Unraveling the Criminal Torture Conspiracy

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With the release of the Yoo/Bybee memos and the Armed Services Committee report much has been made lately of the involvement of top U.S. Officials in the use of techniques which could be considered Torture.

John Yoo has blasted Obama for release of these memos. Jay Baybee has argued that his conclusions represent a "Good Faith" analysis of the law. But does it?

Is this simply a matter of a difference in policy, a difference in legal opinion and perspective or is it something far worse? Where these memos and conclusions specifically requested and provided to enable the execution of War Crimes and Torture?

18 USC 2340(c) Conspiracy.— A person who conspires to commit an offense under this section shall be subject to the same penalties (other than the penalty of death) as the penalties prescribed for the offense, the commission of which was the object of the conspiracy.

Besides the individual acts which have been well documented as occurring in various detention facilities world-wide the real question is whether or not a Criminal Conspiracy Case could potentially be brought against Bush Administration Officials, and if so, which ones?

To determine this we must look at the chain of evidence we have so far.

The first official action begins with this Jan 9, 2002 Memo (pdf) from John Yoo to William J. Haynes, General Counsel for the DoD which argues that Geneva does not apply to Taliban Fighters in Afghanistan.

You have asked for our Office's views concerning the effect of international treaties and federal laws on the treatment of individuals detained by the U.S. Armed Forces during the conflict in Afghanistan. In particular, you have asked whether the laws of armed conflict apply to the conditions of detention and the procedures for trial of member of al Qeada and the Taliban militia. We conclude that these treates do not protect members of the al Qeada organization, which as a non-State actor cannot be a party to the international agreements governing war. We further conclude that that [sic] these treaties do not apply to the Taliban militia. This memorandum expresses no view as to whether the President should decide, as a matter of policy, tha tht U.S. Armed Forces should adhere to the standards of conduct in those treaties with respect to the treatment of prisoners.

It may be important to note that this memo does not recommend deviating from the standing rules contained in the Army Field Manual (which comports with Geneva). George Bush applied this rationale and denied POW status to the Taliban on Jan 18th. It's interesting to note how this relatively neutral argument that Geneva doesn't apply to AQ & Taliban was amped up to a whole new level by this following memo from Alberto Gonzales on Jan 25th (pdf) which provided his recommendation on whether to reverse the Jan 18th decision and voluntarily abide by Geneva (accepting the assumption that it didn't apply) or not.

Positives (to denying Geneva protections)

Flexibility: In my judgment this new paradigm renders Geneva's strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of it's provisions requiring that captured enemy be afforded such things as commissary privileges, scrip (i.e., advances of monthly pay), athletic uniforms and scientific instruments.

Substantially reduces the threat of domestic criminal prosecution under the War Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. 2441)

o That statute, enacted in 1996; prohibits the commission of a "war crime" by or against a U.S. person, including U.S. officials. "War Crime" for these purposes is defined to include any grave breach of GPW (Geneva POW Conventions) or any violation of common Article 3 thereof (such as "outrages against personal dignity"). Some of these provisions apply (if the GPW applies) regardless of whether the individual being detained qualifies as a POW. Punishments for violations of Section 2441 Include the death penalty. A determination that the GPW is not applicable to the Taliban would mean that Section 2441 would not apply to actions taken with respect to the Taliban.

o Adhering to your determination that GPW does not apply would guard effectively against misconstruction or misapplication of Section 2441 for several reasons. First, some of the language of the GPW is undefined (it prohibits, for example, "outrages upon personal dignity" and "inhuman treatment") and it is difficult to predict with confidence what actions might be deemed to constitute violations of the relevant provisions of GPW. Second, it is difficult to predict the needs and circumstances that could arise in the course of the war on terrorism. Third, it is difficult to predict the motives of prosecutors and independent counsels who may in the future decide to pursue unwarranted charges based on Section 2441. Your determination would create a reasonable basis in law that Section 2441 does not apply, which would provide a solid defense against any future prosecution.

Reading this is like reading a note from a mob lawyer to his client describing how to commit murder and get away with it! First of all, it's clear from this memo that Gonzales isn't making an argument that various techniques are or aren't a potential breach, he's attempting to "maintain flexibility" to use options "outside the box" and NOT GET PROSECUTED FOR IT. This indicates a knowing awareness that he feels that the law, as strictly written may appear to be violated, and that his recommendation to deny Geneva Protections is as much driven by a desire to avoid the death penalty as to pursue the war. Secondly, what is or isn't a "War Crime" and permisable in treating detainees, isn't "difficult to predict" at all - it has long been outlined in the Army Field Manual and the Uniform Code of Military Justice which considers any "Maltreatment" of a detainee to be a Courts Martial Offense.


UCMJ Article 93.

Text.

"Any person subject to this chapter who is guilty of cruelty toward, or oppression or maltreatment of, any person subject to his orders shall be punished as a court-martial may direct."

Elements.

(1) That a certain person was subject to the orders of the accused; and

(2) That the accused was cruel toward, or oppressed, or maltreated that person.

Explanation.

(1) Nature of victim. "Any person subject to his orders" means not only those persons under the direct or immediate command of the accused but extends to all persons, subject to the code or not, who by reason of some duty are required to obey the lawful orders of the accused, regardless whether the accused is in the direct chain of command over the person.

(2) Nature of act. The cruelty, oppression, or maltreatment, although not necessarily physical, must be measured by an objective standard. Assault, improper punishment, and sexual harassment may constitute this offense. Sexual harassment includes influencing, offering to influence, or threatening the career, pay, or job of another person in exchange for sexual favors, and deliberate or repeated offensive comments or gestures of a sexual nature. The imposition of necessary or proper duties and the exaction of their performance does not constitute this offense even though the duties are arduous or hazardous or both.

The Army Field Manual, which is designed to be consistent with Geneva, contains a LIST of prohibited interrogations techniques, which specifically includes Waterboarding!

5-75. If used in conjunction with intelligence interrogations,
prohibited actions include, but are not limited to—
• Forcing the detainee to be naked, perform sexual acts, or pose in a
sexual manner.
• Placing hoods or sacks over the head of a detainee; using duct tape
over the eyes.
• Applying beatings, electric shock, burns, or other forms of physical
pain.
• “Waterboarding.”
• Using military working dogs.
• Inducing hypothermia or heat injury.
• Conducting mock executions.
• Depriving the detainee of necessary food, water, or medical care.
5-76. While using legitimate interrogation techniques, certain applications of
approaches and techniques may approach the line between permissible
actions and prohibited actions.

Logic dictates that all of these techniques likely "Maltreatment" under the UCMJ, but are they War Crimes? The 4th Geneva Convention defines "Grave Breaches" as the following:

Grave breaches to which the preceding Article relates shall be those involving any of the following acts, if committed against persons or property protected by the present Convention: willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement of a protected person, compelling a protected person to serve in the forces of a hostile Power, or willfully depriving a protected person of the rights of fair and regular trial prescribed in the present Convention, taking of hostages and extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.

So even if you ignore the torture and coercive actions prohibited under the AFM and UCMJ, actions such as creating the Secure "Black Sites", and Extraordinary Renditions which were implemented are themselves Grave Breaches of Geneva and War Crimes.

By the way, exactly when did the President gain the power to "Establish Law"? Constitutionally that is a power given exclusively to Congress, while the Judiciary has the power to interpret the law in regards to the Constitution. Certainly there may be grey areas where legal analysis needs to be made by the executive branch which is charged with enforcing the law - but this memo, and those that follow it - seem to deliberately ignore previous case law and previous judicial decisions in favor a predetermined outcome to violate Geneva and knowingly allow the commision of what would otherwise absolutely be considered War Crimes, up to and including torture.

This direction was followed despite the vocal objections of then Secretary of State Colin Powell and his Counsel William Howard Taft IV (pdf)

The President should know that a decision that the Conventions do apply is consistent with the plain language of the Conventions and the unvaried practice of the United States in introducing its forces into conflict over fifty years. It is consistent with the advice of DOS lawyers and, as far as is known, the position of every other party to the Conventions. It is consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 1193 affirming that "All parties to the conflict (in Afghanistan) are bound to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and in particular the Geneva Conventions.

Ignoring both Powell, Taft and relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, Bush signed a memo denying Article 3 protections to Al Qeada and the Taliban on Feb 7.

At this point in time the legal theory in effect as a result of Bush's decision is that since the Taliban and Al Qaeda are are not themselves recognized internationally as legitimate governments they are not included within Geneva, and even though America has the option of treating them in a manner that is consistent with Geneva - IT WILL NOT - therefore indicating that War Crimes CAN be committed against them.

The problem with this decision is that Geneva does cover them. First off, because the fact that they haven't signed the Treaty is irrelevant - since we have. Geneva Article II

The Convention shall also apply to all cases of partial or total occupation of the territory of a High Contracting Party, even if the said occupation meets with no armed resistance.

Although one of the Powers in conflict may not be a party to the present Convention, the Powers who are parties thereto shall remain bound by it in their mutual relations.

Under Article IV, Militia's such as the Taliban are included under coverage.

Section A. 1. Members of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict as well as members of militias or volunteer corps forming part of such armed forces.

You could also include them under Section A.6.

6. Inhabitants of a non-occupied territory, who on the approach of the enemy spontaneously take up arms to resist the invading forces, without having had time to form themselves into regular armed units, provided they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war.

And even if the Taliban - which even Gonzales in his memo called a "Militia" - were not covered by this Section, all potential combatants are covered in the following section.

Should any doubt arise as to whether persons, having committed a belligerent act and having fallen into the hands of the enemy, belong to any of the categories enumerated in Article 4, such persons shall enjoy the protection of the present Convention until such time as their status has been determined by a competent tribunal.

Further the 4th Geneva Conventions also makes this point.

"Persons protected by the Convention are those who, at a given moment and in any manner whatsoever, find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands of a Party to the conflict or Occupying Power of which they are not nationals."

In other words, any non-American on a battle field is protected by the conventions once they become a captive or detainee. There is NO OTHER VALID INTERPRETATION of this document. This makes it crystal clear that the decision as to whether someone is a POW, Non-combatant or Criminal is not something that can be made with a blanket statement, it has to be determined in a case-by-case basis by a legal and competent tribunal. It's not something a President can decide with the stroke of a pen anymore than he can declare that bank-robbery will no longer be illegal with a signing statement, just because someone needs the money for their sick mother.

Why you committed the crime doesn't matter, particularly when under the UN Convention Against Torture, all arguments - such as those provided by Gonzales that these techniques may have provided "useful information" - are irrelevant.

Article 2.2 No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat or war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.

