Hello all, and welcome to a rather dark and sinister edition of Raging On. The title alone is enough to turn those with weak resolves away. There isn't much need for introduction to this, so I will just jump right in. Buckle up because I'm pissed off.
So we have another school shooting. That in and of itself is upsetting, but that's not what's pissing me off. No, what's pissing me off now is the media attention and the lack of caution the school took leading up to this unfortunate incident. I'm gonna break this down into 2 rants, just so I don't run all over the place and confuse you.
School officials
I blame the school officials for part of this. Sure, the kid acted alone and no one can properly prepare for something of this nature, but seriously, the school acted poorly in the matter. Take the facts. The kid was a loner, he dressed in black, he was bullied by other kids, AND he was accused of plotting something similar in 2004 which he was eventually cleared of. Its been cited that he was in a special program for policy-breaking students that basically left them at home and teachers would come to them. When asked about the policy he broke, the school officials site confidentiality reasons and say they can't tell. Is this a cover up? Was his "expulsion" a direct result of the alleged terroristic plot? Did the school have reason to suspect he would do this and instead of removing the possibility of it happening, they help facilitate it by putting him in an even more humiliating situation, and now that his evil deed has been done, they are quickly trying to erase any responsibility they might have had in this? I am not a conspiracy theorist by any means. I am just a cynic who knows how to look into situations with an unbiased opinion and see the truth from the lies. Too many questions have been raised in my mind as to whether the school system could have prevented this. Now, I know its damn near impossible to prevent something like this, but the school should have been better prepared. They had two guards...but they were both unarmed. This right here is a huge mistake. How protective and dissuading can you be without any firearms? A school guard has the responsibility to protect the students and faculty at a school, and they failed by being inadequately prepared to handle this sort of situation. Was this their fault? No. In the end, they took orders, and they were ordered NOT to carry arms. This goes back to the shoulders of the school officials. They knew of this kid's malaise for the students. He was bullied upon. He allegedly made this sort of threat once before. He was put in a situation where he was no longer a physical student at the school and this probably made him even more of a target for bullies. Put 2 and 2 together and you get a scenario like this.
Loner kid is bullied by kids at school. He runs to tell a teacher. The teachers are of no help. He runs to the principal, again no help. He hatches a plot to kill them all. He confides in someone his heinous plot. They run and tell. He's picked up for plotting violence. Naturally he's suspended pending the investigation, and now the bullies have even more fuel for their bashings. He's eventually cleared of the allegations, but naturally they can't have him back in the school for disruption reasons, so the place him in a homeschooling-type program. This brings the hatred within this kid to full-on rage. Couple that with constant beratings from his grandfather, who just so happens to be a police office, and the fact that his father killed himself and his mother is brain damaged and resides almost 300 miles away. The kid doesn't have a family anymore. No one understands him. He becomes suicidal and full of rage. He starts making postings on neo-Nazi web forums describing himself as the "Angel of Death" and sympathizing with Adolf Hitler. He hatches a new plot, and this time he sees that it is done. He has nothing left to live for. He plans on killing himself anyway, so why not take out a few more in the meantime...be it bullies, acquaintances, friends, OR family. The rest plays out like what you have already heard. You can never being fully prepared for something like this...but you ALWAYS err on the side of caution...that's a moral imperative that this school miscalculated and now they have to deal with their actions. Shame on them.
The Media
This rant will be brief. I am disgusted with the media. They treat these killings like its sweeps for the Nielsens. The have graphics, computer-rendered dramatizations, expert psychologists talking about what was going through the killer's mind, breaking news that really isn't breaking news - just another reason to talk about the killings and take up more airtime. Every news story I read talk about this being the deadliest school shooting......since Columbine...like we need to be reminded about this shit. To the media....the world is a sick place....you make it worse. Fuck off.
This has been Raging On, have a wonderful, rage-filled day (just don't kill anyone, OK?). Please visit Relevant Irreverence, a new internet destination for all things artistic, musical, and disturbing.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Monday, March 21, 2005
Raging On: The right to die
I think this topic has been talked about enough, but I feel like I need to interject my own opinion on the right to die. I have read all the stories, heard all the testimonies, and watched all the news reports on the Schiavo situation in Florida in disgust. Here we have 2 sides...on one side we have the husband who wants to put a woman in a perpetual vegatative state to rest. On the other, a family who can't let go that their daughter is going to die. Obviously by this statement alone you can see which side I sit on. Before I get a barrage of right-to-lifers flaming me with death-threats, hear me out.
