Say It Ain't So, Joe!

When I was a kid, all my heroes were action figures. I loved playing with my Star Wars and GI Joe toys. It was especially fun when they fought each other, or Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon helped Duke, Hawk and the boys take out Cobra.

As I got older, musicians became my heroes. Joe Strummer has always been a personal hero of mine. The Clash changed my life, both in the music I listened to and the way I thought about how a small group of people can enact change. The Clash were an overtly political band that inspired people to make changes. I short, they were "the only band that matters".

Now old and new are together. I found this set while looking around online. Much like the other artists that have been captured in plastic form (Bon Jovi, AC/DC, Dio in actual size), these four pioneers of music can collect dust on your shelf.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Part of me wants to rail against this as going against everything The Clash stood for. Part of me wants to get the set, partly because I'm a big fan and partly because they actually look pretty good.

I hope Joe is rolling in his grave over this...

Have Your Cake & Eat it Too

I watched a bit of the Barack Obama PSA this evening, and I was struck by something. During the broadcast, he focused on a family in Louisville, KY, where both parents worked at the local Ford plant. This is a plant that builds Ford trucks. The work had been cut back, and the wife was laid off. Obama used this family as a focus for his plans to boost the economy, create more jobs and increase the quality of life for the middle class.

Meanwhile, the government - the same government that Obama is trying to run - has instituted policy that creates a minimum on gas mileage for vehicles. This means that trucks such as those that this gentleman builds every day will not meet the required fuel efficiency standards that will take effect in the next few years. Car companies can still produce and sell these vehicles, but at a significant fine. Sales of larger, less fuel-efficient vehicles are already down, and the car companies are not going to incur the fines without passing them along to the consumer. As people struggle to pay their mortgages, put food on their tables and fuel the vehicles they use to drive to their increasingly less-stable jobs, they are going to cut back on costs. Costs like larger vehicles that use more fuel.

Plants are shutting down. Daimler recently shut down a truck processing plant, effectively putting everyone there out of work. What will happen when Ford decides that this plant in Kentucky is no longer cost-efficient? This man, along with the rest of his coworkers will be out of work. I'm sure that this man was excited to be a focal point of this production, but how will he feel about things when he is no longer working? Will he feel the same way about Obama as he did a few weeks ago when this thing was put together?

Obama wants to increase the tax cuts for small business while making the large companies pay the same, if not more in taxes. Higher taxes mean increased costs which mean profit losses. I understand the meaning behind his cuts, and even support the idea. However, with the economy the way it is these days, larger corporations don't need reasons to shut down divisions, or even close up shop. This country was built on small business, and I agree with supporting them. However, small businesses cannot provide the jobs on the scale of large corporations or the breadth and quantity of products. While McCain has been painted as the bad guy in the media for wanting to cut taxes for the large corporations (among other things), I think his plan will work better for the American economy in the long run.

I don't think McCain will win the election, and frankly I don't give a shit who you vote for. However, my wife said something very smart the other day - if you don't take part in the election, you can't bitch about the result. So, take part and vote so you can bitch about the problems or be blamed for being part of the cause.

Freaks & Geeks 2008

So, my plans of football and cooking were canceled when the wife decided that the family needed to go the the Renaissance festival on Sunday. White two of my favorite activities were pretty much thrown to the wolves, I did get to enjoy another favorite activity of mine - watching and making fun of freaky people. A long time ago, before we could drink, we would drive down to this little coffee shop. Hanging outside the chop were generally your goth and geek kind of people. Because when they hang out in packs, they're stronger. There was even one guy who, at one point in time thought he was a werewolf. These are the kind of people I'm talking about...

Well, the Renaissance Festival offers all of these kinds of people, just on a much larger scale. (Plus, they serve beer!) I realize that they are getting paid for this, but these people are dressed in costume, speaking in English accents in period-speak, and really way too into this. And that's just the people who work there. There are also people who do this without getting paid for it. They just seem to think it's fun to dress in a kilt in mid-October when I'm freezing in a jacket and a wool hat.

I did learn something, however, on Sunday. Apparently, the Renaissance people were really into S&M. I saw more than a few people in full bondage gear, including some freak in all black leather, buckles and zippers and a gas mask. So, not only did the Renaissance people really like freaky sex, they also existed after World War II. Kind of like how the Civil War happened a few years after the dinosaurs became extinct...

The day wasn't a wash, though. Both the wife and the kids had a good time and got some souvenirs. I go to watch jousting, and while I find it confusing that this is our official state sport, it is actually kind of fun to watch. Also, I can't have a completely bad time when there's good food and good beer involved. All in all, while there were things I would have rather done yesterday, I didn't have a totally bad time.

I should be in bed...

It's after 11, and I have to get up early tomorrow. It seems the fun day I had planned of watching football and cooking gumbo (a 4-hour process when done right) has been canceled, as the Wife decided we are going to the Maryland Renaissance Fair tomorrow. It's the last day and all, but this is the first weekend where I haven't had something to do on Sunday. It could be fun though. It's kind of like the Comicon - I don't get many opportunities to walk into a situation and know that I am one of the 2 or 3 coolest guys there...

Anyway, the reason I'm still awake, other than trying to amuse you, is that LSU is playing tonight. There are few things that I like more than watching them play football. There are also few things that frustrate the living hell out of me. Their defense hasn't been nearly as good this season as in the past, and they started the season with 2 quarterbacks who had thrown a total of 2 meaningful passes. But, they're 4-1, about to go to 5-1, thankfully. At least I get to watch Steve Spurrier throw a fit every time LSU's defense does something good.

Anyway, the game is almost over and LSU is up by 7. Guess I'll be sleeping okay tonight. I hope I get to watch some of the Saints-Panthers game tomorrow. It should be good. (I love the Sunday Ticket on DirecTV!!!) Time to get some sleep so I can get up early and go look at the beer wenches in the cold weather.

What This is About...

After reading some other people's blogs, I thought it might be interesting to post my own random thoughts and views from a different perspective. A little about me - I'm married with kids and work six days a week. Therefore, by the time I have some time to myself during the day, I'm pretty much fried. I thought it might make for some interesting observations. Please feel free to let me know what you think. In short, I think the title of this blog says it all...