing with just her and her guitar. Her label had recorded her first album with a full band, and I believe it was hearing her there at Jack's, with me mixing, that caused them to decide to re-cut it with just her playing and singing her songs. I still can't believe I got to sit ten feet away from her every week. (It was a pretty small place...) Kim Richey was the host of the writer's night for a while before me. When her first album came out it literally played the whole time in the bar for about a year. What an unbelievably wonderful piece of work. Stacy Earle hosted for a while before that. I think she even met her husband-to-be there, Mark Stuart. What fine people (and great musicians) they are. Her brother Steve used to play there too. He had a bad drug habit at the time and used to hock his guitars up the street and Jack would loan him money to buy them back. Jack's another very cool story too. He had a "sculpture" up in the bar of a guitar being smashed over a guy's head, and the caption was "He played cover tunes..."
The wonderfully talented Jen Foster used to play there as well. The first time I heard her it was a song off her first record called "What a Pretty Picture," about a kid whose father was not very interested in her. I thought it was a guy singing. When I met her, I realized that in fact it was. She is a dude in a girl's body, and one of my all-time favorite people. We used to chase women and raise hell together. She, like me, is now sober. She is also the reason I get kinda bent out of shape when I hear "christians" say evil things about homosexuals. Another of my all-time favorite people who played there is Jubal Lee Young, son of Steve. Awesome singer and writer. So many others I can't remember them all, but Rod Picot, Roger Jokela, Pete Mroz, the mighty Gordon Vincent, Sean Patrick McGraw, and Robin English stand out as musicians and people that I love. Hillary Lindsey also used to play my writers night; this was when she was just starting out, I think she was about 18 years old and very shy. Her friends had to just about push her up to the stage, but OH MY GOD when she got up there she OWNED the place. She's the most talented person I've ever met. I wish she hadn't seen me go crazy and tear my posters down and yank my PA system out of the bar in a fit of beer-and-pot-fueled rage one night long ago...(I was feeling used) I'll never forget her plaintively saying, "Is Jack's going to close now?" I remember telling her, "No, honey, Jack's will be here forever." Jack barred me when I stumbled in to the bar a week later and saved my life. Of course he went out of business about a year later. I'm not sure if the two events are connected, but I have my suspicions... He's still one of my best friends in the world.
I got my own tiny droplet of the real deal when I stumbled backwards into a band project called "Hayseed-Dixie." We were cutting some demos of my friend Brad Stine and my songs, and someone mentioned the idea of making bluegrass cover versions of AC/DC tunes. I said "fuck yeah, let's do it," and within six weeks we had a record deal and were doing every morning radio show in America. I ended up getting canned from the band after about a year and a half, but it was one hell of a ride while it lasted... Check out the movie below of the night we found out we had to change our name from the original "AC/Dixie" to avoid being sued by AC/DC's lawyers. This was sort of a debut performance for us at the Billy Block's Western Beat show. We sold about a quarter million records, so I guess we were roughly certified copper. We also made the top ten list of USA today's worst records of the year. Mother was so proud...
Hayseed Dixie First Show (original lineup)
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Movies:
I LOVE movies. I usually go to the theater to see only the really big ones, and ones that have epic battle scenes, like starwars, saving private ryan, and stuff like that. The rest I'll wait till they come out on DVD and I usually rent three or four a week. I've seen everything. I very rarely will see one twice though, unless it comes on tv and there is nothing else to do. Which almost never happens. I loved The Green Mile, and my favorite movie of all time is Forrest Gump. I even liked the Davinci Code. If you're sensing a Tom Hanks theme here, it's purely coincidental. Or maybe not. He is the one who brought those characters to life. And these are the kind of characters who are my heros. I love any huge epic film. I loved all the starwars movies, and everything about them with the possible exception of JarJar. The Lord of the Rings series was one of my main reasons for living for the few years it was being made. The Patriot, Braveheart, Pearl Harbor, and really any war flick of any kind. I love a good comedy, like 48 hours, or anything with Chris Rock or Eddie Murphy (that doesn't suck). Here is a link to the best part of one of the funniest movies I've ever seen-- Tenacious D--the pick of destiny...Not for the closed-minded or overly religious...