If you were seriously injured in a car accident and your body was left immobile and you no longer had the ability to speak or eat, would you want to live? Would you seriously be content with sitting in a bed for the rest of your life, unable to feel anything or to talk...let alone eat your favorite foods? Picture this life...is this something you'd be content with? If you said yes, you are a fucking liar and are too wrapped up in your convictions to be honest with yourself. This woman is never going to be able to live a normal life. The parents, who selfishly want their daughter to be kept alive because they can't accept the fact that they were probably an indirect (or perhaps direct..I don't know their past) cause for their daughter to be obsessed with her weight and led her down the path to an eating disorder which, ultimately left her in the state she is in now. Their guilt has transformed into this dire need to keep her alive, like they are doing her a favor. They keep tauting that, with treatment, she will be able to lead a semi-normal life. Bullshit! I have heard countless doctors talk about how she will never recover, and that if they were so fucking worried about getting her out and about, why did they wait several years after her heart failure to start bringing it up, and that was only when Michael decided he no longer wanted to see his wife in that state.
In the end, Michael has the power to order the feeding tube out, and the family hates it. I have read claims the family has made that Michael wants her to die so that he can remarry, then they go on and tell him to divorce her and move on and they will take care of her. I think this is ludicrous. If he was wanting out from the marriage, he would have left years ago. Seriously, do you have any idea how much the hospital bill is? Guess who is going to be responsible for it when its all said and done? The husband. If remarrying was his goal, he would have jumped ship, leaving the bill for the family. This is not a selfish man. This is a man who has seen his very private life become fodder for the media, and now we have the government passing laws that, in the end, will prevent us from ever having "the right to die". I am telling you right now, if I was diagnosed with a disease that will leave me in a state much like hers, say MS, I'd kill myself as soon as the first symptoms appear. I would never subject myself to a life of pain and unable to do things on my own. That's a life I choose to leave. If that sends me to "hell", then I will gladly roast, because hell ain't a bad place compared to being a prisoner in your mind.
I wonder how Terri feels right now, knowing she is slowly dying. I bet she's relieved that soon she'll be asleep for good. I know its gotta be painful for the family, going in there, knowing she's dehydrating and can't do anything about it. It has to be really hard to sit there and know that your daughter/sister/cousin/whatever is wasting away and you can't help it. But its selfish to think that you should keep her on a machine for the rest of her "natural" life, binding her to a life in a bed. The claim to be devout Roman Catholics. Why are you trying to keep her in her mortal vessel when Paradise beckons? Let her go. Let the pain go. She will be walking with God very shortly. Isn't that better than an uncomfortable bed in a sterile hospital, surrounded by injury and death? Shindler's...let her go.
This has been Raging On, have a wonderful, rage-filled day. Please visit Relevent Irreverence, a new internet destination for all things artistic, musical, and disturbing.
If you were seriously injured in a car accident and your body was left immobile and you no longer had the ability to speak or eat, would you want to live? Would you seriously be content with sitting in a bed for the rest of your life, unable to feel anything or to talk...let alone eat your favorite foods? Picture this life...is this something you'd be content with? If you said yes, you are a fucking liar and are too wrapped up in your convictions to be honest with yourself. This woman is never going to be able to live a normal life. The parents, who selfishly want their daughter to be kept alive because they can't accept the fact that they were probably an indirect (or perhaps direct..I don't know their past) cause for their daughter to be obsessed with her weight and led her down the path to an eating disorder which, ultimately left her in the state she is in now. Their guilt has transformed into this dire need to keep her alive, like they are doing her a favor. They keep tauting that, with treatment, she will be able to lead a semi-normal life. Bullshit! I have heard countless doctors talk about how she will never recover, and that if they were so fucking worried about getting her out and about, why did they wait several years after her heart failure to start bringing it up, and that was only when Michael decided he no longer wanted to see his wife in that state.
