ATOMS SMASH!

Dad?

"This is the american dream in action."

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200, Proceed Directly To Race Jail

R.I.P. Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn died last night of a heart attack at 87 years of age. Zinn was a historian and activist best known for his book A People's History of the United States. This guy is a Hall of Famer when it comes to policing cake. Zinn was scheduled to speak at my school on Saturday, so the real tragedy here belongs to me. JK. In all seriousness, the world is definitely worse off for his departure from it, so the tragedy is all of ours. Below is a clip of Zinn talking about what he wants to be remembered for.

LOLZ

A letter to Errol Morris from Harvey Weinstein from around the time The Thin Blue Line was released:

Dear Errol:

Heard your NPR interview and you were boring. You couldn't have dragged me to see THE THIN BLUE LINE if my life depended on it. It's time you start being a performer and understand the media. Let's rehearse:

Q: What is this movie about?
A: It's a mystery that traces an injustice. It's scarier than NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. It's like a trip to the Twilight Zone. People have compared it to IN COLD BLOOD with humor.

Speak in short one sentence answers and don't go on with all the legalese. Talk about the movie as a movie and the effect it will have on the audience from an emotional point of view.

If you continue to be boring, I will hire an actor in New York to pretend that he's Errol Morris. If you have any casting suggestions, I'd appreciate that.

Keep it short and keep selling it because that's what's going to work for you, your career and the film.

Congratulations on all your good reviews. Let's make sure the movie is as successful.

Best Regards,
Harvey Weinstein

Uh-oh, Guys

The Washington Post want to scare the shit out of YOU!

Report says Al-Qaeda still aims to use weapons of mass destruction against U.S.

"When al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, called off a planned chemical attack on New York's subway system in 2003, he offered a chilling explanation: The plot to unleash poison gas on New Yorkers was being dropped for "something better," Zawahiri said in a message intercepted by U.S. eavesdroppers.

"The meaning of Zawahiri's cryptic threat remains unclear more than six years later, but a new report warns that al-Qaeda has not abandoned its goal of attacking the United States with a chemical, biological or even nuclear weapon."

"The commission's initial report in December 2008 warned that a terrorist attack using weapons of mass destruction was likely by 2013."

So, basically, terrorists would still totally be into attacking the United States with a nuclear bombs, if they had them. Got it. And they're probably going to get one by 2012 2013, apparently. I'm sold. And terrified. I mean, if some arbitrarily ranked al-Qaeda operative called off an attack in 2003 for "something better," he was probably talking about some terrifying plan 10 years down the road. Sure. Because you can't have two attacks within 10 years of each other. It's simply not done. Let's up the alert level to red, build some bomb shelters under our apartment buildings, and up the military budget (which Obama is proposing to do by a little over $30 billion, even as he is about to freeze most other forms of government spending). Unless this already looks right to you:

EDIT: In case you cant see the image.

Haitian empowerment must be the prime goal

We the undersigned are outraged by the scandalous delays in getting essential aid to victims of the earthquake in Haiti ('Chaotic and confusing' relief effort is costing lives, aid agencies warn, 19 January). As a result of the US decision to prioritise the accumulation of foreign soldiers over the distribution of emergency supplies, untold numbers of people have died needlessly. We demand that US commanders immediately restore executive control of the relief effort to Haiti's leaders, and to help rather than replace the local officials they claim to support.

Obsessive foreign concerns with "security" and "violence" are refuted by actual levels of patience and solidarity on the streets of Port-au-Prince. In keeping with a long-standing pattern, US and UN officials continue to treat the Haitian people and their representatives with wholly misplaced fear and suspicion. We call on the de facto rulers of Haiti to do everything possible to strengthen the capacity of the Haitian people to respond to this crisis. We demand, consequently, that they allow Haiti's most popular and most inspiring political leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide (whose party won 90% of the parliamentary seats in the country's last round of democratic elections), to return immediately from the unconstitutional exile to which he has been confined since the US, Canada and France helped depose him in 2004.

If reconstruction proceeds under the supervision of foreign troops and international development agencies it will not serve the interests of the vast majority of Haitians. We call on the leaders of the international community to respect Haitian sovereignty and to initiate an immediate reorientation of international aid, away from neoliberal adjustment, sweatshop exploitation and non-governmental charity, and towards systematic investment in Haiti's own government and public institutions. We demand that France pays the colossal amount of money it owes Haiti in full and at once.

Above all, we demand that the reconstruction of Haiti be pursued under the guidance of one overarching objective: the political and economic empowerment of the Haitian people.

Roger Annis (Canada Haiti Action Network), Noam Chomsky (MIT), Brian Concannon Jr (Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti), Berthony Dupont (Editor, Haiti Liberté), Yves Engler (Haiti Action Montreal), Peter Hallward (Middlesex University), Pierre Labossiere (Haiti Action Committee, USA), Kevin Pina (Journalist/film-maker), Jean Saint Vil (Canada Haiti Action Network)

Come Tuesday, Rush Your Local Record Store

This Tuesday, lots and lots of quality grooves inscribed in wax will be freshly placed on the shelves of your local record store. They will still be warm, probably. With all the stuff coming out, I feel fairly confident that there is something for everyone to get excited about. So, I decided to compile here a list of some of those records, so that you can all get stoked. Some of these I have heard, some I haven't yet, and some I never will. Those I have heard I will briefly summarize, vibe-wise, and those I haven't heard will be accompanied by brief imaginary/speculative descriptions.

Beach House - Teen Dream

Part 3 in what will eventually be revealed, after their long and critically acclaimed career in which they will have ostensibly released many albums, to in fact be the longest single album ever written and recorded. Everyone will revisit the massive work as a whole and be astounded by the cohesiveness of it, left wondering how they could have missed it. Music critics everywhere will be frantically deleting and/or revising old reviews.

Four Tet - There Is Love In You

Will one of these tracks show up in the next James Bond movie?? The suspense is killing me.

J. Tillman - Wild Honey/Black Barge 7"

Two new tracks from the drummer of Fleet Foxes, Seattle resident, and person with whom I have been said to share a physical likeness too many goddamn times. Stripped down, rustic folk music that will have hipster girls everywhere straight up flipping their shit. This little 7" that could will hopefully go on to sell a million copies so that I can continue to get laid when I tell girls at bars that I am, in fact, this dude.

Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring

Honestly cannot say enough good things about this one. This band is almost constantly on the verge of devolving into a chaotic clusterfuck of auditory diarrhea, but they somehow manage to pull off this very impressive balancing act between chaos and catchiness, often with shockingly beautiful results. A fantastic band at the top of their game.

Magnetic Fields - Realism

The Magnetic Fields get really into the banjo and good old fashioned old-timey music, really stoned, and decide to make an album featuring a track called "We Are Having A Hootenanny." Much of the album appears catered towards these eponymous "hootenannyers." Still, there are some gems here. I mean, it's the Magnetic Fields, duh.

Retribution Gospel Choir - 2

The guy from Low and friends make a record that resembles a homage to the perceived genius of Kenny Loggins and wait patiently for Top Gun 2: Next Class. If you are a huge Low fan, like myself, there's something for you here, but don't get your hopes up. If not a Low fan, avoid this record like the swine flu. This album does, however, have incredibly beautiful cover art. So go check it out at the record store anyways, and maybe buy it as a good aesthetic addition to your collection.

Spoon - Transference

Spoon continues to sound like the coolest band on the planet.

Volcano I'm Still Excited - Volcano I'm Still Exctied (Vinyl Reissue)

Great opportunity to revisit an old friend. If you haven't heard these guys before, they sound like what Weezer might sound like if they were more interested in writing good music than cashing gigantic checks and pretending to be friends with Lil' Wayne.

So there you have it peeps. Commence stealing money out of your mom's purse now.

"Neo-Imperial Intervention"

Also, a rather lengthy interview with Haiti's first democratically elected (and twice ousted) president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, conducted by Peter Hallward:

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n04/peter-hallward/an-interview-with-jean-bertrand-aristide

Why The Internet Exists

Apparently being an internet creeper is cool again!

See for yourself!

Chat Roulette is a website where you can video chat with complete strangers, no need to sign up, just click 'Yes' and have at it!

and, for those who are not quite ready for the full audio-visual experience, Omegle is a site where you can chat with random folk.

Have fun!

WE SHOULD THINK OF A NEW NAME FOR OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM

democracy it ain't

"By a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court on Thursday rolled back restrictions on corporate spending on federal campaigns. The decision could unleash a torrent of corporate-funded attack ads in upcoming elections.

"Because speech is an essential mechanism of democracy -- it is the means to hold officials accountable to the people -- political speech must prevail against laws that would suppress it by design or inadvertence," wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy for the majority.

In his dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens accused the majority of judicial activism and attacked the use of corporate personhood in the case: "The conceit that corporations must be treated identically to natural persons in the political sphere is not only inaccurate but also inadequate to justify the Court's disposition of this case."

Republicans offered measured praise for the decision, but progressive good-government groups and Democrats responded angrily and vowed to fight back with legislation.

"With its ruling today, the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics," said President Obama in a statement. "It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans... That's why I am instructing my Administration to get to work immediately with Congress on this issue. We are going to talk with bipartisan Congressional leaders to develop a forceful response to this decision."

Democracy 21's Fred Wertheimer, for years a leading advocate of campaign finance reform, called the decision a "disaster for the American people and a dark day for the Supreme Court."

Hidden Door Or: I Would Never Come Out of the Dungeon

Elegant... Breathtaking... Explore the Possibilities...

Even the thought of a hidden door evokes intrigue and prestige. Charles Dickens had one. So does the White House. And where would Batman be without his? But secret doors are not just of novelty and mystery. They're also infinitely practical. Thanks to The Hidden Door Company, you can add a hidden door to your own home.

Our craftsmen build every Hidden Door to the specific detailed requirements of each job. You choose the style, wood, and location and we do the rest—customizing each set of drawings to compliment your home. With your good taste and our expertise, you can be sure your doorway will be built to last.

The following numbers correspond to the points marked on the photographs:

1 - Tarpaulin tents cover the toilet area in the cordoned off section of garden in Antioch, California.

2 - The outdoor shower reportedly used by the three girls.

3 - A ramshackle wooden structure is thought to have been used for storage.

4 - A plastic swimming pool sits empty of water and covered in leaves.

5 - A children's yellow slide.

6 - A teddy bear lies on a trampoline.

7 - A fence separates the secret compound from rest of the garden.

8 - This white shed was reportedly sound-proofed.

9 - Another shed makes up what is believed to be the cramped sleeping area for Jaycee and her daughters.

10 - Trees prevent neighbours from seeing into this part of Garrido's garden.

11 - Some of the tents and sheds are visible from this side of the property.

COMMON REACTIONS TO BEING KIDNAPPED:

"Sometimes I dreamt of chopping his head off, if I had an axe," she said. "You see how the brain works when it's looking for a solution. I kept thinking, I surely was not born to let myself be locked up and have my life ruined."

"I am a great lover of freedom," she said. "I am thoroughly drunk with the thought of freedom."

Keep In Mind

What You Missed Last Friday

An old fave:


And a new jam about Kellz:



Mike Rogers said no more self-promotion. SRY

I Made a Boo-Boo

I told you to go to myspace.com/darcmeriso for new songs, and I LIED. I accidentally posted two old versions of songs.

But it's better now. So please, take a listen.

What Quality Investigative Journalism Looks Like

Scott Horton wrote a piece, which will appear as the cover story of the upcoming issue of Harper's, that is a truly remarkable work of journalism. In it, he sheds light on the supposed suicides of three prisoners at Guantanamo Bay back in 2006. He talks to officers who worked at the camp, family members of the deceased, military officials, lawyers and many more to weave an incredible and frightening narrative of government deception in the wake of three mysterious deaths at one of the most notoriously mysterious sites in the world.

Harper's is making it available for free on their website. Find it here.