The advice given by both Yoo and Gonzales to ignore Geneva and the State Dept. at this point were completely irrevocably invalid, and Gonzales own further argument concerning 2441 shows that this wasn't just a "mistake" - it was a deliberate attempt to avoid likely prosecution for an impending premeditated crime.

In March of 2002, one month later, Abu Zubaydah was captured by U.S. forces in Pakistan. He became the test case for this new policy, but although 2441 had essentially been neutered another U.S. law still presented a problem. 18 U.S. 2340 - Torture

(a) Offense.— Whoever outside the United States commits or attempts to commit torture shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both, and if death results to any person from conduct prohibited by this subsection, shall be punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life.

According to the FBI, Zubaydah cooperated and provided information which helped identify and capture both Khallid Sheik Mohammed and Jose Padilla during the following months, but as the Levin Reports shows, some members of the administration weren't hearing what they wanted to hear. They weren't hearing how Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9-11 and linked to Al Qeada. They decided Zubaydah was being uncooperative, and that Harsher Measures were needed. They looked to use techniques developed by the S.E.R.E. (the Torture Resistance Program developed by U.S. Special Forces after communist governments attempts to illicit false confessions from their citizens and our Troops) Not exactly a brilliant idea unless you want to gain false information.

Hardball w/Turley & Buchannan on Rice and the Legality of Torture

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In May of 2002 Condoleeza Rice advised George Tenet that S.E.R.E developed techniques such as Waterboarding could be used on Zubaydah and other high-value Al Qeada detainees. At this point in time although Geneva was effectively disabled, 18 USC 2340 was still in effect.

In order to address this problem another OLC memo from Jay Baybee was issued which attempted to redefine torture literally out of existence. It claimed 10 techniques (attention grasp, wailing, facial hold, facial slap, cramped confinement, wall standing, stress positions, sleep deprivations, insects place in a confinement box and the waterboard) would not cause severe physical or mental pain.

In this memo Bybee argued:

The goal of the facial slap is not to inflict physical pain that is severe or lasting. Instead, the purpose of the facial slap is to induce shock, surprise, and/or humiliation. Wall standing is used to induce muscle fatigue. The individual stands about four to fie feet from a wall, with his feet spread approximately to shoulder width. His arms are stretched out in front of him, with his fingers resting on the wall. You have informed us that these positions are not design to produce the pain associated with contortions or twisting of the body, Rather somewhat like wailing, they are designed to produce the physical discomfort associated with muscle fatigue.

You have informed us that he (Zubaydah) appears to have a fear of insects. In particular, you would like to tell Zubaydah that you intend to place a stinging insect into the box with him. You would, however, place a harmless insect in the box) Finally, you would like to use a technique called the "waterboard". This causes an increase in carbon dioxide level in the individual's blood. This increase in the carbon dioxide level stimulates increased effort to breathe. This effort plus the cloth produced the perception of "suffocation and incipient panic," i.e., the perception of drowning.

Any pain associated with muscle fatigue is not of the intensity sufficient to amount to "sever physical pain or suffering" under the statute, nor, despite it's discomfort, can it be said to be difficult to endure. As we understand it, when the waterboard is used, the subject's body responds as if the subject were drowning--even though the subject is well aware that he is in fact not drowning. You have informed us that this procedure does not inflict actual physical harm. Thus, although the subject may experience the fear or panic associated with the feeling of drowning, the waterboard does not inflict physical pain.

Parsing through whether the pain is "severe" or not completely misses the point that pain is entirely subjective, and that with repetition and duration such techniques over time can indeed become torturous. "Increased Carbon Dioxide" and experiencing the "sensation of drowning" can spike a subjects blood pressure, induce a stroke or heart-attack. Prolonged stress position scan indeed cause muscle fatigue, but that fatigue can eventually induce renal failure and cause a subject kidneys' to shutdown - leading to death. Zubaydah was ultimately waterboarded 83 Times. Rather than seeking information from a broad array of medical information and opinion, Bybee clearly ignored a great deal of information on the effects of torture from sources such as Amnesty International and also completely ignored to objections of the experienced S.E.R.E. program operation themselves.

"The requirement to obtain information from an uncooperative source as quickly as possible -- in time to prevent, for example, an impending terrorist attack that could result in loss of life -- has been forwarded as a compelling argument for the use of torture," the document said. "In essence, physical and/or psychological duress are viewed as an alternative to the more time-consuming conventional interrogation process. The error inherent in this line of thinking is the assumption that, through torture, the interrogator can extract reliable and accurate information. History and a consideration of human behavior would appear to refute this assumption."

There was no consideration within the National Security Council that the planned techniques stemmed from Chinese communist practices and had been deemed torture when employed against American personnel, the former administration official said. The U.S. military prosecuted its own troops for using waterboarding in the Philippines and tried Japanese officers on war crimes charges for its use against Americans and other allied nationals during World War II.

The reasoning in the JPRA document contrasted sharply with arguments being pressed at the time by current and former military psychologists in the SERE program, including James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who later formed a company that became a CIA contractor advising on interrogations. Both men declined to comment on their role in formulating interrogation policy. The JPRA attachment said the key deficiency of physical or psychological duress is the reliability and accuracy of the information gained. "A subject in pain may provide an answer, any answer, or many answers in order to get the pain to stop," it said.

As it turns out most of the information that was received from Zubaydah after his waterboarding has been considered dubious at best by the FBI. The techniques employed against him were repeated against Khallid Sheik Mohammad who was ultimately waterboarded 183 times. In December of 2002 Donald Rumsfeld authorized the use of 15 similar "aggressive techniques" against detainees in GTMO and at Bagram AFB. Eventually these techniques were exported to Abu Ghraib by General Geoffrey Miller on Rumsfeld's order in an effort to "Gitmo-ize" it. Although "Waterboarding" was prohibited, the use of nudity, stress position, humiliation and dogs was included.

Amnesty International on subsequent results in Iraq and Abu Ghraib

The world watched with horror, shock and outrage the graphic pictures of Iraqi prisoners being tortured in Abu Ghraib Prison. Prisoners were severely beaten and repeatedly sexually humiliated by US soldiers. They were forced to eat pork and drink alcohol. They were assaulted, threatened with rape, forced to masturbate in front of female soldiers, and forced to wear women's underwear. They were kept naked, sometimes for several days. They were also forced to walk like dogs on their hands and knees and bark like dogs. The US military investigation in Iraq headed by Major General Antonio Taguba found "systemic" and "illegal abuse of detainees" in Abu Ghraib Prison between August 2003 and February 2004, and concluded that soldiers had "committed egregious acts and grave breaches of international law at Abu Ghraib…". Amnesty International condemned the latest reports of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners in Abu Ghraib as war crimes. The organization called on the US Government to fully investigate them in order to ensure that there is no impunity for anyone found responsible, regardless of position or rank.

The final nail in the coffin for Bybee's defenses is the condition that Zubaydah is in now after all of this "not severe, not painful" treatment.

Partly as a result of injuries he suffered while he was fighting the communists in Afghanistan, partly as a result of how those injuries were exacerbated by the CIA and partly as a result of his extended isolation, Abu Zubaydah's mental grasp is slipping away.

Today, he suffers blinding headaches and has permanent brain damage. He has an excruciating sensitivity to sounds, hearing what others do not. The slightest noise drives him nearly insane. In the last two years alone, he has experienced about 200 seizures.

But physical pain is a passing thing. The enduring torment is the taunting reminder that darkness encroaches. Already, he cannot picture his mother's face or recall his father's name. Gradually, his past, like his future, eludes him.

Let me reiterate that Zubaydah was only 31 years old when he was captured by U.S. Forces - he's not even 40 yet. It seems obvious that this was a crimnial act, particularly when the tapes of Zubaydah's inerrogations were illegally destroyed in violationi of a court order. Similar reports are that Jose Padilla - who is an American Citizen - has been rendered essentially catatonic with severe PTSD and memory loss by his treatment in U.S. custody.

The link from Yoo, to Gonzales, Bush, Bybee, Rice, Tenet, Rumsfeld and Gen Miller to Abu Ghraib is an unbroken chain. Potentially what could be called a chain conspiracy.

Conspiracy is the term for a broad category of crimes involving multiple actors coming together to engage in criminal activity. Specific federal anti-conspiracy statutes are found throughout federal law. The two key elements in proving a conspiracy are an agreement and an act in furtherance of the conspiracy by one of the actors:

* A key element in prosecuting a defendant for conspiracy is proving the agreement. The agreement that forms the basis for conspiracy need not be written, oral, or even explicit, but is often inferred from the facts of the specific case. If the parties meet and reach an understanding to work for a common purpose, there is an agreement.
* Most criminal conspiracy statutes also require that at least one of the parties has committed an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

A chain conspiracy involves several parties as links in one long criminal chain. Defendants in chain conspiracies are responsible for the actions of all participants in the chain, even if they never met some of the other participants in the chain.

As I noted at the beginning of this discussion, Conspiracy under 2340 (Torture) is punishable to the same degree as the underlying crime. In this case estimates are currently that approx 35 detainees have died as the result of Homicide, most likely while being interrogated - that would mean, excluding the death penalty, up to 20 years in prison for each and all members of the conspiracy.

Oh, and by the way, ignorance of the law is No Excuse.

Vyan

Wannabe? Music Video

Wannabe? Music Video.

Lyrics

Music by Darryl Zuber & Ron Meyer, Arrangement & Lyrics by Vyan, All Instruments, Vocals and Video Editing by Vyan © Copyright 2008-2009

Do you Waste (Waste)
All the time that you have
Do you Take (Take)
Everything you can get
Do you Fake (Fake)
Every feeling you show
Do you Hate (Hate)
Everyone that you know

(Chorus 1)
I can't change you
Unless you change yourself
I can't make you
Into someone you don't wannabe?
Who do you Wannabe?

Will you Fight (Fight)
For what you believe in?
Do you Share (Share)
Everything you don't need?
Do you Make (Make)
All the luck that you get?
Do you Love (Love)
Even those that don't love you?

(Chorus 2)
I can't change you
Unless you change yourself
I can't make you into
Something Your Not
I can't love you
Unless you love yourself
I can't make you into
Someone you don't Wannabe?
Who do you Wannabe?

Do ya wanna?

(Break)

(Repeat Chorus 2)
Nothin' but a Wannabe?

Visit vyan.chyweb.net for Downloads, Ringtones, Widgets and more.