In the end, Michael has the power to order the feeding tube out, and the family hates it. I have read claims the family has made that Michael wants her to die so that he can remarry, then they go on and tell him to divorce her and move on and they will take care of her. I think this is ludicrous. If he was wanting out from the marriage, he would have left years ago. Seriously, do you have any idea how much the hospital bill is? Guess who is going to be responsible for it when its all said and done? The husband. If remarrying was his goal, he would have jumped ship, leaving the bill for the family. This is not a selfish man. This is a man who has seen his very private life become fodder for the media, and now we have the government passing laws that, in the end, will prevent us from ever having "the right to die". I am telling you right now, if I was diagnosed with a disease that will leave me in a state much like hers, say MS, I'd kill myself as soon as the first symptoms appear. I would never subject myself to a life of pain and unable to do things on my own. That's a life I choose to leave. If that sends me to "hell", then I will gladly roast, because hell ain't a bad place compared to being a prisoner in your mind.
I wonder how Terri feels right now, knowing she is slowly dying. I bet she's relieved that soon she'll be asleep for good. I know its gotta be painful for the family, going in there, knowing she's dehydrating and can't do anything about it. It has to be really hard to sit there and know that your daughter/sister/cousin/whatever is wasting away and you can't help it. But its selfish to think that you should keep her on a machine for the rest of her "natural" life, binding her to a life in a bed. The claim to be devout Roman Catholics. Why are you trying to keep her in her mortal vessel when Paradise beckons? Let her go. Let the pain go. She will be walking with God very shortly. Isn't that better than an uncomfortable bed in a sterile hospital, surrounded by injury and death? Shindler's...let her go.
This has been Raging On, have a wonderful, rage-filled day. Please visit Relevent Irreverence, a new internet destination for all things artistic, musical, and disturbing.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Update on Beatallica
What can I say. In the past day, a lot has been happening with Beatallica, and all of it good. Boing Boing has a story on the ongoing legal dispute between Sony and Beatallica, on which some rather good news has sprung forth.
From Boing Boing:
"On the NPR program "Day to Day" today, I report on Beatallica, the Milwaukee-based parody band known for Metallica-infused covers of Beatles songs. As reported previously here on Boing Boing, Sony Music accused them of violating copyright laws, demanded that their webmaster pay "unspecified damages," and forced the band's ISP to shut down their website. The band known for tunes such as "I Want to Choke Your Band" and "Leper Madonna" reached out to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. Thanks to his efforts, Beatallica will soon be back online, and the legal debacle over. Ulrich volunteered to provide assistance with legal negotiations for Beatallica, and asked Metallica's longtime attorney Peter Paterno to try and defuse the situation with Sony on behalf of the dudes from Milwaukee. And now, Sony has agreed to drop the case. Mr. Ulrich is no stranger to matters of intellectual property law and the internet. Five years ago, he stood on the steps of Napster, Inc., hauling boxes full of 300,000 names: all people he said were using Napster to "steal" Metallica tunes. But things have changed. That debate was about who profited from Metallica's music, he says, and this one is about creative rights at the heart of rock and roll itself. Ulrich says he believes that cover bands, mash-ups, and the right to re-interpret art on the internet are things worth fighting for. Thanks in part to Lars, expect to see beatallica.org online again -- with a new song release -- this week."
Now it must be said that the last line reported is a bit erroneous and that Beatallica.com will not be up for a couple more weeks at least, as the talks are still ongoing, but the new song release has been delayed since this all came about, so it is, naturally, fact that a new song will be released once the site is back online, its just too early to tell when exactly that will be. But obviously this is good news, especially since Lars has decided to take a vocal stance on the issue and has given Beatallica full use of Metallica's legal team. While I don't care for their corporate stance on their band's dealings, I have to give full appreciation and gratitude to Metallica for helping a band I totally enjoy fight the music industry's stranglehold on originality. Rock on.
I am still willing to fulfill anyone's need for Beatallica's music, so if you're interested, shoot an email to sharingbeatallica@gmail.com and I'll get it to you.
