Man, I Sure Miss Frank Zappa

Over 20 years ago, back when MTV was worth watching, there was a certain group of busybody cunts who wanted to tell everyone else how to live. They called themselves the PMRC and wanted to rate musicfor the rest of us according to their personal tastes. Ordinarily, they would have been told to fuck off, but unfortunately for us, their husbands happened to be U.S. Senators. This meant that legislation equating to censorship was closer to reality than a lot of smarter people were comfortable with. It also meant that there were hearings on Capitol Hill, regarding music & the rating thereof.

I'm not going to give the PMRC members or their husbands' names here, if you're curious, look it up, I will, however, tell you that I watched part of those hearings on TV, and I was floored by the diverse group representing the music industry that sat before those hearings to try to bring reason & intelligence to the proceedings.

Picture this group, if you can: John Denver, Ice-T and Frank Zappa. I'm pretty sure Rob Halford from Judas Priest was there too, but I didn't see his testimony. Anyway, John Denver was threatened with censorship over his song "Rocky Mountain High" when it first came out, because since it has the word "high" in it, it's obviously about encouraging poor defenseless children to abuse drugs. I loved the I-can't-believe-I-have-to-explain-this-to-fucking-adults look on his face when he asked the panel if they actually listened to the song before they condemned it. Ice-T was, of course, far more intelligent and articulate than they expected, and he sounded like he was talking to a Special-Ed class, too.

But Frank Zappa was fucking mezmerizing. He gave such compelling testimony, and also compared the PMRC & their ilk to fucking Nazis, which they basically are. You can read the transcript of one of his testimonies in the link at the end of this post. It's sad that Amerika has so few people like Mr. Zappa today, or we might not be in the giant shithole we're in now, thanks to people like George W. Bush & his "Emperor's New Clothes" regime.

http://home.comcast.net/~jaypfunk/trading/fzpmrc.html

Also take some time to see this video and you'll know what I'm talking about:

http://robert.accettura.com/blog/2006/06/16/frank-zappas-senate-judiciary-committee-hearing-testimony/

I sure do miss him, not only as a genius musician, but as a Real American.

Here it Comes

The Dystopian nightmare envisioned by George Orwell is right around the corner, except he didn't have right-wing Nazi, bible-thumping cunts running things. If you enjoy your freedom of speech, and I certainly do, you need to be aware of the rapidly approaching Theocratic Police-State hegemony (look it up) in this country. I, for one, can't stand being told how to live, let alone how to think & speak. These Bills are as close to thought-crime legislation as it gets without coming right out and calling them that. This article from the John Birch Society even called them that. No sense sugar-coating it.
I personally don't relish the idea that some gov't goon is allowed to come to my home, paw through my stuff, confiscating whatever they want, for no better reason than I said mean things about their boss. Personally, a Ruby Ridge-style standoff with the New SS, I mean BATF, does not appeal to me at all. I have a family to worry about. (You get a good zombie outbreak, I'm your guy all the way!)
Linda Milazzo has written a very good article in the Huffington Post about it, and I think you should take the time right now and read it. Do it goddammit! For a more detailed description of the Bills, the Center for Constitutional Rights has an excellent factsheet posted on their site. And don't just read the articles, write an email to your representatives as well, because they still work for you, for the time being anyway.
Here is the letter I wrote to my Senators:

Dear Senator ____________,

I am writing to voice my concern over Resolution 1959, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007. This is as frightening a piece of legislature as anything I've ever seen, including policy papers from Nazi Germany and the U.S.S.R. under Stalin. It sounds suspiciously similar to the sedition laws enacted by the British prior to the Revolutionary War.

This is a totally unwarranted attack on our Constitutional rights, specifically the First Amendment as I understand it. Correct me if I'm wrong, Sir, but isn't voicing a dissenting opinion the very definition of freedom of speech? I personally put a very high value on our freedoms, and those who protect them for us.

Please do everything in your power to persuade others that supporting this resolution is utterly wrong and counter to the Constitution they (and you, Sir,) swore to defend.

I have the utmost confidence in your ability to shone the light of rationality on this corrosive issue.

Thank you for your time,

And if that doesn't work: