We're the Kids in America

Before we get into the poli (many) - tics (blood sucking creatures) watch this youngster tear up his electric guitar. He's a bad ass:



Ava (great first name btw) Lowery from the A to the L (home of Bear Bryant, George Wallace and American Idol winners) has a new protest video out. Remember she's 15 y.o. Also, check out her website Peace Takes Courage.



They don't even try to hide it anymore. The Bushites are morphing this country into a totalitarian regime. Kiss your internets goodbye.

Gonzales pressures ISPs on data retention:

"U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller on Friday urged telecommunications officials to record their customers' Internet activities, CNET News.com has learned."

Gore Watch. He keeps saying he isn't running. I hope we can make it impossible for him to not run in '08. He is exactly what this country needs.

Gore: Bush is 'renegade rightwing extremist':

"Al Gore has made his sharpest attack yet on the George Bush presidency, describing the current US administration as 'a renegade band of rightwing extremists'."

Propaganda alert... again.

Independent Online Edition > Americas:

"Federal authorities are actively investigating dozens of American television stations for broadcasting items produced by the Bush administration and major corporations, and passing them off as normal news. Some of the fake news segments talked up success in the war in Iraq, or promoted the companies' products."

And I feel so damn nostalgic…. DBT at The Fillmore Part 2

Part Deux: Click HERE for Part I

P.S. If you haven't read this yet, do so now: Monster

Here is the last paragraph from where we left off:

We climb aboard and it’s all black leather interior, LCDs playing a Waylon Jennings concert, and Cooley sittin' in the front being... well... Cooley. Rich and I introduce ourselves and take a seat. After some initial pleasantries my phone rings and I remember that I've got 2 tickets I'm suppose to give to Mark G. from the Yahoo list. Mark was in the process of following the band from New Mexico to Seattle. Mark freakin' rocks! I'm gonna do that someday. Anyway, I excused myself and made for the bus door. Before I stepped out I asked if there was a secret knock I needed to get back in. Two will do......

When I returned to the bus I sat down across from Cooley and looked at him, and I got kinda pissed. Of all the traveling and drinking and Rockin’ Cooley does he looked too damn good at his age. I decided then and there that living the Rock n’ Roll lifestyle still can’t age you like sitting in front of a computer 9 hours a day, doing the bidding of some idiot or a group of idiots.

Captain Kerr hopped on the bus and informed Cooley that the rest of the band was doing sound check. Cooley replied, "I've really got to find somebody to do soundcheck for me". But being the true trooper that he is, he headed inside and we followed.

It was really weird to be in The Fillmore before opening. But weirder yet was having DBT play a couple of songs to just Jenn, Rich and I. We got to hear Goodbye and Daylight.

After soundcheck we headed up to DBT's dressing room and hung out with the crew and band members while we watched Son Volts sound check.

Moving forward with this diatribe, I’m going to break up the weekend into sections:

Time with Cooley.

The moments with Cooley over the weekend were quite memorable as you can easily imagine. We chatted about back home, Phoenix heat (the "dry heat ain't as hot" myth was agreed to be a bunch of shit), Motown session singers, Baxendale guitars, and taking a dump in a Hefty Garbage Bag sometimes out of necessity but other times because it’s damn funny. Cooley is a prankster extraordinaire. And careful what you say around him... it might end up in a song. Now that I know the story behind "Marry Me" it's even a better song than I first tought.

The crew members just got cool new shoulder walkie-talkies. Jenn had told us earlier in the day that Cooley had been taking advantage of this new tech feature of the band to do some serious razzing. I got to witness this first hand after the Friday night show. We’re sitting in the balcony above the stage and next to DBT’s dressing room when Cooley, Patterson and The Matador come out and plop down next to us. One of the crew members had hooked a couple of groupie fishes and was batting them around in the dressing room like a cat playing with mice. Cooley gets a glint in his eye and grabs The Matador’s mike and pauses with a smile. I look at him and tell him that he’s in the Fillmore and that this better be good. Now I can’t remember the exact wording but this is Cooley so you know it was parsed in Cooley’s incredible verbage but he calls out on the mike to the crew member trying to get his groove on that they’ve found that cream they’ve been looking for and that it should take care of that incredibly bad ball rash said crew member has. “Me and Cooley we just laughed so hard be both fell down”.