From Boing Boing:
"On the NPR program "Day to Day" today, I report on Beatallica, the Milwaukee-based parody band known for Metallica-infused covers of Beatles songs. As reported previously here on Boing Boing, Sony Music accused them of violating copyright laws, demanded that their webmaster pay "unspecified damages," and forced the band's ISP to shut down their website. The band known for tunes such as "I Want to Choke Your Band" and "Leper Madonna" reached out to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. Thanks to his efforts, Beatallica will soon be back online, and the legal debacle over. Ulrich volunteered to provide assistance with legal negotiations for Beatallica, and asked Metallica's longtime attorney Peter Paterno to try and defuse the situation with Sony on behalf of the dudes from Milwaukee. And now, Sony has agreed to drop the case. Mr. Ulrich is no stranger to matters of intellectual property law and the internet. Five years ago, he stood on the steps of Napster, Inc., hauling boxes full of 300,000 names: all people he said were using Napster to "steal" Metallica tunes. But things have changed. That debate was about who profited from Metallica's music, he says, and this one is about creative rights at the heart of rock and roll itself. Ulrich says he believes that cover bands, mash-ups, and the right to re-interpret art on the internet are things worth fighting for. Thanks in part to Lars, expect to see beatallica.org online again -- with a new song release -- this week."
Now it must be said that the last line reported is a bit erroneous and that Beatallica.com will not be up for a couple more weeks at least, as the talks are still ongoing, but the new song release has been delayed since this all came about, so it is, naturally, fact that a new song will be released once the site is back online, its just too early to tell when exactly that will be. But obviously this is good news, especially since Lars has decided to take a vocal stance on the issue and has given Beatallica full use of Metallica's legal team. While I don't care for their corporate stance on their band's dealings, I have to give full appreciation and gratitude to Metallica for helping a band I totally enjoy fight the music industry's stranglehold on originality. Rock on.
I am still willing to fulfill anyone's need for Beatallica's music, so if you're interested, shoot an email to sharingbeatallica@gmail.com and I'll get it to you.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Raging On: Bullshit capitalist music labels
Hello all and welcome to another rousing edition of Raging On, the hottest thing since my bout with Montezuma's Revenge. Today's post finds me in a rather foul mood. The tale I am about to tell you is real. No names have been changed to protect anybody. This is yet another example that corporate asshats who run record labels under the guise of actually caring about their consumers are evil and need to be wiped from Earth. I believe if Dante were alive today, he'd rewrite his epic book, "Inferno", to include another circle of hell that would be strictly for lawyers and record label executives. Enjoy.
Friends, about a year ago, I was trolling on a defunct Bittorrent tracker site known as SharingtheGroove. This site was dedicated to perfect digital copies of bootlegs and unreleased, NON-COPYWRITED albums. It was, without a doubt, the Napster of bootlegging. Anything and everything you could ever hope for was on this list. One day, I happened across a very interesting posting. It was for a band named Beatallica. I was curious, so I downloaded the album that was available, their first EP titled "A Garage Dayz Night". As you can tell by the name of the band and album, they are a parody band that fuses (quite successfully I might add) the music and lyrics of Metallica and The Beatles. Once I listened to it, I was hooked. I went to their website, www.beatallica.org (they have recently created a beatallica.com...but read on for some info on that), and found out that they had yet another album under their belt. Simply titled "Betallica", it was a nod to both the Black Album and White Album. The album "cover", as you can imagine, is gray. So anyway, this band hooked me hard and I became a huge fan. Now, lets fast forward to this past month. A certain music conglomerate that goes by the name Sony has served both the band AND the ISP that hosted the bands websites with cease and desist letters, talking about punitive damages, copywrite infringement, and other bullshit. The part that really chaps my ass is that they had the site shutdown via what they claim are violations of the DMCA....which is total horseshit because music that is freely distributed by a band that makes no profit off of anything from either bands it parodies AND is not represented as works created by the original bands is in no way, shape, or form a violation. Since the name is so big, naturally the little ISP quickly adhered to their demands and pulled the plug. Now, some of you might be saying, "So what, its just a website." But its more than that. This was the bands way of getting their music out to the world. Being non-profit and only doing it because they love it, they don't have the money to promote their swag and albums on a global scale. Hell, they can't even do it on a national scale. Their tours basically sweep a line from Cleveland to Milwaukee. Its hard to tour when you don't make any money, so they turned to the web as their portal for worldwide domination. Their music rocks. They are extremely talented and their lead singer pulls off a very eerily-realistic James Hetfield impersonation. The band do it all in fun, from their stage names (Jaymz, Krk, Kliff, and Ringo Larz) to the titles of the songs they've wedded together. Listed below is an example of some of the titles listed below:
Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band
Got to Get You Trapped Under Ice
The Thing that Should Not Let it Be
Blackened in the U.S.S.R.
