Monday, May 14, 2007

V.I.L.

That's Very Important Link, and it pertains to the newest addition to my Blogroll section. It's a new nonprofit organization that I felt was important enough to move to the top, even over the blogs of my closest friends, at least for now. (Those two need to post some updates anyway!) It's a group called People Against Censorship, and it's an anti-special-interest-group special interest group. They're out to counter the vocal minority led by the likes of the Revs. Jackson and Sharpton, and more recently, the Organization of Chinese-Americans, who last week got yet another radio show taken off the air by being a vocal minority.

If you're as tired as I am of having other people dictate by what you are and are not allowed to be entertained, then follow the link to their site. Even if you can't participate in their rallies and events, you can help their cause just by registering for their site--in the battles the PAC is fighting, numbers matter a great deal.

Friday, May 11, 2007

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight...

Or at least I did, until I found this delicious treat sitting on my backyard picnic table bench. I can't figure out where it came from, unless there's a nest on my roof that I can't see, and even then the trajectory to have it end up there is one in a million. Yuck, now I've got to go clean this mess up.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Yellow Journalism

This is the type of garbage that's passing for news in my local paper. Is it any wonder that print media is dying? This article would be right at home in the editorial section, but no, you can find it in the local news section of the Wilmington paper (just about the only option for local news in this part of the state). Small wonder that illegal immigration remains such a problem when media outlets are sympathizing with lawbreakers. A few choice samples:

"Undocumented immigrants like Bernadino and his wife, Dominga, live with the constant fear that "la migra" -- slang for immigration officers -- can strike anytime, anywhere."
Way to make an agency of our duly elected government sound like a South American dictator's death squad.
The stepped-up enforcement has put Delaware's undocumented population -- concentrated in jobs in the poultry and mushroom industries -- on alert, creating a heightened level of fear that changes everyday life.
Everyday life for a fugitive isn't and shouldn't be like everyday life for law-abiding citizens.
"We're working, we're innocent," [a Guatemalan illegal] said.
Guess again, honey. You're not innocent; you're guilty of violating federal immigration law. And shame on this newspaper and reporter for portraying the situation any other way.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Rage Against Rage Against The Machine

Rage Against the Machine is back together after a long hiatus, at least long enough for a mini-tour this summer. I for one hope it leads to some new album releases--in their day, they were some of the most innovative musicians in rock & roll, particularly guitarist Tom Morello. Not surprisingly, though, this left-wing politically charged band created some controversy at their first performance this week. The president and his cabinet as "Nazi war criminals"? Not exactly original, guys.

But be that as it may, I'd be hypocritical if I joined the masses calling for them to be investigated, prosecuted, or otherwise censored after supporting Don Imus's right to free speech during Nappyheadedho-gate. The fact of the matter is that while I couldn't disagree more with their opinion, they didn't come anywhere near the line of inciting actual violence. Lead singer Zack de la Rocha did call for the the death of a president, this is true. But read the true transcript:

"A good friend of ours said that if the same laws were applied to U.S. Presidents as were applied to the Nazi's after World War II, then every single one of 'em, every last rich white one of 'em from Truman on would have been hung to death, and shot. And this current administration is no exception. They should be hung, and tried, and shot. As any war criminal should be."
The italics in that quote were added by me, to point out what keeps it unquestionably protected speech: what's being advocated here is not murder, but execution, a legitimate judicial process. And that's a threat that needs to be a viable option for us all.

And in keeping with this week's pro-free-speech post, I've changed my Recent Experiences album this week to Rage's greatest album, instrumentally speaking, 1996's terrific Evil Empire. Enjoy the weekend, everyone!