Category Archives: rant

Tuesday Morning Experience

I didn't, but maybe I should have. Read on:

Though my experience yesterday was not as eventful as Chris’, I will post it regardless. I was in class and we were working on a mini group project on our computers. I wasn’t sure about the answers to one of the problems, so I told my partners “I’m feeling ______” in regards to what I thought was the answer. Keep in mind that I wasn’t really sure and also, my partners weren’t giving me back adequate output, so let’s say I repeated that phrase about five times. Yeah, maybe I was a bit obnoxious, but the bitch next to me called me out! She said in a condescending bitch-slapping tone: “Stop saying you’re feeling it. That’s the right answer.” An advocate for non-violent approaches to resolving conflict, I carried on, but my group and I, we were visibly thrown off by her extemporaneous comment.

FUCK THE TROOPS!

Alright, so let’s take turns shoving our cocks inside these brave men and women to show our support! Kidding…. In fact, the truth is I have never professed to such narrow minded slogans as “fuck the troops” or “support the troops” blah blah blah. Of course I support them; support as in wish them no harm. Now, if you mean support as in condone their activity, then fuck no! I personally don’t believe they are defending our freedom and civil liberties. But, those that support the military seem to espouse to this ignorant way of thinking and yet they so blatantly contradict themselvse often. As I mentioned before they claim that they fight for our freedom and yet whenever such (often tasteless and cruel) groups like “fuck the troops” arise, they are the first ones to petition for it’s censorship. Welly welly well, here’s a pickle. Why would you remove the free speech you supposedly die for?! Free speech is free speech. An extremely apropos Noam Chomsky quote comes to mind whenever I see such behavior: ” If you believe in freedom of speech, you believe in freedom of speech for views you don’t like. Goebbels was in favor of freedom of speech for views he liked. So was Stalin. If you’re in favor of freedom of speech, that means you’re in favor of freedom of speech precisely for views you despise.” Let’s not mince words here. I wholeheartedly sympathize for our brave men and women, whom selflessly thrust themselves into harm’s way and in many cases parish for what they see as a noble cause. That’s really intesne and admirable. They definitely don’t deserve to be treated like trash. So, how do we solve our little dilemma? For starters, we can inform ourselves of what is actually happening instead of blindly following traditional doctrine. I suggest those that favor free speech to be consistent in their views, no matter how they feel about the military or foreign policy. I recommend the pansies that initate these mean groups like FTT to consider the sacrifices their fellow men and women are making and more importantly how ineffective and destructive their means of speech is to the antiwar movement. Finally, y’all military brats and friends and family of such to open your eyes to the atrocious crimes our governement is committing and has always committed against millions of innocent people each day, including our once again brave soldiers, whom are mere pawns in this rotten machine’s sick game of greed.

P.S. I don’t necessarily agree with the slogan triumphantly displayed in the above photo, but I found it humorous and it reminded me of something Jerry Rubin once demanded.

Chris

Random Musings

This is a somewhat old rant of mine that I came across while searching for my list of must see movies haha. Some of the material has appeared in previous writings and perhaps will appear in future writings. Either way enjoy!