Hey Dude
...And Justice for All My Lovin' to You
I Wanna Choke Your Band
And I'm Evil (a kickass Glenn Danzig impersonation included in this gem)
Leper Madonna
There are several other songs I haven't listed, but you get the idea. If these songs titles sound interesting, you should hear the music...but that's the problem. With this unnecessary C&D order, they can no longer host their songs for all to download. Its bullshit, because they aren't doing anything wrong. And what's more fucked....Metallica actually supports this. Lars himself has contacted the band and offered their support. LARS!!!! Mr. Napster-bad himself. And its not even The Beatles who are suing...its the record label that owns the rights to the songs. Remember, child-molesting Michael Jackson bought the rights, and sold some controlling interest in them to Sony so he could pay some bills. This is where it all comes from. Sony, the multimedia juggernaut is the one behind all this. I am sure Paul and Ringo could "give a toss" (using their lingo) about some independant band that takes their music and fuses it with Metallica's. THIS BAND MAKES NO MONEY OFF OF THE LEGACY OF EITHER BAND IT PARODIES!!! Why is this an issue? I say fuck you, Sony. Fuck you. Hopefully Metallica will be a little forthcoming in the fight to keep the band alive and give them some access to their lawyers, because there's a huge fight here, and one that will definitely have some historical precidence in it. A win would close this loophole in the DMCA, and prevent others from trying to sue tribute bands and the such that DON'T get sponsorship from the band they pay tribute too (Don't believe this happens? KISS shutdown 10 tribute bands in the past 5 years because they didn't seek KISS' permission to use their music, look, or sound). This is all bullshit, and it needs to stop. You can do your part to support this band by signing this petition as well as visiting their forum and letting them know you support them. Until their site is restored to all its glory, I will be happy to help anyone out who would like to hear this band's music. Drop me an email at spreadingbeatallica@gmail.com and I will hook you up with both of their albums. Its a small effort, but one I think is well worth it.
This has been Raging On, have a wonderful, rage-filled day. Please visit Relevent Irreverence, a new internet destination for all things artistic, musical, and disturbing.
Friends, about a year ago, I was trolling on a defunct Bittorrent tracker site known as SharingtheGroove. This site was dedicated to perfect digital copies of bootlegs and unreleased, NON-COPYWRITED albums. It was, without a doubt, the Napster of bootlegging. Anything and everything you could ever hope for was on this list. One day, I happened across a very interesting posting. It was for a band named Beatallica. I was curious, so I downloaded the album that was available, their first EP titled "A Garage Dayz Night". As you can tell by the name of the band and album, they are a parody band that fuses (quite successfully I might add) the music and lyrics of Metallica and The Beatles. Once I listened to it, I was hooked. I went to their website, www.beatallica.org (they have recently created a beatallica.com...but read on for some info on that), and found out that they had yet another album under their belt. Simply titled "Betallica", it was a nod to both the Black Album and White Album. The album "cover", as you can imagine, is gray. So anyway, this band hooked me hard and I became a huge fan. Now, lets fast forward to this past month. A certain music conglomerate that goes by the name Sony has served both the band AND the ISP that hosted the bands websites with cease and desist letters, talking about punitive damages, copywrite infringement, and other bullshit. The part that really chaps my ass is that they had the site shutdown via what they claim are violations of the DMCA....which is total horseshit because music that is freely distributed by a band that makes no profit off of anything from either bands it parodies AND is not represented as works created by the original bands is in no way, shape, or form a violation. Since the name is so big, naturally the little ISP quickly adhered to their demands and pulled the plug. Now, some of you might be saying, "So what, its just a website." But its more than that. This was the bands way of getting their music out to the world. Being non-profit and only doing it because they love it, they don't have the money to promote their swag and albums on a global scale. Hell, they can't even do it on a national scale. Their tours basically sweep a line from Cleveland to Milwaukee. Its hard to tour when you don't make any money, so they turned to the web as their portal for worldwide domination. Their music rocks. They are extremely talented and their lead singer pulls off a very eerily-realistic James Hetfield impersonation. The band do it all in fun, from their stage names (Jaymz, Krk, Kliff, and Ringo Larz) to the titles of the songs they've wedded together. Listed below is an example of some of the titles listed below:
Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band
Got to Get You Trapped Under Ice
The Thing that Should Not Let it Be
Blackened in the U.S.S.R.