Not only does Cooley do the “cool” part of his name proud, he’s a warm, engaging an all around nice fucker.

Time with Jason.

Story #1

Being a fan and immersing myself in the songs and lyrics, I have often said to myself "If I ever got the chance I'd ask Patterson/Cooley/Jason/Shonna/Brad about "X".... Well, my friends, if you ever have those thoughts, write them down. Of the gazillion things I've ever thought of to ask the band, they all flew out of my head the moment I had the chance. The d'errrrrr factor really grabs hold. However, after the Friday show Jason comes out of the dressing room and sits down with Jenn, Rich and I. I remembered one question I’ve always wanted to ask him. Since Jason studied literature at the U. of Memphis, I’ve always wanted to ask him who his favorite author/book was. His response was surprising as I expected some great southern gothic writer. His response was Salman Rushdie. We then got into a bit of a conversation about Islam and the comparison to Christian fundies in this country. Jason is a special one, let me tell you. He was tops in his high school class and had he finished college (thank god he did not) would have assuredly been Summa Cum Laude. Whip-fucking-smart.

Story #2

As I was awaiting Jenn to escort me through the side door on Saturday night, Jason comes out of the bus and says "Hey Jason". I greet him back and while contemplating my hangover from Friday that I'd yet to drink away I said, "I don't know how you guys do it every night". He laughs and takes a couple of steps then stops and turns around and says, "We can do it every night because we love it". Right there was an Almost Famous moment or even a Mean Joe Green Coke commercial moment (Hey kid, catch). Time just kinda stopped for a millisecond and all the life issues we all continuously run in the back of minds, unconsciously, disappeared and I was left with one clear nugget of knowledge. Damned whipper snapper giving me in-sight on life.

Jason's a hell of a guy who's always willing to strike up a conversation. He's destined for a lot a great things.

EZB and Shonna time. AKA, SwamperDeux
Now, the EZB remains a mystery, wrapped in a secret, dipped in secret sauce. Jenn told me that he’s as sharp as Cooley with the observations but he saves them up. He’ll be quite for a long time then BOOM, a nugget. So while I don’t have any personal stories to relate about the EZB, I can comment that he’s one of the best drummers on any stage any where.

The first time I saw Shonna I was standing at the door of the dressing room watching Son Volt do sound check. I feel someone walk up and stand beside me. I look over… then I look down and here is this wee lass with blonde hair. That’s my first impression of Shonna. She is freakin’ tiny compared to seeing her on stage and in photos. She’s as sweet as pumpkin pie and Jason is damn lucky.

I have one more installment coming.

Here are some pictures from The Rock Show.

Your daddy was mad as hell.....

This is all I'm going to say about this, but........

...Most. Talented. State. Ever.

Hello, Democrats. Perfect opportunity to reach out to those who don't normally vote for you and to show them why they should vote for you. I'm sure you'll piss away this opportunity somehow.

Global warming worries hunters, anglers:

"About half of America's hunters and anglers -- including many who said they voted for President Bush in 2004 -- told pollsters they are witnessing firsthand, in the outdoors, the effects of some form of climate change, according to the results of a nationwide survey of sportsmen released Tuesday by the National Wildlife Federation, an environmental group based in Washington, D.C."

Whaaaaah, wa-wa-Whaaaaahhhhh

Bush's Base Betrayal:

"White House and congressional Republicans seem to have adopted a one-word strategy: bribery. Buy off seniors with a prescription drug benefit. Buy off the steel industry with tariffs. Buy off agribusiness with subsidies. The cost of illegal bribery (see the case of former congressman Randy 'Duke' Cunningham) pales next to that of legal bribery such as congressional earmarks."

In a just world this should be happening every day until they're all rotting in jail. Oh, and no elections were stolen. Nothing to see here. Don't worry your pretty little heads about your vote not meaning a thing. Hey, did you catch American Idol last night.........

