There Is Always Going To Be Some Backlash

So yesterday I was listening to certain Libertarian radio talk show host, who isn't really much of a Libertarian, except that he thinks drugs should be legalized and homosexual marriage should be legal. Other than that, this certain person comes down on the side of the Republicans pretty much every time. Well, I heard him talking about the socialization of America. I've also heard other Republican talk show hosts say the same thing. Well I wrote this as a response to those various shows. Enjoy. If you are a Republican who falls along these lines, I would really go read the Constitution and the Founding Fathers first, then respond second.

I have a real hard time listening to a talk show host complain about how we (the U.S.) are being taken over by Socialists and/or Communists, when a few years ago they had no problem when the Socialist and/or Communist programs came from a Republican Administration. Where were these people when the Patriot Act was passed? The Patriot Act completely ignores the 4th Amendment, which says that we ^{(any U.S. Citizen)} has the right _{(see my earlier blog on rights)} to not be searched or have our property seized without a warrant from a judge. This would include wire tapping and the unwarranted surveillance of emails. Or how about when President Bush and the Congress completely ignored Article 1 Section 8 and gave the power to declare war to one man. The power to declare war is specifically given to a body of people so that one person would not wield that much power and since Iraq posed no immediate threat to us, one man should not, Constitutionally and morally speaking, have had the power to declare war. So it's really hard for me to listen to these Republican talk show hosts complain about the new Administration's breaking of the constitution when they did not complain about their boy doing it and to top it off, they encouraged it. It would appear that the Constitution only means something when it's being used to stop the Democrats. In fact the other day I heard one of them say that a certain former President loved the Constitution so much that he completely ignored/broke it to save the Country. So if you want to know why I'm so angry at the Republicans? That's why. It's ridiculous that now that a Democrat is in power they all of a sudden remembered their conservatism. G.O.P. = Grand Old Party Grandstanding On the Potomac or... (if you want to know the other one you'll have to ask and leave your email). But it was all done for my own protection...right?

"Those _who are willing to ^sacrifice their basic liberties to assure their security deserve neither."- Benjamin Franklin

Mo Money Mo Problems

Phew...this is getting intense. Let's just go ahead and rename this blog..."Calculus 2: My Semester and The Headache's That Love Me". I went and purchased the solutions manual tonight. I'm having trouble knowing how to start a lot of the problems so I'm hoping this can at least help me recognize certain patterns. What you see to your right are something called integrals. Integrals are ways to calculate the area under a curve. The whole semester up to this point has involved this. I'm hoping that the solutions manual will help. I was off the last two days healing from having my wisdom teeth removed and I studied for about 8 hours both days.

Dreams Can Come True

So it turns out that dreams can come true. A few years ago when Dinosaur Jr. got back together with the original line up they released a great album called "Beyond" and toured on it. I wasn't a fan then. Well that has definitely changed. You can label me "fan boy" now. In support of my new label, "fan boy", I was ever so hopeful, maybe even blindly so, for another album and tour so I could possibly catch them this time around. Well, they are releasing a new album this summer. *cheers, claps, back flips* While no tour has been announced yet, last tour they managed to come by the Norva. I am hoping that this is the case again. Then to top it off, they signed to a great indie label called Jagjaguwar. The same label that Black Mountain, and Okkervil River are on. Yes, I know that to most people the record label a band is on matters not. However, I am not most people. I love independent music and labels. Jagjaguwar is one of the great ones out there right now. I would also like to say that J. Mascis is the coolest looking dude in rock right now. (see the awesome looking dude with long hair above)

Here is a video for your viewing pleasure.

I Would Like to Bring This Up

As I watch the new political landscape unfold itself like a blooming flower, I am left with some questions. Well...namely one question. One really big ^QUESTION. How are we going to pay for it? We are going to cut the deficit in half by the end of Obama's first term. We are going to cut wasteful spending. But we are going to bail out companies. We are going to give medical help to people. We are going to help send people to college. All good ideas but how are we going to pay for this. In case you were unaware we are currently operating (we being the United States) in a deficit. In case you don't know that means we have more money going out than coming in. So that means a few things. To pay for these programs we are going to have to (either/or/and) raise taxes, cut spending, print money, borrow money. Cutting the spending is a good place to start. But since it looks like we are spending more than we are cutting I don't think this will make up the difference. What about raising taxes? President Obama just said that if you make $250k/year or less then you will not see your taxes go up. Which means that if you make $250k/year or more then you will see your taxes go up. In my opinion there is not enough money in the rich to cover everything. The really big earners will be smart enough to simply make less money or stop working all together. Which means the middle class will get taxed heavier or we will have to move to the third option, borrowing/printing money. In case you missed this last time I posted it...straight from the U.S. Treasury's website, the U.S. Debt. In case you missed it last time...who we owe money too. If we go about printing more money we will see big time inflation in a few years. Now, I'm no economist so this is just my opinion...but it'll still happen. That's what happens when we print money. The Big Mac holds it's value, but the dollar's value goes down. So the Big Mac has not changed, the dollar has changed. Also, at some point China is going to quit buying our debt and then we will really see some spending cuts...because we will have NO MONEY. Wait we already have no money. So I guess it just means that no one will be lend us anymore, having realized that we are not financially responsible.