Hey Dude
...And Justice for All My Lovin' to You
I Wanna Choke Your Band
And I'm Evil (a kickass Glenn Danzig impersonation included in this gem)
Leper Madonna
There are several other songs I haven't listed, but you get the idea. If these songs titles sound interesting, you should hear the music...but that's the problem. With this unnecessary C&D order, they can no longer host their songs for all to download. Its bullshit, because they aren't doing anything wrong. And what's more fucked....Metallica actually supports this. Lars himself has contacted the band and offered their support. LARS!!!! Mr. Napster-bad himself. And its not even The Beatles who are suing...its the record label that owns the rights to the songs. Remember, child-molesting Michael Jackson bought the rights, and sold some controlling interest in them to Sony so he could pay some bills. This is where it all comes from. Sony, the multimedia juggernaut is the one behind all this. I am sure Paul and Ringo could "give a toss" (using their lingo) about some independant band that takes their music and fuses it with Metallica's. THIS BAND MAKES NO MONEY OFF OF THE LEGACY OF EITHER BAND IT PARODIES!!! Why is this an issue? I say fuck you, Sony. Fuck you. Hopefully Metallica will be a little forthcoming in the fight to keep the band alive and give them some access to their lawyers, because there's a huge fight here, and one that will definitely have some historical precidence in it. A win would close this loophole in the DMCA, and prevent others from trying to sue tribute bands and the such that DON'T get sponsorship from the band they pay tribute too (Don't believe this happens? KISS shutdown 10 tribute bands in the past 5 years because they didn't seek KISS' permission to use their music, look, or sound). This is all bullshit, and it needs to stop. You can do your part to support this band by signing this petition as well as visiting their forum and letting them know you support them. Until their site is restored to all its glory, I will be happy to help anyone out who would like to hear this band's music. Drop me an email at spreadingbeatallica@gmail.com and I will hook you up with both of their albums. Its a small effort, but one I think is well worth it.
This has been Raging On, have a wonderful, rage-filled day. Please visit Relevent Irreverence, a new internet destination for all things artistic, musical, and disturbing.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Raging On: The weather patterns of Winter
Howdy, and welcome to another edition of Raging On, a chance for me to bitch about things that are relevant to today's society. Today's topic, although completely random, is pretty relevant with the impending changing of the seasons.
Yesterday was by far the most beautiful day we've had this year. The temperatures were in the 60s, the sun was shining bright, and the cool, yet gale-like breeze was more refreshing than bone-chilling. All in all it was a great day. Now, its storming outside and the temperature, albeit mild and spring-like, has a tinge of chill in it. Tonight, the temperatures are going to plummet some 30 degrees and begin to snow. In the morning it will barely hit 30 degrees. The next day? Forcasted low of 15. WHY!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Its no secret that in the midwest, the weather is as unpredictable as a drunk uncle at a wedding reception, but why, if we are an adaptable species, do I get sick everytime we have a weather change like this? Shouldn't my body be adapting to this temperature swings with ease? What is the root cause for getting sick just because the temps are down 20+ degrees from the day before? Its not like I'm sticking my head out a window during the change. It sucks, and I want it to stop. I've been sick 14 times this winter, a personal record. And these aren't the sniffles, either. This is full-blown sinus infections, severe chest congestion, and head congestion that borders on torture. Hell, I woke up this morning with a nice sore throat, the beginning of yet another onslaught. I FUCKING HATE MIDWESTERN WEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!