The way I look at it, there’s two schools of thought here 1) the “socialist” point of view: end or strongly decrease spending on military, police, and similar institutions and causes. Increase or maintains taxing of benificiary things like health care. I call this the “socialist” view (even tho libs might support it) because the results could be that everyone is on the same page, economically equal. 2) the Libertarian, anti-federalist, Ron Paul Republican position: decrease all forms of taxation or do away with them and programs that take money out of citizen’s pockets. This would decrease and possibly wipe out debt, and lead to prosperity for individuals, and more importantly the country as a whole and yeah sure there are government programs for the people, but these are fought for, and ultimately benefit the elite, because it appeals to their constituents. Every Dem has used the same tactic of liberal social polices for health care (they campaign on this, but never follow through, we’ll have to see what Obama does), welfare, and other things, while they foster a gigantic military and aggressive policy abroad, whatever the higher elite tell them to do, they’re just puppets and what’s one of the most terrifying thing about Obama is the fact that he can be so openly hawkish. That’s what 8 years of Bush and Neocons has done to the American people. If you look at every Dem prez and their rhetoric, all throughout American history, esp. post-war times, all of them propose to do the opposite of the previous Republican adm. they propose to decrease the military budget, and to not get into or end wars. Of course all of them did the exact opposite. But, now were at the point in America, where Obama doesn’t even need to conceal his objectives, he can just predict the future. And by “conceal his objectives” I mean in terms of increasing military spending. Just look at what Truman, Kennedy (followed Rep. Eisenhower), Johnson, (supposed to end the conflict with Vietnam, which Jack said he wanted to do) but he escalated it, which Kennedy probably would’ve done the same, Carter (followed the Ford- Nixon years), Clinton (followed the Regan-Bush years). Honestly look at what they campaigned on. But not with Obama (save Iraq, and he proposes diplomacy for some yap yap). Here’s a big clue if someone says they want to strengthen the military, what are they strengthening it for? Well, for one thing it means more weapons and what not for foreign affairs aka foreign massacres. But also it concerns us domestically with the sharp increase in police state. What’s it like 20,000 military personnel for Homeland INsecurity and a 1 million police brigade? You see right now, Americans, at least with radical political sensibilities, need to unite. Most, if not all of us are fighting against the same things: Big Military, intrusive and illicit government, imperialism, corporate capitalism, illicit, atrocious, and unnecessary wars, and numerous other issues. By the same token, we may not be fighting specifically for the same things, but generally we are all fighting for what we see as freedom, liberty, equality, peace, and social and economic justice. We are wasting our time and only doing the “bad guys” a favor by badgering about our personal politics. Whether or not universal health care is good or bad, for example. Slave ships don’t wait

I guess you haven’t noticed, but I take bits and pieces of what I like from everyone and everything and they shape my own views, that’s how I think most people should. With that being said, there are individuals that stand out, and I generally see eye to eye with. Many of these persons are my heroes, but this is not always true, and by that token, I have heroes, who I don’t always see eye to eye with. Chomsky would be a good example and Ron Paul and Alex Jones would be examples of influences that I only take bits and pieces from and I love reading all different views/sides, it all fascinates me. I watch Faux News and Democracy Now.

I’m all for higher thinking right now.
Revolution is always on my mind.
Petty, everyday concerns are for the weak.we’re programmed to concern ourselves with small issues and this separates us
If you think too much about what your country is doing wrong, then you become a kook… but that’s bullshit.
Television makes us keep our “crazy” ideas to ourselves, instead of communicating them with others and organizing.
The media makes us misinformed
The news media’s main societal function is to keep people misinformed
Mass Media anyway.
Standards for sanity and reason are pathetic.
I want to be insane when compared to our standard of sanity in the social and political climate. Of course, I’m unstable, if moral and mental stability is approving of unjust causes.
Our brains become anomalous entities. They get “Americanized,” programmed to not think about or question, but believe in authority.
Sufficed to say, I lost my brain, well that would be the first step to properly using my mind
The funny thing is, I feel I’m more patriotic than most Americans
Not the commercialized patriotism championed by the likes of Bill O’ Reiley and most citizens, but rather a conscious form of Patriotism in the traditions of Thomas Jefferson, Howard Zinn, Jack Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson, Ron Kovic, and countless others.
The way I see it, dissidents, such as myself, are not Anti-America. Nah, Anti-evil, Anti-Imperialism, Anti-Racism, Anti-Capitalism, Anti-Authoritarian and all that good stuff!
For example, let’s take the most Imperialist nation on this planet, America. Now, just because it’s our home doesn’t let it off the hook, and in fact this should make us far more critical. Here’s just one of several analogies I have conjured up, about my brand of patriotism. I think of America as one big family that bitches too each other and wants to kill each other and at the same time sticks up for one another and wants to remain united. Well, if the family’s values are supposedly for peace, freedom, justice, etc. and the Papa completely violates these values, wouldn’t the other family members try their damndest to stop their flesh and blood from committing what they see as evil. I should think so. Well, that’s how I feel about American policies and Patriotism. For someone to say I’m or others that think like minded are Anti-American is ignorant. It just seems so obvious. It’s common sense to me, but, I’m patient and understand that not everyone perceives common sense the same way cause I’m retarded when it comes to several “normal” or “easy” tasks, but I’m working on it and doing my best and I just ask for patience from others, so I will offer the same.
I don’t think of myself as better than anyone else or more intelligent. I am more informed than many, but, that is at my own doing, and anyone is qualified for that. At the same time, I am very proud that I am psychologically free from the constraints of western civilization, the barricades that placed over every human beings’ minds. It’s our job to tear these barricades down, and this is the first step in achieving freedom, as any Bob Marley fan should know: “Redemption Song.” I, am privileged, or spoiled is more apropos, enough to be freer legally than most people around the world, and even in my homeland.
But, yes, I am extremely happy and proud that I am an outsider, outside of the mainstream ways of thinking- see Americanized Brian theory. There’s only so many that are this way today, but it is important to remember that anyone can be this way. They just have to free themselves. And we help each out on this road to freedom

