As the subtitle of my blog suggests, this is a blog regarding Rawk-and-Roll and "Other Delights" Up until this point, It's been just the rawk, but after being placed in the center of the political world this week, I actually have some thoughts, mostly non-music related.
Man...I'm glad the conventions are over. I'm glad the riot police have left my quiet town of St. Paul. It was quite frightening to be in St. Paul this week...it's as close to a police state that I'd ever been in and I never want to see it again. Sure, I understand that there were a couple of knuckleheads intent on damaging property, but if you were anywhere outside in St. Paul this week, it's hard to not think of the presence of police in my quiet city as "Overkill". Thousands of riot police with gas masks, M-16's, and other intimitating "equipment" on every street corner, staring your down to see if you were "different looking." Also, the snipers on the tops of some of the buildings left me uncomfortable.
I made it to the "Take Back Labor Day" rally at Harriet Island on Monday. I had a great time seeing a couple of my favorite singer-songwriters, Billy Bragg and Steve Earle. Unfortunately, hip hop acts were the headliners and the most talented guys started the day with very short, but nonetheless memorable sets, that were heavily inspired by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. I would estimate that there were around 25,000 people at the rally, which was very peaceful and inspiring. However, as the hip hop acts hit the stage and as the temperature was reaching 90 degrees, I walked over to the Mississippi river (still within earshot of the stage) and looked across the river towards downtown. There...a different scene altogether. There were at least 300 riot police, lots of teargas and smoke, and one ambulance after another taking people away. I understand that some of them were destroying property, but the contrast of scenes, from one side of the river to the other, was quite shocking. I didn't like it.
The next day, Rage Against the Machine, was supposed to play an "unnanounced" show at the State Capital, during a rally that included the rock band Anti-Flag. The rally had a permit to go until a certain hour. Say what you will about Rage Against the Machine and their fans (I did, read my previous post below), but they're just a rock and roll band....they're not terrorists.
Observers at the rally reported that riot police were asking the rally organizers all day, "Is Rage Against the Machine going to play?" as if they were terrified that a rock band would show up to a rock concert. When Rage Against the Machine did show up, well before the permit to rally was to expire, the police "held" the band members and prevented them from gettting to the stage. When the band finally made it to the stage, the police had cut all of the power to the stage so that they couldn't perform a "free show".
Bullshit!!
In response, lead singer, Zach de La Rocha, grabbed a bullhorn and the band performed A capella. You can see Minnesota Public Radio's video of what transpired below.
One Republican delegate had the misfortune of being caught in front of 45 million viewers displaying his mispelled "THE MAVRICK" sign. I'm guessing he was educated in the conservative-controlled south. My friend, Chris, who's a school teacher in that part of the country, told me that pencils are referred to as "writing sticks," but I digress.
Olbermann, on the other hand, is trying to counteract Matthews (with the exception of calling him on his use of the word maverick), by trumpeting his candidates with sligtly dimissive comments to his co-workers. Olbermann and Matthews have been going at it (I don't think I've seen Matthews as flustered looking and looking like he just got finished with the frat boy game of "follow the elephant" ever before). He looks disheveled and confused. Conservative Joe Scarborough has nearly come to blows with moderate David Shuster as well as Olbermann. It's a god-damn three ring circus over there at MSNBC, with the exception of the two most unlikely partners, Pat Buchanan and Rachel Maddow. Buchanan, who I've loathed for years, actually is fairly reasonable on his assessments (hate to break it to you liberals and conservatives, but Buchanan opposed the Iraq War), although Pat must have got the "fall in line" memo from the tuffs of the Republican party, because he changed his tune on Sarah Palin in unbelievably quick time. Rachal Maddow is also reasonable and does a good and most importantly "civil" job of making her points. She's very intelligent and it will be interesting to see how she handles her own show after taking over for "law nerd" Dan Abrams' spot.
Editors Update: As of September 8th, MSNBC has pulled the two cheerleaders, Olbermann and Matthews, from their election coverage host positions and replaced them with David Gregory. Olbermann and Mathews will still remain on as contributors.
CNN, although not the three ring circus of MSNBC, still has Wolf Blitzer as their main guy. Wolf isn't the most politically astute observer and constantly lets talking heads repeat their drivel, unquestioned, no matter how deceptive.
I have found a new person I respect at CNN and I'm quite shocked of who it is. David Gergen, who's been a political strategist for the Republican party for nearly 30 years, is actually one of the few voices on the major cable news networks that is actually reasonable and doing his job, which is to analyze the convention scientifically and not from a point-of-view and "civily". He doesn't fall in line with the mob...he wasn't blow away by the bible-thumping, flat-earth-society, book burning, aw shucks Sarah Palin's, sarcastic and non-informative speech. Gergen actually discusses issues, not personalities. He looks at facts, evidence, not trivial things. A mustached Republican talking head on CNN (I don't remember his name) inferred last night that Gergen was a traitor to the Republican party because he didn't fall in line with the "talking points."
