an open letter to george w. bush:
dear bush,
i read a copy of the speech you made last night. i no longer watch your speeches on t.v. because your visage makes me physically ill.
you spoke a lot about the great freedoms the iraqi people will enjoy after you obliterate their homes. yes, the people of iraq will no longer be ruled by a viscious dictator, and the ring of freedom will heard across this new nation.
while this is certainly a noble goal and vision, i sincerely believe you have no credibility in talking on the subjects of freedom or liberty.
for beginners, we all know a truely free iraq is not possible. thanks to the deal you and your adminstartors came up with to buy turkey's cooperation in allowing you to mass troops in that country, you conceded there will be no free kurdish state. the borders of iraq will be maintained and respected in this deal.
clearly the kurds have been trying to establish their own state in what is today northern iraq. if they are not allowed to establish their own state, how can they be considered free people?
the second reason i give you no credibility in the subjects of freedom and liberty is to the way you and your adminstration have disembowled the bill of rights.
no other administration has done more to strip away the basic freedoms of american citizens than you. james k. polk gives you a good run for your money, but native americans technically weren't citizens.
thanks to bills like u.s.a. patriot, and naming most brown people "enemy combatants," you and your administration have stripped the bill of rights, the definitive document of freedom, to nearly nothing.
if we go to war, it will your choice, w., not saddam's forceful defiance. i hope you realize all that blood will be on your hands and yours only.
hope you rot in hell.
peace, love, and no respect,
rusty.
dear bush,
i read a copy of the speech you made last night. i no longer watch your speeches on t.v. because your visage makes me physically ill.
you spoke a lot about the great freedoms the iraqi people will enjoy after you obliterate their homes. yes, the people of iraq will no longer be ruled by a viscious dictator, and the ring of freedom will heard across this new nation.
while this is certainly a noble goal and vision, i sincerely believe you have no credibility in talking on the subjects of freedom or liberty.
for beginners, we all know a truely free iraq is not possible. thanks to the deal you and your adminstartors came up with to buy turkey's cooperation in allowing you to mass troops in that country, you conceded there will be no free kurdish state. the borders of iraq will be maintained and respected in this deal.
clearly the kurds have been trying to establish their own state in what is today northern iraq. if they are not allowed to establish their own state, how can they be considered free people?
the second reason i give you no credibility in the subjects of freedom and liberty is to the way you and your adminstration have disembowled the bill of rights.
no other administration has done more to strip away the basic freedoms of american citizens than you. james k. polk gives you a good run for your money, but native americans technically weren't citizens.
thanks to bills like u.s.a. patriot, and naming most brown people "enemy combatants," you and your administration have stripped the bill of rights, the definitive document of freedom, to nearly nothing.
if we go to war, it will your choice, w., not saddam's forceful defiance. i hope you realize all that blood will be on your hands and yours only.
hope you rot in hell.
peace, love, and no respect,
rusty.
by at 5:00 PM
Posting after drinking too much is a bad thing to do... I apologize for my potty mouth. There's no call for that, is there?
So anyway, I wanted to comment on the disaster at Epitome 2, the "deathclub," according the the Chicago Sun-Times. RIght now I work for the New City paper, and on my Wednesday night delivery route, the last stop is E2. I delivered there every week, and more times than not, it was open. There were ALWAYS cops there. Without fail. Chicago is taking the high ground and saying that the club "slipped through the cracks." I don't buy it. It seems to me that the city is pretty up to date on closing any place that isn't up to code. That's not the problem. I also am a frequent listener of WGCI ( didn't believe it, huh? Urban radio is way more interesting than rock radio these days. And that's still not saying much.) WGCI constantly throws events at that place and announces it over the radio, and I'm sure SOMEONE'S warning flag was raised that this supposed "illegal club" was still throwing suares.
Does that mean that the city is to blame for all of this? Of course not. But that DOES mean that someone was getting paid, doesn't it? Hearing the press conferences surrounding all of this, they're trying to act like E2 was some kind of speakeasy running out in the boondocks where they tried to padlock the doors, but the evil owners were cutting them to avoid justice, and that there was no way the cops could have known about it. To my eyes, this just isn't the case. Mayor Daley lives just a few blocks away for God's sake. The city is busy trying to crucify the club owner on building code violations alone, but if they're taking him down, they sure as hell better take down the dirty cops who were part of this symbiotic relationship. If they're hell bent on frying someone, fry them both. Don't set up laws that you can pay your way out of. That's the whole problem with this country.