For those who are curious about all the photos in the video:

• Artist Rendition of Statue of Liberty in the "Vietnam" Stress Position (Hooded with false electrial wires dangling to make subject believe that if they don't remain upright, they'll be electrically shocked)
• Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Osama Bin Laden
• Damage taken by the U.S.S. Cole in 2000 when Bombed by Al Qaeda
• List of Casualties of the Cole Bombing
• Richard Clarke former head of Counter Security with the National Security Council who warned desperately that Al Qeada would attack again.
• Condoleeza Rice National Security Director/SecState who ignored and demoted Clarke
• Tower 2 WTC Being Hit by the Second Hijacked Plane
• NY Firefighter collapsing in exhaustion
• NY Policeman in grief at memorial to victims
• Pat Tillman former Carolina Panther who joined Special Forces to Fight Al Qeada. KIA in Afghanistan by "Friendly Fire"
• More U.S. Troops ready for the fight.
• John Yoo author of the "Torture Memos"
• David Addington, Counsel and COS for VP Dick Cheney, alleged architect of the "Unitary Executive" Doctrine
• Judge Jay Bybee, who signed off on various Yoo Torture Memos
• Waterboarding Demonstration
• Waterboarding Reality in Vietnam (U.S. Soldier on Left was Prosecuted)
• Abu Zubaydah (Sources for info on Jose Padilla & Khallid Shiek Mohammad *before* undergoing torture, suffers from Multiple Personalities)
• Khallid Sheik Mohammad ("Mastermind" of 9-11, Waterboarded 183 Times in one month)
• Abu Ghraib (Dogs being used to terrorize naked detainee)
• Abu Ghraib (Photo taken with deceased detainee)
• Abu Ghraib (The Naked Pyramid)
• "Real Torture" wounds of person held by Al Qeada
• Former SecState Colin Powell
• Former Vice President Richard Cheney
• Former SecDef Donald Rumsfeld
• "Baghdad Bob"
• Saddam Hussein (During his Trial)
• Shock and Awe 1
• Shock and Awe 2
• Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
• Maher Arar (Innocent Canadian citizen detained in NYC, then extraodinarily "rendered" to Syria where he was torture for two years)
• Jack Bauer (Fictional Torture Hero!)
• George W. Bush (Fictional Navy Fighter Pilot)
• Donald Rumfeld greets Saddam Hussein
• Saddam Hussein after his capture
• Saddam Hussein at his Execution
• George W. Bush (Mission Accomplished)
• Mohamar Quaddafi (Former Vicious Dictator of Libya- Now Trusted Ally of Libya)
• Mahatma Ghandi
• Bishop Desmond Tutu
• Lewis I. "Scooter" Libby, Former Chief of Staff for VP Cheney
• Valerie Plame-Wilson, Former Covert CIA Operative (until Libby blabbed to Judith Miller) and husband Ambassador Joseph Wilson
• Natalee Holloway (Blonde Victim)
• Meghan McCain
• Katrina Vanden Heuveal (Editor of The Nation Magazine)
• Alexander Rodriguez (NY Yankees)
• Barry Bonds (Ex-SF Giants)
• Ron Artest and Others (Malice at the Palace 2004)
• Michael Vick (Former Quaterback Atlanta Falcons - Convicted Dog Fighter)
• Artists Rendition Vick : Vengence is for the Dogs
• Pacers/Pistons Brawl 2004
• Steve Nash (South Africa Ex-pat, Canadian, Pheonix Suns 2 Time MVP, Activist, Philanthropist)
• Current TV Reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee: Held by North Korea Gov for Espionage
• Jeremy Scahill (Reporter for The Nation, Author of "Blackwater")
• Bill O'Reilly (Blowup over the Teleprompter)
• Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay (Mug Shot)
• KFed
• Britney Spears w/Baby Bump (Little did we all know....)
• Paris Hilton (Mug Shot)
• Carrie Prejean, Miss California 2009 (Bigot/Biblical Truth-Sayer)
• Cesar Chavez (Activist)
• Capt. Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenburger (Hero Pilot)
• Roberto Clemente (Hall of Fame 3rd Baseman for the Pittsburg Pirates, Activist, Hero, Martyr)
• Bernard Goldberg (Fox News Analyst, Hate-Monger)
• Lisa Nowak (Diaper wearing Stalker/Astronaut)
• Fred Barnes (Editor The Weekly Standard, Fox News Analyst, Asshat)
• Sean Hannity (Fox News Fucktard)
• Pvt. Jessica Lynch (After the "Rescue")
• Jessica Lynch (Cover Shot)
• Pvt. Shoshana Johnson (One of the *other* not blonde "Rescuees")
• The Late Anna Nicole Smith (aka "Vickie Lynn Marshall")
• Senator John McCain (And the "Little Woman")
• Keith Olbermann (MSNBC)
• Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
• Stephan Colbert (Comedy Central)
• Kim Kardashian and her enormous Ass (E!)
• Charles Krauthhammer (Fox News Fascist)
• Michelle Malkin (!!!!!!!)
• Teresa Schiavo (Alive)
• Terasa Schiavo (Brain Dead)
• Hurrican Katrina
• And then the Levee Breaks
• George Bush Parties w/Country Band
• New Orleans Flooded ("Looters")
• New Orleans Finest ("Flooded")
• NOPD Meet a "Looter"
• NOLA Residents "Liberate" some Food
• Blackwater USA (On the Streets of NOLA)
• George W. Bush at John McCain's Birthday Party in Arizona
• U.S. Coast Guard Rescue
• Coast Guard over NOLA
• Sean Penn during Katrina
• Superdome
• Above the Superdome
• In front of the Superdome
• Michael "Heckavajob" Brownie w/Bush and Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff
• FEMA Trailers (Formaldehyde Ready!)
• Valerie Plame-Wilson Testimony
• Monica Goodling Testimony
• Miley Cyrus
• Lindsey Lohan (Will Testify!)
• Jennifer Willbanks (The Runaway Bride with X-Ray Eyes)
• Gary Busey (Mug Shot)
• Mel Gibson (Anti-Semetic Rant Mug Shot)
• Bill and Hillary (College Lovers)
• Ashley Todd (Backwards "B" Girl)
• Bill O'Reilly (Older, not Wiser - Still Angry)
• Governor Sarah Palin
• John Lennon (Musician, Activist, Shit-Stirrer, Peace-Monger, Martyr)
• Naomi Klein (Author of "The End of America")
• The March on Selma
• Barack Obama welcomed in Germany
• Barack Obama accepts Presidency
• Capital Mall at Inaguration
• The Obama's and the Biden's.
• Tiger Woods
• Rush Limbaugh
• Captain Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama (Pirate Hostage, Hero, Survivor)
• Rachel Maddow (MSNBC/Air America)
• Former Covert CIA Agent Bob Baer
• Artist Rendition Black Site Sleep Deprivation
• Steven Biko (South African, Hero, Martyr)
• Nelson Mandela (Political Prisoner, President, Survivor)
• Rev. Jeremiah Wright
• Rev. Jerry Fallwel
• Rev. Pat Roberts
• Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias (Now head Prosecutor at GTMO)
• John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President
• Sir Bob Geldof in Africa
• Mother Teresa
• Iraqi Citizens (The "other" Shock and Awe)
• U.S. Troops Under Fire
• U.S. Troops in Prayer
• Sgt Grainer and the "Dog Pile"
• Wounded Detainee at Abu Ghraib
• Iraqi Child with Burns
• NOLA Citizen with Flag

Vyan

The Impending Perfect Wingnut Hate Storm

Crossposted from Dkos

We've all seen the warning signs and heard the angry cries from Wingnuttia - but it's time to stop laughing and recognize a very real threat that faces this nation.



The Southern Poverty Law Center headed by Morris Dees is the countries premier anti-hate resource, and in it's current yearly "Intelligence Report" on the activities of various domestic Hate Groups, there are more than a few familiar faces.

This week a report detailing at least 60 Post-9/11 plots of violence by Militant Right-Wing Militia and Birther groups was spiked in Missouri under the argument that sharing the information with Officers in the field would have been Political Profiling!

In Knoxville Tennessee it was shown that a mass-murderer, James Adkinson, - inspired directly by writings of Fox News Contributor Bernard Goldberg, as well as the rantings of Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter - perpetrated a deliberate Hate-Crime (i.e. Terrorism) against Liberals.

"Know this if nothing else: This was a hate crime. I hate the damn left-wing liberals. There is a vast left-wing conspiracy in this country & these liberals are working together to attack every decent & honorable institution in the nation, trying to turn this country into a communist state. Shame on them....

Yet, the mainstream media ignores the report of an attempted Right-Wing Dirty Bomber in Maine.

“Amber (Cummings) indicated James was very upset with Barack Obama being elected President,” reported the Washington Regional Threat and Analysis Center (PDF link). “She indicated James had been in contact with ‘white supremacist group(s).’ Amber also indicated James mixed chemicals in the kitchen sink at their residence and had mentioned ‘dirty bombs.’”

“Also found was literature on how to build ‘dirty bombs’ and information about cesium-137, strontium-90 and cobalt-60, radioactive materials,” said theBangor Daily. “The FBI report also stated there was evidence linking James Cummings to white supremacist groups. This would seem to confirm observations by local tradesmen who worked at the Cummings home that he was an ardent admirer of Adolf Hitler and had a collection of Nazi memorabilia around the house, including a prominently displayed flag with swastika. Cummings claimed to have pieces of Hitler’s personal silverware and place settings, painter Mike Robbins said a few days after the shooting.”

Before he was inaugurated there were at least two distinct supramacists plots to assassinate Obama.



It's time we stopped sweeping this under the rug.

Since the year 2000 the number of U.S. hate groups has risen 54% to a current estimate of 926 active groups in 2008.

As in recent years, hate groups were animated by fears of Latino immigration. This rise in hate groups has coincided with a 40 percent growth in hate crimes against Latinos between 2003 and 2007, according to FBI statistics.

Two new factors were introduced to the volatile hate movement in 2008: the faltering economy and the Obama campaign.

"Barack Obama's election has inflamed racist extremists who see it as another sign that their country is under siege by non-whites," said Mark Potok, editor of the Intelligence Report, a quarterly investigative journal that monitors the radical right. "The idea of a black man in the White House, combined with the deepening economic crisis and continuing high levels of Latino immigration, has given white supremacists a real platform on which to recruit."

Moving far behind the usual skin-head, supremacist and neo-nazi's we would expect to spout this kind of rhetoric we're now hearing plenty of panicked and frightened fear-mongering from many many "mainstream" sources.

Even members of Congress.

Such as Michele (I'm Not a Kook) Bachmann on staging an Orderly Revolution" against Obama.

Bachmann: At this point the American people - it's like Thomas Jefferson said, a revolution every now and then is a good thing. We are at the point, Sean, of revolution. And by that, what I mean, an orderly revolution -- where the people of this country wake up get up and make a decision that this is not going to happen on their watch. It won't be our children and grandchildren that are in debt. It is we who are in debt, we who will be bankrupting this country, inside of ten years, if we don't get a grip. And we can't let the Democrats achieve their ends any longer.

