Here's the lowdown:
No Great Music was recorded after John Bonham (of Led Zeppelin) died. No Very Good Music was recorded after Cliff Burton (of Metallica) died (and certainly not by Metallica, "One" notwithstanding), and no Good Music was recorded after Stevie Ray Vaughan died.
This means:
Back in Black - Great. Just barely. In fact, the last Truly Great album, ever.
The Number of the Beast - Very Good. Very, very very very very very good. But Back in Black has four or five (depending on whether you count "Rock & Roll Ain't Noise Pollution") concert staples, and The Number of the Beast only has three.
Master of Puppets - Very Good. Just as on their previous release, Ride the Lightning, it seems as though the weak track comes in at #6 and leaves a sour taste in your mouth before the thrashfest/instrumental conclusion.
Blow Up Your Video - Good. It's not Back in Black, but nothing on it makes me gag. The same cannot be said for anything Iron Maiden would churn out with a Roman numeral in the title, and certainly cannot be said for Metallica's 90s decadebacle.*
*I am hereby updating the dictionary to include the word "decadebacle," which means literally ten years of Epic Fail. It is pronounced DE-KA-de-BA-kel.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
The true Who
Oh dear. This is funny, but perhaps only if you know enough about the show to be able to discern the half-truths from the flat-out lies. Anywho, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJPhhaXiUTE
Oh, the criminally insane, what fun we have at your expense.
Oh, the criminally insane, what fun we have at your expense.
Planet of the Dead
Courtesy of Youtube, I finally have a chance to watch the Doctor Who Easter special. My thoughts thus far:
1) it's a damn shame Tennant's leaving
2) the 2008/09 version of the theme is rediculous.
3) "aw, the little dish is going around" is funny, but does not beat "it goes ding when there's stuff."
4) Thanks to Star Trek, turbulance acting never convinces me.
5) The plot evidently concerns a bus in the middle of a desert. Feels like a budget cutback to me.
6) Now they're doing the "what's your real name" routine. At least without the TARDIS in sight, there won't be any "it's bigger on the inside."
7) Doctor following orders is funny.
8) "The smell inside this thing is reaching quite atrocious levels." So stop sweating. Funny.
9) Ooookay, the UIT hero-worship is kinda silly.
10) Look, a crashed spaceship. Look, the interior set appears to be a single corridor.
Okay, that's the first half. Next half coming after lunch.
-James
1) it's a damn shame Tennant's leaving
2) the 2008/09 version of the theme is rediculous.
3) "aw, the little dish is going around" is funny, but does not beat "it goes ding when there's stuff."
4) Thanks to Star Trek, turbulance acting never convinces me.
5) The plot evidently concerns a bus in the middle of a desert. Feels like a budget cutback to me.
6) Now they're doing the "what's your real name" routine. At least without the TARDIS in sight, there won't be any "it's bigger on the inside."
7) Doctor following orders is funny.
8) "The smell inside this thing is reaching quite atrocious levels." So stop sweating. Funny.
9) Ooookay, the UIT hero-worship is kinda silly.
10) Look, a crashed spaceship. Look, the interior set appears to be a single corridor.
Okay, that's the first half. Next half coming after lunch.
-James
Friday, April 24, 2009
Random stream of consciousness randomness
Have no fear, Sarah Jane. Where there's life, there's hope. And change. Loose change for the masses held in churches where the steeple lurches. Was Lurch a guy in the Aadams family? Probably. The probability that you'll die within 24 hours increases minutely each day. I'd like to know the value of that increase. Some increases, like the one I just mentioned and also taxes, are bad. Others are good. A naughty example comes to mind. "More naughty bits," ah, Monty Python. You crazy crazy lot. Douglas Adams collaborated with a few Pythons. He also, apparently, played rhythm guitar at a Pink Floyd concert once. Right before he was kicked out, Syd Barret came up with this song called "have you got it yet?" He'd play it to the rest of the band over and over, but they'd never get it. Alternatively, that is, from a sane perspective (a different point of view, if you will), he started playing something else as soon as anybody picked up the old pattern. Oh, different points of view. It's been probably close to 14 years since I saw Return of the Jedi and I'm still rather insistent on the fact that "betrayed and murdered" is in no way the same as "is." That's just Lucas covering his butt, because according to somebody, he didn't come up with the "Darth Vader is Luke's father" plot twist until 1978. But come on, Lucas had to know that "Vader" is Nazi for "father." Just like RTD had to know that "Mister Saxon" is obviously an anagram for "Master No. Six." New Who is the only show I can name off the top of my head where I liked the third season better than the second. However, I didn't like the Third Doctor quite as much as the Second. What was Three's last words again? Oh right. "Have no fear, Sarah Jane. Where there's life, there's..."
