Delay: Criminal!

Oh, you all have no idea how long I've waited for this. To see the Republicans finally get in trouble for their fundraising practices is wonderful. Especially Delay, because he was a wicked prick.

Impressions of The Protest

Yesterday, 100,000 - 150,000 people gathered on the streets of Washington D.C. to protest the unjust war in Iraq. It was truly heartening to see such a big turnout, with so much energy, even if I have been disappointed at the lack of public outrage until very recently. To be in the same place as so many people who share your views, not just on the war, but on life, is a very enjoyable experience and has revived my faith in the future.

I was only there for six hours, but the utter excitement and pure power of the rally was something I will always remember. I'll never forget looking down Pennsylvania Ave towards the Capitol and seeing the entire street, for about a mile, wall to wall with people. I think that was the capping moment of the protest for me, just to know there were that many people who cared enough to drive all the way from wherever they were from to protest the war.

The two main themes of the protest were the number of American casualties in Iraq, Jews protesting Israeli occupation of Palestine (which I found interesting) and, newly added, the importance of ending the war to help New Orleans after the hurricane. Sadly missing from most people's minds, it seems, is the huge number of Iraqi casualties. I don't know how many signs had something like "Bush lied, 2000 died," which made me want run up to the person and berate them for their ethnocentric worldview. But they were there, and the ends are all the same.

There were a number of pro-war protesters there yesterday (about 400 showed up for a pro-war rally today, and I think it is very important to note the miniscule number who felt like defending the war) and they recieved a pretty heavy verbal beating from the main bunch. I felt somewhat bad for them, since they were brave enough to show up (I wouldn't go to a pro-war rally, thats for sure - I'd get killed), but they also were idiots or nationalistic ideologues. One guy had a sign that said "Al-Qaeda thanks you for your support," which is, of course, total bullshit. Our right to speak our mind is not supporting terrorists, the war is by creating more of them. There were about 200 College Republicans hanging around the steps of the Commerce Department, and some 500 of us chased them off, and hung out there until the mounted officers showed up, since we were technically trespassing on federal property and I wouldn't want to fuck with a horse.

That was one thing about the protest I was a little perturbed about - the heavy police presence. There were probably 5,000-10,000 officers deployed along the protest route. In front of the white house, there were three fences and a cop every five feet between the second and third fence. And every cop I saw had their nightsticks drawn, looking ready to crack some skulls. As for the protesters, we were almost entirely non-violent, with only a few minor incidents; most of the anarchists spent their time marching and not breaking shit.

Bush, of course, was off in Colorado because he didn't want to listen to people who are unpatriotic. But in reality, despite the fact that Bush was the one blamed the most, the protest was really for Congress, who both authorized the war and have the ability to end it. With any luck, they'll all be out of there in 2006 and we can get a real government together.

Just one quick thing about today's pro-war rally, aside from its small size. Here is a quote that seems to sum up the idea of the event entirely:

"The group who spoke here the other day did not represent the American ideals of freedom, liberty and spreading that around the world," Sen. Jeff Sessions, an Alabama Republican, told the crowd. "I frankly don't know what they represent, other than to blame America first."

Another referred to us as "traitors" and said we should be arrested. What is wrong with people that they can't look at the views of others without reducing them to traitors? Another said that the troops are in Iraq fighting "for our rights." The only right ever in danger was the right to go into another country and suppress others' rights. Even if we were fighting for our "rights," is it worth the deaths of one hundred thousand innocent civilians to secure them? If the blood of 100,000 American civilians would secure the rights of Iraqis, would these same people support them? Absolutely not. It is this "America First" bullshit that is what I find most worrying about this country right now, and probably for a long while forward from here.

Disaster? Let's Make A Profit!

