Saw our favorite local band this Saturday, doing a free concert in Decatur Square. I took these videos on my phone, so I apologize for the quality. Also, I think one of them cut off when I ran out of memory.
I'm not sure you can technically call them a bluegrass band anymore since they lost their banjo player and added a drummer(!) Also, at least at this show, guitarist John Mickelson played electric(!!)
They mostly write their own songs which is unusual for a young string band, I've only ever heard them do one Bill Monroe cover. I have heard them cover Bruce Springsteen, the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and DJ Khaled. I wish I had videos of those.
Anyway, please enjoy the High Strung String Band, and go here for more information about upcoming dates and/or to purchase one of their excellent cd's.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Reacting to Unrest in Baltimore - A guide for white people
As a fellow white person, I feel it my duty to publish a few helpful hints for my melanin-challenged brethren about what not to do when discussing recent events in Baltimore.
1. Don't assume you know anything about the situation. You don't. I don't. Us white folks will never be in this kind of situation, we don't have any perspective to offer.
2. Don't, in any discussion of the events in Baltimore, use the word "thugs." It doesn't matter what you mean by the word "thug." It doesn't matter if, when you think "thug," you picture someone like this:
The word "thug" has been used by white supremacists and their apologists to demonize so many dead black guys , from Trayvon Martin to Mike Brown to Eric Garner that it has become sort of a pseudo-polite version of the N-word. It doesn't matter how you mean it, just don't use it to describe the protestors or rioters or really any black person. Just don't. Besides, guys who would throw a man in handcuffs into a van, not buckle him in and take him for a "rough ride" are pretty much the dictionary definition of thugs. Although you probably won't hear them called that.
3. Don't reflexively defend the cops. Sure, the cops in your neighborhood may well be courteous professionals there to serve and protect, but your neighborhood isn't Baltimore. Here's a short excerpt from a recent Baltimore Sun article about their police department:
Over the past four years, more than 100 people have won court judgments or settlements related to allegations of brutality and civil rights violations. Victims include a 15-year-old boy riding a dirt bike, a 26-year-old pregnant accountant who had witnessed a beating, a 50-year-old woman selling church raffle tickets, a 65-year-old church deacon rolling a cigarette and an 87-year-old grandmother aiding her wounded grandson.
Those cases detail a frightful human toll. Officers have battered dozens of residents who suffered broken bones — jaws, noses, arms, legs, ankles — head trauma, organ failure, and even death, coming during questionable arrests. Some residents were beaten while handcuffed; others were thrown to the pavement.
That's 25 people per year WINNING lawsuits against the police dept. Which is not easy to do. Juries tend to believe cops, and it's usually the cops' word against someone who has been arrested, so is likely not to be trusted? The fact that the police have lost 100 suits in four years should speak volume about the level of corruption and violence in the Baltimore Police Department.
4. Do not, and I can not emphasize this enough, do NOT invoke Dr. King to shame those who may be reacting less than non-violently. You only make yourself look like an asshole. Yes, Martin Luther King preached non-violence. And he was still murdered. And the only reason a white person ever quotes Rev. King to a black person is to be extremely condescending. If you invoke Dr. King, you're really just using him as a cover for your own desire to tell black people how they should and shouldn't behave.
5. Don't try to blame the victim. Don't ask "well, why did he run from the police?" Well, when the police caught him, they murdered him, so you tell me why he was running. Why do gazelles run from lions? Sure, maybe this particular lion isn't hungry, maybe she just ate, maybe she has indigestion or just doesn't like the taste of gazelle. But the gazelle has no way of knowing, so he runs. And no one finds it necessary to say #NotAllLions.
