Words are all I have.

I’m by no means an idealist.

I believe that in the real world, compromises and concessions must be made in order to progress and evolve as a society.

But if there was one intangible that I could say I wave the flag for, it’s freedom. Freedom of expression. Freedom of speech. Freedom to think and say anything, and the freedom to disagree with anything anyone else might say. I believe that, above all else, is what I love about the nation of my home. Sometimes I am infuriated by what I hear or read, and think that nothing could be further from true or correct than what i have just hard or read, but I will defend the right to make that statement to the death.

Tragically, the powers that be do not seem to share my passion for this freedom.

According to a recent article on Ars Technica, a new bill has passed through Senate committee and is on its way to full Senate that will give the FCC the right to fine broadcasters over “fleeting” swears. What’s a fleeting swear? Imagine someone accidentally says “Fuck” on live TV, or a camera catches a t-shirt with something “inappropriate” on it; this bill would give the FCC the right to levy fines for such accidental occurrences. The bill is titled (I love this) the “Protecting Children from Indecent Programming Act.” So, apparently if you’re against this bill, you’re against protecting children? Way to box them in, assholes. Is this how our representatives spend their time?

Now, the FCC is a body that I have nothing but the utmost disdain and abhorration for. The FCC decided, all on its own, that radio and television were the only two parts of American life not protected by the free speech provisions of the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Go back and read that again; it seems… vaguely important.

They are appointed, not elected, but appointed, answerable only to the President, and get to decide, based on their own personal beliefs, what is and what is not appropriate for mass intellectual consumption. Why? Who are they to decide that kind of thing? Isn’t that a tenet of something we fought for decades against? And I’m sure this is all because some minister in Mississippi heard something on the radio back in the 60’s that he didn’t like and demanded that the government do something about it. Instead of, y’know, turning off the radio or something radical like that.

Unfortunately, my rage has only just escalated. In a much grander, much scarier move, President Bush has issued one of his wacky “Executive Orders” (those things that don’t require congressional approval and are subverting the god damned Constitution ) entitled “Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq,” and basically, it criminalizes the Anti-war movement.

I’m going to let the article from the Intelligence Daily explain it better than I could; just keep a receptacle handy for when you inevitably vomit in disgust.

Pray for freedom. Apparently its days are numbered.

One More.

I’ve stood outside your window
with my radio for what seems like ever.
My Chuck Taylors have taken root in your lawn,
my arms have all but fallen off.
My tape has warped and worn thin,
and you’ve yet to come around.

Reality sets in.

You really weren’t kidding.
I thought you’d see that I wasn’t either,
and you’d change it all back again.
Foolish me, your mind was made up.
My words, all I’ve said will forever ring true for you,
But my tape’s run out and
I’ve got to get off your lawn.

The Last Last Dispatch?

When The Police announced their comeback, the reunion was heralded with such fanfare that included a performance at the Grammys, a televised press conference, and a high-profile interview in the New York Times. As a result, the trio sold out two nights at Madison Square Garden.

When a little-known independent trio named Dispatch decided to reunite, they posted a note on their Myspace page. They sold out three nights at Madison Square Garden.

Dispatch is arguably the biggest act in the history of independent music. Formed in the mid-’90s, the band managed to side-step all major record labels and gain fame and popularity through word of mouth and with the help of sites like Napster. After they disbanded in 2002, they threw a second farewell show two years later at the Hatch Shell in Boston. That show drew a crowd of 110,000 strong – the largest in independent music history.

Three years and three independent projects later, one thing has been powerful enough to reunite Dispatch one more time: the dire situation in the nation of Zimbabwe. The amount of extreme poverty and illness in the small nation, once considered Africa’s breadbasket, is sickening. The band is donating all proceeds of the three-night event – expected to reach $2.2 million – to help the struggling country.

I was lucky enough to be at the first concert last night. The show was Fucking. Incredible. Dispatch hasn’t played together in over three years, but you’d never know it by watching them. Their stage presence is striking and their chemistry on the stage with one another is palpable, even to nosebleeders like myself. The 22-song set featured numerous guests on horns, including friend of the band Craig Dryer, percussion, the “fourth member” of Dispatch (their old touring van Wimpy), and a Zimbabwean youth choir to open the show and help out on Dispatch live staples “Out Loud” and “Elias,” a song written about a Zimbabwean fieldworker that one of the band members befriended while living and teaching in Zimbabwe.

By the time I had become a serious Dispatch fan, the band had already gone their separate ways. So to have the opportunity to see them play live just once is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. This was, by far, the best concert I’ve ever been to. But the best part is, thanks to the magic of the internet, we can download the concert I went to just last night on the band’s Myspace page. One track is even free of charge, the rest are the standard $0.99, and the album itself is $15. Again, all proceeds are going to go to help out Zimbabwe, so I recommend buying it not just for your pleasure, but for your conscience as well.

If you really, really want to see this sold-out show, head down to MSG around 7 pm; last night there were a ton of people trying to get rid of tickets for friends that didn’t show up (I suppose Dispatch fans aren’t the most reliable bunch on the planet.) Obviously, watch out for scalpers, check dates, all that. But if you’ve got some cash to burn, you just might get into the show tonight or Sunday.

Long live the ‘Spatch.

I mean… “what?”

I’m confounded by the roller coaster-esque way the views for my blog are fluctuating day to day (yesterday i had six hits; today: fifty-five!) And damn it, I want to know why.  So i want all who read this to go to the comment section and tell me how you got here, whether or not you’re a regular reader, and of course, what you think of all you’ve seen here. Do it up!

Gemini

You talk so damn loud,
But not all the time.

I can’t tell you why you’re so emotional,
But I wouldn’t change it in you for anything.

And for what it’s worth,
I can think of at least one person
willing to deal with both.