You know what? The whole thing is really splitting hairs. The truth is, this sort of thing could have happened anywhere. There were some poor decisions made inside that club, and I wonder if we'll really ever know what happened. We're all on an "orange" alert level in the country, and if I'm in a packed club and a substance is in the air that's making people vomit and wheeze, I'm not sure I wouldn't panic and think that it might be a terror attack. And I'm not sure that I wouldn't freak out and stampede for the exit. Rather than call out the whole administration for continually scaring the shit out of us for God knows what reason (like they care if the non-rich die?) can't we just call it a tragedy and leave it at that?
The worst thing was seeing the Chicago Tribune's Brown Eye newspaper, which featured a cover story about how to remain safe in a nightclub. Yeah, as if I'm going to take advice from the Brown Eye. That's like taking stock tips from your retarded little brother. No thanks guys, I'd rather not take advice from a paper aimed at the stupid.
What really hit home was visiting the club at the end of last night's route. I stopped to gaze at the hundreds of memorials placed there. There are so many flowers, baloons, signs, and other tributes that they are filling the entire alley next to the club. I thought about the doorway that I'd seen on the news. The doorway that just a week earlier I haad delivered papers to, stopping for a few minutes to chat with the doormen, giving one of them a cigarette and wishing them goodnight, and now seeing it covered in Police tape. And I couldn't help but cry.
Twenty one people, dead. That's three times more dead than in the space shuttle disaster a few weeks ago. Proof to me that life on earth these days in many ways is far more deadly. And now we're going to war? Any room in that space station?
So anyway, I wanted to comment on the disaster at Epitome 2, the "deathclub," according the the Chicago Sun-Times. RIght now I work for the New City paper, and on my Wednesday night delivery route, the last stop is E2. I delivered there every week, and more times than not, it was open. There were ALWAYS cops there. Without fail. Chicago is taking the high ground and saying that the club "slipped through the cracks." I don't buy it. It seems to me that the city is pretty up to date on closing any place that isn't up to code. That's not the problem. I also am a frequent listener of WGCI ( didn't believe it, huh? Urban radio is way more interesting than rock radio these days. And that's still not saying much.) WGCI constantly throws events at that place and announces it over the radio, and I'm sure SOMEONE'S warning flag was raised that this supposed "illegal club" was still throwing suares.
Does that mean that the city is to blame for all of this? Of course not. But that DOES mean that someone was getting paid, doesn't it? Hearing the press conferences surrounding all of this, they're trying to act like E2 was some kind of speakeasy running out in the boondocks where they tried to padlock the doors, but the evil owners were cutting them to avoid justice, and that there was no way the cops could have known about it. To my eyes, this just isn't the case. Mayor Daley lives just a few blocks away for God's sake. The city is busy trying to crucify the club owner on building code violations alone, but if they're taking him down, they sure as hell better take down the dirty cops who were part of this symbiotic relationship. If they're hell bent on frying someone, fry them both. Don't set up laws that you can pay your way out of. That's the whole problem with this country.
You know what? The whole thing is really splitting hairs. The truth is, this sort of thing could have happened anywhere. There were some poor decisions made inside that club, and I wonder if we'll really ever know what happened. We're all on an "orange" alert level in the country, and if I'm in a packed club and a substance is in the air that's making people vomit and wheeze, I'm not sure I wouldn't panic and think that it might be a terror attack. And I'm not sure that I wouldn't freak out and stampede for the exit. Rather than call out the whole administration for continually scaring the shit out of us for God knows what reason (like they care if the non-rich die?) can't we just call it a tragedy and leave it at that?
The worst thing was seeing the Chicago Tribune's Brown Eye newspaper, which featured a cover story about how to remain safe in a nightclub. Yeah, as if I'm going to take advice from the Brown Eye. That's like taking stock tips from your retarded little brother. No thanks guys, I'd rather not take advice from a paper aimed at the stupid.
What really hit home was visiting the club at the end of last night's route. I stopped to gaze at the hundreds of memorials placed there. There are so many flowers, baloons, signs, and other tributes that they are filling the entire alley next to the club. I thought about the doorway that I'd seen on the news. The doorway that just a week earlier I haad delivered papers to, stopping for a few minutes to chat with the doormen, giving one of them a cigarette and wishing them goodnight, and now seeing it covered in Police tape. And I couldn't help but cry.