This has been Raging On, have a wonderful, rage-filled day. Please visit Relevent Irreverence, a new internet destination for all things artistic, musical, and disturbing.
Yesterday was by far the most beautiful day we've had this year. The temperatures were in the 60s, the sun was shining bright, and the cool, yet gale-like breeze was more refreshing than bone-chilling. All in all it was a great day. Now, its storming outside and the temperature, albeit mild and spring-like, has a tinge of chill in it. Tonight, the temperatures are going to plummet some 30 degrees and begin to snow. In the morning it will barely hit 30 degrees. The next day? Forcasted low of 15. WHY!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Its no secret that in the midwest, the weather is as unpredictable as a drunk uncle at a wedding reception, but why, if we are an adaptable species, do I get sick everytime we have a weather change like this? Shouldn't my body be adapting to this temperature swings with ease? What is the root cause for getting sick just because the temps are down 20+ degrees from the day before? Its not like I'm sticking my head out a window during the change. It sucks, and I want it to stop. I've been sick 14 times this winter, a personal record. And these aren't the sniffles, either. This is full-blown sinus infections, severe chest congestion, and head congestion that borders on torture. Hell, I woke up this morning with a nice sore throat, the beginning of yet another onslaught. I FUCKING HATE MIDWESTERN WEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!
This has been Raging On, have a wonderful, rage-filled day. Please visit Relevent Irreverence, a new internet destination for all things artistic, musical, and disturbing.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Raging On: Local government
Hello my droogies, and welcome to the second edition of Raging On. Today finds me in quite the foul mood. This edition will be a little out of touch with you readers who are not from the state of Indiana, but I'd like to think that what I am about to share with you won't sound too difficult to fathom. I am sure this shit happens in all reaches of the world, but its this particular time that has really incensed me. Enjoy my hate.
The newly elected state government recently started the General Assembly for the year. This year they were put to the task of balancing a state budget that would help alleviate an almost $800-million deficit. Also on tap for the session is a bill to fund a new stadium for the Colts, the necessary adoption of Daylight Savings Time, and the all-too-needed appointment of a special prosecutor to oversee the stamping out of corruption in our beloved state government. There are countless other bills being introduced, but these are the three that catch my eye the most. Now...sounds easy, right? Oh, but its not.
See, Indiana is a historically Republican state. We've always been a red state when it came to presidential elections. But when it came down to the local government, for some odd reason, the votes swung way left. Of course this has a lot to do with the minority voting population being more inclined to vote for a local government change as opposed to a president. Its not that they don't understand how the voting process works, its just that they don't care about the foreign policy or some new income tax for the upper-middle class. Plus, they don't get that one-on-one approach from the presidential hopefuls that they get from the local candidates going door-to-door asking for your vote. Now, getting back to the point, this past election was the first time in over a decade that the House and Senate had a Republican majority while a Republican governor is in office. Actually its the first time in over a decade that we had a Republican governor. Anyway, naturally what we have here is the same shit that's happening in Iraq between the Sunnis and the Shi'ites. You take the Sunnis (Democrats in my case), a group that has been in power for years. Now, a radical change in the government strips them of their power, namely the Shi'ites (Republicans). So, naturally, there's a huge animosity surging that stems from this loss of power. Now, instead of bombs and snipers, we have un-compromising House leaders who want nothing to do with the Republican agenda....this is where my hate comes into play.
The newly elected state government recently started the General Assembly for the year. This year they were put to the task of balancing a state budget that would help alleviate an almost $800-million deficit. Also on tap for the session is a bill to fund a new stadium for the Colts, the necessary adoption of Daylight Savings Time, and the all-too-needed appointment of a special prosecutor to oversee the stamping out of corruption in our beloved state government. There are countless other bills being introduced, but these are the three that catch my eye the most. Now...sounds easy, right? Oh, but its not.