A lot of serious concerns jump out of this piece, but I'm interested in a couple in particular. One is the point brought up here to subtly make the case for pursuing criminal investigations that reach all the way up the chain of command. This case is made when Horton quotes a retired Admiral as saying, "If the heart of the military is obeying orders down the chain of command, then its soul is accountability up the chain. You can't demand the former without the latter." One reason cases (or often even investigations) pursuing the possible criminality of the actions of soldiers at facilities such as Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib is because of a fear that once a case begins, the complex chain of orders and decisions that results in a person being tortured would be brought to the public eye, and that once this happened ultimate accountability would be demanded, which certainly doesn't belong to the private who waterboarded Abu Zubaydah all those times, for example. We know in certain cases it would, in fact, reach all the way up to Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, if not George W. Bush. The logic here, bought into by Barack Obama, is that an investigation of this kind would do nobody any good, and would serve only to damage our country's standing in the world and the government's in the eyes of its people. I, for one, disagree strongly with this statement. The belief that the rest of the world would be outraged at the discovery of our human rights violations is a particularly comical one, since they are already far less of a secret abroad than at home. The belief that United States citizens would be outraged is harder to deal with, since I am continually surprised at the amazing capacity for willful ignorance shown by the majority of the citizens of this country. My guess is that some of the fundamentalist conservatives would not be at all disturbed with the fact that the president himself authorized the use of illegal torture techniques on innocent men and women and would continue to regurgitate, mantra-like, that it was in the interest of our national security. Still, a trial that implicated, even if it eventually exonerated, key members of the Executive branch would be a moment of supreme vindication for those who have been brutally affected by the barbaric human rights violations of the Bush Administration, as well as anyone who beheld the first eight years of this century with a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness. If Obama truly wants to give the American people hope, this would be a great place to start; purging the sins of the past so that we can finally take a step forward. But as Guantanamo, and all it stands for, remains open after the expiration of Obama's promise to close it, and moving on seems less and less likely, I'm certainly not feeling hopeful.

Secondly, Horton does well to add some big-picture perspective to the discussion regarding torture with the last paragraph of the piece, in which he quotes the father of one of the murdered inmates as saying: "The truth is what matters. They practiced every form of torture on my son and on many others as well. What was the result? What facts did they find? They found nothing. They learned nothing. They accomplished nothing."

On a lighter note, does anyone remember how awesome Pelican used to be?

TUNE IN

Alton Brown just said, "America, what ever happened to cake?"

The cupcake episode just aired and now the pound cake episode of Good Eats is on now.

WE WILL BUILD A NEW CHICAGO ON THE FRESH RUBBLE

This has a bit to do with the Naomi Klein statements posted by Andy a couple of days ago. Interesting coming from the mouth of a government official.

"The international effort to deliver humanitarian aid to the victims of last week's Port-au-Prince earthquake was hit by bickering today as a French government minister accused the Americans of trying to occupy Haiti instead of helping it.

Thousands of American soldiers have poured in to Port-au-Prince airport since President Obama announced that he was ordering a "swift and aggressive" campaign to help millions of Haitians left homeless by last week's 7.0 magnitude earthquake.

Six days after the quake, however, precious little aid is getting beyond the airport perimeters - largely because of security concerns - and aid agencies with long experience of operating in disaster zones have complained that their flights in are being blocked unnecessarily.

Among the aircraft turned back by American air traffic controllers who have assumed control at Port-au-Prince airport was a French government Airbus carrying a field hospital.

The plane was able to land the following day but the decision to turn it back prompted an official complaint from Alain Joyandet, the French Minister for Co-operation who is overseeing the French aid effort.

Speaking to Europe 1 radio from an EU ministerial meeting in Brussels this morning, Mr Joyandet said that the UN would have to clarify the role of the US in the Haitian aid effort. "It's a matter of helping Haiti, not occupying Haiti," he said."

New Darc Meriso Jams

www.myspace.com/darcmeriso

George helped me record new versions of a Justin Timberlake cover (featuring Anna Wolfe-Pauly) and a Cody Chesnutt cover.
Also, there is an original called "You Got Me Singin" (featuring T Slim Taylor D) that I recorded at home.

NIRVANA MONDAY

The late Jay Reatard covering "Frances Farmer WIll Have Her Revenge On Seattle."

Jay Reatard – Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle

(via jayreatard.com)

Also, in a move that somehow slipped by me/the world, Courtney Love deleted her twitter account. So in case you didn't know, that is the source of the deep existential Void you have been feeling opening up around you these past few months.

RIPs all around.

Windows

If you throw things out of your windows, you will get in trouble.
Even if you don't throw things out of your windows you'll get in trouble.
In short, please watch this educational video:

PAT ROBERTSON SAYS A LOT OF DUMB STUFF

"Pat Robertson's dumbest quotes of all time"



10. "Lord, give us righteous judges who will not try to legislate and dominate this society. Take control, Lord! We ask for additional vacancies on the court." –Pat Robertson

9. "Just like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to the evangelical Christians. It's no different. It is the same thing. It is happening all over again. It is the Democratic Congress, the liberal-based media and the homosexuals who want to destroy the Christians. Wholesale abuse and discrimination and the worst bigotry directed toward any group in America today. More terrible than anything suffered by any minority in history." –Pat Robertson

8. "I would warn Orlando that you're right in the way of some serious hurricanes, and I don't think I'd be waving those flags in God's face if I were you, This is not a message of hate -- this is a message of redemption. But a condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It'll bring about terrorist bombs; it'll bring earthquakes, tornadoes, and possibly a meteor." –Pat Robertson, on "gay days" at Disneyworld

7. "(T)he feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." –Pat Robertson

6. "I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period." –Pat Robertson

5. "I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected him from your city. And don't wonder why he hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for his help because he might not be there." --Pat Robertson, after the city of Dover, Pennsylvania voted to boot the current school board, which instituted an intelligent design policy that led to a federal trial

4. "God considers this land to be his. You read the Bible and he says 'This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, 'No, this is mine.' ... He was dividing God's land. And I would say, 'Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the E.U., the United Nations, or the United States of America.' God says, 'This land belongs to me. You better leave it alone.'" --Pat Robertson, on why Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke

3. "Maybe we need a very small nuke thrown off on Foggy Bottom to shake things up" –Pat Robertson, on nuking the State Department

2. "You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with." –Pat Robertson, calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

1. "It may be a blessing in disguise. ... Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. Haitians were originally under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon the third, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you will get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal. Ever since they have been cursed by one thing after the other." –Pat Robertson, on the earthquake in Haiti that destroyed the capital and killed tens of thousands of people, Jan. 13, 2010

SO MUCH DUMB STUFF THAT EVEN THE DEVIL WAS OFFENDED



"Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action.

