The Blog of Sociologyman

Officer Actions Antithetical to the Rule of Law and Social Harmony

2007-04-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

East Valley Tribune
Thursday, April 12, 2007

Re: Off-duty cop hits driver, spouts slurs

Recently, Chance Lovell a sworn officer of the Scottsdale police department was charged with one count of misdemeanor assault while criminal investigations are pending over an “apparent drunken [racist] rage Monday, according to a Tempe police report.” This incident is compounded by Chance Lovell’s apparent blatant misuse of authority which involved a discriminatory action toward, and assault of, an innocent citizen, as well as his severely misguided decision to drive while intoxicated. None of these behaviors should be tolerated, especially by any sworn agent of the state.

Chance Lovell’s apparent misuse of his authority involves the reported off-duty use of his badge for no other purpose than as a vulgar display of power, while directing a racial epithet toward an innocent citizen before physically assaulting this person. If found to be true, this action constitutes an official form of discrimination since his badge was displayed prior to the behaviors in question, and if Chance Lovell is not terminated for these actions alone; then we may consider these behaviors (e.g. racism and assault) fully condoned by the Scottsdale Police Department. The accusation that Chance Lovell was intoxicated while driving only further exacerbates the incident. Drinking and driving is one of the more despicable and ironically most preventable crimes plaguing our nation, one that puts everyone at risk; a blatant, and inexcusable violation of the social contract and thus antithetical to the rule of law and social harmony.

Government organizations, like the police, can only be construed as legitimate and valid if they are in fact created and supported by the governed populace. Accordingly, officer actions that seriously violate these principles should warrant termination. As a concerned and taxpaying citizen, I in no way support or condone the toxic and repugnant behavior exhibited by Chance Lovell, and as one that values a just and democratic social order, I call for Chance Lovell’s immediate resignation and encourage other concerned citizens to do the same.

Re: Neo-Atheists by E.J. Dionne (column, April 7, 2007)

2007-04-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

E.J. Dionne asserts that those who do not conform to what some consider a set of unfounded and irrational beliefs, and merely point this empirical fact out to the majority of the population, “seem as dogmatic as the dogmatists they condemn.” Where is the dogma here? By definition, a dogma consists of a set of truth claims based from faith (belief with no evidence), thus subsequently creating an erroneous set of beliefs that then inform our social actions. Some of these actions can clearly be attributed to religion, like suicide bombings, and can be catastrophic (see; e.g. Harris 2005).

Freethinkers ( or “neo-atheists” if you must), despite their “minority” status, collectively comprise of every class, race, gender and creed, including but not limited to, women, men, gays, lesbians, transgender folks, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and every other hue of the racial, sexual, ethnic and class spectrum ad infinitum (can any religion make a similar claim?) usually (the authors you cite certainly do) support all their rational assertions by way of empirical data. Religious dogma does not. This fact is plain and simple and seemingly incontestable. However, the principal difference between freethinkers and religious belief rests with the idea that freethinkers are willing to be convinced otherwise of their position, however there currently exists no empirical data to substantiate let alone even entertain such willingness.

Religious believers are indeed "free" (restricted, as Marx would argue, only by their false consciousness, e.g. "religion is the opium of the people"), to empirically validate any and all these data and are not excluded from this dialogue. Religion and religious dogma however, unlike science, operate entirely on the principals of exclusion and imposed ignorance (see; e.g. Chomsky 1995). The indoctrination of these unfounded and clearly outdated beliefs upon the impressionable minds of our youth unfortunately perpetuates the restriction of any real discussion or dialogue concerning the matter. The irony expressed here is telling of the true essence of “religious faith.”

You note (most incorrectly) that freethinkers “are especially frustrated with religious ‘moderates’ who don’t fit their stereotypes.” The authors of the books you cite (e.g. Dawkins 2006; Harris 2005, 2006) do not speak of such “stereotypes.” Rather, the frustration with religious moderates arises from the assertion that it is religious moderates (under the cloak of “religious tolerance”) who allow religious extremists to continue their murderous campaigns throughout the world, and it is certain that with the available technologies (e.g. nuclear bomb) will eventually lead the to the death and destruction of the entire human race. Imagine, if you will, the New York City skyline. Now imagine a world with no religion. What do you see?

“Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too. Imagine all the people living in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” – John Lennon

Works Cited

Chomsky, Noam. 1995. Class Warfare. Gardners Books.
http://www.chomsky.info/books/warfare02htm

Dawkins, Richard. 2006. The God Delusion. Bantam Press.

Marx, Karl. 1844. Introduction to A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of
Right. http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/critique-hpr/intro.htm

Harris, Sam. 2005. The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason. W.W. Norton.

Harris, Sam. 2006. A Letter to a Christian Nation. Knopf.

Suggested Readings

Dennett, Daniel C. 2006. Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon. Viking Adult.

Stenger, Victor J. 2007. God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does
Does Not Exist. Prometheus Books.

Ready to Hit the Road Again in 2007

2006-10-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

Those in attendance at Edgefest 2006 in Tempe, Arizona received a real treat last night, the opportunity to see Incubus perform their only full length public set in 2006. According to singer Brandon Boyd, Incubus hit the stage for their first show in “the U.S. in over two years,” continuing, “so if I get a little tipsy, it’s not my fault.” The band was poignant and right on mark and certainly did not dissapoint! The mix for the most part was pretty good, with the exception of the bass, which was really ‘fuzzy’ and cranked way up in the mix (subsequently drowning out other parts of the band, especially during softer parts, e.g. Mike’s guitar solo in “Sick Sad Little World”).

As usual, bass player Ben Kenny and guitarist Mike Einziger energetically bounced around the stage for the better part of the nearly hour and half set. Singer Brandon Boyd spoke more than usual and seemed in particularly good spirits. The crowd received a special treat, a cover of the Prince tune “Let’s Go Crazy” (however the seasoned Incubus fan knows that this tune has been previously performed live), after word Brandon remarked, “Do you all know that song?” After the crowd applause, he said, “good ‘cause it kicks ass and I was like nine when it came out.”

Incubus also played two new songs, “Anna Molly” and “A Kiss to Send Us Off” the former of which is the forthcoming lead single from "Light Grenades" (Nov. 28th 2006) and is already available online (currently illegally), but is scheduled for official release in mid October. Brandon mentioned “Anna Molly” by name only noting “we’re going to play another new song,” when they performed, “A Kiss to Send Us Off.”