See, Indiana is a historically Republican state. We've always been a red state when it came to presidential elections. But when it came down to the local government, for some odd reason, the votes swung way left. Of course this has a lot to do with the minority voting population being more inclined to vote for a local government change as opposed to a president. Its not that they don't understand how the voting process works, its just that they don't care about the foreign policy or some new income tax for the upper-middle class. Plus, they don't get that one-on-one approach from the presidential hopefuls that they get from the local candidates going door-to-door asking for your vote. Now, getting back to the point, this past election was the first time in over a decade that the House and Senate had a Republican majority while a Republican governor is in office. Actually its the first time in over a decade that we had a Republican governor. Anyway, naturally what we have here is the same shit that's happening in Iraq between the Sunnis and the Shi'ites. You take the Sunnis (Democrats in my case), a group that has been in power for years. Now, a radical change in the government strips them of their power, namely the Shi'ites (Republicans). So, naturally, there's a huge animosity surging that stems from this loss of power. Now, instead of bombs and snipers, we have un-compromising House leaders who want nothing to do with the Republican agenda....this is where my hate comes into play.
I woke up this morning, oblivious to the goings on the night before, and turned on the local news to wake me up and let me know how fucking cold it is outside. Imagine my surprise when I find out that yesterday the Democrats decided that they didn't want to be at work, the last day for the House to approve bills to send to the Senate, and decided to fuck over the citizens that elected them by forcing 138 separate bills to die. Why would they, the elected officials that our tax money pays to do the job, do something to counteract progress and economic growth? Turns out they don't like the idea of a special prosecutor being appointed by the Governor to investigate and prosecute elected officials involved in corrupt acts that are a conflict of interest. Why? What the hell? Why is this such a huge issue? Well, it all stems from the fact that the prosecutor would have unequivable power to do his job and would only have to report to the Governor. Also, he would be appointed instead of elected. This means that the Dems wouldn't know who is going to be the prosecutor, so they couldn't influence them. Naturally, I can feel for them. I am sure it sucks to know you have someone who is going to be coming after your ass because not only did you do something wrong, but also because you are on the opposing party. But then again, I don't feel for them because they should not be corrupt in the first place. Seriously, they have a cushy job that requires them to sit down in a large room for 3 months out of the year trying to pass bills into laws. The rest of the year is spent listening to lobbyists who want their agendas pushed for the next General Assembly. And they get paid decent money with insane fringe benefits to do this. Why be corrupt? You're obviously doing well for yourself. So because they didn't want to be exposed of wrongdoing, they chose, as a party, to not show up to vote on 138 different items, some of which were very necessary. So now, here I sit, with no bill for Daylight Savings Time, no bill for a new Colts stadium, and no bill for a guy to crack down of government corruption. WHAT THE FUCK ARE MY TAXES PAYING FOR!?!?!?!?! WHY DID THE PEOPLE VOTE FOR YOU!?!?!?! DO YOUR FUCKING JOB...ITS NOT THAT FUCKING HARD. I'M SORRY YOU DON'T LIKE A BILL...FUCKING VOTE IT DOWN. STOP DICKING AROUND WITH THE FUTURE OF THIS STATE!!!!!!!!!!
Its times like this I wish we lived under a dictatorship....that way I couldn't say the guy I voted for decided to fuck me in the ass because he couldn't get his way. I feel bad for the democratic-leaning public of this state....how does it feel to know you're party leaders are fucking off and not owning up to their responsibility? Tax money hard at work. Can you believe I actually HATE politics? Who'd a thunk it?
This has been Raging On, have a wonderful, rage-filled day. Please visit Relevent Irreverence, a new internet destination for all things artistic, musical, and disturbing.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Raging On: Clear Channel and other radio monopolies
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The dawn of a new day
Hello, all. Its me again. Well, its the beginning of March. Winter is in its final days, and with it comes the rebirth of motivation and committment. That's right, its time to make that which is old new again, and starting now, that's what I am going to do. You will see, in the coming days, new articles. While I haven't gotten around to naming any of them, I have settled on one thus far...Raging On: Basically its a play on E!'s Wild On: series, but instead of being an informative show on all the "happenin' hot spots" of the world, its me, raging on important (and not so important) issues. Hopefully with this new format, things will seem more focused and less diary-like. I'm all for enlightening the world on how I feel, but seriously, hardly anyone reads this, so why spill my guts to nobody when that's what shrinks are for? Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this site as much as I am going to enjoy bitching about stuff.
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