Transformers was great! Despite horrendous critical reviews. What do those A-holes know anyway... I also loved 300. Gerard Butler is such a great badass. Stardust, with Clair Danes (as the star), and Robert De Niro as the queer pirate was quite enjoyable too, though it petered out at the box office very quickly. I also saw the Jesse James movie recently, and quite enjoyed it's dreary realism...Beowulf was the coolest thing I've ever seen...
Television:
I like Vegas,the medium, I liked Joan of Arcadia(RIP) and American Dreams(RIP). Hated to see them go. NCIS is good, as is LOST, or at least it was at first. I also liked Grey's Anatomy (till they fired the black guy for calling the fag a fag, that's when it jumped the shark for me), Desperate Housewives, The West Wing (RIP), Joey (RIP), Will & Grace (RIP), My Name is Earl, and I very much liked Studio 60(RIP) as a replacement for west wing. I guess it's hard to do a political commentary with Saturday Nite Live as the backdrop. The other SNL takeoff show is very good too, and this one is actually funny. I think they call it Studio 30 or something. (SNL still rocks but I miss Tina's writing) There are a few new shows on NBC that I really like. One is called "Chuck." Really cute show about a computer geek working for the "nerd herd" that gets a download into his brain from the CIA... He then acquires a secret-agent-gal-pal who is the hottest woman I've ever had the pleasure to lust after. Talk about going from zero to hero... I'm an absolute nut for the new show HEROES too. I think it's the best tv show ever! Journeyman is also quite good. I wonder if they asked Clapton permission to use that name. Monday night completely rules on NBC these days. I like scripted shows. I despise reality tv. I love Conan O'Brien, and even Jay Leno doesn't suck too bad. I love the modern cartoons like The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park, and King of the Hill, and that's about the only time I watch another major network. I like to watch news and history channel/CSPAN type stuff. I also like the occasional good documentary on PBS. You know, the ones they show when they're begging for money. I think the rest of the time it mostly sucks. An extreme exception to this rule is the series by Ken Burns called "The War." Awesome... Comedy Central is a must. Especially after midnite when they get to cuss... Of course, one of the best shows on television is Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. But premium channels cost too damn much so I get my Maher on the youtube...
Books:
My favorite books I've read lately have been "My life Recording the Music of the Beatles" by Geoff Emerick, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert Heinlein, and "The Secret." Please check out my blog on "The Secret"... I also tried to wade my way through "The Ultimate Weight Solution" by Dr. Phil, and "The Seven Pillars of Health" by Dr. Don Colbert, with very limited success. I guess it's kind of like the old Life cereal commercial. "Yuck it's supposed to be good for ya..." One of the most important books I've ever read is "Choice Theory" by Dr. William Glasser. It really changed my world for the better. It teaches techniques to control one's thinking. One of the most powerful lessons I learned from that book is that learning is actually fun. You coulda knocked me over with a feather... (I went to public school)
Heroes:
JFK, MLK, Ghandi, Buddha, Thomas Edison, Forrest Gump, William Wallace, Robert E. Lee(my distant kinsman), Ronnie Raygun, anybody who fought in WWII, anybody fighting now in Iraq/Afghanistan, All Cops and Firemen, the apparently fictional characters Jesus, Mary, Moses, David, Joshua, Daniel, Job, Samuel, Elisha, Elijah, Esther, and of course God. Stephen Hawkings comes to mind. So does Al Gore. (Sadly, I voted for Bush) Anyone who is under great adversity but still rises to the occasion despite the odds is my hero. My most respected people in my life are my Mom, who raised three kids by herself in an era when it was taboo to be divorced and a single woman couldn't get credit even though it was she who had kept my dad's credit perfect. My stepfather, the best man I ever met. He held up a standard to which I aspire but shall surely never reach. My awesome sister, who got all the balls in our family, and my wonderful, funny, excellent-angler brother.