But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished.

Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"?

If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox -- that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it -- I'm just saying: Not how I roll.

You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings -- just, come on, you're making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best, Satan"

like you're superman

Jimmy Kimmel, Everyone

From last night's Jay Leno Show, on which Jimmy Kimmel appeared to answer 10 questions for the show's 10@10 segment. Just watch:

That charred mass in Nic Cage's hands was Jay Leno, after the merciless burning administered in the above video by Saint Jimmy Kimmel. Jay Leno is the fucking worst.

In related news, Conan put the Tonight Show up on craigslist. Because he's hilarious like that. Also, if you haven't read Conan's take on this whole situation, go here now.

Update: Conan has just been made an unbelievable offer!

floating

Expediate your shift! complete conscious awareness awaits!
offered are pyramid plans/custom pyramids that utilize the pi ratio- thus creating a metaphysical vortex of limitless potential!

www.precisionpyramids.com

Peter Hallward on Haiti

The noble "international community" which is currently scrambling to send its "humanitarian aid" to Haiti is largely responsible for the extent of the suffering it now aims to reduce. Ever since the US invaded and occupied the country in 1915, every serious political attempt to allow Haiti's people to move (in former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide's phrase) "from absolute misery to a dignified poverty" has been violently and deliberately blocked by the US government and some of its allies.

Aristide's own government (elected by some 75% of the electorate) was the latest victim of such interference, when it was overthrown by an internationally sponsored coup in 2004 that killed several thousand people and left much of the population smouldering in resentment. The UN has subsequently maintained a large and enormously expensive stabilisation and pacification force in the country.

Haiti is now a country where, according to the best available study, around 75% of the population "lives on less than $2 per day, and 56% – four and a half million people – live on less than $1 per day". Decades of neoliberal "adjustment" and neo-imperial intervention have robbed its government of any significant capacity to invest in its people or to regulate its economy. Punitive international trade and financial arrangements ensure that such destitution and impotence will remain a structural fact of Haitian life for the foreseeable future.

It is this poverty and powerlessness that account for the full scale of the horror in Port-au-Prince today. Since the late 1970s, relentless neoliberal assault on Haiti's agrarian economy has forced tens of thousands of small farmers into overcrowded urban slums. Although there are no reliable statistics, hundreds of thousands of Port-au-Prince residents now live in desperately sub-standard informal housing, often perched precariously on the side of deforested ravines. The selection of the people living in such places and conditions is itself no more "natural" or accidental than the extent of the injuries they have suffered.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/13/our-role-in-haitis-plight

OUCH

Haiti Disaster Capitalism Alert: Stop Them Before They Shock Again

By Naomi Klein - January 13th, 2010

Readers of the The Shock Doctrine know that the Heritage Foundation has been one of the leading advocates of exploiting disasters to push through their unpopular pro-corporate policies. From this document, they're at it again, not even waiting one day to use the devastating earthquake in Haiti to push for their so-called reforms. The following quote was hastily yanked by the Heritage Foundation and replaced with a more diplomatic quote, but their first instinct is revealing:

"In addition to providing immediate humanitarian assistance, the U.S. response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti earthquake offers opportunities to re-shape Haiti’s long-dysfunctional government and economy as well as to improve the public image of the United States in the region."

Can't Stop Partying: A Cover

Can't Stop Partying

featuring ryan mattos, jeff striker and will mclaren

BOXDUMP

BOXBOXBOX

The Conservative Case For Gay Marriage

Woah, a Republican just wrote the strongest case for gay marriage I have ever read. It is logical and full of empathy. The Republican in question is Ted Olson, a lawyer part of the group trying to get California to overturn Proposition 8, which stripped gay Californians of their briefly won right to wed. I will post some excepts here, but you really should read the entire article, published in Newsweek, here. It is seriously some of the most powerful stuff I have ever read.

"What, then, are the justifications for California's decision in Proposition 8 to withdraw access to the institution of marriage for some of its citizens on the basis of their sexual orientation? The reasons I have heard are not very persuasive.

"The explanation mentioned most often is tradition. But simply because something has always been done a certain way does not mean that it must always remain that way. Otherwise we would still have segregated schools and debtors' prisons. Gays and lesbians have always been among us, forming a part of our society, and they have lived as couples in our neighborhoods and communities. For a long time, they have experienced discrimination and even persecution; but we, as a society, are starting to become more tolerant, accepting, and understanding. California and many other states have allowed gays and lesbians to form domestic partnerships (or civil unions) with most of the rights of married heterosexuals. Thus, gay and lesbian individuals are now permitted to live together in state-sanctioned relationships. It therefore seems anomalous to cite "tradition" as a justification for withholding the status of marriage and thus to continue to label those relationships as less worthy, less sanctioned, or less legitimate.

"The second argument I often hear is that traditional marriage furthers the state's interest in procreation—and that opening marriage to same-sex couples would dilute, diminish, and devalue this goal. But that is plainly not the case. Preventing lesbians and gays from marrying does not cause more heterosexuals to marry and conceive more children. Likewise, allowing gays and lesbians to marry someone of the same sex will not discourage heterosexuals from marrying a person of the opposite sex. How, then, would allowing same-sex marriages reduce the number of children that heterosexual couples conceive?

