We're making terrorists faster than we can kill them!

The line above is what I thought when I read a recent mailer that came to me from one of the major political parties. They must think I am stupid if they would write what they did in this propaganda I received.

As a sworn and committed independent voter, I have made a concientious decision to vote with my own mind, not to let some group of lobbyists decide for whom I will vote. But this particular party, desperate for independent votes, must have targeted me as one who might not really be paying attention. They also must think that I can be swayed by an ignorant statement, rather than thinking for myself. Neither is true.

Basically, they wanted me to accept the idea that our government has kept us free from terrorism by their committing hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of American and foreign lives to a cause that noone in their right mind can accept as a just one-that endless war in Iraq.

On a side note, can someone explain this pro-life stance to me? It seems I keep hearing that pro-lifers believe that all life is precious, right? The little babies in the womb as well as strangers we never met, and I guess that would include innocent foreigners whose beliefs & ideals happen to differ from ours, right?! (Wait a minute, Mike, that sounds like some liberal propaganda!)

Back to the subject at hand. So these funny people (a major political party) sent me this mindless mailer which states that we have had terrorism all over the world, but none in the USA ever since 9-11-01! This may be too obvious that I should not explain it to you, but do they expect me to believe that our government should get credit for that? Oh my gosh, I am not that stupid. Are you?

I believe that the terrorists aren't nearly done with us. Their strikes on 9-11-01 still affect our economy and our quality of life today, over 7 years later. If and when they strike again, it will be on their terms, and where we least expect it, I am sure. And if there is any American who really believes that we "taught the terrorists a lesson" they are so wrong. American hatred is probably greater than ever before, as the world watches us lash out at a weak country in the middle east whose only fault was that they possessed oil that we want.

Has anybody besides me noticed that our economy is still crumbling in the aftermath of 9-11? It is! Think about this: The government used 9-11 as an excuse to bomb the heck out of an oil rich country, to benefit the interests of certain huge oil conglomerates and defense contractors. They drove the country into such great debt (unbelievable record dept, over $10 trillion now) that the dollar became incredibly weak against the world's currencies. As a latent result, as soon as the economy slowed a bit (a normal cycle), the stock market begins a huge nosedive and sent fear throughout America's population. Yes, all this as a result of 9-11 coupled with corporate greed, and our government leader's weaknesses. It just took 8 years to happen.

I am deeply troubled by all of this. I don't think that either of the candidates for President are excellent choices. But I do know that anyone who continues to think that senseless wars are helping us is a fool. I'll choose anyone who will stand up and say that this war is wrong, especially if he happens to also support the reduction of oil consumption as a better solution to our problem.

I can't wait till the elections are over. Then maybe we can begin to deal with building America's reputation as a care giver and peacemaker, rather than the world's bully.

Lead Vocalist Needed!

Well, it happened.

Just like the Beatles, Bad Company, Police, Journey, and hundreds of great rock bands, The Reluctants now finds itself having to replace key members. To quote whoever "So and so has gone off to pursue other interests. We wish him/her the best of success in their new endeavors." (Sigh).

So, I ran an ad on Craigslist.com today it looks like this:
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We are a working classic rock cover band based in Northern Chester County, seeking a lead vocalist. Our current singer did very well and is leaving to pursue other avenues, so here is an excellent opportunity for the right person.

Check out our info here: www.myspace.com/ReluctantsMusic

About us/About you (required):
-We are musicians who love playing classic rock as a hobby, not expecting to make big money.
-Most of us live withing 20 minutes of Phoenixville, Royersford, Pottstown, or Malvern.
-We book about 1-2 paid gigs per month, and probably do not expect to do more than that.
-We are committed and dedicated to a regular practice schedule (Thursday nights).
-We have a current reportoire of classic rocks songs (and a few originals) and are willing to modify that for members' interests, tastes, and talents. -We are not perfect but we are willing to work at improving.
-If you've been told you have an great voice, and that you should sing in a band (but maybe you never have!?) then this is for you. Either Male or Female will be considered. Outgoing personality important.
-Talent and willingness necessary but prior performing experience is optional.