Twenty one people, dead. That's three times more dead than in the space shuttle disaster a few weeks ago. Proof to me that life on earth these days in many ways is far more deadly. And now we're going to war? Any room in that space station?
by at 2:26 AM
on a sadder note, poor ol' johnny paycheck died. i thought that was surprising, 'cause i thought he died a few months ago. where the hell have i been?
take this life and shove it! we'll miss you johnny!
take this life and shove it! we'll miss you johnny!
by at 3:12 PM
i was reading today. no shit!
i was reading an article in today's new york times by neil strauss about the blossoming rock scene in posh malibu, california. apparently, this "new sound" is based on classic rock/southern rock licks with "big rock melodies" to boot.
sound familiar?
so anyway, one of the featured acts strauss decided to write about has just been signed by michael caren of atlinatic records. they're called whitestarr. get this line-up: guitarist duane betts (son of dicky), drummer alex orbison (son of roy) and singer cisco adler (son of producer lou).
wow! i wonder how those dudes got signed. what a fuckin' miracle!
i suppose this could be mixed blessing, if this "new sound" gets hot. unfprtunately, if we can ride that wave, i'm sure we'll be accused of being trendy (?) and jumping on the new "classic" bandwagon. but, whatever. we're not quite of the same stock as those malibu pansies.
hey strauss and caren. if you want to see a bad-assed rock band, get the hell out of mulibu and come on down to chicago. i'll guarantee we can play the pants off those privledged pedigree pussies. check out the knife of simpson, and see what you think, if you can handle it.
eat that dick!
i was reading an article in today's new york times by neil strauss about the blossoming rock scene in posh malibu, california. apparently, this "new sound" is based on classic rock/southern rock licks with "big rock melodies" to boot.
sound familiar?
so anyway, one of the featured acts strauss decided to write about has just been signed by michael caren of atlinatic records. they're called whitestarr. get this line-up: guitarist duane betts (son of dicky), drummer alex orbison (son of roy) and singer cisco adler (son of producer lou).
wow! i wonder how those dudes got signed. what a fuckin' miracle!
i suppose this could be mixed blessing, if this "new sound" gets hot. unfprtunately, if we can ride that wave, i'm sure we'll be accused of being trendy (?) and jumping on the new "classic" bandwagon. but, whatever. we're not quite of the same stock as those malibu pansies.
hey strauss and caren. if you want to see a bad-assed rock band, get the hell out of mulibu and come on down to chicago. i'll guarantee we can play the pants off those privledged pedigree pussies. check out the knife of simpson, and see what you think, if you can handle it.
eat that dick!
by at 3:02 PM
Just when I thought Americans couldn't get any dumber, they go and out-stupid themselves.
A restaurant in North Carolina is renaming the "French fries" on its menu to FREEDOM FRIES--a retort to the unwillingness of the French government to accede to Bush's mad plans for an invasion of Iraq.
Well, that's just brilliant. FRENCH FRIES DON'T COME FROM FRANCE, YOU IDIOTS!!! I'm sure the citizens of France are deeply insulted at this stinging cultural rebuke. If you geniuses really want to punish the French, why don't you try boycotting products that are ACTUALLY MADE IN FRANCE. Somehow, I don't think the francophobes in the USA consume much French wine/produce/clothing in the first place.
When you consider the growing list of principalities around the world that have snubbed Il Bushe regarding IraqAttaq 03, you've got to wonder how many more additions will be made to the 2003 edition of the DoublePlusGood Housekeeping Cookbook.
"Liberty Waffles?" (Belgian Waffles)
"Patriot Patties?" (Hamburgers)
"Victory Cabbage?" (sauerkraut)--oops, wait, that's already been done.
At least one pub in Bulgaria (supposedly a member of "New Europe" as per Donald RedRumsfeld. Quick, call Rand McNally!) has got the right idea.
I'll have some Condoleeza Rice and Beans (hold the Cuba Cheese, of course), and an Operation: Infinite Refill of my coffee, please!
A restaurant in North Carolina is renaming the "French fries" on its menu to FREEDOM FRIES--a retort to the unwillingness of the French government to accede to Bush's mad plans for an invasion of Iraq.