And so on. This is really how my mind works.
-James
And so on. This is really how my mind works.
-James
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Addictions
First off: http://www.asylum.com/2009/04/21/almost-one-in-ten-kids-addicted-to-video-games/
Apparently Nintendo's got a lot to answer for. Seriously, nine out of ten kids aren't getting hooked on living out vapid fantasy lives that range from beating up turtles to beating up hookers to playing guitar to playing freaking bass guitar.* Seriously, something is wrong with their advertising campaign.
*Look, a bassist is a critical part of a band. But seriously, the only song on any Guitar Hero game that should cause you to be fighting each other for control of the bass is Metallica's "Orion." I suppose they could put Pink Floyd's "Money" on there to bring the count up to two, but they'd have to make a saxophone controller to go with it, and that song's long and easy, which basically disqualifies it from being potential Guitar Hero fodder.
This segues directly into my next topic: namely my guitar addiction. As far as addictions go, this one's healthy except for where my ears, my fingers, and my neighbor's mental health are concerned. But he likes to watch movies late at night; he'll inevitably start one as soon as I hit the sack, and he apparently doesn't own a pair of headphones. By the way, the previous sentence makes a lot more sense if you remember that I'm in a college dorm. Anyway, I really don't care about him.
I was gonna write more about how at least a guitar addiction gives you some possible real-world potential, but I suddenly have an insatiable craving to play StarCraft. War out.
-James
Update: whenever I play against the Terrans, I pretend that their Command Center is manned exclusively by the Blizzard execs who decided it would be funny to make me kill Fenix.
Apparently Nintendo's got a lot to answer for. Seriously, nine out of ten kids aren't getting hooked on living out vapid fantasy lives that range from beating up turtles to beating up hookers to playing guitar to playing freaking bass guitar.* Seriously, something is wrong with their advertising campaign.
*Look, a bassist is a critical part of a band. But seriously, the only song on any Guitar Hero game that should cause you to be fighting each other for control of the bass is Metallica's "Orion." I suppose they could put Pink Floyd's "Money" on there to bring the count up to two, but they'd have to make a saxophone controller to go with it, and that song's long and easy, which basically disqualifies it from being potential Guitar Hero fodder.
This segues directly into my next topic: namely my guitar addiction. As far as addictions go, this one's healthy except for where my ears, my fingers, and my neighbor's mental health are concerned. But he likes to watch movies late at night; he'll inevitably start one as soon as I hit the sack, and he apparently doesn't own a pair of headphones. By the way, the previous sentence makes a lot more sense if you remember that I'm in a college dorm. Anyway, I really don't care about him.
I was gonna write more about how at least a guitar addiction gives you some possible real-world potential, but I suddenly have an insatiable craving to play StarCraft. War out.
-James
Update: whenever I play against the Terrans, I pretend that their Command Center is manned exclusively by the Blizzard execs who decided it would be funny to make me kill Fenix.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A very very belated Who Review
Survival. The end of the classic series. Anthony Ainley's final canonical performance as the Master. Sophie Aldred's last appearance as Ace. The last time that the TARDIS windows wouldn't be lit (yay budgets).
Okay, blah blah, pacifist and feminist elements woven all throughout the three-part script by newcomer Rona Munroe, blah blah silly-looking Cheetah People and sillier-looking black cats. I wanna talk about Ainley and McCoy's one and only story together.
By this point in the series, Anthony Ainley had been the longest-serving recurring character, first appearing (spoiler alert) in The Keeper of Traken (1981). He'd (spoiler alert) killed off Tom Baker's doctor and had survived both Peter Davison and Colin Baker. So it's not all that surprising, then, when he and the Seventh Doctor begin their conversation at the start of Episode 2, Ainley's giving McCoy "I'm going to outlast you too" looks that work absolutely perfectly for his character. McCoy is shooting back looks of absolute disgust. The other Doctors Ainley worked with didn't have that same chemistry. Tom Baker was horrified, not particularly disgusted. Peter Davison seemed to always spend more time feeling sorry for the Master's victims than actually being angry at the Master himself, and Colin almost treated him as a friendly enemy (oh, wait, that's because the Master wasn't the main villain in the only 6th Doctor serial he appeared in).