(But what about the wreck less spending of the Republicans? This also goes for them. They had no problem with Bush's spending problem [see the wars, see the "security" programs, see the bailouts] but all of sudden oppose Obama's. You hypocrites.)

Anyone else watching the Dow?

I'm not really invested in the stock market. I have a few bucks in my 401k at work. But nothing major. But I've been watching the Dow Jones average all day. I can't believe it's gone up that much. It's crazy how the stock market works.

5 Minutes and Counting

On Tuesday at 1 pm on 89.5fm the Thomas Jefferson hour comes on. Clay Jenkinson plays TJ and is very knowledgeable about him. Go...listen.

The Best Side of Music...the live side.

On this momentus day off I'm going to post some videos of some bands that I'm into.
(if cursing offends you, skip the first one)

Mudhoney- In 'N' out of Grace
(looks like mtv was cool _relevant at some point)

Baroness- Isak
(saw these guys about a year ago in VA Beach. it was great. one of the few metal bands i'm still into.)


mewithoutYou

The Ouch of All Ouches

This is me...as of 5:00pm-ish on 2/23/09. I had my two top wisdom teeth pulled today along with a new crown being put on. Ok...I know that there are tons of people who have had this done, and this does not really represent the ouch of all ouches. I'm getting there. I have to go to Calculus class tonight at 7. I can't afford to get even further behind. Which also means that I cannot take any pain meds until about 9:30. Oh yea. Ouch.

A Link of Tele Love

This one goes out to a certain person. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE...

'72 Tele Reissue with F Hole

My Pedal Board

I'm feeling inspired. Thanks Mike.


(in order of signal path)
1. Ernie Ball Vol. Jr- it's a volume knob for my feet.
2. Danelectro Fish N Chips EQ Pedal- I usually have it EQ'd flat and use it as a solo boost.
3. Dunlop Crybaby Wah- it goes Wah Wah
4. Big Muff Pi- It makes the big rock happen. See Dinosaur Jr. for a reference.
5. Boss CS3- It squishes things to help the rock.
6. Addrock Ol' Yeller- Boutique Tube screamer clone. Made in VA Beach by hand.
7. Xotic Effects RC Boost- Light overdrive for the rock on the lowest level.
8. Electro Harmonix Memory Man w/ Hazorai- delay pedal...Hazorai is Yiddish for all the good stuff.
9. Boss TU9- Tuner pedal...cuz it's gotsta be in tune.


On the right is the newest addition. My Telecaster. Yea it's a Highway 1. Sure it's not the most expensive. But who cares...unless you are one of those people...and you know who you are. It's become my number 1.

In the middle is the pride of my collection. It's my Tophat Super Deluxe. Boutique, handmade amp purchased before they changed the rectifiers. Somewhat modeled after the old Fender Bassman's. But ultimately ends up sounding somewhere between a Matchless and an AC30.

On the left is my Gibson SG Classic. Bought it about 4 years ago. If I am correct in my calculations Gibson has raised the price so much that I could actually get about what I paid for it. However, I'm not going to sell it. It's been marked. The very first show I ever played with it, I managed to knock a tuning peg off and put a huge gash in the headstock. Where my forearm of my strumming hand rests on the body the finish has started to dull. On the back of the next I've worn a little hole in the clear coat. I feel bad that she doesn't get played as much as she deserves.