Former Bush campaign official sentenced to prison:

"CONCORD, New Hampshire (Reuters) - A senior official in U.S. President George W. Bush's re-election campaign was sentenced to 10 months in prison on Wednesday for his role in suppressing votes in a key U.S. Senate race, a scandal that Democrats charge may involve the White House.

James Tobin, 45, one of three Republican campaign operatives convicted in a phone-jamming scheme designed to keep New Hampshire Democrats from voting in a 2002 election, was convicted in December of two telephone harassment charges."

"Your daddy was mad as hell. He was mad at me and you...."

Fight leads to deadly shooting:

"ZIP CITY -- A Wednesday afternoon argument over custody of a child led to the death of a man who was shot as he tried to drive away from his ex-father-in-law's house, authorities said."

Not Ready to Make Nice

Love 'em. Go buy their new record.

'Radical chicks':

“I'd rather have a smaller following of really cool people who get it,” Maguire tells TIME, “who will grow with us as we grow and are fans for life, than people that have us in their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire and Toby Keith. We don't want those kinds of fans. They limit what you can do.”

Here, here, Maddy!

Albright Faults Bush's Religious 'Certitude' :

"LONDON (May 22) - President Bush has alienated Muslims around the world by using absolutist Christian rhetoric to discuss foreign policy issues, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says.

'I worked for two presidents who were men of faith, and they did not make their religious views part of American policy,' she said, referring to Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, both Democrats and Christians."

Gore watch:

Gore: No Laughing Matter?

The only time I leave vacation days on the table is when I know that I'll get paid for them when I quit my job. Oh, and I'll quit a job. I ain't scared in that department.

Forfeiting vacation days:

"NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - When it comes to taking vacation days, a third of U.S. workers apparently aren't members of the clean-plate club.

A survey conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by the travel site Expedia found that 33 percent of us leave vacation days on the table. The average number of days workers forfeit: four, up from three in last year's survey."

Have a little restraint with portions and get your ass off the couch and excercise then problemed solved. They can pry my ham hock and fried okra from my cold, dead hand.

The deep-fried dilemma: Can Southern culture survive low-fat diets?:

"Food is a strong emblem of identity for Southerners. It is one of the few cultural artifacts that both black and white Southerners embrace and hold in high esteem,'' said John Edge, director of the Southern Foodways Alliance at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. ``Segregation remains in many aspects of our daily lives in the South, but there is no segregation of our black-eyed peas and our collard greens.''"

McCain/Christian Right likes to Bully Girls

Before I launch into why John McCain is the biggest, arrogant piece of shit facing the electorate today, let me take a moment to spotlight one of Alabama's own:

One of Alabama's finest, Ava Lowery, bless her little heart, has created a website called Peace Takes Courage. She has produced videos opposing the war in Iraq and uses the ACTUAL teachings of Jesus as her guide. A good chunk of the country needs to look at the work of this teenager and learn how to be a REAL Christian.

For taking her stand, she is receiving death threats. Give her some love:

Peace Takes Courage - 15-yr-old gets death threats for anti-war video

"It seems that a young woman by the name of Ava Lowery, a 15-year-old from Alabama has been getting death threats for a powerful video she produced called 'WWJD' (What Would Jesus Do), a powerful animation that features a soundtrack of a child singing 'Jesus loves me, this I know' while one picture after another of a wounded, bloody, or screaming Iraqi child fills the screen. The video ends with quotations from Beatitudes, including, 'Blessed are they who mourn' and 'Blessed are the meek' and 'Blessed are the merciful' and 'Blessed are the peacemakers.'

Lowery began producing her own videos for her web site in July of 2005 and has thusfar made 70 of them. Not everyone agrees with her, as you might figure, especially the terrorist wing of the Republican party. You see, Ava has been receiving vile death threats.

If you haven't heard, McCain recently spoke at the graduation commencement of the New School. While there, a graduating student kindly handed Mr. McCain his ass back to him after she tore it off:

McCain Gets His Ass Handed to Him:

"'Senator McCain will also tell us about his strong-headed self-assuredness in his youth, which prevented him from hearing the ideas of others, and in so doing he will imply that those of us who are young are too na�ve to have valid opinions.