They're at it again. This time, President Bush has suspended the Davis-Bacon Act. This act, passed during the Great Depression in 1935, required federal contractors to pay workers the average wage in the area that the work was being done in - seems like a good idea, right? Well, obviously not. And of course, Dick Cheney's old company Halliburton is tasked with the rebuilding - they've been in charge of all federally-funded rebuilding of disaster areas since September 11. What this basically does is allow Halliburton, who have been implicated in previous attempts to defraud the government to make a profit, earn even more money than they already woudl. Furthermore, President Bush declared that since Katrina left New Orleans in a state of emergency, he is able to suspend the act by executive decree, which means that Congress has no say. A little dictatorial, wouldn't you say?

Bush: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

I want to start this post by doing something I have never done before: congratulate George Bush for finally taking responsibility for something, in this case, the horrid federal "response" to the disaster in New Orleans. While I don't believe him to really be very much at fault for this, he did gut FEMA's funding and shift emphasis to anti-terrorist activities while neglecting natural disasters, and he did appoint people who have no idea what they are doing but are good Republicans. But he has dodged so many bullets its good to finally see him get hit for something.

However, since then, he has been back to his old ways. He came out Thursday night during his speech and declared that New Orleans would be rebuilt, at taxpayer expense - all fine and good I guess (though I would prefer not to repeat that disaster). What infuriates me is how he proposes to pay for it. End the war? No. Raise taxes? No. Reinstate the Estate Tax? No. Instead, he wants to cut funding from other federal programs (watch which ones get axed - not defense or farm subsidies, but education and welfare and the like) and continue to borrow money to rack up the federal deficit.

What is just as bad is that these cuts will affect those most hurt by the hurricane - the poor. Instead of "take from the rich, give to the poor" it has become "take from the poor and give to a different poor". The whole programs will be forgotten in six months, so that the Republicans will be able to rationalize cutting funding for social programs, give a small amount to New Orleans, and then cut funding for the rebuilding project once the fickle American public has changed the channel, and reap the excess money to pay for bigger and better guns.

Christie Front Drive.

Many of you have probably heard me fawn over these guys many a time, whether the music, the anti-corporate ethics, or what-be-it. But I've decided to put it down in writing.

Let us start with a short backstory. CFD formed in 1993, released two full LPs, a handful of splits (including one with Jimmy Eat World I'll talk about more in depth later), and broke up. They never were (still aren't) very popular outside a very small group. But those who are familiar with them will not deny they were one of, if not the, finest emo band ever.

The first LP, self-titled, is six songs long, and each one is a gem. The last three, in my opinion, are especially exquisite. It's difficult to describe what it sounds like, but basically, wow. It is not for the average listener, though. The sound quality is awful, and the vocals melt into the song - the fan site has had a long standing section where fans can attempt to decipher the lyrics, and so far, the attempts have not quite succeeded. The best way to look at it is to view the vocals as primarily an instrument, and be glad when you can understand what's said. The musicianship isn't even that stupendous - Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky do a much better job of conveying emotions with music. But somewhere in the mix, the whole thing comes together to make some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard.

So now on from the music to the ethics. Here, I want to discuss the split LP they did with Jimmy Eat World in 1995. A rep from Capitol Records got a hold of it, and basically thought the same thing I did about them. He offered them big bucks to sign with Capitol, and they...refused! It is hard to describe how much it means that they refused to sign with a huge label like that. They've basically ended up working in Wendy's for the rest of their lives, but they have their cred intact! As for Jimmy Eat World? The rep flipped over the LP, gave them a listen, gave them a call, and they signed on. And you've heard of them, haven't you?

Animal Rights

The issue of the rights of animals has become a painful thorn in my side lately. I believe that everyone has a right to life, and that society should strive toward the goal of everyone living decently. Of course, that statement is intended for humans only, but it begs the question, "why not animals too?"

As a general rule, I apply the "live at let live" concept to animals as well. I will actually go out of my way to avoid stepping on bugs on the sidewalk, and do my best to co-exist with other sentient beings. The one exception to the rule is anything that you are bound to find when you pull up a rock - cockroaches, earwigs, etc. Of course, I don't go around turning up rocks either.