6. Don't say "violence doesn't solve anything" or "violence is no the answer." Everyone already knows this. And you weren't urging non-violence when it was the cops killing unarmed black men. It's only when black people get so fed up and frustrated that their rage becomes uncontainable that you suddenly turn onto Gandhi and preach turning the other cheek. (I know that wasn't Gandhi, that was Jesus but I was on a roll)
7. Don't act like the demonstrators/protestors/rioters don't have every reason to be furious.
8. Don't act like a CVS building or some car windows are more important than a young man's life.
9. Don't believe ANYTHING from official sources. The Police Department is going to lie. They will circle the wagons and defend their officers no matter what. And that apparently includes coercing someone into telling a bullshit story about Freddy Gray intentionally trying to hurt himself by throwing himself against the steel walls of the police van. A story which was almost immediately debunked.
10. Don't believe any e-mail forwards from your racist relatives. Especially the one about Gray supposedly having a pre-existing back injury. It is a lie. And even if it weren't, what's the point? Like if he hadn't had this injury he would have survived being beaten and thrown around the back of a van? It would only be a case of police committing assault and battery instead of murder?
11. Don't ask your one black friend, or the one black guy at work to speak for the residents of Baltimore. It's unfair and insulting.
12. Do not watch FOX.
11.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Revisionist History on FOX? I am shocked!
I swear, these people live in a fantasy world.
Oh my Gawd! So no one would have dared to behead any Americans when Dubya was president? Well, let's look at some of the things that people did dare to do while Bush was in office.
1. Nine Fucking Eleven.
Do we really need to go on?
2. Two American contractors were burned, mutilated and hung from a bridge.
3. Nicholas Berg, an American, was BEHEADED by Iraqi militants, and the video of the beheading was posted online. In 2004. When George W. Bush was President.
4. American journalist Daniel Pearl was BEHEADED by Iraqi militants. In 2002. When George W. Bush was president.
But, yeah. Obviously the rest of the world just respected Bush so much they never would have dared to do those things that they actually did. Oh, and here are a few highlights from Politifact's list of incidents in which other countries showed how much respect they had for America under Dubya:
June 14, 2002: A suicide bombing in front of the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, left 12 dead and 51 injured.
Nov. 9, 2002: The security supervisor for the U.S. embassy in Nepal was shot dead at his house in Kathmandu. Maoist rebels claimed responsibility for the incident.
May 12, 2003: In a series of attacks, suicide bombers blew themselves up in a truck loaded with explosives in a complex that housed staff working for U.S. defense firm Vinnell in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (The contractors worked out of the U.S. embassy.) At least eight Americans were killed in the incident. Al-Qaida was suspected responsible for the incident. This was one of three attacks, involving at least nine suicide bombers and suspected to have involved 19 perpetrators overall.
July 30, 2004: Two people, including a suicide bomber, were killed and one person was injured as a suicide bomber set off an explosion at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Israeli Embassy and the Uzbekistan Prosecutor General’s Office in Tashkent were also attacked in related incidents.
Oct. 24, 2004: Edward Seitz, the assistant regional security officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, died in a mortar or possible rocket attack at Camp Victory near the Baghdad airport. An American soldier was also injured. He was believed to be the first U.S. diplomat killed following the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Nov 25, 2004: Jim Mollen, the U.S. Embassy’s senior consultant to the Iraqi Ministers of Education and Higher Education, was killed just outside the Green Zone in Baghdad.
Dec. 7, 2004: Gunmen belonging to al-Qaida in the Arabian Penninsula stormed the U.S. Consulate in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, triggering a bloody four-hour siege that left nine dead. One American was slightly injured in the assault.
Jan. 29, 2005: Unknown attackers fired either a rocket or a mortar round at the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. The strike killed two U.S. citizens and left four others injured.
What kind of a fantasy world do you have to live in to think that no one would be getting beheaded in Bush was in office? The same fantasy world in which Putin would never have dared to invade Ukraine if Bush were still around. Sure, he invaded Georgia under Bush, but no way Ukraine!
Shouldn't there be some requirement that these people have some tether to reality?