If you like what you see above, and are able to make a commitment to a band like this, call Mike at the phone number below.
Sorry, but we are not able to spend time endlessly e-mailing or phoning back and forth for tire-kickers, because we have day jobs like you probably do too.

Just call us if you are interested and we'll get you out to jam with the band ASAP and see if there is a chemistry between us.
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When I think about how much work it takes to keep a simple local band together, I have even more respoect for some of the great classic rock bands that either stayed together or reunited after so many years. Think about Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Cheap Trick, The Eagles, the list is endless. Which makes me start to think....Will an "Original Reluctants" Reunion happen someday?

Time will tell.

The Reluctants

Ever since my early teen years, I've wished that I could play guitar in a rock band. That dream became a reality for me when The Reluctants were formed early last year. I play rhythm guitar, and even sing on one song. I never thought that would happen when I was playing my air guitar as a young buck back where I grew up in Berkeley Heights, NJ .

When I was about 15 years old, a friend named Jeff Mason was the first person I knew who listed to album oriented rock (AOR) radio. He convinced me to shift my radio dial from AM77 WABC (top 40) to FM95.5 WPLJ (AOR). It seems that since then, I have been hooked on the likes of The Guess Who, The Who, Deep Purple, Bad Company, and Bachman Turner Overdrive (BTO). That's the music I "rocked out" to and exactly the kind of music I wanted to be able to play.

The Reluctants play exactly that kind of stuff, mostly classic rock (music of the 1970's mostly). We do a few originals that were written by our lead guitar player, Glenn Shipp.

We get together once per week for a rehearsal. Presently we have about 40 songs "down pat" and are adding more each month.

This summer will be busy. We play some local bars & clubs in Phoenixville and Royersford, as well as two local towns' music series.

Please check out our website www.myspace.com/reluctantsmusic for more info.

John Eddie & Kenny Aaronson

I saw John Eddie's performance at the Steel City Coffee House in Phoenixville, PA last Saturday. John is one of those guys who came up around Bruce Springsteen and the other Asbury Park (NJ) area musicians from the 70's and 80's. John has put out some great music, and in the last couple years he came back on the scene real strong with a CD called "Who the Hell is John Eddie". One of his songs (Low Life) was picked up by Kid Rock on Kid Rock's current CD. John's strength is his live performance though. I have seen him several times now, and he consistently gives a great show. This show was one of the best. He has great musicians playing with him too.

The bass player in John's band is Kenny Aaronson. Kenny is a heck of a bass player, I can tell you. His bass is the engine upon which John's songs are riding. And he is a real professional entertainer and musician in his own right. One of the things most impressive about Kenny is his list of past accomplishments and gigs. He has played in big name touring bands such as Foghat, Hall & Oates, Leslie West, Billy Idol, Rick Derringer, Bob Dylan, Sammy Hagar, and he was one of Joan Jett's original Blackhearts. In the early 70's he performed with the band "The Stories" who were best known for their hit "Brother Louie". If you haven't guessed, I think Kenny is a real cool musician.

I also highly recommend John Eddie if you see him and his band (with Kenny Aaronson) coming to your town- go see them.

Southside Johnny at Frankfurt airport

I met a real class act early one morning last week while passing through Frankfurt airport in Germany. Sitting among all his Asbury Jukes bandmates at a Starbucks coffeee shop was none other than Southside Johnny. I am a fan since the 1970's and I have been to two of his shows in the past couple years, and thoroughly enjoyed them by the way. Johnny is noted for being one of the big acts to come out of Asbury Park, NJ (the other big one was Bruce Springsteen - also John Eddie is one). Southside and co. have had a number of hits, among them are "the Fever", "Talk to Me" and "I don't want to go Home". I could tell you all about him but you are better off to visit his website if you want to know more (www.southsidejohnny.com).

When I noticed him he saw me looking so I said "Hi Johnny" and he shook my hand and said "What are YOU doing here?" which cracked me up. Then he invited me to sit down and we talked for 10 minutes or so before agreeing to have a picture or two taken with me for my collection.
MY advice to you: If you get the chance to see a Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes concert anytime- don't pass it up - they put on a great show, and it also turns out they are nice people too.

