Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

The Grateful Dead Archive has taken another step in its long strange trip, from the UC Santa Cruz library to its own Web site, The Virtual Terrapin Station.

One of the most popular bands in rock ‘n’ roll history will have its legacy including photos, show tickets, toys, posters and recordings preserved online thanks to a federal grant. The Grateful Dead Archive, housed at the McHenry Library, has been awarded $615,175 by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to photograph and scan collection images and upload them. The public will be able to access the online collection and offer fans the opportunity to contribute to the collection by digitally submitting photos.

Christine Bunting, head of special collections and archives at McHenry, said the school will use the grant over 2½ years to archive what she said is the world’s largest public collection of Dead memorabilia.

“The ultimate goal of making the archive digital is that everyone will have a Grateful Dead experience,” Bunting said.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an federal government organization that uses public money for, yup, museum and libraries. This is a good thing. Usually. To be honest, I’d much rather they get way more than the average of $18 million a year. We can take it from all the other idiot federal government programs and use the money for museums and libraries. That said, somehow I doubt that the Grateful Dead, a rather free spirited and anti-government group of the 60’s and 70’s, would appreciate the government propping them up.

I also doubt that all the Progressively indoctrinated young folks who see the exhibit will get the message of the Grateful Dead. And, I’m not going to explain it to them.

Via Weasel Zippers on the feedreader.

Don Surber has some other tax dollar outrages.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

My friends across the aisle always tell me that Democrats love America and are as patriotic as anyone on the right. Unfortunately for them, it is hard to believe that their party is on the same all-American page as the rank and file especially since Nancy Pelosi’s Democrat controlled House of Representatives tried to get rid of the patriotic music that is traditionally played on the House telephone “on hold” system.

House Chief Administrative Officer Daniel Beard decided to rid the world of John Phillip Sousa, God Bless America, the Star Spangled Banner, and any other sort of patriotic tunes played while callers to the House of Representative’s switchboard are on hold. Instead of the traditional patriotic music, Beard thought “smooth jazz” was better.

Then came the complaints. And right after that came the backpeddling.

Beard claimed that the excision of patriotism from the on hold system was only a “pilot program” and that it was deemed that the patriotic music was better. And, so, the patriotic music was taken off hold and, well, put back on hold, so to speak.

But this is really a perfect example of how Democrats hate America, in truth. After all, what patriotic American would have the first thought to remove patriotic music from our government’s phone system? Worse, what citizen would try to do it without vetting?

But this is what Democrats did. They thought so little of our patriotic American music that they summarily canceled it and replaced it. Out with that boring, hackneyed “patriotism” and in was smooth jazz.

Democrats love America? Democrats are patriotic?

Sorry, but that claim is really, really hard to believe.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

Conservative:

You say you want to change the Constitution (liberals) well, you know…we all want to change your head. You tell me it’s the institution, well you know… you better free your mind instead. But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao…you ain’t gonna make it with anyone anyhow!”

Good advice to liberals, if you ask me.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

An Emergency Room source at UCLA hospital said Jackson aides told medics he had collapsed after an injection of potent Demerol — similar to morphine.

A Jacko source said: “Shortly after taking the Demerol he started to experience slow shallow breathing.

“His breathing gradually got slower and slower until it stopped.

Yes, he was a loony tune, and I believe a sick man, but I pray he went to a better place. He was also a very gifted musician and dancer of all time.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon and paramedics were unable to revive him. We’re told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.
Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II.

I really had no idea he named all three of his children Michael. Even his girl! That’s Michael for you.

The death is definitely confirmed. I am curious to know what will happen to his children. I’m also betting controversy and conspiracy theories are about to multiply.

Jim Treacher says:

How many more icons of my youth can we lose in one day? Stay strong, Hasselhoff. Stay strong.

Yes, these things usually happen in threes. I think Hasselhoff should be safe. Let’s not forget Ed McMahn passed yesterday.

I must say…aside from some die hard freak show fans and close friends, is this really going to impact anyone? He faded out and burned away long ago. He has been a has-been for more than a decade. Lately, his only appeal to the public was media freak show moments. Of course MTV is finally playing music videos again, but that will be as long lived as their ability to squeeze some ratings out of his memory. Maybe no one ever took his crown, but he definitely tarnished it in more ways than one. Will his death really shake the world like say…Elvis, John Lennon or Kurt Cobain’s did? I doubt it. Will people in the future look back and say….”do you remember where you were when you heard the news?” He was an icon of my generation and I loved much of his music and respected his art, but you won’t find me asking that question. Wherever he ended up in the end, let’s just hope children are not around. But I guess I’m supposed to be saying all the positive things about him. His talent for music, art and dance speak loud enough for that.

Hot Air has a good roundup of reactions.
Ed Driscoll has a good roundup too.
Obama to replace him on tour?

Best Michael Jackson video…my tribute.

Best Michael Jackson cover:

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

The basic theme of the tune tells ungrateful immigrants that if they’ve come to hate the United States, their adopted home, then they can get the heck out and go back to the armpit nation from which they came. We don’t need them here.

Unfortunately, too many Americans are afraid to tell ungrateful whiners that want to complain about the U.S.A. to take a hike these days. It’s all about being afraid of immigrants, now. Well, I say we should play this song and takes its message to heart.

So, here it is Don’t Bite the Hand That’s Feeding You.

The sad thing is one of our national parties has built itself on refashioning its members as American ingrates. If this theme were to be applied every Democrat in the country would have to leave!

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

Three energetic young girls from Arcadia High School have been successful in having 20 offensive Rap songs banned from their high school prom dance. The trio got 1,000 other students to sign a petition excoriating Rap tunes that employ against women derogatory terms such as “bitches” and “Hos.”

With their campaign the girls of the Arcadia High Women’s Health and Issues Club convinced school administrators to drop the songs from the prom music playlist.

Club members were not advocating for replacement songs nor for any particular genera of music, just to eliminate songs that featured abusive language toward women, presented women as objects, or treated women as “animals.”

Naturally, these girls are catching all manner of guff from other students. This junk Rap music is very popular with kids despite the misogynistic lyrics, the low level of intelligence celebrated in them, the bad language, and the low-class, thug lifestyles often pervading them.

Replies from fellow students also reveals that logic and a knowledge about the issue of what is “free speech” are subjects of which these kids are unfamiliar. Kids are railing that the girls are “against free speech,” and that they are “evangelizing everybody around them to follow their narrow minded credo.” Naturally, these kids opposing getting rid of the junk music haven’t a clue what they are talking about.

No, this effort should be celebrated. Rap music is the one of the most baneful influences on our youth today and it is about time that people returned to a more respectful way of talking about women in popular culture. All too often girls are over sexualized and their gender little respected.

But here is the thing about efforts like this Rap music ban. It is not a quashing of “free speech.” It is not “censorship.” Only a government can censor speech. If these girls get enough people to stand against this Rap music junk, they have created a community standard that is supported by a majority and that community has every right to get rid of something it doesn’t like. This is one of the most common examples of societal evolution through the democratic process.

Further, these girls neither advocated for, nor tried to force other kids to be barred from listening to this junk Rap in their private lives. These kids can listen to their junk Rap any time they like in their private lives.

The club merely advocated for a set of standards, garnered support from the student body, and convinced the school to join the effort. This is how society and democracy works.

So, kuddos to the girl’s club at Arcadia High School. There is no harm at all in trying to foster awareness of the true meaning of the lyrics in these songs. If more people turned away from this junk music maybe this sorry excuse for a musical genera will fade away for lack of an audience?

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post