Gone are the Bond/Blofeldesque Pertwee/Delgado exchanges. The Master is becoming completely unhinged (in a good way; Eric Roberts was all wrong) and the Doctor knows he's going to have to put his enemy down once and for all, which he does, abandoning him on a planet that's blowing up around them. I'd like to see David Tennant do that.
Okay, McCoy overacts when he's talking to the cat and pretending to talk to Ace. This is Doctor Who. Everybody's guilty of that at some point. Still, check out this serial for yet more Ace character development (*-seriously, it took them 24 years and how many companions to realize that they could have some serious character development on the show?), pure, unadulterated Ainley evil the way he always wanted to do it, and one of McCoy's greatest performances.
Okay, blah blah, pacifist and feminist elements woven all throughout the three-part script by newcomer Rona Munroe, blah blah silly-looking Cheetah People and sillier-looking black cats. I wanna talk about Ainley and McCoy's one and only story together.
By this point in the series, Anthony Ainley had been the longest-serving recurring character, first appearing (spoiler alert) in The Keeper of Traken (1981). He'd (spoiler alert) killed off Tom Baker's doctor and had survived both Peter Davison and Colin Baker. So it's not all that surprising, then, when he and the Seventh Doctor begin their conversation at the start of Episode 2, Ainley's giving McCoy "I'm going to outlast you too" looks that work absolutely perfectly for his character. McCoy is shooting back looks of absolute disgust. The other Doctors Ainley worked with didn't have that same chemistry. Tom Baker was horrified, not particularly disgusted. Peter Davison seemed to always spend more time feeling sorry for the Master's victims than actually being angry at the Master himself, and Colin almost treated him as a friendly enemy (oh, wait, that's because the Master wasn't the main villain in the only 6th Doctor serial he appeared in).
Gone are the Bond/Blofeldesque Pertwee/Delgado exchanges. The Master is becoming completely unhinged (in a good way; Eric Roberts was all wrong) and the Doctor knows he's going to have to put his enemy down once and for all, which he does, abandoning him on a planet that's blowing up around them. I'd like to see David Tennant do that.
Okay, McCoy overacts when he's talking to the cat and pretending to talk to Ace. This is Doctor Who. Everybody's guilty of that at some point. Still, check out this serial for yet more Ace character development (*-seriously, it took them 24 years and how many companions to realize that they could have some serious character development on the show?), pure, unadulterated Ainley evil the way he always wanted to do it, and one of McCoy's greatest performances.
...and what show had the best tune?
http://totalscifionline.com/features/3393-doctor-who-wins-best-sci-fi-tv-theme-tune-of-all-time
It doesn't go into a lot of detail, but I wish to point out that the original theme was not played on a synth or anything like that to record it. Wikipedia explains in more detail:
Each and every note was individually created by cutting, splicing, speeding up and slowing down segments of analogue tape containing recordings of a single plucked string, white noise, and the simple harmonic waveforms of test-tone oscillators which were used for calibrating equipment and rooms, not creating music. The swooping melody and pulsating bass rhythm was created by manually adjusting the pitch of oscillator banks to a carefully-timed pattern. The rhythmic hissing sounds, "bubbles" and "clouds", were created by cutting tape recordings of filtered white noise.
The theme was not recorded using a synth until 1980.
It doesn't go into a lot of detail, but I wish to point out that the original theme was not played on a synth or anything like that to record it. Wikipedia explains in more detail:
Each and every note was individually created by cutting, splicing, speeding up and slowing down segments of analogue tape containing recordings of a single plucked string, white noise, and the simple harmonic waveforms of test-tone oscillators which were used for calibrating equipment and rooms, not creating music. The swooping melody and pulsating bass rhythm was created by manually adjusting the pitch of oscillator banks to a carefully-timed pattern. The rhythmic hissing sounds, "bubbles" and "clouds", were created by cutting tape recordings of filtered white noise.
The theme was not recorded using a synth until 1980.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Star Wars vs Star Trek, round 1
...or, why I'll be seeing the Star Trek reboot agaist the wishes of my inner Yoda:
Star Trek has no Jar Jar Binks.
That is all.
Star Trek has no Jar Jar Binks.
That is all.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Good songs off bad albums
1. The Unforgiven II, ReLoad, Metallica
First off let me go on record as saying that ReLoad is quite possibly one of the worst albums I have in my music collection, and is quite possibly the worst CD I've paid for. Having said that, I don't own Load or St. Anger, so I really wouldn't know if it's truly the worst Metallica album ever made. Let me also say that in order to truly appreciate this song, you first have to hear "The Unforgiven," which I just nixed off the list of the top ten Metallica songs.