“Drive” was performed with Mike on electric guitar and Brandon on vocals, with the rest of the band kicking in full gear after the second verse (this was the usual way it was performed on their last tour). Brandon strapped on the guitar only once during the evening to perform the solo on “Pistola”, after which he smashed the guitar on stage during an ambient jam (in an effort to get feedback and distortion) however this seems to be a pretty clear indicator that the band seem ready and itchin’ to hit the road again in 2007, e.g. I can’t say I’ve ever seen Incubus destroy their instruments in any capacity.

Incubus
Sept. 30th 2006
Tempe, Arizona
Onstage 9:35

Megalomanic
Wish You Were Here
Anna Molly
Nice to Know You
Warning
Sick Sad Little World
Drive
Stellar
A Kiss to Send Us Off
A Crow Left of the Murder
Nebula
Let’s Go Crazy [Prince Cover]
Warmth
Pistola
Under My Umbrella
E: Pardon Me

Offstage 10:55

The Steely Dan Show: Moshing, Crowd Surfing and Drunken Debauchery?

2006-07-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

The ‘stars were bright tonight, the air was sweet’ is a nice way to begin to describe the beautiful bayside ambiance surrounding the venue that is Embarcadero Marina Park South in San Diego. It was a bit muggy (more so than usual I was told) but all things considered, the stage, on a peninsula, provided the crowd with a pleasant ocean breeze and as the sun went down was enough to forget your damp shirt and moist brow. A variety of sailboats had gathered around the venue (presumably without paying, freeloaders!) hoping to hear and maybe to catch a glimpse of show. If sound check was any indication, the music emanated quite wonderfully and clearly from the isthmus, indeed then a remarkable treat for those who gathered around the venue. There were about forty or so people standing outside the gate listening to the sound check (I arrived just before Monkey so thanks to ‘Angel’ for filling me in on what I missed). Mr. Becker sounded pretty decent on Monkey but Mr. Fagen appeared to be straining a bit through Black Cow and Cousin Dupree.

Mr. Keith Carlock and the boys started things off with Turtle Talk and segued into the show opener Bodhisattva which of course coincided with Mr. Fagen and Mr. Becker’s stage entrance. The band moved smoothly through the next few numbers. Employing a sense of humor, Mr. Fagan (addressing the multitude of yachts on the bay) remarked, “hello sailor, [pausing momentarily] oh better not say that,” to which the crowd responded with a laugh. When the band went into Hey Nineteen a wave of half-drunken people rushed the stage to dance (which unfortunately was quite annoying as these were the kind of folks who clap on 1 and 3 and coupled with their obvious lack of innate musical time keeping, age and alcohol consumption, made for a scene that badly resembled a wedding reception at 3AM). Although strangely enough, Mr. Fagen seemed pleased as he remarked shortly thereafter, “I like to see some dancing, I like that,” and (to the delight of security) prompted a flooding of more drunken yuppies to the stage. Mr. Fagen stuck with the usual “Aretha Franklin” lyric and the song also again featured the Walt Weiskopf and Roger Rosenberg “argument” (see previous blog posting).

Cousin Dupree was a standout as Mr. Fagen (who strapped on his electric piano) and Mr. Becker extended the tune into a jam, trading guitar and piano licks with one another. They both seemed particularly pleased and to be having a good time. After the song (and when Mr. Fagen returned to his piano) and then (deliberately, for reasons Danfans are sure to know) lifted his Coke into the air and declared, “What a night!” much to the delight of the crowd (Note: I don’t think anyone got the Coke can this time around as soda security seems to have increased over the course of the past few shows). There were some technological guitar problems with Mr. Becker’s setup during Josie, which judging by his laughter Mr. Jon Herrington found quite amusing however Mr. Becker appeared not to share the same emotion. The Any World arrangement was a bit different, it had a sort of reggae feel and the vocal duties were left entirely to Mr. Jeff Young, who did an exceptional job.

Mr. Fagen’s vocals seemed to be unusually strained on Glamour Profession (more so than on any other tune). Perhaps this was brought on in part by his momentarily cerebral lapse of the lyrics, “Outside the stadium, Brut and charisma, for Hoops McCann, Brut and charisma, Poured from the shadow where he stood…”). However, judging by the crowd and their reaction, or rather lack thereof, nobody seemed to take much notice. The band quickly moved into Black Friday and then intermission, whereupon the security detail beefed up their presence in the front to keep would be dancers away from the stage during the second half of the set (their attempts however later proved in vain).

After about twenty minutes or so the band (minus Mr. Fagen and Mr. Becker) returned with The Steely Dan Show. The lyrics were projected onto the screen behind the stage but were not correctly synced with the girls. Also, after a short time the lyrics on the projection screen froze. This could be due to the fact that the band apparently had no plans in projecting the lyrics (e.g. Mr. Becker was overheard during sound check asking if they could project the lyrics during the set). The jam at the end of Green Earrings was real nice to hear and as usual, Mr. Herrington really shined on this number. After Green Earrings, I managed to yell, “Owen Wilson sucks” loud enough for Mr. Fagen and Mr. Becker to hear prompting them both to laughter! (Note: In an effor to keep the gag going, as the publicity is excellent, I think someone should yell this during every show for the remainder of the tour). Strangely, Mr. Fagen remarked before Mr. Becker’s rendition of Monkey In Your Soul that, “the next tune is from our second album, I think.” Perhaps he was testing us? Again, judging by the lack of crowd response to this statement, no one seemed to take notice or even to care for that matter. During the band introductions, Mr. Becker proclaimed, “You want to know what the Steelyard “Sugartooth” McDan and the Fab-Originees.com means? It doesn’t mean a goddamn thing,” which most, including myself found to be quite funny.

When the band kicked into Black Cow it was impossible to stop the wave of people that had already gathered in the aisles but all the while were restrained by security. People began to climb over chairs and to violently push security out of the way which was quite distracting from the show. What the hell is wrong with these people? Surely we cannot blame security as they were outnumbered and simply could not contain/restrain the debauchery exhibited by the crowd. I thought I had just about seen everything until some idiot decided to crowd surf (not once but twice) during Peg and also during My Old School. Moreover, it became so packed up front that people began to push and shove, which resembled a sort of pseudo-geriatric mosh pit! What the hell is going on here? Moshing and crowd surfing a Steely Dan concert?!??!!??! At this time some moron climbed on stage right in front of Mr. Fagen (who apparently found this to be rather amusing and laughed) and waved his arms all around in the air (presumably like he didn’t care). I was sure he was going to stage dive but he was quickly whisked away by security before he had the opportunity. Too bad, it would have been a great show capper!