If Tim Geithner is successful under President Obama, and they move us to an international currency. Then we have no hope of standing on our own as a sovereign nation with our own economic system. It's over. We can't do that.

Bachmann: Right now I'm a member of Congress. And I believe that my job here is to be a foreign correspondent, reporting from enemy lines. And people need to understand, this isn't a game. this isn't just a political talk show that's happening right now. This is our very freedom, and we have 230 years, a continuous link of freedom that every generation has ceded to the next generation. This may be the time when that link breaks. And I'm going to do everything I can, I know you are, to make sure that we keep that link secure. We cannot allow that link to break, because as Reagan said, America is the last great hope of mankind.

We've been hearing this kind of "marxist, socialist, new world currency, we're losing america to the immigrants (and the Gays)" stuff for some time - and we've typically laughed it off - but it's time we stopped laughing.

The guys at Southern Poverty Law - aren't.

The histrionics over the supposed 5 million bad mortgages is a prime example. On Oct. 9, the conservative online news site Drudge Report included a link to a story on the website of conservative talk radio KFYI-AM in Phoenix that said HUD had reported that 5 million illegal immigrants held bad mortgages. That same day, the Phoenix Business Journal posted an article stating that a HUD spokesman said there was "no basis" for the 5 million figure, and that the agency had no data reflecting the number of bad mortgages held by illegal immigrants.

But a few hours later on CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight" — a primary venue for the airing of false allegations about undocumented immigrants — San Diego radio show host Roger Hedgecock cited the bogus HUD statistic as a hard fact. By the following day, others were engaging in the journalistic equivalent of fabricating a "big fish" tale, embellishing the falsehood with their own extravagant claims. Rush Limbaugh stated on his radio program that HUD was "admitting 5 million illegal aliens were given mortgages ... with fake Social Security numbers and so forth to go out and purchase homes that they didn't have to pay back." Over at Clear Channel's "The War Room with Quinn & Rose," Jim Quinn claimed that while there were some excesses on Wall Street, the bigger problem was the issuance of "5 million mortgages to illegal aliens who didn't even have to come up with an ID."

So the Bush Bailout isn't the result of mismanagement, greed and deregulation - it's all because of those damn dirty illegals, not to mention the rest of those shiftless minorities - and ACORN too!

As the mortgage crisis worsened in 2008, more diatribes followed regarding what syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin called "the massive illegal alien mortgage racket." In September, she wrote that it was "no coincidence" that the areas hardest hit by the wave of foreclosures "also happen to be some of the nation's largest illegal alien sanctuaries." Rick Oltman, a former top official of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) now with the anti-immigrant Californians for Population Stabilization, wrote on that group's website that foreclosures are highest in border states and cities "swollen with illegal aliens." Still, he added charitably, "illegal immigration didn't cause this, it just made it worse.

Conservative commentators also didn't let facts stop them from continually repeating the fallacy that the Community Reinvestment Act had forced lenders to make high-risk mortgage loans to illegal immigrants and other minorities.

The CRA regulations were tightened in 1995 when Bill Clinton was president. Critics contend that left-wing activists — especially at the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), which became embroiled in controversy during the presidential campaign when it was investigated for voter registration fraud — began to use data showing how CRA banks performed to petition regulators to deny lenders' plans to expand or merge with other institutions. This, they say, coerced banks into making risky, poorly documented loans — including to illegal immigrants — resulting in large numbers of defaults, which in turn caused the mortgage morass.

Jinned up by all of this misplaced fear and outrage, a brand new Xenophobic Militia Movement as been steadily growing. Unlike the lone-wolf acts of people like Adkinson or Cummings, what we truly need to worry about is what Bachmann and to some extend Glenn Beck with his "We Surround Them" bruhaha are clearly attempting to foment. A committed, directed, networked and focused Resistance Movement of batshit-wingnuts who see any and all Liberals (or their Gay, Black, Brown and poor allies) as their enemy and the enemies of America.

People who seriously believe - like Alan Keyes - that America has been hijacked by an illegitimate usurper.



What is likely to happen if and when radical anti-abortionists like Keyes (or Eric Rudolph the Olympic Park Bomber), join their ideology with that of the Birthers, the Sovereigns who are trying to make their own-currency and secede (Palin-style) from America, the anti-immigrant Minute-Men who've begun to be infiltrated by Nativist Extremist, with the 2nd Amendment-ers, and perhaps the most deluded of all - the End-Timers?

How long before all this "Revolution" talk goes from inspiring single persons, to organized groups?

How long before someone taps into all this pent up fear and anger and sends it careening in the wrong deadly direction?

HBO: Right America Feeling Wronged!


All these Palinite-Americans have not gone away - they're still with us and now they've been rendered powerless in Congress - making them more dangerous than they've ever been.

Here are IMO four potential catalyst events which could spark this kind of coalescence -

1) The Firing of BlackWater/Xe by the State Dept in Iraq, putting thousands of heavily trained and right-out of the war/post-stress impacted merceneries OUT Of A JOB.

Blackwater has been fired by the State Department from its job protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq.

Executives of the controversial U.S. security company were notified today by the State Department that its five-year, $1.2 billion contract for services in Iraq will not be renewed in May, U.S. officials tell ABC News. The contract provides yearly options for cancellations.

After working for noted Right-winger (and End-Times/Christian Supamacist) Erik Prince, these guys are ripe for Militia Recruitment. Just multiply Tim McVeigh by 1,000 and add seething hatred. What do you do when you're a former paid killer, go back to parking cars?

2) Re-instatment of the Assault Weapons Ban which originally fostered the Gingrich Revolt on '94.

3) Allowing for Government to "Take-Over" and fix Pseudo-Banks like AIG - something Newt Gingrich has already called something akin to a "Dictatorship".

And the coup de grace?

4) Repealing "Don't Ask - Don't Tell". (Which at the moment seem to be on the back-burner)

These are the wingnuts worst nightmares, and rest assured the selfish self-aggrandizing power-whores among them (Beck, Gingrich, O'Reilly, Malkin, Ingraham, Bachmann, Cantor, Boehner, Cornyn and McConnell) will NOT stop their fear and hate-mongering once the blood start flowing.

More than likely - they'll AMP IT UP.

I'm certain that innocent Americans will suffer for it, we just have to make sure those who incite political violence, as well as those who perpetrate it aren't allowed to get away with it.

Vyan

Primetime Torture: 24 Turning a Corner? Maybe...

24 - Season 7 - 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM


A funny thing happened in the latest episode of "24" - which Human Rights First calls an example of Primetime Torture - someone may have finally Talked Jack Bauer Down...maybe.

As I discussed in my last diary some would argue why bother with torture on a mere TV Show - however people like Army Interrogator Tony Lagouranis that in the absense of clear direction from their leadership - our troops began making up their interrogation techniques on the fly, and many of their ideas came directly from shows like "24".

Silly though it may seem, the show "24" is indeed part of our national debate on torture particular as people such as Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham and Cal Thomas constantly refer to Bauer as justifications for actions taken by the Bush Administration.

In the past Bauer's character - the right-wing poster boy for extreme measures - has argued that "Either you do what is neccesary or (innocent people suffer)." He's said that those who don't agree with him are "WEAK - Unwilling and Unable to Look Evil in the Eye and DEAL WITH IT!" - and as a result practically anything he does is therefore Justified.

This of course sounds exactly like Dick Cheney.

KING: I’d like to simply ask you, yes or no, by taking these steps do you believe the President of the United States has made Americans less safe?

CHENEY: I do. I think those programs were absolutely essential to the success we enjoyed of being able to collect the intelligence that let us defeat all further attempts to launch attacks against the United States since 9/11. I think that’s a great success story. ... President Obama campaigned against it all across the country. And now he is making some choices that, in my mind, will, in fact, raise the risk to the American people of another attack.

You see, it was "Neccesary" - it was "Justified" - we HAD to do it. Obama HAS to Keep doing it. Just like St. Jack always says. Even if the Red Cross says it was clearly, absolutely Torture,

The classified report, Danner wrote, "tells a certain kind of story, a narrative of what happened at the 'the black sites' and a detailed description, by those on whom they were practiced, of what the President of the United States described to Americans as an 'alternative set of procedures.'" The accounts -- which the report concludes are so strikingly similar as to make fabrication extremely unlikely, if not impossible -- offer "a harrowing view of conditions at the secret prisons, where prisoners were told they were being taken 'to the verge of death and back.'" As the Washington Post described, "during interrogations, the captives were routinely beaten, doused with cold water and slammed head-first into walls. Between sessions, they were stripped of clothing, bombarded with loud music, exposed to cold temperatures, and deprived of sleep and solid food for days on end. Some detainees described being forced to stand for days, with their arms shackled above them, wearing only diapers."

The real irony here is that the foes that have framed Bauer for murder, are exactly like him! 8 minutes into the first section Jon Voight, playing the head of a Blackwater-like U.S. mercenary group makes the following speach as he commits himself to unleashing a deadly WMD attack on U.S. Soil.

Voight: Mr Seton, I get no pleasure from the knowledge that people will die at our hands. One single soul - The loss of one soul is tragic to me, let alone the numbers we're talking about - but do not forget that every war must have collateral damage, and that what we're doing is fundamentally and absolutely neccesary.

Sounds kinda familiar.

But this week Bauer's techniques and arguements have come back to bite him - big time. His attempted interrogation of a Congressional Staffer led to the target's death (not at Jack's hand). Jack is on the run for murder. He's managed to get Chloe Sullivan arrested for Obstruction of Justice by asking her to tamper with evidence, he's led FBI Agent Renee Walker astray with his arguments and now she's been suspended from duty.

It's not until he comes face to face with the U.S. Senator (Kurtwood Smith) whose been trying to restore the rule of law, revise the War Crimes Act and send Bauer to PRISON that he finally begins to see - just a glimmer - of how far wrong he may have gone off track. (Scene begins after the third break, 29 minutes into the episode)

Mayer: At the hearing this morning you said you had "no regrets" about what you've done, but what I saw was a man full of regret.

Bauer: Of course I have regrets Senator. I regret losing my famlly. My wife was murdered because I was responsible for protecting David Palmer during an assasination attempt. (Actually she was murdered as blowback from a busted black-ops attack led by Bauer in Bosnia) My daughter can't even look at me (Which might have a bit to do with Jack cutting off her boyfriends right ARM!) Everyday I look in the eyes of men, women and children knowing that at any moment their lives might be deemed "expendable" in an effort to protect the greater good. I regret every decision and mistake I might have made that resulted in the loss (of innocent life). You know what I regret the most? It's that this world even needs someone like me (IT DOESN'T!)

Mayer: So you think I'm naive to believe we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard of conduct?