Well, that's just brilliant. FRENCH FRIES DON'T COME FROM FRANCE, YOU IDIOTS!!! I'm sure the citizens of France are deeply insulted at this stinging cultural rebuke. If you geniuses really want to punish the French, why don't you try boycotting products that are ACTUALLY MADE IN FRANCE. Somehow, I don't think the francophobes in the USA consume much French wine/produce/clothing in the first place.
When you consider the growing list of principalities around the world that have snubbed Il Bushe regarding IraqAttaq 03, you've got to wonder how many more additions will be made to the 2003 edition of the DoublePlusGood Housekeeping Cookbook.
"Liberty Waffles?" (Belgian Waffles)
"Patriot Patties?" (Hamburgers)
"Victory Cabbage?" (sauerkraut)--oops, wait, that's already been done.
At least one pub in Bulgaria (supposedly a member of "New Europe" as per Donald RedRumsfeld. Quick, call Rand McNally!) has got the right idea.
I'll have some Condoleeza Rice and Beans (hold the Cuba Cheese, of course), and an Operation: Infinite Refill of my coffee, please!
by at 1:37 PM
Yessiree, last night was a casket crapper. BoD delivered a typically killer (self) righteous set of anal & aural barnburning blisterage, and Jumbo's Killcrane left me in downright awe-- man, they made me want to kill something and then have teethgrinding hatesex with it. They were that good. Me likey. Me likey alot. And to boot, everyone involved was so cool and crazy and yet still somehow collected. Same goes with the crowd. You made me feel like a natural Chris Summers.
The quote of the night belongs to Killcrane: "We'll get rid of the audience if we do it right." How funny, but how untrue. Very humble, very talented dudes.
But what to do with Vietnambla now that Turbonegro has reconstituted itself? Shelve her? Play one last hurrah at the Manhole in Boystown? Or pick another wrongly obscure band and to recreate for the kiddies? Suggestion box is now open.
The quote of the night belongs to Killcrane: "We'll get rid of the audience if we do it right." How funny, but how untrue. Very humble, very talented dudes.
But what to do with Vietnambla now that Turbonegro has reconstituted itself? Shelve her? Play one last hurrah at the Manhole in Boystown? Or pick another wrongly obscure band and to recreate for the kiddies? Suggestion box is now open.
by at 6:00 PM
Is that a SCUD in your pocket, Mr. Rumsfeld, or do you want to play "hide the salaam" with Saddam?
by at 4:51 PM
It is also with great sadness that I report the untimely death of pro wrestling's "Mr. Perfect," Curt Hennig.
I don't have much to say, except, Curt........GOODBYE!!!!!!!!!
I don't have much to say, except, Curt........GOODBYE!!!!!!!!!
by at 1:28 PM
Look out, citizens! Get ready for the PATRIOT ACT II--ELECTRIC BOOGALOO. Or, more appropriately, the Bill of Rights Destruction Act.
Like its predecessor, Patriot Act II--alias the "Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003"--was forged in the fires of gehenna, and was to be ramrodded through congress without debate, modification, or public comment. (It goes without saying that if a copy of this hadn't been leaked to CPI it would have cleared the new Republican congress forthwith.)
Starting with the Fourth Amendment, this clandestine piece of legislation will clearcut a swath through our hard-won civil liberties and level 200 years worth of American government. It's a massive consolidation of power under the executive branch, military, and law enforcement agencies that will propel America into a Robocop-like future.
Take a look at some of the provisions:
So much for Amendments 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 10. (At this rate I wonder if the Fugitive Slave Act will be reinstated.) At least this leaves the Second Amendment intact, right? WRONG. Son of PATRIOT ACT also carries the Our Lady of Peace Act, which registers all gun owners, bans the private firearms sales, and creates a Federal ballistics database, among other provisions.
There's enough here to turn us into the U.S.S.A. Could this be the end of America???
You're fuckin'-A right.
Like its predecessor, Patriot Act II--alias the "Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003"--was forged in the fires of gehenna, and was to be ramrodded through congress without debate, modification, or public comment. (It goes without saying that if a copy of this hadn't been leaked to CPI it would have cleared the new Republican congress forthwith.)
