Thanks for nuthin'!

God, even Rep. Murtha voted against it!!!!...

As Keith Richards would say, "talk is cheap".

indeed.

For every action...

So, it only took one press conference by Democratic Rep. John Murtha in which he stated that it was time to get the hell out of Iraq to set the White House into a frenzy of counter-insurgency activity: press secretary Scott McLeland compared Murtha, a pro-military hawk who served in Vietnam, to Michael Moore. Small Dick Cheney went on the offensive as well, deploring the irresponsibility of "rewriting history", and flatly asserting that the Iraqi people are better off now than they'd be under someone like bin Laden, again making the not-so-subtle suggestion that the US military presence in Iraq is somehow related to the 911 attack (have you no shame Dick?). Meanwhile, Rumsfeld does his part and goes on the Sunday morning talk shows to declare that American people will be in greater danger if the US military pulls out of Iraq (again, that 911 shadow...). Remember, when these dominoes start falling...

Forget John Murtha for a moment and ask yourself this: why is the White House so freaked out about this? Well, they are very, very concerned because of the effect Murtha's comments might have on people like you and me. If public opinion further shifts dramatically in opposition to the war and the occupation in Iraq, as it has in the last few months, then things start looking pretty bad for Rummy & Co. So, instead of calling Murtha's office and thanking him for doing something he and countless other spineless politicians should have done about 4 years ago when it would have mattered, call that pro-war uncle of yours, or talk to that bus driver who's always yapping about terrorism, or that co-worker who has a cousin in the 82nd Airborne. Talk to people around you and organize and make YOUR voice be heard, because THAT'S what Dick Cheney is REALLY afraid of, not Johnny-come-lately Dems like Murtha.

The Final Chapter??

So, I'm reading Rolling Stone, and I see that murdered rapper Notorious B.I.G. is coming out this month with yet another posthumous album called "Duets: The Final Chapter" . This album contains duets with other artists (some of them dead, like Bob Marley!) that were completely manufactured in the recording studio by various producers. These tracks are evidently all new.

Now, I'm not against trying new things musically, like Billy Bragg and Wilco recording music to unreleased Woody Guthrie lyrics (they were actually invited by Guthrie's daughter to do so), but this is just stupid. The guy is dead. It's over. I thought so when Paul, George and Ringo recorded over a John Lennon demo in 1995 and released the track as a Beatles song, and I think so now.

Just stop it.