Despite these significant drawbacks, the performance (aside from Mr. Fagen’s mild vocal straining) and the sound (the minor guitar problems and the military helicopters hovering by every 30 minutes overhead) were both pretty good. The show was great and surely did not disappoint, but due mostly to factors (as noted above) out of the immediate control of the band, I must say that I have heard and seen better Steely Dan performances.

Steelyard “Sugartooth” McDan Tour
San Diego, California July 24, 2006

Turtle Talk
Bodhisattva
Time Out Of Mind
Aja
I've Got The News
Hey Nineteen
Cousin Dupree
Josie
Any World [w/ Jeff Young]
Glamour Profession
Black Friday

INTERMISSION

Steely Dan Show [Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery & Cindy Mizelle]
Green Earrings
Monkey In Your Soul [WB Vocals]
Funk Instrumental>Band Intros>Show Biz Kids
Black Cow
Do It Again
Dirty Work [Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery & Cindy Mizelle]
Peg
Don't Take Me Alive
Kid Charlemagne

ENCORE:

My Old School
FM

SOUNDCHECK
Glamour Profession [Instrumental]
Anyworld
Monkey [Walter Becker]
Blackcow
Showbiz Kids [Chorus only]
Cousin Dupree

The Show Biz Kids Do It Again

2006-07-19T08:57:00.002-07:00

The much-anticipated 2006 Steelyard “Sugartooth” McDan Tour rolled into Phoenix, Arizona yesterday (July 18) as a part of its 32-date U.S. tour. The concert bill featured co-headlining duties shared by Mr. Michael McDonald (keyboard and vocals) who first got his big break with Steely Dan in the 1970s and the reclusive duo collectively known as Steely Dan, Mr. Donald Fagen (keyboards and vocals) and Mr. Walter Becker (guitar). Mr. Fagen and Mr. Becker were backed by an incredibly solid band, dubbed as the “Crack-10 Piece Band” featuring: Jon Herington - Guitar, Freddy Washington - Bass, Keith Carlock - Drums, Jeff Young - Keyboards and Backing Vocals, Walt Weiskopf – Sax, Michael Leonhart – Trumpet, Jim Pugh - Trombone, Roger Rosenberg - Baritone Sax, Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery - Backing Vocals and Cindy Mizelle - Backing Vocals. This lineup was also featured as “The Donald Fagen Band” on Mr. Fagen’s most recent solo tour.

Mr. McDonald took the stage at 7:45 and selected “It Keeps You Runnin’” a Doobie Brothers favorite as his opener, extending it into a lengthy jam (as he did with “Sweet Freedom” the second number featured in his set). Mr. McDonald, dressed in a black short sleeve shirt (with his trademark white hair and white goatee), was indeed very impressive. It seems as though Mr. McDonald’s voice hadn’t aged a bit, an amazing feat for a man with a career spanning over three decades and who, as it would appear, seems to have cheated the deteriorating effects of time (he is in his mid 50s and still sounds in his prime). Mr. McDonald was very polite and fan friendly, encouraging the crowd to “sing along if you know the words” to his most well known tunes (e.g. “Sweet Freedom,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and “What a Fool Believes”) and thanked the barely (and sadly) half filled venue for, “coming out in the heat to see the show.” A little more than half way through the set Mr. McDonald brought out the local Phoenix Gospel Choir to add more depth to the already stellar back up vocalists. Perhaps the most heartfelt number featured in his set was “That’s the Way God Planned It,” whom Mr. McDonald dedicated to the legendary Billy Preston (a resident of Scottsdale, AZ), who recently passed away of kidney failure last month. Mr. McDonald closed with his usual “Takin’ to the Streets,” taking time to noodle around on his piano beforehand as a teaser introduction to the tune.

Despite the oppressive heat (show time temperature exceeded 100 degrees) Mr. Fagen and Mr. Becker were in top-notch form (I’d previously seen Steely Dan perform four times between 1996-2003 mostly in Chicago, IL but also in Cuyahoga Falls, OH and caught Mr. Fagen in Las Vegas, NV on his most recent tour -thanks by the way DF for the autograph - and this performance was by far their best). The “Crack 10-Piece Band” took the stage at 9:18. The band began with an instrumental jazz number and flawlessly transitioned into the show opener "Bodhisattva." Shortly thereafter, Mr. Fagen and Mr. Becker (who were met with a standing ovation) strolled on stage. After a few nods of acknowledgement, Mr. Fagen (who wasn’t wearing his trademark black sports coat), sat down enthusiastically at his piano, while Mr. Becker strapped on his guitar. Mr. Fagen (more so than Mr. Becker) seemed in particularly good spirits and during what he noted as a “technological crisis” (e.g. a dust storm blew Mr. Fagen’s sheet music everywhere and eventually onto his lap), managed to see the humor in the situation. In between songs he remarked, “is this what you call a ‘dust storm?’” he inquired, continuing, “[laughing and turning to Mr. Becker] how then does this affect me?” [A technician was then summoned onstage to steady the sheet music so that it would no longer blow around].

Every 1970s era (including the 1980 album Gaucho) Steely Dan album was represented in the set with the exception of Pretzel Logic. Interestingly enough, no 'new' tunes were performed (e.g. Two Against Nature (2000) and Everything Must Go (2003), and a quarter of the tunes performed were plucked from Mr. Fagen and Mr. Becker’s most popular and successful album, Aja (1977). Mr. Keith Carlock, who Mr. Becker during the band introductions remarked, “just might well be the best drummer of the new millennium” was incredible, especially on the drum standout number, “Aja” (performed on the album by the legendary Steve Gadd, one of the most recorded studio drummers of all time). Mr. Carlock reproduced the “Aja” drum outro with exact precision and flawless accuracy, and surely did not disappoint!

“I’ve Got the News” was featured early in the set, and disappointingly did not feature Mr. McDonald on backup vocals. Mr. Fagen went back to the usual “Aretha Franklin” lyric on “Hey Nineteen” (he often sang “Otis Redding” in place of Aretha Franklin”). The song also featured a Walt Weiskopf and Roger Rosenberg “argument” (e.g. Mr. Fagen, who prefaced the feature by telling the crowd (not seriously of course) that the two had “gotten into a real serious argument before the show” and brought the two to front stage to “settle the dispute,” acting himself as the moderator remarking “hmmm uh is that what you are saying,” “oh, ok that must be it,” etc., in between their individual performances, shortly thereafter noting that the two could settle it over “a shot of…what was it again, that…” [with Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery & Cindy Mizelle chiming in], “Cuervo Gold.”