"This procreation argument cannot be taken seriously. We do not inquire whether heterosexual couples intend to bear children, or have the capacity to have children, before we allow them to marry. We permit marriage by the elderly, by prison inmates, and by persons who have no intention of having children. What's more, it is pernicious to think marriage should be limited to heterosexuals because of the state's desire to promote procreation. We would surely not accept as constitutional a ban on marriage if a state were to decide, as China has done, to discourage procreation.

"Another argument, vaguer and even less persuasive, is that gay marriage somehow does harm to heterosexual marriage. I have yet to meet anyone who can explain to me what this means. In what way would allowing same-sex partners to marry diminish the marriages of heterosexual couples? Tellingly, when the judge in our case asked our opponent to identify the ways in which same-sex marriage would harm heterosexual marriage, to his credit he answered honestly: he could not think of any.

"The simple fact is that there is no good reason why we should deny marriage to same-sex partners. On the other hand, there are many reasons why we should formally recognize these relationships and embrace the rights of gays and lesbians to marry and become full and equal members of our society.

"No matter what you think of homosexuality, it is a fact that gays and lesbians are members of our families, clubs, and workplaces. They are our doctors, our teachers, our soldiers (whether we admit it or not), and our friends. They yearn for acceptance, stable relationships, and success in their lives, just like the rest of us.

"Conservatives and liberals alike need to come together on principles that surely unite us. Certainly, we can agree on the value of strong families, lasting domestic relationships, and communities populated by persons with recognized and sanctioned bonds to one another. Confining some of our neighbors and friends who share these same values to an outlaw or second-class status undermines their sense of belonging and weakens their ties with the rest of us and what should be our common aspirations. Even those whose religious convictions preclude endorsement of what they may perceive as an unacceptable "lifestyle" should recognize that disapproval should not warrant stigmatization and unequal treatment.

"When we refuse to accord this status to gays and lesbians, we discourage them from forming the same relationships we encourage for others. And we are also telling them, those who love them, and society as a whole that their relationships are less worthy, less legitimate, less permanent, and less valued. We demean their relationships and we demean them as individuals. I cannot imagine how we benefit as a society by doing so."

"Some have suggested that we have brought this case too soon, and that neither the country nor the courts are "ready" to tackle this issue and remove this stigma. We disagree. We represent real clients—two wonderful couples in California who have longtime relationships. Our lesbian clients are raising four fine children who could not ask for better parents. Our clients wish to be married. They believe that they have that constitutional right. They wish to be represented in court to seek vindication of that right by mounting a challenge under the United States Constitution to the validity of Proposition 8 under the equal-protection and due-process clauses of the 14th Amendment. In fact, the California attorney general has conceded the unconstitutionality of Proposition 8, and the city of San Francisco has joined our case to defend the rights of gays and lesbians to be married. We do not tell persons who have a legitimate claim to wait until the time is "right" and the populace is "ready" to recognize their equality and equal dignity under the law."

Edit: Tomorrow is the final day of the trial, after which the Supreme Court of the state of California will hand down their ruling. I'll post the result here in case you're all too lazy to look it up yourselves. Below I'm posting a excerpt from an article on why the trial should be broadcast on YouTube (which would be a first). The judges stayed a ruling that would have accomplished just that on Monday. This would be absolutely huge if it happened, since 99.9% of Americans never know what happens in the courtroom when monumental decisions such as these are made.

"Gay marriage supporters enthusiastically welcomed the chance to let the American people in on their story. But because the Supreme Court stayed the broadcast, only a handful of us here in the courtroom heard the plaintiffs, one gay and one lesbian couple who want to marry, describe their lives yesterday. Only a handful of people witnessed plaintiff Paul Katami, a gay man in his 30s, visibly choke up when he told the court, "There’s no way you can know how it feels until you go through it. I'm a proud man." And if the stay is not lifted, only a handful of people will watch as expert witnesses describe the history of hatred toward gay people and the psychological impact of being segregated from the marriage institution. Only a handful will watch defendants' experts explain the religious or cultural taboos against gay marriage or the harm it will do, particularly (according to one expert slated to appear) to African-Americans. Only a few will hear two superb teams of lawyers argue whether or not the Constitution, the basic law of the United States, requires the court to strike down Proposition 8, limiting marriage to the heterosexual majority. These issues cut deep: Does a condition have to be immutable, like race, to entitle its bearers to protection as a "minority" under the Constitution? How good do the state's reasons have to be when it draws a line between the majority and a historically disfavored group?"

Image Ethics?

A break from non sequiturs!

From Errol Morris' NYTimes blog:

"There’s a famous photograph taken by an FSA [Farm Service Administration] photographer, Arthur Rothstein, of a cow’s skull. He was accused of moving the cow skull in order to make more effective propaganda for the Roosevelt administration. These issues have been with us, probably, since the beginning of photography. They weren’t invented in the Lebanon war. I thought that you hit on it: Are we saying that there’s no damage done to these apartment buildings? That no children were killed? Even in the clearly Photoshopped image of the smoke over Beirut? Are we saying that Beirut was never hit by a bomb? That there were no apartment buildings leveled by Israeli drones? Is the crime posing? Or is the crime creating an image — even if it was produced ethically — that leads the viewer to a controversial conclusion. A photographer makes the decision to take a picture with a Mickey Mouse toy in the foreground. Is that a crime? Is it a crime if he found the toy and didn’t place it? Is it unacceptable because it suggests that children were killed?"

"There is a selection process. And where there’s war, there’s controversy. "

(read and reap, there's also a part II)

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/it-was-all-started-by-a-mouse-part-1/

Super Charged

For all you cakers who have little to no football knowledge, let me put what I'm about to say in simple terms: there are 16 games in the NFL regular season. The San Diego Chargers started 2-3 and then won all 0f the 11 remaining games in a row, leaving them 13-3. This is what we call a winning streak, a hot team, a GREAT team.

It's been a fantastic adventure; quarterback Philip Rivers and his offense have been nothing short of amazing. He has clearly established himself as one of the elite passers in the league this year, just check the stats. His performance has given us the opportunity to face the New York Jets this Sunday in the Divisional Playoff this Sunday. Our offensive weapons will prove to be too much for the Jets' defense. Mark my words: The San Diego Chargers' Super Bowl run is about to unfold before us...

tomahawk)'s prediction: Chargers: 27 Jets: 17

...and who doesn't like LT?