Having said that, ReLoad actually gets off to a decent start. "Fuel" is the closest thing to a shredfest we're going to get on this album, "The Memory Remains" is a treat, and "Devil's Dance" is a stomper a la "Sad But True." After that comes "The Unforgiven II," and after that the album goes to Hell.
2. Brain Shake, Flick of the Switch, AC/DC
Flick of the Switch was a nightmare to make and is a nightmare to listen to. They went back to their stripped-down sound that had propelled them to stardom, but their attempts to self-produce (and thereby self-edit) are sloppy at best. Add to the trouble drummer Phil Rudd's firing and you have yourself an album that's already, to quote another track's title, deep in the hole. Having said that, Brain Shake is surprisingly catchy. The title track also has a nice riff, but this one takes the cake.
First off let me go on record as saying that ReLoad is quite possibly one of the worst albums I have in my music collection, and is quite possibly the worst CD I've paid for. Having said that, I don't own Load or St. Anger, so I really wouldn't know if it's truly the worst Metallica album ever made. Let me also say that in order to truly appreciate this song, you first have to hear "The Unforgiven," which I just nixed off the list of the top ten Metallica songs.
Having said that, ReLoad actually gets off to a decent start. "Fuel" is the closest thing to a shredfest we're going to get on this album, "The Memory Remains" is a treat, and "Devil's Dance" is a stomper a la "Sad But True." After that comes "The Unforgiven II," and after that the album goes to Hell.
2. Brain Shake, Flick of the Switch, AC/DC
Flick of the Switch was a nightmare to make and is a nightmare to listen to. They went back to their stripped-down sound that had propelled them to stardom, but their attempts to self-produce (and thereby self-edit) are sloppy at best. Add to the trouble drummer Phil Rudd's firing and you have yourself an album that's already, to quote another track's title, deep in the hole. Having said that, Brain Shake is surprisingly catchy. The title track also has a nice riff, but this one takes the cake.
...and that's it. In general, if your friend says an album's crap, don't get it. If there's one song on there that's good, get it on iTunes for God's sake.
-James
The Top Ten Metallica Songs
According to a site I found, these are
10. Sad But True, Metallica
9. ...And Justice for All, ...And Justice for All
8. For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ride the Lightning
7. Creeping Death, Ride The Lightning
6. Enter Sandman, Metallica
5. Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
4. The Unforgiven, Metallica
3. Seek and Destroy, Kill 'em All
2. One, ...And Justice For All
1. Master of Puppets, Master of Puppets
To which I say - despite the fact that ...And Justice for All has singlehandedly proved that I do not in fact have ADD, neither it nor The Unforgiven really should be on this list. Also, in general Metallica is overrepresented and Master of Puppets is underrepresented. Come to think of it, I'm not sure what Sad But True is doing on that list either. If you want a heavy slow song, think The Thing That Should Not Be. Also on the list somewhere should be Battery. Plus one of the classic instrumentals - I'd go with The Call of Ktulu, but that's just me.
With that in mind, I hereby present my version of the top 10 Metallica songs
10. Battery, Master of Puppets
9. The Call of Ktulu, Ride the Lightning
8. For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ride the Lightning
7. The Thing That Should Not Be, Master of Puppets
6. Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
5. Seek And Destroy, Kill 'Em All
4. Creeping Death, Ride the Lightning
3. Enter Sandman, Metallica
2. One, ...And Justice for All
1. Master of Puppets, Master of Puppets
...gee, can you tell that Lightning and Puppets are two of my favorite albums?
10. Sad But True, Metallica
9. ...And Justice for All, ...And Justice for All
8. For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ride the Lightning
7. Creeping Death, Ride The Lightning
6. Enter Sandman, Metallica
5. Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
4. The Unforgiven, Metallica
3. Seek and Destroy, Kill 'em All
2. One, ...And Justice For All
1. Master of Puppets, Master of Puppets
To which I say - despite the fact that ...And Justice for All has singlehandedly proved that I do not in fact have ADD, neither it nor The Unforgiven really should be on this list. Also, in general Metallica is overrepresented and Master of Puppets is underrepresented. Come to think of it, I'm not sure what Sad But True is doing on that list either. If you want a heavy slow song, think The Thing That Should Not Be. Also on the list somewhere should be Battery. Plus one of the classic instrumentals - I'd go with The Call of Ktulu, but that's just me.