Just Got Back from Calculus Class

In The Spirit of Giving...I Give Back

Oh my eyes do roll at the noise which crowds my ears when, with the utmost misfortune, my remote misleads me to land on Mtv or Mtv2 (of course I speak on those few rare occaions when they are actually playing music). Oh, the desire to spew forth an expletive expletives does overtake me when I see this great monolith of self assuming progressive ideals, play these bands that peg the board at unity and make songs simply to be consumed by the 16 year old, iTunes addicted masses. If your taste in music were as forward thinking as your whispered political undertones then wondrous sounds would wander forth from you. But no...you desire not to challenge your listeners to appreciate those groups which purposely fit no genre, no mold, no pigeon hold (nasally, pop punk, depressed singing). Those groups that choose that route that is less traveled. A route that brings no fame, only satisfaction in knowing that they made the exact music they wanted to without care of you, and most importantly without any help from you.


::rant over::

In Other News

I'm about to watch this weeks episode of Lost. I love that show. It's really good. I'ld try and explain further but you would just be confused lost. Anyone else into Lost?

Tonight

Band practice canceled. Replacement= Chicago vs. Miami. Yes, that is correct.

Books, Books, and more Books

I've got a ton of books waiting to be read. Currently, I am reading a book called "Jefferson Himself" about Thomas Jefferson's life and ideas told through his own letters. Also I am reading "Through Painted Deserts", the story of Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) and his friend Paul's trip in a VW van. The story details the wonderful places they stop, like the Grand Canyon, but more importantly it's about leaving behind the cultural expectations of time and materialism. For a life without appointments and brand names. Life is not about your SUV, clothes, cell phone, or neighborhood. He also highlights in inherent faults of the pop up consumerist culture that he sees in the world he is leaving behind in Houston TX for the world of beauty and God that is the open road. A world (the aforementioned) that I have to admit I am a participant in.

Waiting to be read are "The Law", "The Federalist Papers", "The Shattered Block", and more Sherlock Holmes.

What good books are you reading?

1st One Ever

Tonight we attended our FIRST community group meeting.
It was ^a wonderful experience. I am greatly looking forward to the next 12 15 months. I love the idea of _closed groups. I've thought that they would be ideal in the past. But never thought anyone would do them...because who would want to possibly not allow someone to come. But we throw caution to the wind for the sake of allowing the participants to really let their hair down. _which could be difficult if there were always new faces.

Tonight

I should be studying Calculus ₂

_truth is that I'm ^about to.

Tonight we went over Trigonometric headaches Substitution.
I also met two new study partners.

Here Listen...

I'm in the midst of reading about music, starting a new band, writing new music, and listening to new music only to realize that I write nothing for my fans. So here you go.

Over the Holiday season I picked up a copy of The Walkmen's "You & Me". It's a strange sounding album. It's dark and moody. Buried in reverb, it's likened to the accoustics of a submarine. I didn't enjoy it. But I kept listening. I kept listening maybe because the music review site I frequent said it was good. However, I've found myself putting it in more often because it was haunting my thoughts. The dark mood it presents has the feel of a New York music club. Buried so deep in the city that only the painfully hip crowd knows the bar exists. The crowd so callus to music that to even be on the stage says you are not going to be accepted by the people outside it. The room filled with the scent of micro brews and cigarettes. But a place where you know that you are going to be presented with a musical experience. Not just throw away pop songs to be consumed by the public. These songs have been crafted not written. This album has climbed inside my head and buried itself in a corner. I think it's going to be around for a while. But collecting little dust.




So here is some other music that I recommend...

Jimi Hendrix- "Electric Ladyland"


Calexico- "Carried to Dust"


Dinosaur Jr.- "Beyond"


mewithoutYou- "Brother Sister"

Problems From a Busy Life

Blogs are for honesty. I read other people's and they feel more honest than mine. I give opinions on politics, but they aren't the harsh thoughts that I really think. My life has become very busy. As I tend to be hyper self analytical, I've noticed some changes. I seem to be loosing my comprehension of everything outside of the present moment. Eternity feels like a vague notion. God has started to seem like a distant thought. I feel like I'm loosing perspective. The only reality that feels real to me is whatever I happen to be feeling at the moment. It's very strange. It's this persistence of the present that, I guess, has given way to something else. I realize that I've become a materialistic, greedy person. What's worse than that is that I don't "feel" bad about it. But I know that I should. I know that this isn't how humans are suppose to work. At least I don't think so. But that's the problem, I don't "think" so. I want to not "feel" so. Does that make sense? I've developed some disconnect somewhere. What I need is a change of heart...not a change of head.

It would appear that I have now addressed the problem. But what is the advantage of self awareness and higher thinking, if you know what your problem is and you don't look for a solution. Solution...I've gotten involved in a small group. So that's what I am looking for out that experience. To reconnect my heart to what is in my head.