Republicans is fine if you're a multi-millionaire
Democrats is fair, if all you own is what you wear
Neither of 'em's really right, 'cause neither of 'em care
'Bout that Hot-Plate Heaven, 'cause they ain't been there.
Vienna, 1988.
Category: Politics
A Reluctant Dukakis Supporter
Arsenio Hall interview, 1989.
"The more he campaigned, the less I enjoyed it." I can relate to that.
And okay, he probably hammers Reagan and Bush harder than Dukakis. But I'm still calling it for Democratic Convention Week.
Happily, most of the interview isn't about politics, and there's a rather neat Bruce Bickford claymation toon at the end.
Dissonance
So today's top news story is that Julián Castro is the keynote speaker, showing just how much the Democrats love Latinos.
Something I'm not seeing trumpeted so much in the national press: the Obama Justice Department has just stated that it will not file any charges against Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
To be a liberal in this country is to exist in a perpetual state of dismay with the Democrats and horror at the Republicans. I've considered Obama to be a disappointment since four years ago, when he broke his promise to filibuster telecom immunity and then turned around and claimed he never promised to filibuster telecom immunity.
But this...I just...what the fuck, man?
I acknowledge Obama as lesser of two evils. I'm not going to cast aspersions on anyone who votes for him. But hell, my state's votes are going Romney no matter what the fuck I do and if my vote's going to be purely symbolic anyway, I'm seeing fewer and fewer reasons why it should go to Obama.
Maybe I'll vote Green again. Maybe I'll write in Carter.
I dunno, man, I just don't know.
Porn Wars
And in honor of the Democratic National Convention:
It bears noting, of course, that the PMRC was a bipartisan organization and the music censorship regime was likewise bipartisan -- indeed, it's endlessly fascinating to me how pro-censorship forces, historically and today, seem to so effortlessly cross party lines.
But the fact remains that Tipper Gore was the ringleader, and that's her husband's voice at the beginning of that track.
Cocksucker's Ball
Because there's no other way to close out my Zappa/Republican Convention theme week.
Next week: Tipper Gore.
Tales of the Evil Swaggart
More of Frank explaining precisely how he feels about televangelists -- this time in the form of a Beatles medley!
It's interesting to notice just how much Zappa's turns of phrase have crept into my own lexicon. I'm fairly confident I use the phrase "ignorant cracker" far more than the average person.
Interview: The New Music
I'll be honest: I can't tell if The New Music is the name of the show he's on, or just a title the uploader gave this video. But anyway, here's Zappa in a limo talking about his projects, some social views, and, in keeping with the Republican Convention theme, a general disdain for Reagan (though he doesn't have any kind words for Mondale either).
Zappa for President!
(Actually, I'm seriously considering writing in Carter. Four more years!)
Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk
In honor of the Republican National Convention, Zappa's thoughts on the religious right:
And yeah, he had plenty to say about Democrats too -- but their convention's next week.
Real Alternatives
To: NPR's All Things Considered
On this afternoon's All Things Considered, you referred to the computer-illiterate, failed copyright bills SOPA and PIPA, and spoke with economist Steve Siwek. You noted, "Although both bills seem to be on permanent hold, Siwek says their critics have offered no real alternatives." You did not challenge this assertion.
A Google search for the phrase "alternative to sopa" produces 41,100 results. A Google search for the phrase "real alternative to sopa" produces 4,930.
These proposed alternatives range from simple -- focus on the biggest infringers -- to the more radical -- completely overhaul copyright law to provide shorter copyright terms and broader exceptions for fair use.
Indeed, there is a proposed alternative to SOPA and PIPA working its way through Congress right now; it's called the OPEN Act.
To put it bluntly, it is impossible that Siwek is unaware of these proposals. When he says no one has offered any alternative to SOPA and PIPA, he is lying.
Too soon!
There's a sentiment I've seen in the CBR comments section a couple of times recently: this "How dare you try and tie this to a political agenda?" faux-outrage.
Now, there are lots of times when it's inappropriate to bring up controversial political subjects. Particularly when there's a recent tragedy in the news and you're sensationalizing it. Like, for example, after the V-Tech massacre, when soon-to-be-disbarred fuckface Jack Thompson tried to blame the killings on Counterstrike, a game which the shooter did not play.
Some things are completely inappropriate in the wake of a tragedy. Like flailing around trying to blame it on Doom or Marilyn Manson or Dungeons and Dragons. Or jumping all over a quote from some guy on the opposite end of the country about what the killer supposedly said. Or grabbing whatever Batman comic your film critic has on his desk, thumbing through it until you see a scene that takes place in the theater, and wildly speculating that the killer was imitating it. Or plastering the killer's name and stupid fucking face all over TV and the Internet to make good and sure that every crazy asshole out there knows that hey kids, if you wanna be on TV, all you have to do is murder a bunch of people. Or typing his name into Google and falsely conflating him with a Tea Party member. Or having an honest dialogue about the ease of access to high-powered weapons and high-capacity clips in this country, and the sorry state of our mental health system.
Wait, what was that last one?
The subject came up again in a discussion of the recent news that comics writer and inker Karl Kesel recently adopted a baby with a methadone addiction and is selling his comic collection to pay for the child's medical bills.
Now, it goes without saying that this is a feel-good story, that Kesel and his wife Myrna are clearly legitimately wonderful human beings, and that they're doing something great that really matters.
But if you can read a story like that and not, even for a moment, think "They shouldn't have to do that" then you and I are very different people.
Nothing but respect to the Kesels, and I certainly speak only for myself and not for them. But it strikes me that there are a lot of people out there with sick kids who don't have tens of thousands of dollars in investments, and that getting slapped with tens of thousands in bills -- even if you've got insurance! -- is a sign of a broken healthcare system.
Seems to me that stories like that are perfect opportunities to have a conversation about healthcare -- but somebody brought it up and immediately got shushed by another commenter's righteous indignation: "How dare you politicize this?"
(In fairness, the guy who brought it up was kind of an ass about it.)
Seems to me that, when presented with a story that's a clear, directly-pertinent object example of some important sociopolitical issue, it's probably a good time to talk about that issue!
I mean, should we just wait until there are no stories about gun violence or healthcare debt to talk about gun access and healthcare costs? Don't make much sense if you ask me.