With that in mind, I hereby present my version of the top 10 Metallica songs
10. Battery, Master of Puppets
9. The Call of Ktulu, Ride the Lightning
8. For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ride the Lightning
7. The Thing That Should Not Be, Master of Puppets
6. Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
5. Seek And Destroy, Kill 'Em All
4. Creeping Death, Ride the Lightning
3. Enter Sandman, Metallica
2. One, ...And Justice for All
1. Master of Puppets, Master of Puppets
...gee, can you tell that Lightning and Puppets are two of my favorite albums?
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Splat
There goes my week, folks. If I'm still coherent on Wednesday I'll bang out a Who Review for you.
Basically, I thought everything was under control until I discovered I have exactly one more project to do than I thought I did.
On the other hand, after watching too much TV this weekend I have come up with the Sex Importance Index. Basically you can apply this formula to any TV show to determine whether the sex in it is just to attract the 99% of the show's audience that are perverts, or whether it actually serves a purpose.
But before I revealed it to you, I realized that Scrubs really doesn't fit the model, which involves factors such as nudity, the age of the characters, and the characters' importance in the show itself. Since there's no naughty bits and most of the main characters are fairly young, my model would seem to indicate that the sex there was important, when it really, really wasn't.
Then I realized that 99% of all TV shows don't portray sex as having any significance whatsoever. Unless it results in a pregnancy, or it's somebody's first time, or the very first time there's any sex on the show, it won't be important. (Scrubs is especially guilty of this - JD and Elliot's numerous pelvic encounters had less ongoing significance than JD and Jordan's one time, which just happened to be the first time JD got any on the show, took place in the 7th episode, and had ramifications that lasted into the second season. The only other sex that ever has any significance on that show are the ones that get Carla, Jordan and Kim pregnant. Then again, this is the show that has said repeatedly that sex doesn't have to be special or important.)
Have fun trying to keep your mind pure, and Easter blessings on you all.
-James
Basically, I thought everything was under control until I discovered I have exactly one more project to do than I thought I did.
On the other hand, after watching too much TV this weekend I have come up with the Sex Importance Index. Basically you can apply this formula to any TV show to determine whether the sex in it is just to attract the 99% of the show's audience that are perverts, or whether it actually serves a purpose.
But before I revealed it to you, I realized that Scrubs really doesn't fit the model, which involves factors such as nudity, the age of the characters, and the characters' importance in the show itself. Since there's no naughty bits and most of the main characters are fairly young, my model would seem to indicate that the sex there was important, when it really, really wasn't.
Then I realized that 99% of all TV shows don't portray sex as having any significance whatsoever. Unless it results in a pregnancy, or it's somebody's first time, or the very first time there's any sex on the show, it won't be important. (Scrubs is especially guilty of this - JD and Elliot's numerous pelvic encounters had less ongoing significance than JD and Jordan's one time, which just happened to be the first time JD got any on the show, took place in the 7th episode, and had ramifications that lasted into the second season. The only other sex that ever has any significance on that show are the ones that get Carla, Jordan and Kim pregnant. Then again, this is the show that has said repeatedly that sex doesn't have to be special or important.)
Have fun trying to keep your mind pure, and Easter blessings on you all.
-James
Friday, April 10, 2009
Some Sort of Hit List
He says he got the idea for this from a car in a courthouse. I think he got it from the Blues Brothers.
Oh, what else is going on in the world?
Ah. Apparently I was supposed to do a Who Review a couple of days ago, and if memory serves, it was for Survival, the last one ever. It's in the works. It's got a lot of subtext for three episodes and I want to do that justice, plus take a look at the end of Classic Who. Next week isn't looking any better (worse in face) as far as real life issues go.
Tom's working on another script for another movie. We're absolutely going to shoot the first one this summer, plus do a little project we're calling Jedi People... but depending on how fast/poorly we make the first movie, we might have time for the second one. I'll get him on here to explain it.
Anyway, about the movie, it's not all actors and directors. There's also design and music to consider. Music involves doing things that will make Lars Ulrich mad at us as opposed to making our own, so we're covered there. Most of the time design involves, especially in the case of low-budget pieces of crap like the movie we're making, buying or renting a house or a car or a gun, etc. Sets and props and whatnot. However, part of our movie is set on a college campus, and even though we have access to one, we'll be shooting in the summer. If you've been to a college campus you know that they're plastered with flyers for events that you never imagined could or even should exist. Guess who has to make those flyers for the movie?