The American Government is like a rapist or a murderer. No no, a murdering rapist, a real sick fuck of the Ted Bundy tradition multiplied by millions and still doesn’t even come close. So, now if you make some bad comments about this sick fuck, but never actually say he should stop raping and killing people and in fact never even say that he is raping and killing people. Then you have made NO CRITICISM
mainstream media of our government is akin to me saying “Ted Bundy, that blundering fool. He used to shoplift and he flunked out of law school twice!” Wow, look I didn’t say anything positive about him, that was such a harsh criticism. BUT THERE WAS NO MENTION OF HIS RUTHLESS CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY EITHER!

Though the media has blatantly lied on several occasions, it’s clear that deception through omission of the most valuable facts is the most effective lie.

That was written over a year ago I think. I’m guessing sometime in between Obama’s election and inauguration. I agree most of it, but some things I would probably change if I wrote it today. The main perspective and purpose are still there. I like it.

Chris

Cynical Basterd

Whenever I discuss my sociopolitcaleconmic blah blah blah views with anyone I get two reactions. 1) Quizzical looks and 2) Accusation that I am being far too cynical. Well, perhaps I can explain both here. To start with the latter, I am cynical for a reason: history. If the history of civilization after civilization has taught us anything is that all governments are comprised of lying cocksuckers, as Bill Hicks would say, some worse than others, of course. So, I do not think mine or anyone else’s cynicism is off base or uncalled for by any standards. Cynicism should never be confused with pessimism. In fact, quite the contrary. We, cynical basterds see through the hallow walls of government indoctrination and try to push forward to new and better ways of thinking and living. I would say that’s an optimistic way to think. In brief, cynicism is not a bad thing if you have reason and hope on your side. When discussing such topics I’m reminded of the classic Noam Chomsky/Mr. Lang quote, “If you’re not cynical, you’re not paying attention.”

Chris

Quote of the Day

” I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This was and still is the harsh truth. At this site, there are other thought provoking quotes from King, mostly in his final years, when he turned radical; unfortunately( but purposely) much of this of this wisdom is anonymous in the mainstream media. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html

Chris

My Top Albums of the Decade

Just flipping through the latest issue of Rolling Stone (I rarely read the mag) and taking a gander at their bests of the decade lists, I can’t get over the massive discrepancies in our’s and their’s. RS overwhelmingly favors mostly mainstream/major label acts and a few independent acts with some degree of commercials success. So of course, our homeboys (Black Lips, Jay, King Khan, No Age, etc.) are virtually nonexistent because they’re not big enough! Wow, what a terrifically horrendous way to evaluate music… Anyway, case in point, their top 50 albums of the decade barely included 1/5 of independent music, whereas our lists are the complete opposite. Anyway, here’s their list: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/31248017/100_best_albums_of_the_decade/44 and here’s mine, the better one :)

1) Black Lips- Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (2007, Vice)

2) Jay Reatard- Matador Singles ’08 (2008, Matador)

3) The King Khan & BBQ Show- What’s For Dinner? (2006, In the Red)

4) Jay Reatard- Blood Visions (2006, In The Red)