'I am young, and although I don't profess to possess the wisdom that time affords us, I do know that pre-emptive war is dangerous and wrong,' she said."

The student in question is Jean Rohe. She made quite the sensation and after the speech explained her actions:

Jean Rohe: Why I Spoke Up

Just a regular gal who stood up for what she believed.

One of McCain's minions decided to bash her and bash her good:

Top McCain Aide Insults Entire College Graduating Class...

Takes a big man to insult a bunch of kids. Jean ain't backing down, though:

Jean Rohe: Response to McCain's Aide Mark Salter:

"Please don't try to bully me anymore"

I thinking of doing this myself so hacks like Bill Frist can't look at a video tape and diagnose me as a vibrant human being that should be kept on life support when 3/4 of my brain is missing. I don't want to be no Terri Schiavo:

Woman Gets 'Do Not Resuscitate' Tattoo:

"Mary Wohlford has made it perfectly clear what her final wishes are: it's written in ink — on her chest. Wohlford, 80, had the words 'DO NOT RESUSCITATE' tattooed on her chest in February.

Wohlford hopes she's made her wishes perfectly clear should she become incapacitated. She also has a living will hanging on the side of her refrigerator."

Of Horseshit and Ponies

Monday morning comedy. If you ever needed a laugh today is the day:



Now, onto the horseshit:

With All This Horseshit:

"Line ‘em up and show us the results. Let’s have the perp walk of all the al Qaedas, all the al Qaeda caller uppers you’ve located, investigated, caught, apprehended and brought to trial! With all this horseshit there must be a whole herd of ponies."

So sorry:

McIntyre in the Morning:

"There’s nothing harder in public life than admitting you’re wrong. By the way, admitting you’re wrong can be even tougher in private life. If you don’t believe me, just ask Bill Clinton or Charlie Sheen. But when you go out on the limb in public, it’s out there where everyone can see it, or in my case, hear it.

So, I’m saying today, I was wrong to have voted for George W. Bush. In historic terms, I believe George W. Bush is the worst two-term President in the history of the country. Worse than Grant. I also believe a case can be made that he’s the worst President, period."

Hate the player and the game:

SurveyUSA - 50 State POTUS 05/06

Pants are ablaze!

How Republicans Lie About the Economy

Look, ladies, I don't care how freakin' mad you get, this just isn't cool under any circumstances. They should have executed Loraina Bobbett as an example. Dudes, you may want to look away....

Wife Accused in Attack:

"The 52-year-old Tioga-Nicetown man, who we are identifying only by his first name of Howard, arrived home late Wednesday, hours after his wife allegedly tore off two parts of his genitalia with her bare hands. Surgeons at Einstein successfully managed to repair the damage."

And I feel so damn nostalgic…. DBT at The Fillmore Part 1

Part I

And I feel so damn nostalgic….

Thursday, May 4, 2006:

I left work early to do some last minute shopping to acquire all the goodies needed for the pending weekend of Rock. I got home early that evening with thoughts of getting a good nights sleep because I had a suspicion sleep would be a rare commodity until Sunday. Me and old Jack Daniels would become acquainted once again. With all prepared and in place I lay me down to sleep. Then that feeling hit. The one when you're 5 years old and its Christmas eve and you're just too damn excited to fall asleep. You stare at the ceiling dreaming with eyes wide open of all the possible gifts you might receive the next morning. You start to catalogue and categorize them. ("I hope I get the Shut Your Mouth and Get on the Plane set"). Gifts you feel pretty solid will be under the tree... ("I hope I get the Be My Valentine drum set so I can break the kick pedal in two.") and then those gifts that you really want but don't want to get too excited about because they're such a long shot Santy probably couldn't fit them on the sleigh ("A Tonka Bulldozers & Dirt would be sooooooo sweet"). It's OK if you don't get them but you really, really want them.

"You better watch out. You better not cry, you better not pout I'm tellin' you why", MotherFucking DBT is coming to town!