Bright Orange Leather Jackets Save Lives!

I have a beef about hawgs.

To be more specific, I can't stand the deafening sound of Harley Davidsons. Why aren't these "Hawgs" subjected to the same noise laws as everything else in America?


I understand that many of my friends, business associates, and neighbors are Harley riders, and may be offended by the following opinion. But there is an 800 lb. gorilla in the room that needs to be acknowledged. The noise level emitted by the typical Harley is just amazingly ridiculous!


My wife and I happen to have a state road running behind our house. On a typical Sunday, the loud and rude roar of these machines is truly deafening. It is even worse if we have our windows open or happen to be working in the lawn enjoying the outdoors. And this is from 200 feet away or more. This noise is so loud and all-encompassing that all conversation must stop, while the Harleys pass by, their riders seemingly unaware (or uncaring) of the decibels they emit.

I am not sure how it got so bad that these (otherwise well mannered) folks can steal our peace and serenity every time they pass nearby. Automobiles are carefully tested and regulated to prevent unnecessary noise. Boats are carefully monitored everywhere I've been. And a thoughtless teenager with loud rap music emitting from his apartment, bedroom, or auto is subject to fines or other punishment for the encroaching noise level (and are usually not nearly as loud as the typical hawg). It seems that everywhere we turn, abnormally loud noises are frowned upon and controlled by the law. But not Harleys!? What the heck is that about!?

Isn't it ironic that Hawg riders seem to team up in packs of 10 or more and take a nice pleasant ride out to a nice state park or out to "Amish Country" to enjoy the scenery, peace and quiet. Well it's ruined as soon as they arrive! The peace and quiet dissappears the moment these packs of riders roar onto the scene. But they don't notice the difference because I guess it was already noisy for them the whole day!

While we're at it, why is it that motorcycle riders do not have to wear helmets in PA (and many other states) anymore? I thought that laws were in place to protect us from ourselves? Look at the seatbelt laws, smoke detectors, all kinds of safety devices mandated in every area of modern life. But with the motorcyclists, we say "Let those who ride decide"? Maybe it's really an IQ test in disguise. If you wear a helmet, you passed!

Now back to the Hawg noise problem, I do have a solution, in case you were wondering. We can stop their noise while still satisfying the apparent "reason" for the rumble.

As you may know, many noise supporting Hawg riders don stickers and T-shirts that say things like "Loud pipes save lives". I guess that this is supposed to be the justification for the unbearable roar to which they subject any innocent bystanders in their paths. I guess the implication is that folks in nearby cars will take notice (and who wouldn't take notice when assaulted by that noise) and therefore will not run into the safety-minded HD riders. Following that logic, maybe I should drive down their street on a pleasant Sunday afternoon blowing my horn at full blast the whole way.

But seriously, I am puzzled. If the HD'ers are so concerned with safety why do they wear mostly black clothing (blending in very nicely with the pavement by the way)? Can't they wear nice bright orange leather jackets, which most certainly will increase visibility and therefore their safety, would it not? Come on, this is a no brainer for sure. And while we're at it, bring the helmets back (we're saving lives remember) and make them high visibility orange too.

Can we start a movement for this? I am serious, why not contact your local state legislator and ask the question: "Why are certain motorcycles allowed to invade the peace and privacy of every unfortunate man, woman, and child in their path?" It just doesn't make sense. At the very least, we deserve an explanation. To take it a step further, how about demanding that lawmakers call on our local and state police forces to enforce the existing noise laws. And just so no unnecessary lives are lost in the process, let's suggest providing state money to help buy the riders some orange outfits. I think it's money well spent.

Maybe the Harley Davidson marketers will even change their official color to "highway safety orange".

PA couple eye easy money from Google

I read this week that a married couple from Western PA are suing Google because pictures of their home were available on Google's interactive maps. They claim their privacy was invaded! Well, try doing an internet search today for Aaron and Christine Boring (their name). You will get hundreds of internet articles and posts about them and this stupid litigation. Is this the privacy they wanted by filing a frivolous lawsuit?!