“Green Earrings” was also a standout with Mr. Becker and Mr. Jon Herington trading solo licks and “Dirty Work” (as it has been for the past few years) was performed solely by the backup vocalists Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery & Cindy Mizelle. After “Dirty Work” Mr. Fagen noted that he wanted to “hear some funk” prompting the band to immediate action. While performing an instrumental funk number Mr. Becker introduced each band member prefacing the band introductions with, “you want to know what the Steelyard “Sugartooth” McDan and the Fab-Originees.com is all about, this is what it is all about [he then introduced each band member including Mr. McDonald who in ‘throwback form’ was brought back out on stage during this time].” The instrumental funk segued right into “Show Biz Kids” on which Mr. McDonald shared lead vocal duties with Mr. Fagen (the two also shared lead vocals on “Do It Again” but not disappointingly enough on any of the other songs, he only played keyboards with a little backing vocal support). Despite this drawback, the performance and the sound were both absolutely amazing. The musicianship exhibited by all was right on mark (or ‘in the pocket’ as they say) for the whole duration of the show with absolutely no deviations which should come as no surprise as these musicians are among the best in the world.

Steelyard “Sugartooth” McDan Tour
Phoenix, Arizona July 18, 2006

Michael McDonald
Onstage 7:45

It Keeps You Runnin’
Sweet Freedom>Band Introductions
I Keep Forgettin’
Stop, Look and Listen
That’s the Way God Planned It
Ain’t No Love to be Found
I Heard it Through the Grapevine
Second That Emotion
You Belong to Me
Minute by Minute
What a Fool Believes
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
And Nothing Like the Real Thing
Takin’ it to the Streets
Offstage 8:53

Steely Dan
Onstage 9:18

Instrumental Introduction
Bodhisattva
Time Out of Mind
Aja
I’ve Got The News
Hey Nineteen
Josie
Green Earrings
Black Friday
Dirty Work [w/ Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery & Cindy Mizelle]
Funk Instrumental>Band Introduction>Showbiz Kids*+
Do it Again*+
Peg*
Don’t Take Me Alive*
Kid Charlemagne*

ENCORE:
My Old School*
FM*

*+w/ Michael McDonald Sharing Vocal Lead
*w/ Michael McDonald

Steelyard “Sugartooth” McDan Tour 2006
Date City Venue

Jul 07 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest
Jul 08 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Jul 10 Nashville, TN Starwood Amphitheatre
Jul 12 Dallas, TX Nokia Theater at Grand Prairie
Jul 14 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Jul 15 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jul 18 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
Jul 19 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jul 21 San Jacinto, CA Soboba Casino (Steely Dan only)
Jul 22 Las Vegas, NV Aladdin Theatre
Jul 24 San Diego, CA Embarcadero Marina Park (Steely Dan only)
Jul 25 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Jul 27 Portland, OR Clark County Amphitheatre
Jul 28 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre
Jul 31 Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Aug 7 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Aug 9 Hollywood, FL Seminole Hard Rock Hotel
Aug 10 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre
Aug 12 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug 13 Bristow, VA Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge
Aug 15 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug 17 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
Aug 19 Camden, NJ Tweeter Waterfront
Aug 20 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion
Aug 23 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 24 Hartford, CT New England Dodge Music Center
Aug 26 Atlantic City, NJ Trump Taj Mahal
Aug 27 Boston, MA Tweeter Center
Aug 29 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Aug 30 Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette Pavilion
Sep 01 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
Sep 02 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre

Re: “Many Going to College Are Not Ready, Report Says” (New York Times column, August 17, 2005)

2005-08-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

The ACT, created in 1959 by E.E. Lindquist and Ted McCarrel was initially designed to compete with the SAT exam. According to the ACT webpage, the ACT Assessment tests are curriculum based and are not an aptitude or an IQ test. Instead, the questions on the test are related to what is learned in high school courses in mathematics, English and science.

Regardless of what the ACT “assesses,” the bottom line is that you cannot attend an accredited college unless you pay to take the ACT and then pay to have the scores sent to each college which you plan on attending, not including of course college application fees, postage, etc. You cannot mail the scores yourself as they are not “official.” Multiply this by hundreds of thousands of potential college students and you have yourself a rather handsome profit. Does the agenda of the ACT then really concern measuring college readiness?

Studies suggest otherwise, as the ACT does not predict college achievement. Certainly then it is problematic that we place such an enormous emphasis upon standardized test scores like those derived from the ACT, as the ACT exhibits low levels of predictive validity.

Thus, blanket generalizations that purport “many” high school graduates as not ready for college are questionable at best. Instead, and as one might expect, high school grades are often, but not always, the single best predictor of first-year performance. Perhaps then the ACT is just a payola “necessity” of the college application process.

I took the ACT twice, initially scoring a 17 and 19 respectively. Both scores are below the national average. Accordingly, I was and am not prepared or ready for college. However, not only did I graduate college, I received my BA degree summa cum laude. I also hold a MA degree and currently am entering my second year as a fully funded doctoral student. Am I the only exception to the ACT “college-readiness benchmark?” I think not.

What’s In a Name?

2005-08-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

This country and our legacy of overt instances of racism, sometimes resulting in acts of atrocity and genocide (e.g. extermination of the Native population) still haunts us (in a variety of ways) but overwhelmingly in some of our grossly stereotypical sports symbols, which were in part this week condemned by the NCAA.

Concerning racism, in the United States at least, we receive a plethora of mixed messages. On the one hand, we publicly condemn racism and racist beliefs and ideologies, but sports team names that are often demeaning accompanied by their often racist characters and logos are still as much a part of American culture as apple pie, regardless of how historically inaccurate they may in fact be.

Nevertheless the symbolic terrain/landscape has been distorted by the varying contemporary degree of the detachment of symbolic signification from the symbols themselves, in postmodern jargon this is referred to as the floating signifier. Human beings act toward things on the particular basis of the meaning that certain things have for them. The meaning here is derived from social interaction and such meanings are always modified through an interpretive process used by the person when dealing with the things s/he encounters (Blumer 1969).

Thus, generations of young sports fans, who are always historically removed (whether mindful or not) from the blatant injustices suffered by historically marginalized groups of people, often understand such symbols (e.g. sports names and logos) very differently than those who are and often continue to be subjected to a historical trajectory dictated to them (e.g. in classrooms, textbooks, etc.) by others, most notably white people.