Bauer: It doesn't even matter what I think, you just need to understand that things get a lot messier where I work than where you work on the hill.

Mayer: What you've lost Mr. Bauer is tragic, what you've been compelled to do in the name of saving innocent life is tragic. Sometimes we need to incur the most horrible losses in order to uphold the ideals that this country is founded on - how can we presume to lead the world unless we set an example?

Bauer: You make it sound so simple.

Mayer: Maybe it's simpler than you think, maybe all the things you've seen and all the things you've done have clouded your vision.

THAT RIGHT THERE is exactly the point. It's just what Bauer has failed to understand all this time. Let me again point out that it was a failed (illegal) black-bag opperation to assasinate Slobadon Milosevic's right-hand man (Victor Drazen) that instigated personal retaliation against David Palmer (who authorized the mission) as well as Bauer (who led it) and his family. Even on "24", from the beginning our extreme measures have been a catalyst for the extreme measures of others, and Bauer has been blind to it this entire time.

Just as Real Life Interrogators such as Matthew Alexander have explained our using criminal methods in Iraq have Caused Greater U.S. Casualties. Causing people unneccesarily suffer and die, even in order to save other people - is NEVER justified. Committing a crime to stop crime still means - there was a CRIME! Yes, it is simple - but that doens't mean it's EASY! The right thing is often the HARD thing do.

After finding the evidence he's looking for and discussing the specifics of what Jon Voight's company is probably up to - Mayer and Bauer again begin to discuss the future possibilities. (Section 3 - 34 Minutes into episode)

Mayer: You're obviously on to something, maybe I can help you find the evidence you need to prove your case.

Bauer: Starkwood infiltrated the White house. They'll come after you.

Mayer: We'll keep the circle small, it's time you started trusting the institutions that you've sacrifice so much to protect.

Bauer: Trust isn't my greatest asset.

Mayer: Son, you have to start somewhere.

::SPOILER ALERT::

Unfortunately immediately after this scene Mayer takes three bullets to the chest, and Bauer is on the run again - but before he's gone Mayer clearly makes the point that what Bauer is doing, and he's been doing - ISN'T NECCESARY. And frankly if it's acceptable to let people suffer and die, then maybe it's better to allow that to happen on the basis of some kind of PRINCIPLE.

Let's just suppose for second that Cheney is right, maybe we will be hit again if Obama stops the various extreme interrogation and illegal wiretap programs - I SERIOUSLY DOUBT IT - but let's take that point. As the President's daughter (who'se played by an actress who had a regular role in the Post-Apocalypic CBS Show "Jericho" where yet again a Blackwater-like private army and corrupt corporation use WMD to take over the U.S.) argues in another part of the episode, those people who we may lose - while standing firmly behind our ideals - would be THE REAL HEROES - not someone like Bauer who is little different than the people he's fighting against.

It's well past time we started demanding that America truly live up to it's values - fulfill the promise of American potential - and stop under any and all circumstances accepting the kinds of sadistic rationizations coming from either Cheney or Bauer.

They're time is done.

Now, I actually doubt the show will begin to change direction, even though the producers promised Human Rights First that it would. This is probably just a momentary aberration from their ongoing campaign of sadism - but it does offer, for once, a credible opposing arguement directly to those - like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh - who've been swallowing Jack's drivel for so many years. There IS another way besides deliberate brutality, really and truly there is.

Vyan

What Today Means....

Hope for a better future has come to America. We now have a chance to realize true change in our national character, a chance to finally become the country we always promised we can be, and sometimes pretended we already were.


Finally.

As an African American, I know that the enormity of the first black President taking office can not be understated. In less than an hour, A Black President will be sworn in on the steps of the U.S. Capital and live in the White House - both structures that were built using slave labor.

At the same time, I say to you all, the racial background of the 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama, is probably the smallest element of the profound change that today represents to America - but it is an element and we shouldn't ignore that.

So Ok, first let me get the "Black Thang" off my chest.

To African Americans, this is HUGE!

Let me rephrase that, this is Fracking Huge.

Like Crispus Attucks, George Washington-Carver, Jesse Owens, Vivien Thomas (First Open Heart Surgery), Guy Bluford (First African American Astronaut), Jackie Robinson, Mohammad Ali, Jimi Hendrix, Dr Martin Luther King, Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X) and so many thousands of others who'e paved the road - sometimes with their own flesh and blood - to this day, this is momentous.

But we have to be careful. We have to realize that the Hope that America is now beginning to truly feel, doesn't really come from Obama - it's coming from the rest of us. We have to recognize that his strength comes from his trust in the American people, not from any super-human abilities of his own.

We must resist the temptation to FETISHIZE him.

A virtual cottage industry of a million different Barack chotke's just might jump start the economy on their own (ok, ok, I doubt that too) - but we also have to not let Barack's enormous accomplishment become a high-water mark that all other prospective black men are expected to match or exceed before they are seen and taken seriously.

The FIRST in any field, often sets the standard and all others who follow are frequently compared favorably and unfavorably against that standard. It may seem strange to many people, I realize - but very often America has a tendency to make our first - our last. This is how it went with Dr. King. This is how it went with Hendrix. This is what happened with my friends in the band Living Colour.

Barack Hussein Obama will be the first African-American President today - we can not afford to let him become the only one. As we bask in today, we also have to look past today, to tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that...

That's what the election of Barack Obama means to me as a Black man, it is both a blessing and a challenge. A tremendous gift and a permanent curse.

"Look at what you can accomplish despite all the disadvantages and obstacles you have, and why aren't you halfway there already!?"

Fine, that's the way it is - many of us have been living through the burden of being judged against the statistics of our demographic group all our lives - so ok, bring it on.

But again as I said, that is in many ways the least important aspect of today.


JUST LOOK AT WHAT AMERICA DID!

We didn't elect a "Black Guy" - we elected The Right Guy, and frankly I think we did it for all the right reasons. We rejected fear. We rejected cynicism. We rejected all of the cheap political parlors tricks that have so many times dazzled and distracted us from doing the right thing at the right time. Just think about what stood against him, the odd arrogant incuriousness of Joe the Unlicensed Tax-Dodging Plumber/Pundit/Journalist: all the Hockey Mom's staring over at Russia waiting for Putin's head to appear.

Barack Hussein Obama has become President despite his funky name, despite being "too white" for Jesse Jackson and "too black" for Steve King, despite being "an Arab" who spent 20 years in the crazy Christian Church.

All of that stood against him, plus two wars and a Wall Street Meltdown, and how he won anyway - he won because America began to believe in itself again. We realized we could be our own better angels. We can fight terror without becoming terrible. We can end wars, and monger peace. We can prosper not by cracking the whips over the backs of the middle and working-class, but by lifting them up and protecting them - for they are us.

We have turned away from the Robber-Baron culture of corporate greed, making decisions based not on how they would help people, but based on how they help stockholders. We can rebuild ourselves, we can rebuild our infrastructure, we can rebuild our economy with Green Tech - possibly even remake the world - but we can't do any of that unless we try.

We Defeated Hate and we did it with courage, hope, optimism and love. We turned away from the past and have - permanently I pray - reached optimistically toward the future. We face enormous moral, physical and financial challenges - but like I said before - BRING 'Em ON!

THIS affects all of us. This new vision, renewing the American Dream and making it into a fresh new American Reality. We have become who we have been waiting for.

That's what today means...

Happy America Everyone!

Vyan

Secret Service Blames Palin for Death Threats Against Obama

Yes, I know the election is over and we're supposed to be lovey-dovey now. But the fact is - we're not, and we shouldn't be. Particularly when this report has come from the Daily Telegraph indicating that the Secret Service found a direct link between Sarah Palin little Nuremberg-KKK Rallies and death threats against President-Elect Obama.

Sarah Palin's attacks on Barack Obama's patriotism provoked a spike in death threats against the future president, Secret Service agents revealed during the final weeks of the campaign.

The Republican vice presidential candidate attracted criticism for accusing Mr Obama of "palling around with terrorists", citing his association with the sixties radical William Ayers.

The attacks provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling "terrorist" and "kill him" until the McCain campaign ordered her to tone down the rhetoric.

But it has now emerged that her demagogic tone may have unintentionally encouraged white supremacists to go even further.

The Secret Service warned the Obama family in mid October that they had seen a dramatic increase in the number of threats against the Democratic candidate, coinciding with Mrs Palin's attacks.

Michelle Obama, the future First Lady, was so upset that she turned to her friend and campaign adviser Valerie Jarrett and said: "Why would they try to make people hate us?"

Why? Some people would do and say anything to win an election. Particularly Sarah Palin, who tirades about William Ayers - were not approved or authorized by the McCain campaign. There were her just "going Rogue!". Gettin' all Mavericky.

And it's not like more than a few people took this crap seriously.

Details of the spike in threats to Mr Obama come as a report last week by security and intelligence analysts Stratfor, warned that he is a high risk target for racist gunmen. It concluded: "Two plots to assassinate Obama were broken up during the campaign season, and several more remain under investigation. We would expect federal authorities to uncover many more plots to attack the president that have been hatched by white supremacist ideologues."

Irate John McCain aides, who blame Mrs Palin for losing the election, claim Mrs Palin took it upon herself to question Mr Obama's patriotism, before the line of attack had been cleared by Mr McCain.

Let me just repeat that there was not just one , but TWO PLOTS to kill Obama prior to the election, that were both foiled - and those were the only ones. out there. Not only was Obama and his family put directly at risk by Palin's comments - so was William Ayers, who is now a 60-years-old professor at the University of Chicago.

My voicemail filled up with hate messages. They were mostly from men, all venting and sweating and breathing heavily. A few threats: "Watch out!" and "You deserve to be shot." And some e-mails, like this one I got from satan@hell.com: "I’m coming to get you and when I do, I’ll water-board you."

The police lieutenant who came to copy down those threats deadpanned that he hoped the guy who was going to shoot me got there before the guy who was going to water-board me, since it would be most foul to be tortured and then shot. (We have been pals ever since he was first assigned to investigate threats made against me in 1987, after I was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.)

Just remember that Sarah Palin remains the favored person to lead the GOP in the future by 64% That she is still Governor of Alaska, and might very likely find herself in the U.S. Senate, meanwhile Michele Bachmann who wanted an investigation of congress for "anti-Americanism" was re-elected.