Fox’s Stacey Dash: No One Would Have Been Beheaded Under Bush
“When George W. Bush was president, the most important thing to him was not to be liked, but to be respected,” she said. “And you better believe no one would have been beheaded when he was president.”
Oh my Gawd! So no one would have dared to behead any Americans when Dubya was president? Well, let's look at some of the things that people did dare to do while Bush was in office.
1. Nine Fucking Eleven.
Do we really need to go on?
2. Two American contractors were burned, mutilated and hung from a bridge.
3. Nicholas Berg, an American, was BEHEADED by Iraqi militants, and the video of the beheading was posted online. In 2004. When George W. Bush was President.
4. American journalist Daniel Pearl was BEHEADED by Iraqi militants. In 2002. When George W. Bush was president.
But, yeah. Obviously the rest of the world just respected Bush so much they never would have dared to do those things that they actually did. Oh, and here are a few highlights from Politifact's list of incidents in which other countries showed how much respect they had for America under Dubya:
June 14, 2002: A suicide bombing in front of the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, left 12 dead and 51 injured.
Nov. 9, 2002: The security supervisor for the U.S. embassy in Nepal was shot dead at his house in Kathmandu. Maoist rebels claimed responsibility for the incident.
May 12, 2003: In a series of attacks, suicide bombers blew themselves up in a truck loaded with explosives in a complex that housed staff working for U.S. defense firm Vinnell in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (The contractors worked out of the U.S. embassy.) At least eight Americans were killed in the incident. Al-Qaida was suspected responsible for the incident. This was one of three attacks, involving at least nine suicide bombers and suspected to have involved 19 perpetrators overall.
July 30, 2004: Two people, including a suicide bomber, were killed and one person was injured as a suicide bomber set off an explosion at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Israeli Embassy and the Uzbekistan Prosecutor General’s Office in Tashkent were also attacked in related incidents.
Oct. 24, 2004: Edward Seitz, the assistant regional security officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, died in a mortar or possible rocket attack at Camp Victory near the Baghdad airport. An American soldier was also injured. He was believed to be the first U.S. diplomat killed following the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Nov 25, 2004: Jim Mollen, the U.S. Embassy’s senior consultant to the Iraqi Ministers of Education and Higher Education, was killed just outside the Green Zone in Baghdad.
Dec. 7, 2004: Gunmen belonging to al-Qaida in the Arabian Penninsula stormed the U.S. Consulate in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, triggering a bloody four-hour siege that left nine dead. One American was slightly injured in the assault.
Jan. 29, 2005: Unknown attackers fired either a rocket or a mortar round at the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. The strike killed two U.S. citizens and left four others injured.
What kind of a fantasy world do you have to live in to think that no one would be getting beheaded in Bush was in office? The same fantasy world in which Putin would never have dared to invade Ukraine if Bush were still around. Sure, he invaded Georgia under Bush, but no way Ukraine!
Shouldn't there be some requirement that these people have some tether to reality?
Monday, April 27, 2015
Marco Rubio is right about something. Stop the Presses!
“There is no federal constitutional right to same sex marriage. There isn’t such a right. You have to have a ridiculous reading of the U.S. constitution to reach the conclusion that people have a right to marry someone of the same sex. . . ."
Okay, technically that is true. There is no right to same-sex marriage in the Constitution. There also is no Constitutional right to opposite-sex marriage. There is no Constitutional right to drive a car or walk your dog or wear white after Labor Day.
What there is is an "Equal Protection" clause, which means that if I'm allowed to drive my car, you're allowed to drive yours. You can't say my next door neighbor is allowed to walk his dog because he has a cool German Shepherd but the guy across the street with an ugly rat-dog is not. And if Bob and Jane are allowed to get married, so are Jim and Hank.
It's not that complicated.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Republicans Discover Love for Immigrants
The Republican-led House Judiciary just approved a bill that would make it easier for immigrants to stay in the U.S. Not all immigrants, of course, but some. What makes these particular immigrants different than, say the children from Central America fleeing certain death?