Consider for instance the “Redskins” a current NFL football team. Most people are of the belief that the term “redskin” simply relates to the color of Indian skin, which in and of itself is certainly derogatory. However, Suzan Harjo, who heads a national Indian rights organization aptly points out that the historical use of the term “redskin” is actually more macabre the one might think.

Most concede that it is no secret that the United States government sanctioned bounties upon the heads of Indians. Allegedly to ease the burden of carrying around rotting heads or corpses of Indians the U.S. government relaxed the bounty to include just the scalp or skin of an Indian. Trappers, who would hunt Indians along with wild game reportedly begin using the term (much like bearskin, deerskin, etc.), in crude reference to the bloody mess that accompanied the scalp or skin of the Indian (Wiley III, Ed 2005).

Interestingly enough, although few would refute the grossly stereotypical nature of the Cleveland Indians logo, e.g., "Chief Wahoo" (pictured above), the story behind their name is not necessarily. Louis “Chief” Sockalexis is purported to be Baseball’s first American Indian player, some refute this claim, however most agree that Sockalexis was among the very first few professional American Indian ballplayers.

Sockalexis was born on the Penobscot Indian Reservation in Maine in 1871 and attended the College of the Holy Cross. At 5’11” 185 pounds, Sockalexis was considered a rather large man by early twentieth standards (http://www.baseball-reference.com/). Although it is often hard to accurately cite early “official” baseball statistics, (e.g. stats were often kept very crassly), by all accounts "Chief" was, for a brief time, a standout ballplayer (the Cleveland Indians webpage refers to him as a “supreme baseball talent”).

It is alleged that the Cleveland ball team (formerly the Cleveland Naps) changed their name to the Cleveland Indians in honor of Soxalexis two years after his death. The Cleveland organization however after the 1914 season prompted a name change for the Cleveland franchise. On January 17, two Cleveland based newspapers (The Leader and The Plain Dealer) reported that the “Indians” had been chosen to replace the Naps, in reference to the club when Sockalexis played for the team from 1897-1899 (http://www.cleveland.indians.mlb.com/).

The degree to which a team name or logo is racist varies considerable depending on the context (as the above examples illustrate). In this regard, some professional sports names, I contend, are not necessary demeaning or racist (e.g. Warriors, Braves, etc.) however I also believe the NCAA made the correct initiative in their assertion that certain names need to be changed, and other organizations (e.g. MLB, NFL, etc.) should follow in good faith.

Works Cited
Bloomer, Herbert. 1969. Symbolic Interaction. Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Wiley III, Ed. 2005. “Honoring Native Americans with Disrespect” http://www.bet.com/

Steroids: To Consume or Not to Consume, That is the Question!

2005-08-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

"Baltimore slugger Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for steroids a few months after telling Congress, "I never took steriods, period." Then today, Palmeiro said, "I mean to say, 'I never took steroids, question mark.'" -Conan O'Brien

For the past few days I have been mustering over the recent steroid controversy that is currently clouding major league baseball; regarding my recent thoughts, the catalyst is of course Rafael Palmeiro who is currently the highest profile player to test positive under the new drug testing guidelines adopted by Major League Baseball.

Palmeiro was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 1st round (22nd pick) of the 1985 amateur draft (The Cubs decided to retain Mark Grace at first base and traded Palmeiro in 1988 to the Texas Rangers). Throughout his carreer, Palmeiro has had some amazing accomplishments. Most notability, he is one of only four players (the others are, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Eddie Murray) in the 3,000 hit, 500 home run club which surely would have gained him a first ballot entry into the holy shrine of baseball, the Hall of Fame. However, a long shadow of doubt has not only been caste upon his legacy as a player, but now there is speculation on whether or not he’ll even enter the Hall of Fame.

After much consideration, my thoughts in part concerning the matter are informed by strain theory. Strain theory, initially conceived by Robert K. Merton (1938), focuses on explaining why some groups or individuals in a society are more likely to engage in crime than others.

The crux of the theory presented by Merton argues that individuals are pressured into crime (e.g. illegal steroid use) when they are prevented from achieving such cultural goals as monetary success through legitimate avenues. The idea here is that lower class individuals are often blocked legitimate access to opportunities to attain a middle class lifestyle or monetary success, as they often reside in disadvantaged neighborhoods, receive inferior education, cannot afford college, etc.

Merton contends, that certain “social structures exert a definite pressure upon certain persons in the society to engage in nonconformist rather than conformist conduct…[thus]….[f]raud, corruption, vice, crime, in short, the entire catalogue of proscribed behavior, becomes increasingly common when the emphasis on the culturally induced success-goal becomes divorced from a coordinated institutional emphasis.”

Palmeiro was born September 24, 1964 in Havana, Cuba. In 1971, his father Jose Palmeiro a construction worker, immigrated to Miami with his family from Cuba. Rafael was just seven years old. One can speculate that had Palmeiro not fled the bleak economic conditions of Cuba, he probably would have remained just another sandlot ballplayer and most likely would have ended up working a menial job just as his father had.

With the vast economic incentives that professional sports especially baseball in the United States accords, is it really any wonder or surprise that people are ingesting steroids and any other substance for that matter, legal or not, to give them a competitive edge on the playing field? If you were competing for a $20 million dollar a year job, would you not do the same?

Such substances however don’t make a ballplayer any better at what they do. For instance, Albert Einstein drank coffee, which contains caffeine, a stimulant, which allowed him to stay conscious longer thereby allowing him to produce more scholarly material than he otherwise might have. Does drinking coffee make you smart? Certainly not. Does taking steroids make you a professional ballplayer? Certain not.

The solution to the problem is quite simple, however impossible in our market driven economy. If we made professional sports a 20 thousand dollar a year job the pressure (aside from the resultant fame amplified in part by the media) to succeed in such a market would be minimal at best. Why not make teaching a 20 million dollar a year profession? I guarantee coffee as well as other illegal stimulant consumption would skyrocket!

Perhaps Palmeiro should run for office, as he is already a liar, a skill no doubt needed as a politician. When he gets out of jail for perjury, he can run on a “read my lips” campaign.

Works Cited
Merton, Robert K. 1938. “Social Structure and Anomie” American Sociological Review
3 (October).

Manny Ramirez a “Gangster?”