Attention All Other Bands Reuniting In 2010: You Been Trumped

Swans FTW. That's right, everyone's favorite Gothic/Industrial pioneers and trendsetters are back. Get ready to have your ears straight up assaulted (in the best possible way) by the Great Annihilators themselves. The band is reuniting for "tour(s)" and for the recording of a brand new album. Love that parenthetical s. I literally could not be more excited for this.

If you haven't heard Swans:

1. On what planet do you spend most of your time?

2. Why is there no Swans there?

3. Go here right now.

Michael Gira's other, much less rocking but still very good, folky kinda project, Angels of Light, is officially on hiatus. No biggie.

Here's a little taste if you're low on hard drive space or not willing to take my word for it. But you should really make room even if you have no space at all. Just delete the new Grizzly Bear.

Just ignore the annoying title cards on this one. Also, this track is not on the album I linked.

It is on another Swans album, titled White Light From The Mouth of Infinity.

In case you wanna hear the whole song, which weirdly isn't on YouTube.

Edit: Michael Gira, the band leader of Swans, runs a record label through which he releases his work and the work

of other amazing acts such as Akron/Family, Larkin Grimm, James Blackshaw, and others. It is a small label,

putting out the work of great artists who nonetheless don't make a lot of money. It was a slip of judgement to post

a link to an illegal version of the Swans album on this site. You should all buy it because it is a fantastic album, and

because Young God is not "The Man,"and deserves and needs your money if they are to continue putting out great

albums by great bands.

Love, Wolfgar

Aw, That's Sad

Additionally, to no one's surprise, she is reportedly becoming a contributor for Fox News in some as-yet unspecified capacity. I mean, that's absolutely where she belongs, so good for her for realizing that. I'm sure it was a tough call between that and taking over Larry King's show. Which was also offered to her, probably. It's a good call until 2012 at least, when she will be elected president just before the coming apocalypse, of which her election will be a harbinger. I can't fucking wait.

Pierre Boulez in NY Times

“If you want to have a more interesting life, you will make some effort. It’s about the organization of one’s life. I am still shocked that so many people are not more creative, by which I mean more demanding of themselves.

“The main question we need to ask ourselves is: Do I try to be necessary to the evolution of language? Do I try to be original? And being original means using the tools necessary to be original, not just having the desire to be original.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/arts/music/10boulez.html?sq=pierre%20boulez&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=all

Somewhat Related

Today was the 9th Annual "No Pants Subway Ride," kick started by Improv Everywhere. It happens in cities all over the world. Here is what it looks like:

Did anyone see them/participate?

Grab-n-Go Espresso: Stimulation For Your Mind And Your Dick

What's up in Everett, WA, you ask? More than you might think. Police recently busted a coffee stand for *ahem* inappropriate attire *ahem* that served as a double shot straight to the cock. The stand was operated by scantily clad women who stripped while they served their customers their morning pick-me-up.

All right, no more puns, I promise.

Police recently busted it up, so save the money you were about to drop on last-minute airfare, pervs. What makes this story noteworthy, however, is that in order to prove what was going on was in fact going on, the police had to provide evidence (duh), in this case in the form of photographs. Well, these photographs were released to the Everett Herald. They didn't print them, for obvious reasons, but some blogs have, for equally obvious reasons.

Also, there are a lot of these photos. Like, really, a lot. And some of them are really fucking disgusting.

And here is the really funny/bummer part: cops were being paid by taxpayers to repeatedly visit and photograph the women at this strip cafe. I bet that really got their sirens going (Sorry)! So below you will find just one example of the great investigative police work these fine men did. Just to get an idea, because this is not a porn blog, nor is it 4chan (if you see a difference).

Super NSFW, obviously:

On a related note, has anyone else noticed how much pseudo-porn Huffington Post posts? And also how it's almost always in their top viewed section? Weird, right?

Oh, there's also this.

Officials Obscured Truth of Migrant Deaths in Jail

[...] As one man lay dying of head injuries suffered in a New Jersey immigration jail in 2007, for example, a spokesman for the federal agency told The Times that he could learn nothing about the case from government authorities. In fact, the records show, the spokesman had alerted those officials to the reporter’s inquiry, and they conferred at length about sending the man back to Africa to avoid embarrassing publicity.

[...]

In February 2007, in the case of the dying African man, the immigration agency’s spokesman for the Northeast, Michael Gilhooly, rebuffed a Times reporter’s questions about the detainee, who had suffered a skull fracture at the privately run Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey. Mr. Gilhooly said that without a full name and alien registration number for the man, he could not check on the case.

But, records show, he had already filed a report warning top managers at the federal agency about the reporter’s interest and sharing information about the injured man, a Guinean tailor named Boubacar Bah. Mr. Bah, 52, had been left in an isolation cell without treatment for more than 13 hours before an ambulance was called.

While he lay in the hospital in a coma after emergency brain surgery, 10 agency managers in Washington and Newark conferred by telephone and e-mail about how to avoid the cost of his care and the likelihood of “increased scrutiny and/or media exposure,” according to a memo summarizing the discussion.

One option they explored was sending the dying man to Guinea, despite an e-mail message from the supervising deportation officer, who wrote, “I don’t condone removal in his present state as he has a catheter” and was unconscious. Another idea was renewing Mr. Bah’s canceled work permit in hopes of tapping into Medicaid or disability benefits.

Eventually, faced with paying $10,000 a month for nursing home care, officials settled on a third course: “humanitarian release” to cousins in New York who had protested that they had no way to care for him. But days before the planned release, Mr. Bah died.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/us/10detain.html?hp

Bonus Season

Despite calls for restraint from Washington and a chafed public, resurgent banks are preparing to pay out bonuses that rival those of the boom years. The haul, in cash and stock, will run into many billions of dollars.