Yeah. Me.
-James
Oh, what else is going on in the world?
Ah. Apparently I was supposed to do a Who Review a couple of days ago, and if memory serves, it was for Survival, the last one ever. It's in the works. It's got a lot of subtext for three episodes and I want to do that justice, plus take a look at the end of Classic Who. Next week isn't looking any better (worse in face) as far as real life issues go.
Tom's working on another script for another movie. We're absolutely going to shoot the first one this summer, plus do a little project we're calling Jedi People... but depending on how fast/poorly we make the first movie, we might have time for the second one. I'll get him on here to explain it.
Anyway, about the movie, it's not all actors and directors. There's also design and music to consider. Music involves doing things that will make Lars Ulrich mad at us as opposed to making our own, so we're covered there. Most of the time design involves, especially in the case of low-budget pieces of crap like the movie we're making, buying or renting a house or a car or a gun, etc. Sets and props and whatnot. However, part of our movie is set on a college campus, and even though we have access to one, we'll be shooting in the summer. If you've been to a college campus you know that they're plastered with flyers for events that you never imagined could or even should exist. Guess who has to make those flyers for the movie?
Yeah. Me.
-James
Monday, April 6, 2009
Two Things
One: Keep this thing away from me.
Two: I recently gave a lot of props to Metallica on their R&R Hall of Fame induction, so I thought I'd toss a shout-out to their biggest rival, Megadeth. Dave Mustaine really doesn't take crap from anyone, including pricks who shine lasers at him (strong language warning; the fun starts about a minute in). Also, given his shirt in this clip, he and I have similar heroes.
Two: I recently gave a lot of props to Metallica on their R&R Hall of Fame induction, so I thought I'd toss a shout-out to their biggest rival, Megadeth. Dave Mustaine really doesn't take crap from anyone, including pricks who shine lasers at him (strong language warning; the fun starts about a minute in). Also, given his shirt in this clip, he and I have similar heroes.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Obama Wants a "Stronger Global Regime"
What, the United Nations isn't bad/incompetent/anti-American/anti-freedom enough?
Friday, April 3, 2009
Metallica are Awesome
...or is it "is?" I don't know, grammar was never my strong point.
Anyway, apparently they have the record for the biggest show in a specific London arena. Also, it's possible (see the pictures) that James Hetfield has enough tattoos now.
They're getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow.
And they've also got that game. Check out the suggestions, especially the last one. God, that song is pure awesome.
Anyway, apparently they have the record for the biggest show in a specific London arena. Also, it's possible (see the pictures) that James Hetfield has enough tattoos now.
They're getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow.
And they've also got that game. Check out the suggestions, especially the last one. God, that song is pure awesome.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Wow
Apparently when you kick a mouse into a wall, it freaking explodes.
Or, to put it in the words of my RA, "goes pop."
-James
Or, to put it in the words of my RA, "goes pop."
-James
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The world is officially out of control
This is not an April Fool's post. The whole point of a constitution is to prevent the government from going insane with power. But that's exactly what is happening today. The people running our country today are completely unhinged, and nobody's going to stop them before it's too late.
Look, I'm well aware that you could chart the growth of the government since the New Deal, and it's basically a straight line regardless of who's in office. Ronald Reagan, the so-called champion of limited government, tripled the national deficit. This isn't a Democrat vs. Republican thing. It's not a liberal vs. conservative thing, because conservatives run as libertarians and govern as liberals.
What it is is this: I don't want to be a government junkie. I don't think you do either. I don't want some guy in Washington to decide that my children will starve this week because he got up on the wrong side of bed. I don't want to be a puppet, though I know that everyone's got strings. Nobody's fully the master of their own destiny because in the end we're all going to die. But I see no reason why the government should get to screw with our lives in the meantime.
-James
Look, I'm well aware that you could chart the growth of the government since the New Deal, and it's basically a straight line regardless of who's in office. Ronald Reagan, the so-called champion of limited government, tripled the national deficit. This isn't a Democrat vs. Republican thing. It's not a liberal vs. conservative thing, because conservatives run as libertarians and govern as liberals.
What it is is this: I don't want to be a government junkie. I don't think you do either. I don't want some guy in Washington to decide that my children will starve this week because he got up on the wrong side of bed. I don't want to be a puppet, though I know that everyone's got strings. Nobody's fully the master of their own destiny because in the end we're all going to die. But I see no reason why the government should get to screw with our lives in the meantime.
-James
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)