Metal Song of the Day: Metallica "Hollier Than Thou"

You know, sometimes its easy to walk around with a Mohawk, and some days its irritating as hell. If you've ever dared to be different, you know what I mean. It may not be your hair; it may be how you dress, you look, act, whatever. You're out of step with the world around you and you know it, and so does everyone else.

To that extent, today was one of those "teachable moments" you hear so much about. Getting off the train without my headphones on, I lose my little armor to the world of those around me. As I passed by the Jehovah Witnesses that litter (as in spread around) Market East Station, I heard one of them let loose a loud laugh at me. To wit, all I could think of that simple line, "Judge not, lest ye be judged yourself!"

Enter Metallica.

I've had the "black album" for nearly 10 years now, but it wasn't until today that I REALLY listened to this song. Amazing that I haven't considering my past.

Well, enjoy!

Why the Insults Against the Right's Protests are Hypocritical

This weekend we saw a protest in Washington D.C. The protests gathered little to no coverage as a group of Americans, angry and upset at their government and leadership marched upon the Capitol Mall to voice their opposition. In the end, they were marginalized, insulted, and told they were nothing more than a group of rouge crazies! They insulted the President, comparing him to Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and countless other horrible dictators! They insulted him and called him on what they saw were foolish policies that would destroy America.

The problem, though, is that this is exactly what happened in 2003... and 2004... and especially 2005. In 2005, I attended a Impeach Bush rally in Washington DC. Save the crowd being anti-Bush and being much, much larger, we were treated just like the people who protested on September 12th. In 2003 and 2004 at the anti-war protests, the crowd was much smaller, but it was growing.

One thing I keep hearing is that the protesters against Obama are doing it on racial lines, or at the very least, that there is some deep-seated racism in it. Admittedly, I wouldn't be shocked if that is the sentiment of 10% or less of the people protesting, but it is far from it for the majority! Some people are there simply because they don't like his policies, some are anti-Obama because of Fox News.

But the simplest explanation makes the most sense: That the people who are anti-Obama are politically driven. After 8 years of bush and the Republicans in control, when they were able to live in a country more their way, the fact that you have someone coming in who represents most of what they're afraid of (Democrats, economic and health care reform, ending the Iraq War), especially when he is basically trying to undo everything Bush did in only 9 months... well, can you at least understand their fear? Their anger?

Here's footage of their protests on 9/12:



And here's the anti-Bush Protests from 2005:



I'm not asking you to agree with them, but I am saying that we need to realize that it isn't as black-and-white as "well, they hate black people" or "they hate Democrats". We need to listen their side and understand them better.

Image Courtesy of the Seattle Times.

In Defense of Joe Wilson

I am sick and tired of hearing non-stop about how Congressman Joe Wilson is such a horrible person!

Why? Because, in the end, what he did wasn't that damn bad, that's why!

Lets get a few things straight: First off, what he did was stupid. Interrupting the President of the United States with a remark while hes making a speech to the joint-sessions is rude. That said, it isn't all that bad. Compared to countless other democracies with Parliaments, what happened was incredibly tame! Shouting matches, fist fights... someone yelling, briefly, "You Lie!"is next to nothing.

In this country, we have both a democracy and freedom of speech. We are allowed to say whatever we want to our democratically elected officials with very few restrictions. More or less, the only actual restriction is you can't threaten them, which is perfectly reasonable. That said, I, as well as everyone else, knows that there are still manners and moments to show dissent in a proper manner.

Think back to 2003. George W. Bush is making his State of the Union address where he lies to the American people and mentions something about a country buying yellow cake uranium. Not only was it a lie, but it was a bold-face lie. Not only was it a bold-face lie, it was a bold-face lie to get us to go into a unwinable war against a country we had no real reason to attack. I think its safe to say that the same people screaming outrage about Joe Wilson would applaud whoever would have yelled it then.

Or in 2004... or 2005... or 2007....

Remember when someone threw a shoe at George W. Bush? Basically, the agreement form a majority of American's was... amusement. An Iraqi Journalist threw a shoe at the President. His punishment was minor, and he's being released today after only 10 months in prison. No one called for his head or for him to resign.

What Joe Wilson did is excusable and understandable. This was not a Town Hall, it was not a campaign rally, it was an address to the nation. He did not threaten, he did not curse, he did not say anything horrible. When confronted with a Commander-in-Chief he believed was lying, he dared to do exactly what any of us would have wanted to say in that same situation ourselves. You and I may not agree with what he thought was a lie, we may not agree with this man at all.

To call for him to resign, to force him to apologize again AFTER he's already done so for speaking out of turn... for not apologizing for WHAT he said, which he meant... to do so goes against the First Amendment and smacks of censorship against something not considered the status quo!

Do I agree with what he said? NO! Do I agree with the fact he embarrassed himself and his state by making his comment during the speech? NO! Do I honestly feel he had every right in the world to do it? YES.

Cartoon Courtesy of Steve Benson

Shepard Fairey, You Can't Own the Word "OBEY"

I'll be blunt: Shepard Fairey is a hypocrite.

He is suing a Pittsburgh man named Werner for an image called "Obey Steelerbaby". Fairey's attorney states that they are "trying to protect our trademark."

The problem, though, is that the two images aren't even close and it's a heavily-flawed argument. The word "Obey" has been in existence forever and Fairey didn't invent it. Pepsi, Coca-Cola, FYE, Metallica... these are brands that can demand attention and payment over the use of their name. On the flip side, yes, there are companies with generic names: Gap, Monk, Capitol Records, Spawn, Iron Maiden. The list goes on.

In the end, you can't complain about having claim to a trademark unless you actually have someone literally ripping you off. For example, I could draw a picture of a hot chick dressed in all metal and call her an Iron Maiden, and the band couldn't sue. Why? Because I'm not using their logo, I'm not using any of their icons: It's a completely independent piece I did on my own. If someone thinks it belongs to the band, then they don't know Maiden. If I draw a Monk, NBC Universal couldn't sue me because it isn't their same Adrian Monk from the his show MONK.

In this case, the entire "OBEY" trademark hinges on one thing: The font. The font used for the OBEY image seems to be (educated guess) Futura Xlb Italic. If they used that font, or something incredibly similar, then yes, you have trademark infringement. If it was a closeup of the baby's face with the word "OBEY", maybe, MAYBE he has a case. The reason it's maybe is because it could be taken as a parody.

It's just insane, and I feel sorry for the guy for stopping, and I'm glad this story is getting some legs.