David Gergen, although I'm his political opposite, is what America and more importantly the American media needs at this time, civility and fair-mindedness. Since the popularity of the Fox News network, the national media has been slouching with jingoism, controversy, party-based opinion, and uncivil discussion (I'm looking at you Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity...well hell...all of Fox News). During this time, America has become less focused on "the issues" and more focused on "personality". Unfortunately, I think this election will once again be based on personality and not issues. After all, do most Americans really support global-warming deniers, book burners, gun nuts, science haters, and abstinence-only progams? Of course not. On the other hand, if you put the issues aside, like the major media has done for the last week, you find a "personality"...an slightly attractive, tough-talking, "regular-kind-of gal" or "hockey mom" (whatever that means to the 95% of the country who woundn't know the difference between a blue line and a dance line). You also find a "war hero" and a so-called "maverick." You also find a great "orator." These are media-created personality traits....not issues or policy positions.
Over the last 10 years, this country has been slouching. NASCAR, a sport that involves automobiles making left-hand turns for hours, is now the "national sport". Ultimate Fighting is hugely popular. Reality television is hugely popular, where "regular" folks can unearth their dirty laundry for 15 minutes of fame.
Speaking of "regular folks"....why is it that being a "regular person," someone "who you could sit down and have a beer with" is now a requirement for the most important job in the world, President of the United States?
Fuck that! THE RUBES HAVE TAKEN OVER!
CNN, although not the three ring circus of MSNBC, still has Wolf Blitzer as their main guy. Wolf isn't the most politically astute observer and constantly lets talking heads repeat their drivel, unquestioned, no matter how deceptive.
I have found a new person I respect at CNN and I'm quite shocked of who it is. David Gergen, who's been a political strategist for the Republican party for nearly 30 years, is actually one of the few voices on the major cable news networks that is actually reasonable and doing his job, which is to analyze the convention scientifically and not from a point-of-view and "civily". He doesn't fall in line with the mob...he wasn't blow away by the bible-thumping, flat-earth-society, book burning, aw shucks Sarah Palin's, sarcastic and non-informative speech. Gergen actually discusses issues, not personalities. He looks at facts, evidence, not trivial things. A mustached Republican talking head on CNN (I don't remember his name) inferred last night that Gergen was a traitor to the Republican party because he didn't fall in line with the "talking points."
David Gergen, although I'm his political opposite, is what America and more importantly the American media needs at this time, civility and fair-mindedness. Since the popularity of the Fox News network, the national media has been slouching with jingoism, controversy, party-based opinion, and uncivil discussion (I'm looking at you Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity...well hell...all of Fox News). During this time, America has become less focused on "the issues" and more focused on "personality". Unfortunately, I think this election will once again be based on personality and not issues. After all, do most Americans really support global-warming deniers, book burners, gun nuts, science haters, and abstinence-only progams? Of course not. On the other hand, if you put the issues aside, like the major media has done for the last week, you find a "personality"...an slightly attractive, tough-talking, "regular-kind-of gal" or "hockey mom" (whatever that means to the 95% of the country who woundn't know the difference between a blue line and a dance line). You also find a "war hero" and a so-called "maverick." You also find a great "orator." These are media-created personality traits....not issues or policy positions.
Over the last 10 years, this country has been slouching. NASCAR, a sport that involves automobiles making left-hand turns for hours, is now the "national sport". Ultimate Fighting is hugely popular. Reality television is hugely popular, where "regular" folks can unearth their dirty laundry for 15 minutes of fame.
Speaking of "regular folks"....why is it that being a "regular person," someone "who you could sit down and have a beer with" is now a requirement for the most important job in the world, President of the United States?
Fuck that! THE RUBES HAVE TAKEN OVER!
I want somebody "extraordiary" running the greatest country in the world. I want somebody who has accomplishments, did well in school, went to the best schools, and is "smarter" than me. We've slouched so far, that we now have a inferiority complex and think that anybody that is accomplished is an "elitist". If you were the President of the Harvard Law Review, you are now considered "elitist," who has a "fancy degree" and thus unqualified for President. People who don't think that chain restaurants, such as Applebees, are considered "fine dining" are now called "elitists". Barack Obama had to play the god-awful "mall country" music of Brooks and Dunn following his speech in Denver to appeal to the "envious" NASCAR crowd. This inferiority complex in the country has got to stop! We need higher standards for our leaders....being a "folksy" swell guy or gal...shouldn't be the basis for how we elect leaders.
Additionally, network news has become incredibly biased, uncivil, and absolutely unhealthy. As Jon Stewert told Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala a few years ago on CNN..."Stop it...Just Stop it....You're hurting America!!"
And to the people who think patriotism is controlled by one party and that meaningless slogans and whether a candidate wears an American Flag pin on their suit is important (in case you missed it, John McCain didn't wear one last night, which means, apparently, he is an unpatriotic sonofabitch)....I say this.
When you love something....you want it to be the best it can be. You correct it when it deviates off track, you support it when it does well. You wish it to be the best it can be. That's the way I feel about this country. I love the United States of America, but this week was particularly sad for me as something I love desperately needs correction.
While standing on the corner of John Ireland Blvd and Kellogg Blvd watching men with gas masks, M-16s, bomb squads, prison buses, and snow plows, all ready to take on some relatively harmless vegan bohemians carrying paper signs stating their desire for peace, a loudspeaker behind me was blasting David Bowie's "This is Not America".
I can't get that song out of my head.