The Palin-MCcain campaign was filled with vicious lies, lies which have spread throu-out the nation and just like Sarah herself who didn't know which countries were in NAFTA, or that South Africa is a Country - not a "state" like South Carolina, many of these people still don't know that Barack Obama is NOT a Muslim. (But you can't tell that to 25% of Texas) Those lies were then repeated and amplified by Limbaugh, Hannity and O'Reilly to their millions listeners. They think the country is now in the hands of some kind of Black Radical Terrorist. After the Clinton Chronicles, put out by Jerry Falwell, made people believe the Bill Clinton was a drug dealer and murderer, a belief that contributed to Waco, Oklahoma City and the Bombing at the to Atlanta Olympics we can't afford to take this stuff lightly - despite what Palin says now, that is was "Just a rough and tumble campaign" - the fact remains and that's this was not "just politics."

It was HATE SPEECH!

And none of us can afford to pretend otherwise. Chances are that Obama and his family will be just fine and none of these Palinized Wack-Jobs out there will get off a realistic shot at him, but he's not the one I'm worried about - it's many of the rest of us who may wind being of collateral damage to this misguided rage and terror.

May God have mercy on us all.

Vyan

Hell - Fracking - YES, we CAN!

It's been a long time coming. President Barack Hussein Obama!

We've finally had our moment, it's like finally seeing Bobby Kennedy make it all the way - like seeing Malcolm and Martin's dream alive again.

But this isn't Black Thang, it's an America Thang. American finally has a chance, just a chance - to begin to fulfill it's promise of "We the People..."

But we're going to have to work for it, and work hard. We still have to LEAVE IT ALL ON THE ROAD - because this time we can't afford to fail or the dream will die and not return for another generation, if ever.

I'm probably going to be the first to say it - but we owe George W. Bush our thanks.

Thank You George W. Bush.

Thank you for being such a massive incredible fucktard that you made it blindingly obvious to so many Americans that we needed to go a completely different direction than we have during the last 14 years of Republican dominance in Washington.

Thank you Karl Rove, for teaching us how to stomp your sleazy smear campaign tactics into the ground. Thanks to Lorita Doan, Monica Goodling, Jack Abramoff, Bob Ney, Randy "The Dukester" Cunningham, Mark Foley, David Vitter, Larry Craig, Tom Delay, Brownie, John Ashcroft and your Soaring Eagles, John Yoo and your torture memos, Jay Bybee, Scooter Libby, Alberto "Someone may prosecute us for War Crimes" Gonzales (Ya think!), Condoleeza "It was a historical document" Rice, David "Fourth Branch" Addington and the Prince of Darkness himself - Richard "The Dick" Cheney.

If America hadn't seen how much all of you completely, utterly suck duck butter they might have elected John McCain. You all did America a great service.

Oh, and also thanks John McCain for being such a complete crazy horse maverick nut ball. Thanks to Sarah Palin, just take your hockey-mom pumps witcha on the way back to your witch doctor in crazytown Alaska, also... You Betcha. And thanks, for making sure America knew better than to dive down another dead-end rat hole along with Joe the (Not A) Plumber - not zesty.

Ok - I had to say it - because it needed to be said. And it has to be remembered because we CAN NEVER LET THESE PEOPLE HAVE POWER IN AMERICA AGAIN!!!

EVER!

So sure, we've had our fun - we've had our shadenfreud. We've had our party. Now it's time to get to work and start cleaning up all the feces strains these people have left on the reputation of our country. Time to get a bucket, some water, soap and start doing the heavy lifting. We have to remember that republicans still have over 40 votes in the Senate to road block just about anything, particular after they doubled the all time record for filibusters in the last two years. It's going to take more than cheering crowds to get the job done.

Today is the first day in the future of America, and we better be ready for the fight of our lives - because this will be The Fight Of and FOR our Very Lives.

We have to remember that we're fighting for an responsible end to the mistaken misguided Iraq War. To finally capture and kill Bin Laden, to bring everyone affordable effective health care, to make our companies and corporations take as much care of their workers and customers as they do their shareholders, to have genuine energy independance, to rescue our economy, to make our government both efficient and effective - there when it's needed and out of the way when it isn't.

This time it'll be different, this time we can't afford to give in to cynicism or apathy. We can't afford to sit back now, we can't afford to become complacent and expect Barack to do everything - NO, he taught us we can be stronger together than we are seperately and we have to continue to blog, lobby congress, discuss, review the facts and fight for a better America.

This is our moment, this is our time. Let's make it count. Let's leave it ALL ON THE ROAD!



Amen, Brother Amen!

Vyan

Tomorrow is the First Day in a Brand New America

It's not simply because of the very likely election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.


It's not because he would be the first African-American to hold high office. It's not because he would be the first Democratic President with a Democratic House and Senate in 16 years.


It's because of how he reached this position.


It's because of US, it's because of YOU - because Barack has stood for the Hope and Promise of what American should be and can be rather than wallow in the fear and selfish greed that has come to define the cold stone heart of the Conservative Movement.


Tomorrow will be a brand new America, because the dark cancer of neo-conservativism will finally - be in Remission!

I know I for one have had a lot of anger and frustration of the litany of crimes, malfeasance and out-and-out bullshit that has come year after year from the right-wing.


Failure to respond to the Cole Bombing once the CIA and FBI agreed that it was done by Al Qeada in early 2001. Failure to respond all the warning of an impending attack from Richard Clark, George Tenet, the FAA and the August 6th PDB. Failure to capture Bin Laden at Tora Bora. Manipulation and distortion of the Iraq intelligence, including use of multiple forgeries and information gained via torture in order to begin a War that didn't need to be fought with an unarmed country. Ignoring the impending insurgency. More torture at Abu Ghraib, and Bagram AFB. Patriotism used as a weapon. Blowing the budget surplus, with tax cuts for people who don't need tax cuts and are perfectly fine shipping our jobs and healthcare to China and India. Turning ex-Soviet Gulags into Secret "Black Site/24 Wet Dream" Prisons. Illegal Domestic Spying on American citizens. Freedom Fries! The suddenly shrinking American Dollar. Ignoring New Orleans while the levees collapsed and the city drowned in it's own sewage. The Midnight Ride to save the brain-dead blind woman, Terri Schiavo. Bill Frist and his remote viewing diagnosis. Purple heart band-aids. David Safavian, first Bushie to go from the White House to Jail. Mark Foley the Fondler. Jack Abramoff. Bob Ney. Randy "Duke" Cunningham and his yatch "The Dukester!". Haditha. Ted "Series of Tubes" Stevens. KBR and the showers of death. David Vitter. Tom Delay. KBR and their date-raped employees. Mamaudiya. Blackwater, the State Dept. own lawless gang of murderers. Voter Suppression.
Disabling consumer protections and regulations while our medicine kills us, our toothpaste has antifreeze, our dog and catfood is poisoned, our toys are painted with lead, our rivers and fish are filled with mercury, our mines and bridges begin to collapse - and then our finally our banks fall apart too!

As of tomorrow - All This Crap is Over!

With all of this, America has been hijacked by a gang of thieves and thugs in the guise of "Real Americans". People that don't believe that government can work, should be running the government.
It only goes one place - INTO THE GROUND!

None of this was an accident, although I wouldn't claim that it was a part of a rational plan. It was the result of two very simple things: Greed and Fear.


Protecting the public from real threats is expensive, so they don't bother doing that - but pretending to protect them from phony threats is a lucrative business venture. It's all about making a buck off the other guy, using them and their misfortunate as your stepping stone to prosperity. Of course they don't care if their fellow Americans are suffering, they figure that's an oppurtunity to make some cash.


They're incredibly afraid that a government that actually works is going to take all that away from them.
They're afraid of The Gay.
They're afraid of the young. They're afraid of the sick.
They're afraid brown, the spanish, the jew, the muslim, and the black all "taking THEIR country away from them".


But it's not their country, it's OUR Country. All of us.


We have to come to realize that the conservative heart is cowardly.
It may be easy to hate them for the hate that they fearfully project onto uthers, but we need to rise above hate and anger. In fact, it is more appropriate to pity them than hate them. Little do they realize the damage they have done, to themselves and to the nation. The past is done, the future is tomorrow.


Tomorrow is the day where we can finally show some courage.


Do we have the courage to trust a man who doesn't just talk about reaching out and working with people who may virulently disagree with him, but has actually done it with Reverend Wright, Bill Ayers, Mr.
Khallidi and even Republicans like Tom Coburn adn Dick Lugar- because he certain doesn't agree with them.
We shouldn't have the SHUN people we disagree with, should we? We shouldn't have to inflict loyalty tests on each other.
I've frequently wondered if the self-styled "Real Americans" will ever learn that?

Does America - Both "Real" and Virtual - have to courage to live up to it's convictions that all men have a right to disagree, agreeably? Do we have the courage to fight terror without using terror? Can we show the character and commitment to once more become the moral standard bearer for the world, that we've continually claim to be? Can we face all of our fears, terrorism, global climate change, a multi-national financial crisis, increasing health care costs, falling wages, and disappearing savings with a confident smile rather than a petulant snear?

I think we do. I think "Yes We Can".


We won't fix everything all at once. We won't always make the right choice on the first try. But we have to have the courage to try, with the knowledge that we can't go back to where we've been - we can't go back to the being scared.


Today will be our last day to live in fear. God Bless the Brand New America.


Vyan

Extreme and King's X at House Of Blues

It's had been a long, long time coming.

One of my flat-out favorite bands, one that has massively influenced both my playing and writing, was finally back together again after 13 years and on tour with some of my best friends in the entire music biz... Extreme was touring with King's X.

Holy crapathon.

When I found out a posted off a quick note to my old pal Paulo (Bettencourt - see my top friends) - because nobody, NOBODY - had bothered to tell me. (Hey, you're little brother is doing what!?! with WHO? I didn't even know Extreme had reformed, let alone were on tour with a new CD coming out. Color me clueless!) I actually found out when I discovered the Extreme myspace page and saw they were playing L.A. on August 26th. "Geez, that date seems familiar?" Then I checked the King's X page - same date. Oh no, I have to choose? SHIT! Then I dug further - meaning I clicked on the show link, DUH - and saw that they were both playing House of Blues Together!.

I've known Paulo since he was out in L.A. struggling to get signed with his own band Flesh in the early 90's. We hung out quite a bit, and caught a ton of their shows. All of them are good people. Paulo got me an audition for with Jeff Scott Soto's (Yngwie/Journey) Rock/Funk band back then. Didn't work out but I'm still grateful for the chance to hang with Jeff, scream my head-off along with his songs and talk about Prince and the Time for hours. When Flesh went back to Boston, me and my wife visited and spent a week with Paulo and his family. I got to meet his wife, daughter, his ultra-cool dad, who owned a little guitar shop just down the street in Berlin, Ma. (one that had more than a few Nuno N4's Washburns in stock) While we were there King's X showed up and played a club just across the street from Fenway Park and we all - including all the guys in Flesh went to that gig together. It was crazy, but cool.

And now Paulo's little brother's band Extreme were coming to L.A. with King's X opening for them? I seriously thought my head was going to explode.