I have the occasional bout of insomnia and the sleepless nights are torture. You watch each hour pass on the clock feeling more miserable with each tick because it's another lost hour of sleep. Thursday night was quite the opposite. I spent the night trying to find some hidden super power that would allow me to mentally move the clock faster so the sun would come up quick because I had a very important task Friday morning.

The first gift of the day was being delivered by United Airlines via Athens, Georgia. This delivery was an important one and, unbeknownst at the time, one that would become very special. My first gift was to finally get to meet Jenn Bryant when I picked her up from the airport. I had invited Jenn out to San Francisco and she took me up on the offer. I've always admired Jenn for the enormous amount of work she puts into the band, her deft touch at dealing we knuckle-draggers on the lists, her southern charm, and the fact she is a home girl. I've been keeping an eye on the member counter of the Yahoo group and kept a finger to the pulse of the frenzy of questions and demands before the album came out. Jenn has a regular job like the rest of us and she does this for love. Of all the places in the world to see DBT the Fillmore is THE place. It would have been a goddamn shame if Jenn wasn't here to see her band. I invited her out... she accepted, and the rest, as they say, is history....

(Jenn on the bus)

History lesson....

May 5, 2006: Met Jenn at baggage claim.... we sniffed each others butts.... then “we'ze just like peas and care-rots”. I took Jenn on a drive around the coast and through the Golden Gate. We stopped periodically to check out the views.

After the B.A.A.T. (Bay Area Appreciation Tour) we went to my friend Rich's apartment situated a block from the Fillmore. This would be base camp for the next couple of days. After spending some time getting acquainted we headed out to get some lunch at Harry's on Fillmore. When we got to Fillmore and Geary we noticed the bus had arrived with road cases full of Rock and/or Roll. All of a sudden we hear a gravely voice call out "Jenn"! We turned around and it was none other than Patterson Hood with two arms full of coffee. I'm not kidding when I say two arms full of coffee. Somehow he was carrying about 6 cups of joe. By the way Patterson looked, I think all six were for him. He wasn't sharin'. I mumbled some sort of dumbass greeting to Patterson and then stood there with a goofy ass smile. I'm the freakin' man, let me tell you. We also briefly met Ryan (Silky) and Matt (The Matador), two members of the crew.

So there we had surreal moment #1 of a bazillion that happened that weekend. Jenn, Rich and I proceeded to Harry's where we had some Kobe Burgers and several adult beverages. It was Cinco de Mayo and the bartender handed us some shiny beads for the occasion. Rich and I would attempt to put those beads to good use later in the evening.

"He's got his own room in the back of the bus....."

Jenn says we can watch sound check so we head up to the Fillmore. When we get to the bus Jenn tells us to stay put while she pops in to get our passes. Never would I have imagined a cloth sticker could make one feel so cool. Wore that shit like a badge of honor:

After about 2 minutes Jenn sticks her head out and waves Rich and I into the bus. GULP!

We climb aboard and it’s all black leather interior, LCDs playing a Waylon Jennings concert, and Cooley sittin' in the front being... well... Cooley. Rich and I introduce ourselves and take a seat. After some initial pleasantries my phone rings and I remember that I've got 2 tickets I'm suppose to give to Mark G. from the Yahoo list. Mark was in the process of following the band from New Mexico to Seattle. Mark freakin' rocks! I'm gonna do that someday. Anyway, I excused myself and made for the bus door. Before I stepped out I asked if there was a secret knock I needed to get back in. Two will do......

(Here's where I end Part I. Check back next week for Part II)

(One of the beautiful chandeliers in the Fillmore)

(A picture of Jim Morrison hanging next to the bar)

(..for those about to Rock)

White Christian Males own your Vagina.

The killing of Americans continues. Support our troops. Get them out of Iraq

4 U.S. Soldiers Are Killed by Bomb in Iraq:

"Four U.S. soldiers and their Iraqi interpreter were killed Thursday when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle northwest of Baghdad, the U.S. command said"

History repeats itself in the worst possible manner. Does My Lai ring a bell? It ain't the troops fault. It's the commander in chief's.