2005-08-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

“I’m just here to play and win. I’m a gangster.”
Manny Ramirez (Boston Red Sox)
New York Times 08/01/05

Just what this quote means, is certainly open to interpretation. One thing seems certain, rap music and its subsequent discourse, continue to leave an inevitable imprint on contemporary pop culture.

At best, the correlation between gangsters and baseball stars can be expressed in dollars and cents as the only thing that gangsters and baseball stars seem to have in common is their bankroll, they get paid, and they get paid extremely well.

Maybe the term “gangster” has some sort of hidden meaning that we are not yet aware of. For instance, the term “thug” (a common euphemism among “gangsters”) has roots in Sanskrit, an ancient language that is considered the classical language of India and of Hinduism. In Sanskrit, to thug (as a verb) was to trick, deceive, or (and this is the shocker) to charm. Is Manny trying to convey to us some sort of trickery or charm through his thuggish use of the term gangster?

I think not. Manny Ramirez, who is currently among the cohort of largest paid “gangsters,” makes a reported 20 million a year. Ramirez I contend rather is a professional crybaby, so his self proclamation as a “gangster,” I would argue, is certainly without merit. Stated politely, Rameriz is just another selfish overpaid crybaby wankster.

The catalyst for Rameriz and his recent remark concerns his trade request as he wanted out of the Red Sox organization citing “privacy issues.” Privacy issues? Are you kidding? Get real Manny.

Free Speech Post 9/11

2005-07-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances –Amendment I to the United States Constitution

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it
-Voltaire

Does the protection of the First Amendment protect all words? The obvious answer is no. For instance, one who yells fire in crowded room where there is no fire can be held criminally liable for public endangerment. The First Amendment and the subsequent free speech it accords appears a seemingly simple doctrine, however it is more philosophical than one might initially expect.

Of course the philosophical basis of any fundamental right lies in an argument, often officially illustrated in the United States through our legal system. There have been many court battles concerning various First Amendment queries, usually involving legal discussions of obscenity (which is not protected under the guidelines of the First Amendment) and other speech acts, e.g., hate speech, sex speech, etc. Unfortunately, the virtue of tolerance is most usually codified in the abstract; therefore outside of the courts when deciphering free speech from other speech acts, difficulties and confusion can and do occur.

Although spotlighted recently, internal security has always been a stipulation of the First Amendment principals. Internal security comprises the various efforts and means by a nation or government to combat subversive acts that could destroy the exiting state. Subversive acts include, but are not limited to, espionage, sedition, sabotage, terrorism and treason. The idea is that the aforementioned subversive acts are less likely to involve First Amendment considerations because they are more than likely to involve actions and not expressions (Willis 2005). Although the United States Patriot Act makes no official provisions to the First Amendment, I believe that we are currently moving in a direction that compromises our First Amendment rights. This is exemplified in two recent, albeit significant free speech judgments, one of which was determined in a court of law.

On July 13, 2005 an influential Muslim scholar Ali al-Timimi whom U.S. prosecutors called a “purveyor of hate and war” was handed a life sentence for allegedly inciting his followers in Virginia to wage war against the U.S. following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. While the federal district judge hearing the case, Leonie M. Brinkema, said there was significant evidence that Mr. Timimi incited his followers toward violence, she noted that she considered the sentence “very draconian” but was bound by “federal guidelines.” The language used by Mr. Timimi, although considered offensive by many, the defense contends was free speech, protected by the First Amendment. Mr. Timimi continues to maintain his innocence (Lichtblau 2005).

On July 7, 2005, the rapper who goes by the name of the “Arabic Assassin” whose real name is Bassam Khalaf, was fired from the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Mr. Khalaf’s unreleased CD “Terror Alert” contains descriptions of himself as a “crazy, suicidal Arab…equipped with bombs” and rhymes about flying planes into buildings. The Transportation Security Administration conducts criminal background checks but does not investigate what people do in their spare time a spokesperson said. However, once the web sites with the raps were brought to the attention of the agency Mr. Khalaf was terminated. Mr. Khalaf contends that he is not a terrorist but that his rhymes were simply exaggerations intended to attract publicity (Van Gelder 2005).

A principal of free speech of course concerns some, but not an entire, range of protection for speech. The subject nevertheless is complex given the uneven application of various reasons for free speech to different sorts of communications as the two aforementioned cases exhibit. Will certain speech acts now be provisioned separately since we have waged a war against terror? Although a few cases is by no means an indicator of provisions against free speech, it appears as though we are heading in that direction.

Works Cited

Lichtblau, Eric. 2005. “Scholar Is Given Life Sentence in ‘Virginia Jihad.’ New York
Times, July 14.

Willis, Clyde E. 2002. Student’s Guide to Landmark Congressional Laws. Westport, CT:
Greenwood Press.

Van Gelder, Lawrence. 2005. “Rapper Loses Airport Job” New York Times, July 16

Is X&Y Coldplay's "Joshua Tree?"

2005-07-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we are officially in heat of the summer and most of the summer releases have hit the shelves and the airwaves. Coldplay’s X&Y (Capitol), as predicted is a blockbuster. According to the BBC, X&Y has topped 20 global charts to date including Hong Kong, Mexico and Italy. Moreover, the last British artist to have a simultaneous UK and US number one hit was the Beatles #1 in 2000, exclusive company to say the least (BBC.com).

X&Y is the biggest smash for the music industry this year so far (other than 50 Cent’s The Massacre), increasing sales revenue in an otherwise steadily decreasing market. The massive sales of X&Y also ironically have hurt the music industries purported claims that internet piracy is cause for the steady decrease in sales in the past few years. Despite X&Y leaking online a week prior to its release, EMI, Coldplay’s record label has said that legal digital downloads of the album have accounted for 8% of the album’s US sales which is the biggest share of any new release to date (BBC.com).

More than 737,000 copies of Coldplay’s X&Y were sold in the first week of its release in the US, subsequently dislodging the always emotionally unstable Mariah Carey, from the number one spot (BBC.com). The initial sales figures, as one might expect, have launched the hype concerning Coldplay to epic proportions.

Some industry “experts” (be leery of anyone who makes such an outlandish claim) purport X&Y to be Coldplay’s "Joshua Tree" a reference to the album that launched U2 into the stratosphere as one of the world’s top rock acts. In the US Joshua Tree was number one for nine weeks and in the UK went platinum in just twenty eight hours, remaining on the charts for a mind boggling one hundred twenty nine weeks. In the US alone, Joshua Tree has sold more than 10 million copies, earning the RIAA diamond certification.