Starting with the Fourth Amendment, this clandestine piece of legislation will clearcut a swath through our hard-won civil liberties and level 200 years worth of American government. It's a massive consolidation of power under the executive branch, military, and law enforcement agencies that will propel America into a Robocop-like future.
Take a look at some of the provisions:
- Section 202 allows corporations to keep secret their activities with toxic biological, chemical or radiological materials. Nice scam--we can sell dictators the agents of WMD and then "disarm" them without having to show the sales receipts!
- An expansion of the definition of weapons of mass destruction to include any activity that affects interstate or foreign commerce. Look out PETA, Unions, Anti-war protesters--this is Taft-Hartley on Viagra and crank.
- Section 103 allows the Federal government to use wartime martial law powers domestically and internationally without Congress declaring that a state of war exists.
So much for Amendments 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 10. (At this rate I wonder if the Fugitive Slave Act will be reinstated.) At least this leaves the Second Amendment intact, right? WRONG. Son of PATRIOT ACT also carries the Our Lady of Peace Act, which registers all gun owners, bans the private firearms sales, and creates a Federal ballistics database, among other provisions.
There's enough here to turn us into the U.S.S.A. Could this be the end of America???
You're fuckin'-A right.
by at 10:41 AM
i was thinking about giving phil spector a call to see if he wanted to record a knife of simpson record, having known that he hasn't done poop-dick in 23 years....
and then he finally got busted. i can't believe it took this long.
i'll bet if you rent a decent backhoe you could dig up a good dozen or so dead hookers at that little compound of his.
nice to see o.j. weasel his way into the news, too, since phil hired bob shapiro.
i'm gona eat this shit up!
and then he finally got busted. i can't believe it took this long.
i'll bet if you rent a decent backhoe you could dig up a good dozen or so dead hookers at that little compound of his.
nice to see o.j. weasel his way into the news, too, since phil hired bob shapiro.
i'm gona eat this shit up!
by at 3:50 PM
What has happened to today's punk rockers?
So, some of you have probably heard about my attack at the hands of a "punker" skinhead last Tuesday night at the Fireside Bowl. Apparently this guy had his heart set on delivering a beatdown to SOMEBODY, anybody, and he chose me. Ain't I lucky? He first approached me, asked me if I was a "crust punk," and then if I loved America and supported war in Iraq. I said I didn't support the war, and he called me a "communist." Next thing I knew, he brought one of his buddies over and tried to sucker-punch me and break a bottle over my head. Thanks to surviving jr. high, I dodged all of his punches and escaped serious harm, saved for my bruised ribs that occured while spilling out into the bar tables. I hope his face hurts as much as my ribs do.
I think the thing I'm the most upset at is the bad taste I have in my mouth towards people who are trying too hard to be punk and are totally missing the point. In fact, I forgot what the point was, really. Does "punk" really just mean "jerk?" Is this punk garb really all that different from putting on a leisure suit on disco night at High Tops? I heavily got into punk in my teens, and I never felt the need to run around acting like some kind of Mods vs. Rockers British bullshit. Above all, I'm pretty sure the punks were against right wingers and their politics of fear, not joining in on that action. What happened to that? Please, somebody fill me in because I'm confused.
So, some of you have probably heard about my attack at the hands of a "punker" skinhead last Tuesday night at the Fireside Bowl. Apparently this guy had his heart set on delivering a beatdown to SOMEBODY, anybody, and he chose me. Ain't I lucky? He first approached me, asked me if I was a "crust punk," and then if I loved America and supported war in Iraq. I said I didn't support the war, and he called me a "communist." Next thing I knew, he brought one of his buddies over and tried to sucker-punch me and break a bottle over my head. Thanks to surviving jr. high, I dodged all of his punches and escaped serious harm, saved for my bruised ribs that occured while spilling out into the bar tables. I hope his face hurts as much as my ribs do.
I think the thing I'm the most upset at is the bad taste I have in my mouth towards people who are trying too hard to be punk and are totally missing the point. In fact, I forgot what the point was, really. Does "punk" really just mean "jerk?" Is this punk garb really all that different from putting on a leisure suit on disco night at High Tops? I heavily got into punk in my teens, and I never felt the need to run around acting like some kind of Mods vs. Rockers British bullshit. Above all, I'm pretty sure the punks were against right wingers and their politics of fear, not joining in on that action. What happened to that? Please, somebody fill me in because I'm confused.
by at 2:36 PM