Marines deliberately killed Iraqi:

“This one is ugly,' one official told NBC News."

Come on, Al! Do it, do it, doit doit doit.

Is Al Gore Running for President Again?:

"'For some people, it took six years of George Bush to wake up and realize that Al Gore was the real deal,' Sullivan said."

Ladies, you no longer own your vaginas. They have been claimed for the state. Read Atwood's Handmaind's Tale.

Forever Pregnant:

"New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves -- and to be treated by the health care system -- as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon.

Yeah, he's overreaching for that bottle of Jack Daniels and a straw that's been cut in two.

Is Bush Overreaching?:

"These are extraordinary times, for sure, and the president says he is acting to safeguard the country. But Democrats and some Republicans, along with human rights activists and legal scholars, suggest Bush has gone too far in stretching presidential powers."

Tar Baby

The Press Secretary for the POTUS used the term "tar baby" in his first televised press conference. Let me repeat that: Tony Snow, speaking for the POTUS, used the term "tar baby". Today he will say "nigga" because that's not racist without the "er" and when he speaks on immigration he'll refer to Mexicans as wetbacks, because, well, Bush thinks it's funny.

I'm from the South and I'd never use the term "tar baby".

"I can see your truuuue colors shining through..."

Crooks and Liars

When I heard Tony Snow use the term "tar baby" while responding to a question in his first televised Press conference today, it actually startled me. Doesn't Tony understand what that phrase means to many people in this country

How low can he go?

Republican Leadership Approval Hits All-Time Low:

"Bush's job approval rating now stands at 33 percent, down five percentage points in barely a month and a new low in Post-ABC polls. His current standing with the public is identical to his father's worst showing in the Post-ABC poll before he lost his reelection bid to Bill Clinton in 1992. Bush's father fell below 30 percent in some other independent polls in 1992."

Always room to go a little lower....

Zogby International:

"This as the President’s overall job approval numbers fall to 32%, according to a separate Zogby International survey conducted via telephone before the immigration speech Monday."

I've blogged about this before and in light of recent developments it is highly important that you give your congressperson a call on this. The big telecoms didn't violate your right to privacy for nothing. They did it 'cause Georgie told them he'd give them control of the internets. Don't let it happen!!! Educate yourself, then act. Picking up a phone or sending an email ain't that hard.

Save the Internet : Fighting for Internet Freedom

Bears Eat Monkey in Front of Zoo Visitors

This is so bad. I can't understand why people are taking to the streets over this. This is not up for debate nor should be pondered in some sort of pols. It... is... unconstitutional. There is no difference between Bush's spying and what the KGB use to do. I don't give a fuck if god herself takes a poll and it shows 89% approval of domestic spying. Temporary insanity should not alter the Constitution. Spying on a reporters sources so they can punish whistle blowers is evil. Fucked... up!

The Blotter: "Federal Source to ABC News: We Know Who You're Calling

A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we (Brian Ross and Richard Esposito) call in an effort to root out confidential sources.

'It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick,' the source told us in an in-person conversation."

If you have a Verizon phone, you should be sure to follow this class action. They owe you $1000 for breaking the law and giving all of your call information to the Bush Brown Shirts.

Verizon stock takes hit on $50 billion lawsuit - May. 15, 2006

You want to trust this putz and his cabal of putzs on anthing, why?

Our MBA president can't manage the government:

"In practice, Bush tends to appoint mediocre people he trusts to be loyal, delegates hardly any decision-making power to anyone beyond a few top aides, and seldom holds anyone accountable."

You can't fault the bear. I mean, come on, who doesn't crave a little monkey meat every once in a while. That shit is tasty. And besides, rumor has it the monkey had 3 paws and fucked with all the bears relentlessly. You reap what you sow, monkey motherfucker.

Bears Eat Monkey in Front of Zoo Visitors:

"Bears killed and ate a monkey in a Dutch zoo in front of horrified visitors, witnesses and the zoo said Monday. In the incident Sunday at the Beekse Bergen Safari Park, several Sloth bears chased the Barbary macaque into an electric fence, where it was stunned."