5) Jay Reatard- Singles ’06-’07 (2008, In the Red)

6) Bright Eyes- I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (2005, Saddle Creek)

7) The King Khan & BBQ Show- The King Khan & BBQ Show (2004, Goner)

8) Animal Collective- Strawberry Jam (2007, Domino)

9) No Age- Nouns (2008, Sub Pop)

10) King Khan & The Shrines- The Supreme Genius of King Khan & The Shrines (2008, Vice)

11) Arcade Fire- Neon Bible (2007, Merge)

12) Black Lips- 200 Million Thousand (2009, Vice)

13) Page France- Hello, Dear Wind (2005, Suicide Squeeze)

14) Box Elders- Alice and Friends (2009, Goner)

15) The Pains of Being Pure At Heart- The Pains of Being Pure At Heart (Slumberland Records, 2009)

16) Against Me!- Reinventing Axl Rose (2002, No Idea)

17) Girls- Album (2009, True Panther Sounds)

18) The Nightwatchman- One Man Revolution (2007, Epic)

19) Glassjaw- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence (Roadrunner, 2000)

20) Mark Sultan- The Sultanic Verses (2007, In the Red)

21) Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006, Domino)

22) Kimya Dawson- Remember That I love You (2006, K)

23) Black Lips- Good, Bad, Not Evil (2007, Vice)

24) The Almighty Defenders- The Almighty Defenders (2009, Vice)

25) The King Khan & BBQ Show- Invisible Girl (2009, In the Red)

26) System of A Down- Mesmerize/ Hypnotize ( 2005, American)

27) Deerhunter- Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP (2009, Kranky)

28) Head Automatica- Decadence (2004, Warner Brothers)

29) Deftones- White Pony (2000, Maverick)

30) System of A Down- Toxicity (2001, American)

31) Mabuses- Mabused (2007, Magpie)

32) Glassjaw- Worship and Tribute (2002, Warner Brothers)

33) Against Me!- As the Eternal Cowboy (2003, Fat Wreck Cords)

34) Black Lips- Black Lips (2003, Bomp!)

35) Black Lips- We Did Not Know the Spirit Made the Flowers Grow (2004, Bomp!)

36) Animal Collective- Feels (2005, Fat Cat)

37) Sonic Youth- The Eternal (2009, Matador)

38) Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009, Domino)

39) Fugazi- The Argument (2001, Dischord)

40) Those Darlins- Those Darlins (2009, Oh Wow Dang)

41) The Strange Boys and Girls Club (2009, In the Red)

42) The Used- The Used (2001, Reprise)

43) Arctic Monkeys- Humbug (2009, Domino, Warner Brothers, EMI)

44) Editors- The Back Room (2005, Kitchenware, Fader)

45) Shellac- 1000 Hurts (2000, Touch And Go)

I’m leaving 5 slots open for possible last minute acceptances.

Chris

Random Thought Of the Day…


As we waltz our fat asses into another decade, I’m struck by the thought of how memorable or unmemorable not only this decade, but the previous decade has been. It’s a sad commentary when the first things that come to my mind are all classic mass hysteria: Columbine, 9/11, the Swine Flu Epidemic, etc. When we look back on the 90s and 00s I hope we are not simply remembering tragedies, facebook, and Kanye’s interruption at the Mtv awards. Fortunately, the underground (and to an extent the overground in the 90s) have given us some of the best Rock and Roll ever. But, still our generation seems to lack the cultural significance that previous generations championed. Just the other day, I was watching the Wedding Singer, which was released in 1997, but was set in 1985. I thought to myself, why hasn’t there been a movie released in this decade that takes place in the 90s? It’s really peculiar when you look at how quickly other decades got their due: American Graffiti was released in 1973 and set in 1962 (only 11 year difference) and Dazed and Confused was released in 1993 and takes place in 1976 (17 years). So, what does that say about our culture in the past 20 years or so? Is it so monotonous that it is not worthy of an era capturing film? Oh well, perhaps the next decade will be radical and/or there will be a feature film set in the 90s/00s as worthy as its nostalgic predecessors.

Chris