Show day arrived and after a ton of wrangling and maneuvering to get cash for the tix and borrow my mom's 2001 Mustang - (since I still haven't received the pink slip on the Toyota I bought nine months ago from my cousin and the last thing I need is be driving around L.A. in a car with expired tags - petty shit like that cost me more than you could imagine already...like 4 days in country lockup for a $300 in unpaid traffic bills.) We're we cruising up the 405, trying not to have flashbacks as we passed a way too damn familiar Ross Dress for Lessat National Blvd, when the traffic went completely to hell.

Choice 1: Stay on the freeway all the way to Sunset or Choice 2: get off at Santa Monica and take it too the streets?

We took door number two, and eventually found it had the booby prize behind it. Traffic on Santa Monica was nearly as bad and choked up as the freeway had been. Bumper to bumper for miles all the way through Westwood and the Beverly Shills 9021-BLOW ME part of town. Driving past the park in downtown BH where George Micheal got busted for pulling out his pecker in front of the police - is always a good laugh (and George turned it into such a hilarious Video), but we we're laughing by the time we finally got West Hollywood and the corner of Santa Monica and Doheny (where the Troubadour still stands).

That was when we finally saw the smoke.

At first you think, "aw, that must of come from somebody else's car"

Which of course is when it got a whole lot thicker - and we saw that temperture gage was fire-walled against the "H". Oh shit. And we were stuck here waiting the left turn signal to come on - which of course - it didn't. Can't afford to stop the car, not without some water nearby, it might not start again and we'll be stuck in middle of the street. Traffic is passing us on the right. Passing on the left. Passing in front. Light's not changing.

God DAMNIT.

This is when you really turn into one of those crazed L.A. drivers. "Fuck You, get outta the way dickweedhead!!" The steam's getting thicker, Robin getting worried and my mind is racing. Where's the nearest gas station around here? Think Think. Isn't there one across the street from the Whiskey? Yeah, yeah... but that's lick six blocks away... and this light won't....

It changed.

Hell yeah. We head up Doheny, and are at Sunset in a few seconds. Good. Good. All we needs it to turn right and get down another 3 or 4 blocks. Fine.

Except there's some dude ahead of us in the right turn lane and he's not budging event though it's perfectly legal to turn right on the red at this corner and the traffic passing by isn't that heavy. Both Robin and I have had cars seriously overheat on the freeway before in situations where we couldn't see the steam or the thermostat was broken and we couldn't do anything until it was too late - and those cars are carrying St Peter around in heaven right now. That's not happening THIS TIME. Not again. All we need is for this fuckerhead to turn the damn corner. The steam coming from our front bumper is starting to make his back window look like a sauna, and he's just sitting there...

HONK! Nothing, not a clue. Might as well be pissing in a pool.

To paraphrase the Foo Fighters - "It's times like these..." that make we wish a hand on a spring device so I could smack some of the oblivious, self-centered, inconsiderate, blind, assholish, dimwitted L.A. drivers up side the head. I was tempted to get out of my seat and write a finger message in his back window (like writing on a mirror after a shower) that said "GO!!!!"

Finally, nuts for brains turns the corner. Hallelujah.

We pass the Rainbow, the Roxy, the Hustler Store.. damn, where's the Whiskey? Ah, there it is - and there's the gas station and there's - yet another L.A. Asshole whose got plenty of space in front of him, but isn't moving while his tail end just happens to be blocking the driveway to the gas station while we're got this PLUME of white smoke and STEAM starting to obscure our entire front end.

Yet another fine upstanding citizen of Los Asshol'es, doing the right thing for his fellow man and blocking the god damn road for NO REASON. Moving two feet costs him nothing, but it might cost us an engine block. Seconds, seem like minutes until Grampa Speedway eventually creeps a few inches forward and we get into the lot and get the car shutdown. I buy some antifreeze ($11 bucks - ouch, I had had to budget tonight down to the dollar for tonight, so much for that idea!!) We give a few minutes for for the engine to cool off, hoping that we haven't done any damage and cracked the block since we really didn't know how long it had been overheating on a day of blistering 72 degree Southern California weather.

As it turned out, everything was fine. We escaped another all-night nightmare like the one we went through for The Who show last month. The antifreeze did the trick, no permanent damage. At least this time I already knew we had access to AAA.

"No More Drama!" So sayeth Mary J. Blige, so let it be done.

On to the show - which at this point was just another few blocks down Sunset. We parked in the HOB lot (even though that was $5 more than the Riot House lot across the street) because Robin's bad knee couldn't take the excess walking. Tickets were at Will Call, just like they were supposed to be, Cool - no more near disasters tonights please? Thank you. We had come early hoping to catch part of the KX soundcheck, but slow traffic caused us to miss it. From outside we could hear the final notes of one of their songs just as we walked up. Damn.

Robin stayed downstairs near the club entrance, I went up to Sunset to Green Room level hoping for a chance to talk to some of the KX guys before the show. dUg (KX bass and lead vox) peeked out and I said "Hi". I've known dUg for almost 16-17 years, ever since the one incredible show they did at the Boardwalk in Sac back in 1991-92 and we and a ton of other fans chatted with the band for hours in the parking lot after the gig. In 1994 our friend Simon (see my top friends) flew to L.A from England to go on this massive KX road trip with us, and our son Nathan (also on Top friends). We saw them in L.A., Fresno, then followed their bus to San Francisco - saw that show - then drove 24 hours straight past Area 51 in Nevada to see them 2 days later in Denver. Their bus driver actually thought we were another band on tour with them, no - But Simon's band D.I.L.E. might be up for it these days. Those guys are just so cool, you have no freaking idea. In Fresno we thought they would be driving overnight to SF, but they weren't, so we hadn't planned on sticking around - or getting any sleep - and dUg said, "Forget that, you can stay in my hotel room". The guys actually slept on their bus and only used the hotel for showers, so once they were done with that - the room was all ours, so we didn't have to drive to SF all sleep deprived. You can't TOP that for being cool. You can't.

Back on Sunset tho dUg didn't recognize me until I mentioned Robin - "Oh, you cut your hair" So I took off my backwards Dallas Mavericks Cap and let him see my shoulder length braids - "Nope". He told me that they were going to be hanging out at their merch table after their set - "Cool, catch ya later dude."

Back downstairs Robin had run into Ty (KX Guitar) and said he looked "stressed". Something to do with the tour or gear problems. Not long after that Jerry (KX drums) comes by - I can still remember sitting in that Hotel Lobby in Fresno with him, looking up at the TV as the OJ police chase was being broadcast live over a decade ago, or when KX played the Dennis Miller show to an empty audience because the L.A. Riots were taking place during the taping, weird times - I asked how this tour, which featured the opening act of "Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp" was going? He said "Great, couldn't be better'.

Ok. but I still had my doubts.

This Fantasy Camp thing had me kinda split. Sure I can absolutely understand why someone would want to play on stage with their Rock and Roll Heroes. I'm sure they'd love to have their friends and family see it. I get that. It's got to be the thrill of a lifetime, I should know - Ty once invited me onstage with KX in San Francisco to do their song "Wally Bella Farkus" (which has a vocal which is all screaming, so remembering the lyrics wasn't a problem) But then, KX have been doing that kind of thing, particular for their song "Goldilox" for years. They sometimes can get 20-30 people on stage at a time, and everyone - EVERYONE - knows the song, trust me.

It's one thing, to jump on stage and do like say - "Good Time, Bad Times" along with Zeppelin, or "You Really Got me" with Van Halen. That would be cool. This fantasy camp thing was really just Kareoke with a live band where only ONE guy, maybe two, actually knows what their doing. It's fun for them, but not much fun for the audience unless their idea of high entertainment consist of all Tivo'ing the outakes and rejects on American Idle.

Not my cuppa.

Sure, I would've liked to have seen Glen Hughes or Kip Winger perform - but that would be doing Their own songs not backing a rag-tag cover band full of wannabes! Ugh.

So we spent most of the opening act in the HOB restaurant having dinner.

We really did try and take our time and eat nice and slow, but you know how the best laid plans of mice and morons usually go? Yeah, like that.

So we end up downstairs as the last three Fantasy Camp bands played. We saw them with Dave Ellefson from Megadeth, Mark Slaughter and Gilby Clark (on drums?). And some of the camper guys were actually surprisingly good - but then again, some of them were bloody gawd awful.
The one band doing Beatles songs was a complete disgrace to bad cover bands at your weddings and bar mitzvah's everywhere. Yeah, that bad. Cover your ears and cringe bad. "It's an election year, why don't you take a vote and pick a KEY?", bad.
It was like the Special Rock Olympics. "Johnny can't sing, and he can't play - but he tried really hard - and PAID US A SHIT LOAD OF MONEY - so give johnny a big round of applause, mmkay?"

Hey man, there's a reason they call this a Fantasy!! Cuz, it is.

By comparison, people who spend an even bigger shit load at Musicians Institute down the road at least are capable of become superstars on their own. People like Rivers Cuomo or John Fruciante. Y'kow real Musicians. If you're going to pay thousands of dollars, get something more than an embarissing bad Youtube vid out of it.

So finally the last Kareoke band gets up there, and the announcer gives the gal vocalist a big talk up. Ok, this better be good. And - lo, and beyond - it Was. They called the group Shitte Housen! - I'm thinking they should've gone for the entire Brick Shitte Housen but who am I to quibble? This girl has some decent pipes. Real good. They started out with "Breaking the Law", so you know she had nerve to come out the shot with Rob Halford. From there it was all golden. The band was tight, the backing vocals were on, and for a little while more than just the people on stage were having fun - the entire crowd got into it too (imagine that!) Not only was it cool for them, it was cool for us too - miracles do happen.

If this seems like it was a long long intro just to get the main course - that's because that's how it usually feels to go a concert. Hour and hours of bullshit - then BAM the show really starts. Just like life.

We headed up close to the stage where we could get a good view of everything as King's X got ready. Last time we'd seen KX, three years ago at the same HOB, I'd met and had good long talk with actor/musician Hal Sparks who is a GINORMOUS fan of King's X. And funny as hell too, quick and smart like a razor. Incredible guy. I notice a little commotion to my left, Robin says - "Hey, tthat guys looks like Hal Sparks". That guys is Hal Sparks.

Bee-LINE!!!

He's in the middle of a classic conversation, why were they so often stuck doing tours with groups that they had nothing in common - like Scorpions. Or ZZ-Top. Why couldn't they have had a chance to tour with RUSH or something? Good point. I jump in,

'Excuse me, but might you be... The Guitarist for that awesome band ZERO 1?"

"Why yes, yes I am..." he says, smiling cuz I didn't go for the obvious Queer as Folk/Best Week Ever/Dude Where's my Car?/Celebracadabra reference. "How's it going Hal?"