Of course, the heart of the matter still has not been reached. I love red meat - I absolutely love it. There is nothing in the world like a steak done right. Yet I am acutely aware of the tremendous slaughter and suffering that is required in order for me to enjoy this food. The best argument in favor of meat-eating (aside from the nefarious bullshit about "animals are meant to be eaten") is that it is a quality of life issue - one can spend there days munching on leaves and twigs, or they can enjoy a delicious slab of meat. Sadly, this argument also leads to the conclusion that slavery is acceptable, since having slaves would improve the quality of life of the master.

Therefore, I have led myself into a dead-end. The only reason for eating meat is a hedonistic pleasure that comes at the expense of others, albeit non-human others. However, I just love the stuff!

So, in conclusion, I amn't going to stop eating meat - I just wish I would.

The 3rd Quarterly CD Ranking List

Is that a decent sentence? I think not.

Ok, I've decided to exclude the eight CDs that I recently purchased on the grounds that I have not been able to properly compare them to others. The other 80+ CDs in my stack and the 40 or so in the bin are fighting for the top 50 spots...

The Rankings [Band - Album (06.01 Rank) (Comment, if applicable)]
1. The Appleseed Cast - Mare Vitalis (2) (Finally where it should be...)
2. Mineral - The Power of Failing (3)
3. Christie Front Drive - Christie Front Drive (25!)
4. The Cure - Disintergration (1)
5. The Appleseed Cast - Low Level Owl Volume I (4)
6. Mogwai - Happy Songs For Happy People (5)
7. Strike Anywhere - Change Is A Sound (8) (Political punk-rock the way it should be done...Green Day might learn a few things from these guys...or, more likely, they'll just keep sucking)
8. Explosions In The Sky - How Strange, Innocence (21) (It's being re-issued Oct. 11!)
9. The Appleseed Cast - Two Conversations (-)
10. Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary (9)
11. Muse - Absolution (-)
12. Texas Is The Reason - Do You Know Who You Are? (-)
13. Mars Volta - De-Loused In The Comatorium (11)
14. Mogwai - EP + 2 (17)
15. Mineral - EndSerenading (28)
16. Mono - Walking Cloud And Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered And The Sun Shined (35)
17. Jeremy Enigk - Return of The Frog Queen (-)
18. The Appleseed Cast - The End of The Ring Wars (15)
19. At The Drive-In - Relationship of Command (7)
20. The Appleseed Cast - Low Level Owl Volume II (20)
21. Mogwai - Rock Action (14)
22. Jets To Brazil - Perfecting Loneliness (10)
23. Saves The Day - In Reverie (6)
24. The Velvet Teen - Out of The Fierce Parade (-)
25. Mogwai - Come On Die Young (18)
26. The Gloria Record - Start Here (-)
27. The Cure - Pornography (-)
28. Brazil - A Hostage And The Meaning of Life (13)
29. The Get Up Kids - Something To Write Home About (22)
30. Strike Anywhere - To Live In Discontent (43)
31. Sigur Rós - ( ) (26)
32. Radiohead - Hail To The Theif (32)
33. Explosions In The Sky - Those WhoTell The Truth Will Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Will Live Forever (40)
34. Kinski - Airs Above Your Station (-)
35. Further Seems Forever - The Moon Is Down (23)
36. Bright Eyes - Fevers & Mirrors (16)
37. A Perfect Circle - Mers de Noms (31)
38. American Football - American Football (29)
39. Saves The Day - Stay What You Are (12)
40. At The Drive-In - Vaya EP (36)
41. Sigur Rós - Agætis Bÿrtun (39)
42. Mars Volta - Frances The Mute (24)
43. Sparta - Wiretap Scars (27)
44. Thursday - Full Collapse (33)
45. Rufio - Perhaps, I Suppose... (34)
46. Deftones - White Pony (-) (This is out of the bin, not a new purchase...no no no...)
47. Bright Eyes - Digital Ash In A Digital Urn (19)
48. Saves The Day - Ups & Downs (38)
49. Thursday - War All The Time (44)
50. Thrice - The Artist In The Ambulance (41)

And there you have it. I've almost got rid of all my mall emo.