In its third week of release in the US, despite being knocked from the top spot, X&Y’s album sales were at 1.2 million. Statistically, there is simply no comparison yet between X&Y and Joshua Tree and such comparisons are frivolous at best. Only time will yield answers to such quantitative inquires.

Perhaps, aesthetically the two albums contain similarities. For instance, Joshua Tree begins with the ever popular “Where the Streets Have No Name” which is now a trademark U2 song but more importantly is perhaps where the Edge made his permanent mark with his unique guitar sound, supported by a simple, albeit solid rhythm section.

We can draw a parallel to Coldplay’s “Fix You” which like “Where the Streets Have No Name” begins slow, captivating its listeners, finally culminating with Coldplay’s now trademark sound which comprises of a erringly simple combination of Chris Martin’s piano accented by a mind numbingly simple drum beat. My brother, a musician, and accordingly whose opinion I hold in high regard, once remarked that if you remove the lyrics from any Coldplay tune, it becomes comparable to a Disney composition, e.g., very simple, happy, and aesthetically pleasing to the psyche. U2, whose arrangements are slightly more complex, could be held in similar regards.

Nevertheless, I believe simplicity is what makes Coldplay’s brand of music unique and is why the masses have taken such a liking to it. Our lives are more complicated and complex than ever. We are often juggling two and sometimes three jobs, children, education, etc. The last thing most people want to hear on the radio on the way home from a hard day at work is some sophisticated jazz number or lyrics that are comparable to poetry, often with no fixed meaning and sometimes undecipherable. Most people yearn simply for something to tap their foot to in addition to lyrics that are not only easily understood, but resonate with themes they are familiar with, e.g. love, which doesn’t always make for interesting listening but that is not necessary what music is all about. The reciprocal, e.g. difficult music, of course also contains social value as well as it often teaches us to withhold understanding thereby resisting the false clarity simple music often accords us.

Is X&Y then Coldplay’s “Joshua Tree?” Statistically, of course not, at least not yet. Aesthetically? Well I certainly cannot make that assertion for you as this would negate the very use of the term. Listen, think, and make up your own mind.

Support our Troops?

2005-07-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

Today I was awakened, like every other day, by my local NPR station. As a usual part of my morning routine I lay groggily in bed for a half hour or so listening. I often have strange recollections of segments and stories that I heard early in the morning throughout the day. These memories remain couched in my unconscious until I see or hear something that triggers a particular memory.

Today was no different. I watched a soccer mom in a minivan swerving through traffic. As I watched her speed by I noticed that she had a yellow “support our troops” magnet fashioned ever so carefully next to a sticker of a soccer ball on her otherwise impeccable automobile. I wondered whether or not she really gave a shit about our troops or if she had placed the sticker on her minivan to be trendy. This got me thinking, does anybody really give a shit about our troops or are we merely relieving ourselves of our conscious by simply purchasing a sticker or magnet and affixing it to our car so that we can show everybody that we support the troops?

This reminded me of a segment I had heard that morning, one of a two part series titled “When I Came Home” a documentary which tracks the lives and struggles of several homeless veterans, including those who have recently returned home from the war in Iraq. The segment examined the subsequent factors which led more than 150,000 Vietnam veterans from the battlefield directly to the street, positing the question: will what happened to Vietnam veterans happen to a new generation of soldiers? (www.kjzz.org) How can it be that we are still asking such questions?

For many young Americans joining the military is a path out of poverty. But to those who return to impoverished neighborhoods with such ailments as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder an all too common psychiatric injury of war, can find it especially difficult to recover (www.kjzz.org). A veteran whose name I can’t quite recall noted in the segment that it is great that we recognize the sacrifices of those who died (he specifically mentions The Vietnam Veteran’s Wall Memorial) but is saddened that those who made it home alive are often forgotten, a reference to the vast amount of homeless veterans (he himself was homeless).

No veteran should ever be without a home, food, and clothing. For or against the war, love it or hate it, we can all agree that these people make the ultimate sacrifice for our livelihood yet are disgraced upon their return, forgotten by most like a piece of trash. One hundred and fifty thousand plus homeless Vietnam veterans, America, we should be ashamed of ourselves. This is absurd, simply unacceptable.

We should draft up legislation to honor these folks by giving them a modest house free of charge and granting them with tax exempt status for life. This should include all property and sales tax. They should also be accorded a stipend, comparable to a living wage, so that if they decide to work it will be by their own choosing. Also, free health insurance for life. I would be all for the necessary tax increases to pay for these simply necessities for our veterans for it is the LEAST I/we could do. Instead of purchasing support our troops merchandise, why not support the Department of Veterans Affairs directly? Perhaps some people do, but due to the fact that homelessness and other problems are still rampant among veterans I really doubt most send money but just purchase the magnet and stick it on the ol’ minivan so they appear as good caring little people.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, of the 25 million veterans currently alive, nearly three of every four served during a war or an official period of hostility (www.va.gov). A unnecessary amount of these people are also homeless. Donating to the VA would be for the good of all our living troops, currently serving and otherwise. Remember, support our troops should refer to those previous and current who have enlisted, served, returned home, and those who have unfortunately perished in the name of the United States of America. Homeless veterans = shameless Americans.

Fear and Panic in the Age of Terrorism: Marx (Briefly) Revisited

2005-07-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

Tragedy has struck again as it has countless times before. Yesterday, London was subjected to a series of terrorist attacks, again directed toward innocent civilians. My thoughts and condolences go out to all those suffering as a result of these random acts of senseless violence.

It would seem plausable that if you are going to bomb someone to make a statement, political or otherwise (do keep in mind that I do not condone such behavior) why not bomb politicians and those alike that are elected or appointed often to directly shoulder the burden and subsequent alleviation of social maladies? The terrorists it seems are not only sick sadistic bastards, but also directionally impaired.

Terrorism is a complicated matter perhaps best exemplified by the old saying, one man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. One could certainly provide a compelling argument that the United States, currently viewed by many around the world as a terrorist organization, was founded by a bunch of terrorists.

The “war on terror” is beginning to resemble the “war on drugs,” a tireless, shameless, and seemingly useless battle where we waste a vast amount of precious resources and where innocent civilians suffer the most casualties. Such battles have no foreseeable end. It would seem common sense that we should and need to rethink the situation.