(Ok, before you go - "geez this guys seems to know everybody." No, I don't. But I do stalk very well, which is to say I don't act like a crazed fan boy and scare the living daylights out of them. Besides if you live in L.A. and spend any time in Hollywood or on the Sunset Strip - which I have - running into celebrities is about as common as stepping in dog poop, they're EVERYWHERE! It's not a big deal - they're just people with jobs to do, it's just that nobody has a camera trained on the shoe-shine guy 24-7, although now that I say that out loud, it just might become the new reality show pitch!)

Last time we had been here Hal had helped us get into the Green Room upstairs. Like I said, hella cool guy. Tonight were just hear to worship at the altar of the King's X, who promptly came out and hit the stage hard with Groove Machine. I noticed that Ty didn't sing any of his backing vocals and it really changed the song (Man, he must be down - I've seen him sing and play through excruciating pain with a pinched nerve in his neck and still blow the doors off the joint.., this could be serious) But by the second song Ty was back into it. Whew.

It's difficult to describe what King's X is like to someone who hasn't seen them live, and it takes seeing them live to really GET IT. Their sound is so huge and tight, it's unbelievable that it only take three guys to do it. They often sound much better than the record live, even with all the complex vocal harmonies they do. In a live show they have this MASSIVE sound that just slams into you like a sledgehammer. It feels good. Real good.

Doug's got this rich soulful, church drenched voice. The kind of voice that gave birth to the Blues, which is still Rock N Roll's daddy. He can sing so deep, and then scream so high. Fucking mindblowing. This was maybe the second best show I've seen them do, but then maybe I'm biased by the songs from their latest and Fifteenth Album. There are times that they descend into this plodding kind of funk, and other times when they pumping and upbeat and this latest album - titled XV - does a good job a bridging the two elements. But that isn't to say that didn't pick out some golden-oldies. They naturally did "Over my Head", which had been their high-point at the 1994 Woodstock concert, "Lost In Germany" along with great new songs like "Rocketship". Hal was rocking his ASS OFF, horns up all through the show - so was I. And so were the other two guys, clearly Hardcore fans, who were between us. One guy was cracking me up, because was just completely over the top, dancing, head-banging and doing the Axl Rose snake-dance - Jack Black style! It was awesome and hilarious and cool all at the same time.

(Another irony, I actually met the real Jack Black in the very same building 9 years ago at the Artist Direct Awards which he was hosting with Kyle Gass as Tenacious D. He was still fairly unknown, so I gave him a compliment for his X-Files performance with Giovani Rabisi - Hey, man Nice Shot - which is still cool to this day!)

As the mosh went on Robin wasn't feeling so good, even a relatively polite and tame one like this - with her bad knee wasn't working so well. She looked like she was ready to pass out or keel over by the time we they were getting to the end of the set, and decide to break out the song that had been their very first video on Headbangers Ball 17 years ago. King!

Oh yeah. I noticed Hal had already been doing the fingers-crossed thing that was actually part of the bands name. Cross your fingers behind your back and King's X - your lies and sins are forgiven", and that was something that was used heavily in the King video. Funny how that works. Great set, great final tune to bring it all full circle.

We moved to the back out of the pit and the concession guys gave us a chair so that Robin could sit and rest her knee, which she said "Felt like it was going to explode!" Not good. King's X com out and we chatted for a bit. Just before coming to the show I had burned some CD's of my solo project demo with 7 songs to give the guys. Hal was like, "They have these things called 'Jewel Cases' now..." (Yeah, but five of those weren't gonna fit in my PANTS!) "Sorry, didn't have time to stop and pick some up" (Not with my car turning into a Turkish sauna on Sunset!) The thought had occurred to me, but I was a little pre-occupied at the time. Also broke.

dUg practically grabbed the CD out of my hands, which cracked me up. I'd sent him a CD of my old group Planet X years ago, and he like it so much we actually got into a fight. Well, an argument - well, a disagreement. He came up to me after one of his sound checks at a show in my old hometown of Sacramento and said ' You - Da MAN!"

I'm like smiling like a teenager inside when I heard him say such a nice thing, and considering I was playing a video game at the - feeling like a teenage was appropriate - but I tried to play it off. "No, YOU da man!!!'

"Naw, dude - your the man!" repeats dUg.

"No way, YOUR the freaking MAN!!" - LOL Good times. Good Memories.

Hopefully he enjoys the new stuff, which doesn't focus so much on vocals, but the overall songs and sounds since I played everything myself this time. I talked to Ty, who still looked a little down. "It's the same old touring stuff man. L.A...." Oh gawd, I hear ya on that one brother. Do i ever. If any place on earth with perfectly calming non-weather/weather could drive you into a homicidal/suicidal rage - it's this town. I know, I was in that space just about 3 hours previously.

I had another copy so I gave it "Jack Black" as he headed toward the front of the stage for Extreme's start. We held back and Robin tried to massage her knee back into usability. I stood shotgun, trying to keep the silly Hollywood chicks from spilling their drinks on her, and stomping on her feet. To that end, I wasn't perfectly successful - but I did my duty - acting like a tackle blocker for the rest of the evening.

Now Extreme, like King's X, is a band that only the people that have truly listened to their stuff really get or appreciate. Yeah, yeah - they had that "More than Words" song, but they were a POWERHOUSE band long before and after that. Nuno is just, phenomenal. And on most of his most dizzying riffs, bassist Pat Badger is right there often matching him note for not on a much larger instrument. Their new drummer was completely in the pocket, and Gary freaking Cherone was ON FIRE! I'd seen these guys in a lot of shows during the 90's, saw them opening for Bon Jovi at the Meadowlands, and headlining the Universal Amphitheater, and on their last tour 13 years ago at the Palace in Hollywood and usually - usually Gary's voice gets tired by the end of the night. It even happened when they did the Freddie Mercury Tribute Show at Wembley Stadium in 1989.

But not tonight.

Maybe a lot of the reason that a lot of bands didn't want to tour with King's X back in the day was because KX would blow them the fuck away - but Extreme has no reason to be worried about that. On song after song, new ones like "Comfortably Dumb" and "Star" to older tunes such as "Cupid's Dead", "Rest In Peace" and others - the vocals and harmonies were beatiful enough to make heaven cry.

Nuno is such a monstrous whirling dervish on guitar, like the Tasmanian Devil of Riffage. Yet again, you can't really get it until you hear them live. It can be like - Shit is that REAL? Did a human person actually play that funky serpentine guitar part at the same time as bouncing all around the stage and singing backup too? This becomes even more mindblowing as he pulls out "Flight of the Wounded BumblebeE" and makes the tops fly off heads.

Yes, it's real. Not Memorex. And it's fucking cool too.

As they did on their headline III Sides tour, the middle section of the show went acoustic - with Nuno doing Midnight Run on acoustic. I do have one minor bitch/whine about this song. Nuno needs to play it with a softer pick, years ago Ty described at a Guitar clinic why he uses really light picks - it's because you can slam down hard and not throw the guitar momentarily out of tune. I'd had already been using thin Clayton picks, but that reasoning just cemented the idea in my mind. Ty also recommend Yamaha guitars, as ones that may sell for $200 and sound liike $500 - I took his advice and bought one that very day. I'm still playing it - it the one I'm making my CD with and he was right too!

Anyway there's this one bit in Midnight Run where Nuno slams down on the low E-string and he hits it so hard - it goes out of tune. It's even like that on the album. Reminds me of Ty everytime. Yeah yeah - I know I'm anal about music, why do you think I listen to virtuoso Bands like These?

At least I'm not as bad as Dream Theater fans - holy god whattabunchapompousdickheads!!

Extreme and King's X have all their chops to spare - but you know what? They use all that talent to make GOOD SONGS -not mastubatory musical wank-a-thons. Something that you can still hum in the shower, or have a real Rock N Roll Fantasy (With the Creepy Camp Counselors) about.

They moved on the "More than Words" and it was the most funny shit, because almost petulantly insisted on doing the Entire Song. It was like.."No, no...were not done yet - there's more". Nuno does the acoustic finger-tap/open harmonic bit with neck-bend for vibrato. "Nope, not yet..." Then they do the final vocal flourish. It was funny, because so many people had only seen or heard to video/single version which ends about 40 seconds early. The full ending is the coolest, most progressive part.

The band finished up the main set by taking it old school - whipping out "Mother", "Kid Ego" and the ultimately classic "Play With Me".

Another thing about Extreme, beyond the incredible musicianship, is the depth of worldview. They performed "Decadence Dance" early in the set, and that is a song that is making fun of the objectification of ourselves and our culture. It points out and makes fun of those people who exploit women and vice for their own financial gain, and how a lot of the late 80's/early 90's rock culture had become completely immersed in purience. They GOT IT long before the Legion of Nirvana Clones came around to shove it down everyones throat.

And then they have songs like their first encore tune - "Am I Ever Going to Change" - I've said it before, I'll say it again - JEZUS Hussein CHRIST that is song that will change your hair color, move the part to the other side of your hard and re-circumsize you on contact. When they did it in an amphitheater setting a decade ago the delay on the guitar mixed with the natural echo of the venue washed everything out, but doing it in the House Of Blues it was just so HUGE!!!!!

Oh MY GOD!

If you really listen, the lyrics on this song can bring to straight to tears - do not pass "Go" - do not find a tramp to take to Park Place.

"I'm tired of being me, and I don't like what I see.
Am I Ever Going to Change? Will I Always Stay the Same? If I say one thing and do the other, same old song it goes on Forever"

The first place you can start making the world better is with yourself, but can we become greater than ourselves? (I tried to do this today by NOT screaming or acting out with the various non-driving idiots from earlier) Can we be better people? More giving, more caring, Rich in Spirit, not simply in Finances? More Patient and Forgiving? Less Bling Bling and 20-inch spinning Rims, More Heart - More Soul?

Geez, I don't know - but that's the ultimate question isn't it? And (depending on your diety of preference) only God, Jehova, Vishnu, Budda, Mohammad, Ted Haggard and Jesus know the answer.

Could it be ... 42?

Just wondering.


Anywhoo... after "Change." and "Hole Hearted" since it was the their last night with KX on this leg of the tour the Extreme guys broke out something special.

Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown" -- and Gary fracking NAILED the vocal. Last song in the set and he's doing Robert Plant? And doing it better than Plant usually did it at the beginning of a show? Jiminy Cricket that was awesome!

After that all the trials and tribulation just melted away. Climbing up a mountain may suck, but getting to the top is all worth it.

Thanks guys, you made my year. Maybe my decade, cuz most of it has pretty much sucked balls so far.

Another great memory. One that won't fade away...

Vyan