Well, for starters, they're white.
In fact, there about as white as white can be, they're German.
And they're fleeing the "persecution" of having to give their children a proper education.
In other words, future Republican voters!
Yes, apparently in Germany and other sensible countries, it is not legal to homeschool your children. And in the spirit of that great lady who said "give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses of people who don't feel like they should have to obey their nation's laws. . ." House Republicans are proposing granting "asylum" to German parents who would prefer that their children not learn from qualified professionals.
Or, and I'm just spitballing here, but maybe they could just obey the fucking law and send their kids to school. It's really not that hard a problem to solve. Insisting on enforcing a simple law is not really what "persecution" means.
Some people really are persecuted. Gay people in Russia, for example. They face jail time and violence for being who they are. There are countries in which people are jailed for their religious beliefs. That's persecution. The government not giving you an exception to the law because you don't feel like following it is not persecution. I mean, am I being persecuted because the stupid government won't let me drive 90 miles an hour when I'm late for work?
You wanna know how offensive this bill is?
Tea Party favorite Raul Labrador is bothered by it.
Do you have any idea how far beyond the pale you have to be to offend a teabagger?
Jeezus! Going out of your way to fuck over desperate children so you have room for anti-government nuts from an affluent, peaceful country? That's pretty much the definition of pure evil.
Well, for starters, they're white.
In fact, there about as white as white can be, they're German.
And they're fleeing the "persecution" of having to give their children a proper education.
In other words, future Republican voters!
WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee passed a bill Wednesday that would allow people to seek asylum in the USA if they are persecuted by their governments for homeschooling their children. At the same time, the bill would make it tougher for children fleeing gang and drug violence in Central America to gain refuge here.
Yes, apparently in Germany and other sensible countries, it is not legal to homeschool your children. And in the spirit of that great lady who said "give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses of people who don't feel like they should have to obey their nation's laws. . ." House Republicans are proposing granting "asylum" to German parents who would prefer that their children not learn from qualified professionals.
The Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, would make it more difficult overall for refugees to win their asylum cases, while opening a category of relief for families who live in countries that outlaw homeschooling. The bill would allow up to 500 grants of asylum per year to families fleeing persecution for homeschooling their children.
Supporters of the bill point to cases in Europe where parents have faced fines and imprisonment for refusing to send their children to schools outside the home.
Or, and I'm just spitballing here, but maybe they could just obey the fucking law and send their kids to school. It's really not that hard a problem to solve. Insisting on enforcing a simple law is not really what "persecution" means.
Some people really are persecuted. Gay people in Russia, for example. They face jail time and violence for being who they are. There are countries in which people are jailed for their religious beliefs. That's persecution. The government not giving you an exception to the law because you don't feel like following it is not persecution. I mean, am I being persecuted because the stupid government won't let me drive 90 miles an hour when I'm late for work?
You wanna know how offensive this bill is?
Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, said asylum has always been reserved for refugees persecuted by their governments.
"Asylum law is not there to protect crime victims, it is there to protect those persecuted by government," Labrador said.
Tea Party favorite Raul Labrador is bothered by it.
Do you have any idea how far beyond the pale you have to be to offend a teabagger?
If the law was changed to allow victims of crime-ridden nations to gain asylum, the USA would be unable to absorb the millions of refugees who would flee from countries where gangs run rampant, Chaffetz said.
Chaffetz's bill would make it more difficult for refugees to prove a "credible fear of persecution" to gain asylum in the USA. It would bar taxpayer funds from being used to pay for attorneys to represent children as they seek asylum in immigration court.
The bill would give the Department of Homeland Security the power to make refugees wait in other "safe countries" such as Mexico while applying for asylum in the USA.
Jeezus! Going out of your way to fuck over desperate children so you have room for anti-government nuts from an affluent, peaceful country? That's pretty much the definition of pure evil.
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