According to the couple's lawyer, Mr. Dennis Moskal (on a contingency arrangement I presume) the Borings, who live at 1567 Oakridge Lane in Allegheny County by the way, paid a "considerable sum of money" (actually $163,000 it turns out in the public records) and they did so due to a "desire for privacy". Give me a break!

The lawyer acknowledges that the couple could have easily requested that the photos be removed (Google Maps provides a link for this), but they chose instead to sue the huge internet company because "isn't litigation the only way to change a big business' conduct with the public?". So, you see, the Borings and their attorney are conducting this lawsuit for the good of
society and for all the little people who might not be able to stand up for themselves, right?

Does this bother you? It appears to me to to be a scheme for some quick money, hatched by the Borings and/or their opportunistic attorney. The sad thing is that the losers in this scenario (if the Borings do "win" and score any dough) will be you and me, as internet map sites may not be able to show the detail that is becoming available with new technology. And the cost of doing business (and therefore the cost to consumers for items purchased) rises with every ridiculous lawsuit that companies have to defend. The Borings will be losers too, as they have obviously dragged their own name and self respect through the mud for this suit. Will the Borings feel that their damaged reputation, loss of privacy, and erased self esteem be worth the financial windfall (if any)?

I doubt it.

Religion and Terrorism

Today, a well meaning friend sent me a video. The tag line was "Take 15 minutes to watch this. It will make you think". Here is the video (it's actually 16 minutes long):

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7d9_1206624103

If you don't have 15 to 16 minutes to watch it, I will summarize here. The video shows passages from the Koran and speeches by various Islam extremists interspersed with video scenes of 9-11-01 and other acts of terrorism around the world. The message at the end says "Stop Islamisation, Defend our freedom".
Obviously the message is that Islam and all Muslims are bad and we need to get rid of them or at least defeat their religion.

Here is the response I sent to my freind after seeing the video:
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Terry,

Thanks for the video.
It is true that religion can be used to justify some awful stuff.

I happen to be a Christian but I would never use my bible to justify killing innocent people. Unfortunately, it does happen.

The old testament does speak of some terrible things. Maybe not the same as the Koran, but I wonder how it (our bible) might be interpreted by those who want to make us look bad? So, possibly we are also seeing a slanted interpretation of the Koran?

I think that there are many good Muslims (maybe 99.999% of them!) who would never use their religious beliefs to harm anyone. I choose not to judge the rest of them based upon the actions of a very (very) small minority. I hope that they do not judge you and me based upon the mis-directed actions of a few so-called Christians.

There is lots of oil in the middle east. That’s is why I believe we are there. Not because of what happened on 9-11-01. We should be using our money to develop alternative energy, not kill more people.

We have created more hatred of America than we can ever erase. That’s my opinion.

As for the USA, we were founded on a principle called "separation of church and state" for a very good reason. When so called "religious" leaders run the country death and destruction are certain. History has proven it.

Yours in the spirit of free speech and debate,

Mike

McGov starts blogging

I've heard about this blogging stuff or some time now. In fact I have recently posted some comments on other folks' blogs, such as http://www.brianjones.com/.
While I am fairly computer literate I have not done my own blog before.

There are three general reasons for my wanting a blogspot:

One, I have some opinions I'd like to put out there for people to read, especially as I've learned that many folks don't have enough time to gather their own facts. I do the reseach for them, because I have passions in certain areas for which other folks might have just a passing interest (such as the environment, world issues, classic rock music). The benefit to the reader is that they can read my "informed" opinions, and assume these opinions for themselves (ha ha), or if appropriate they can tell me where they think I need further research..

The second thing I will do with this blog is discuss a bit about people, places, things, or institutions that have impressed me (either positively or negatively) for one reason or another. Not to focus on the negative impressions, but many of these things would fall into the category of "things I cannot change" according to the serenity prayer, and that is why I chose to blog about them rather than be frustrated.

Thirdly, and most importantly, I hope to shed light ideas and things which should make you happy. There is a lot in the world to be grateful for. If you are a 12 stepper (friend of Bill's) like me, you know we need to focus on gratitude. God is great and I need to remind myself occasionally.

Welcome to McGov's blog...