Industry executives acknowledge that the numbers being tossed around — six-, seven- and even eight-figure sums for some chief executives and top producers — will probably stun the many Americans still hurting from the financial collapse and ensuing Great Recession.

Goldman Sachs is expected to pay its employees an average of about $595,000 apiece for 2009, one of the most profitable years in its 141-year history. Workers in the investment bank of JPMorgan Chase stand to collect about $463,000 on average.

Many executives are bracing for more scrutiny of pay from Washington, as well as from officials like Andrew M. Cuomo, the attorney general of New York, who last year demanded that banks disclose details about their bonus payments. Some bankers worry that the United States, like Britain, might create an extra tax on bank bonuses, and Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, is proposing legislation to do so.

Those worries aside, few banks are taking immediate steps to reduce bonuses substantially. Instead, Wall Street is confronting a dilemma of riches: How to wrap its eye-popping paychecks in a mantle of moderation. Because of the potential blowback, some major banks are adjusting their pay practices, paring or even eliminating some cash bonuses in favor of stock awards and reducing the portion of their revenue earmarked for pay.

[...]

Though Wall Street bankers and traders earn six-figure base salaries, they generally receive most of their pay as a bonus based on the previous year’s performance. While average bonuses are expected to hover around half a million dollars, they will not be evenly distributed. Senior banking executives and top Wall Street producers expect to reap millions. Last year, the big winners were bond and currency traders, as well as investment bankers specializing in health care.

Even some industry veterans warn that such paydays could further tarnish the financial industry’s sullied reputation. John S. Reed, a founder of Citigroup, said Wall Street would not fully regain the public’s trust until banks scaled back bonuses for good — something that, to many, seems a distant prospect.

“There is nothing I’ve seen that gives me the slightest feeling that these people have learned anything from the crisis,” Mr. Reed said. “They just don’t get it. They are off in a different world.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/business/10pay.html?hp

Let's take a minute to mourn the brave "nah brah" voters who perished in this weekend's tragic landslide victory.

Let's start a campaign to get Amy Goodman's column in the SD Union-Tribune

Sick With Terror

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/sick_with_terror_20100105/

Posted on Jan 5, 2010

By Amy Goodman

The media have been swamped with reports about the attempt to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day. When Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, now dubbed the “underwear bomber,” failed in his alleged attack, close to 300 people were spared what would have been, most likely, a horrible, violent end. Since that airborne incident, the debates about terrorism and how best to protect the American people have been reignited.

Meanwhile, a killer that has stalked the U.S. public, claiming, by recent estimates, 45,000 lives annually—one dead American about every 10 minutes—goes unchecked. That’s 3,750 people dead—more than the 9/11 attacks—every month who could be saved with the stroke of a pen.

This killer is the lack of adequate health care in the United States. Researchers from Harvard Medical School found in late 2009 that 45,000 people die unnecessarily every year due to lack of health insurance. Researchers also uncovered another stunning fact: In 2008, four times as many U.S. Army veterans died because they lacked health insurance than the total number of U.S. soldiers who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the same period. That’s right: 2,266 veterans under the age of 65 died because they were uninsured.

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama was fiery when he made his public statement after meeting with his national security team about the airline breach: In seeking to thwart plans to kill Americans “we face a challenge of the utmost urgency,” he said. He talked about reviewing systemic failures and declared we must “save innocent lives, not just most of the time, but all of the time.”

This is all very admirable. Imagine if this same urgency was applied to a broken system that causes 45,000 unnecessary deaths per year. Since stimulus funds will now be directed to supply more scanning equipment at airports, what about spending money to ensure mammograms and prostate exams at community health centers?

And then there’s the investigation of who is responsible for the attempted Christmas Day attack and getting “actionable intelligence” from the alleged bomber to prevent future attacks. All good.

We actually have “actionable intelligence” on why people die due to lack of health care, and how insurance companies actively deny people coverage to increase their profits, but what has been done about it?

The day before the underwear bomb incident, Christmas Eve, the U.S. Senate passed The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by a vote of 60 to 39. Obama described the bill as “the most important piece of social legislation since the Social Security Act passed in the 1930s.” Yet in order to get to that magic number of 60 Senate votes, the already weak Senate bill had to be brought to its knees by the likes of Sen. Joe Lieberman, from the health insurance state of Connecticut, and conservative Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska. The Senate and House versions of health insurance reform now have to be reconciled in conference committee.

The conference committee process is one that is little understood in the U.S. In it major changes to legislation are often imposed, with little or no notice. That’s why C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb sent a letter to congressional leaders Dec. 30 requesting access to televise the process. He wrote, “[W]e respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American.” Rather than simply grant access, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asserted that “there has never been a more open process.”

Yet Pelosi and the Democrats are now saying that the bills won’t even go through a formal conference committee, but rather through informal, closed-door sessions with key committee chairs. While this would circumvent Republican opportunities to filibuster, it would also grant a very few individuals enormous power to cut deals in much the same way that Sens. Nelson and Lieberman did. Since the health insurance, medical equipment and pharmaceutical industries spent close to $1.4 million per day to influence the health care debate, we have to ask: Who will have access to those few legislators behind those closed doors?

Wendell Potter, the former CIGNA insurance spokesperson turned whistle-blower, says he knows “where the bodies are buried.” Let’s be consistent. If we care about saving American lives, let’s take action now.

TOTAL SATISFACTION, KID

And on the L train in the morning, I was totally sure I saw Will Oldham,
He was wearin' the same big sunglasses he had on stage at the bowery ballroom
And since I was feeling in need of answers I just went right up and asked him, I said,
Will Bonnie Prince, Palace or whatever 'What do you think about it?
Is it worth being an artist or an indie-rock star, or are you better off without it?'
Cause I mean maybe the world would be better if we were all just uncreative drones,
No dead childhood dreams to haunt us, a decent job, a decent home,
And if we have some extra time we could do real things to promote peace
Become scientists or history teachers or un-corrupt police at least



Today I went to Major Matt's to remaster my old album
And on the L train in the morning, I was pretty sure I saw Will Oldham,
He was wearin' the same sunglasses he had on stage at the Bowery Ballroom
Had he come to walk among the Williamsburgers of his kingdom
And like the burghers of Calais will a sacrifice be demanded?
To offer up our dreams and beg for mercy empty-handed?
And hapless in our hipness crowded 5 to an appartment
Relegate our dreams to hobbies and deny our disappointment
Cause The Stones in '65 want total satisfaction, kid
But The Stones in '69 see grace in just getting what you need
But if that's a victory then I'd hate to see what I'd look like defeated
Cause I know there are those among us who seem to get their dreams unimpeded
Today I went to Major Matt's to remaster my old album
And on the L train in the morning, i was really sure i saw Will Oldham,
He was wearin' the same sunglasses he had on stage at the Bowery Ballroom
Had he come to walk among the Williamsburgers of his kingdom
And you might say now there's a guy who seems to have their world laid out before him
Or you might say, he's just a rich kid or a fascist or a charlatan
But either way you say it if you look at indie-rock culture you really can't ignore him
And even if at first dismissive, after some listens you'll enjoy him
I was thinking this on the L train, intend on bursting my own bubble
How long should an artist struggle before it isn't worth the hassle?
And admit we aren't fit to be the one inside the castle
This quest for greatness or, at least hipness, just a scam
And too much trouble but then what makes on human being worthy of an easy ride
Born to be a natural artist you love or hate but can't deny
While us minions in our millions tumble into history's chasm
We might have a couple of laughs but we're still wastes of protoplasm
Today I was gonna waste some time and money to remaster some dumb old album
And on the L train in the morning, i was really sure I saw Will Oldham,
He was wearin' the same big sunglasses he had on stage at the Bowery Ballroom
Had he come to see the strife here in the gutters of his kingdom?
Where us noble starving artists are striving to feed our ego
Our mothers like our music our our friends come to our shows
And if our friends become successful, we'll consider them our foes
Go home to our 4 roomates after payin' big bucks for rockstars shows
What a nightmare! what a horror! i don't want no part of this
Get me off this crazy ride,
I'm gonna puke, I'm gonna piss! I'd rather kill myself,
I'd rather just relax or not exist
But you say you wanna do an e-mail interview? Oh what the heck, I can't resist!
'Hey, 'ma, guess what today, I did another magazine interview!
Honey, that's great, you're really famous!!' Yeah and I'm 27 too!
I kinda thought I was gonna grow up to do stuff that would benefit humanity
But it's getting harder to tell if this artist's life is even benefitting me
Cause I was gonna waste some time and money today to remaster some dumb old album
And on the L train in the morning, I was totally sure I saw Will Oldham,
He was wearin' the same big sunglasses he had on stage at the bowery ballroom
And since I was feeling in need of answers I just went right up and asked him, I said,
Will Bonnie Prince, Palace or whatever 'What do you think about it?
Is it worth being an artist or an indie-rock star, or are you better off without it?'
Cause I mean maybe the world would be better if we were all just uncreative drones,
No dead child, hood dreams to haunt us, a decent job, a decent home,
And if we have some extra time we could do real things to promote peace,
Become scientists or history teachers or un-corrupt police at least,
'Come on Will, you gotta tell me!!' I grabbed and shook him by the arm,
The L train was leaning Bedford with 10,000 white 20 somethings crowed on
He opened his mouth to speak but it was lost in the rumbling of the wheels
We were thrown together in a corner and I yelled 'Tell me, man, for real!'
You're living comfortably, I assume, even if you're not quite a household name
You've reached a pretty high level of success & critical acclaim
The L train got to first avenue and a bunch of people piled out
I was starring into his sunglasses and I was really freakin' out i was like,
Steamboat Willie Bonnie Prince of all this shit, you're like the king of a certain genre
But even you must want to quit like if you hear a record by Bob Dylan or Neil Young or whatever
You must start thinkin' 'People like me, but i won't be that good ever'
And I'm sure the thing is probably Dylan himself too stayed up some nights
Wishing he was as good as Ginsberg or Camus
And he was like 'Dude, I'm such a faker, I'm just a clown who entertains
and these fools who pay for my crap, they just have pathetic punny brains
and Camus probably wished he was Milton too or whatever, you know what i'm sayin'?!'
So Will, will you be straight with me now that it's just us 2 on this train?
Cause I was gonna spend some time and money today to remaster some dumb old album
And I saw you here on the L train
And I was like 'Hey, is that Will Oldham?' he must at least , have some perspective
Cause it's like, living in this town I get so confused & wound up & up tight
And I just don't know up from down
And then we'd reached the last stop and the subway was deserted
There was a long moment of silence and I let go of his shirt
I started to think that maybe I'd made some kind of big mistake
I tried to walk out onto the platform but by then it was too late
His sunglasses seemed to grow darker and still he hadn't even spoke
He just came right up behind me and put his hand around my throat
And threw me down onto the concrete and kicked my face in with his boot
And dragged me down onto the train tracks and tied my hands back with his coat
And I was slipping out of conciousness as he was slipping down my jeans
And he was punching me and humping me and I slipped off into a dream
So it might have just been a delusion
But I thought I heard him say something like 'Artists are pussies'
Then he climbed back up and ran away
So I lay there in the darkness on the train tracks cold and broken
The hours passed and I thought,
Well... maybe I won't remaster that old album
And then I started thinking maybe it really hadn't been Will Oldham
Even though he did hold my arms and fucked me just like Will sings in 'A sucker's evening'
But whether it was him or not I couldn't forget the words he'd spoken
'Artists are pussies', like we're wusses or we end up getting fucked
And other kinds of folks are dicks, tall, smart and strong
And born to fuck us up I know,
It sounds really sexist and stupid,
It's a terrible analogy but at that moment on the train tracks,
It made a lot of sense to me maybe it's just some kind of natural balance,
Like 2 types of mental gender that's gone on in all societies,
In one form or another like some dicks were born to conquer,
I probably would if I could but if i'm just a pussy, that's okay
Cause in a few months maybe, I'll put out something good.