I don’t claim to have the answers; I merely contend that our current solutions are not working and will never work. My thoughts regarding the matter, although utopic, are informed via Marxist ideology. First, religion must be eradicated. Second, resources must be redistributed. Easy enough right? However I must note that although I find most of his ideas compelling, I do not purport to be a Marxist.

Marx argued that religion kept people in check, passive, comfortably numb, or as his famous quote goes;

“Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people” (Marx 1884).

Marx calls for the abolition of religion, an illusionary happiness, so to foster the development of a real happiness. They say kill the infidels, we say kill the infidels; they say Allah is on our side, we say God is on our side. Who is right and who is wrong doesn’t matter, theoretically if religion were eradicated nobody could justify violence in some silly hypocritical hocus pocus nonsense.

After the dissolution of religion, we simply redistribute the vast amount of available and sometimes unused and often wasted resources, thereby facilitating a peaceful coexisting society. Unfortunately the dream espoused by Marx will never be realized, and as a result we will live in a constant state of fear and perpetual panic that is exacerbated by an ever expanding globalized media.

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one, I hope some day you'll join us, and the world will live as one" (J. Lennon).

Racial Imagery (Again) in the Courtroom

2005-07-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

We live in a very frightening time where most people believe that we have fully eradicated racism. Nevertheless the importance of race and racism in the United States continues to lurk in the deep recesses of society and remains as strong as ever. Most Americans believe that racism was eradicated by the subsequent passing of legislation, such as the 13th and 14th Amendments and Title XII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. White people are no longer "responsible" for combating racism as they can merely point to the legislation and deny that it exists. Such legislation lifts whitey off the hook. This of course is not always the case, there are white folks still fighting for equality but when compared to the larger social body, they exist in relatively small numbers.

Only occasionly does overt racism rear its ugly head in its most blatant form for everyone to see (e.g. Rodney King). Such instances are usually spotlighted by the media and create fervor and outrage as being an overt racist is no longer status quo, however rarely do the media concern itself with overt blatant racism without foolproof evidence, e.g. videotapes, as such instances, are easily dismissed by rich white politicians and others alike. The same could be said of sex discrimination, homophobia, and all the other isms for that matter however I will not be addressing these here.

A direct descendent of racism is the use and reliance upon racial imagery by the media (e.g. news broadcasts that spotlight the stereotypical black criminal or the stereotypical black mother on welfare, or blockbuster movies that exploit stereotypes such as Training Day in which Mr. Washington was awarded an Oscar for his part in playing the “role” of a “black person”), racial imagery by the police (e.g. racial profiling), racial imagery by the courts (pictures, stories, and examples used for instance by prosecutors, such examples are often exemplified in the television series Law and Order), and racial imagery by judges (Johnson 2001).

Yesterday, female rapper Lil’ Kim whose real name is Kimberly Jones and is black was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine for perjury after she admitted in a courtroom that she had lied to a grand jury during her trial (Preston 2004). Racial imagery was used during her two-hour hearing by Judge Lynch (interesting last name huh?) who, as it was reported, repeatedly compared Lil’ Kim to Martha Stewart, the rich whitey homebody who was convicted last year on similar charges in the same courthouse no less by a Federal District Court in Manhattan. Judge Lynch, whose race was undisclosed thereby implying he is white, noted that Martha “happens to be older and whiter and whose entertainment following is richer,” emphasizing the specific brand of racial imagery known as the “us-them” imagery (Johnson 2001; Preston 2004:A22). How necessary was it that Judge Lynch made this racial distinction in the sentencing of Lil’ Kim? Moreover, what implications do you suppose arise concerning our current criminal just-us system?

Works Cited

Johnson, Sheri Lynn. 2001. “Racial Derogation in Prosecutors’ Closing Arguments” Pp.
79-114 in Petit Apartheid in the U.S. Criminal Justice System edited by
Dragan Milovanovic and Katheryn K. Russell. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic
Press.

Preston, Julia. 2005. “Lil’ Kim Gets One-Year Prison Sentence and Admits She Lied in
Testimony About Shootout.” New York Times July 7.

Brian Wilson and the Music Industry

2005-07-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

As a self-proclaimed audiophile, a musical aficionado of sorts, I am continually perplexed and amazed by Brian Wilson, founder of the Beach Boys. The subsequent release of SMiLE in September of 2004 nearly forty years after the project was initially conceived has prompted many “experts” to proclaim the album as one of the all time greatest. I cannot disagree; I would venture to say that SMiLE IS THE best album ever recorded. Next to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, the crux of which concerns madness, alienation, and societal disconnect, SMiLE’s themes concern among other things overcoming obstacles, joy, and self actualization. When one thinks of it, DSOTM and SMilE are the ying of the yang of contemporary pop music albums.

DSOTM is often heralded as a cutting edge revolutionary album (I would not contest this), as the things Pink Floyd were doing in the studio were simply unheard of, both literally and figuratively. SMiLE, whose release date was initially slated six years prior to the release of DSOTM and although released nearly forty years later continues to remain more cutting edge and sophisticated than anything ever recorded in the history of modern man. Unfortunately, the recording tactics used for SMiLE are now considered primitive by today’s recording standards (e.g. digital technology).

Amazingly enough, SMiLE although “officially” released in 2004 as indicated above (although various bootleg recordings from the original1966-67 Smile sessions have long been in circulation for years) is still better than anything currently or previously released. This says two things; first and foremost, Brian Wilson was and continues to be so far ahead of his time that we can never really be certain as to the extent and magnitude of his genius. Second, the contemporary state of the music industry is sad and pathetic. Currently the industry is far more interested in album sales more so than it is the quality of the music. This of course has always been the case, however we are currently suffering more as the development of advanced capitalism continues toward its peak. Albums are now more so than ever cranked out like parts on a factory assembly line, and as one might expect the quality of the music is not only secondary but often subsides, musical casualties of the capitalistic nightmare Marx prophesized.

Brian Wilson is arguably the best and most prolific pop songwriter of the 20th century, just ask Paul McCartney what he thinks. Sadly enough, SMiLE entered and peaked on the Billboard chart (the musical yard stick) at #13. Even more sad perhaps is that the album which wasn’t even that publicized, has not even gone platinum (neither amazingly enough has Pet Sounds), yet artists (I hesitate to use this term here) like Eminem who advocate the beating and raping of his then at the time wife, promote hate, gay bashing, death, and violence is currently a certified multiplatinum "artist." Something is really wrong here folks what the hell is going on? Are we so brainwashed by awful music that we are now simply unable to recognize good music when we hear it? Has our musical aesthetic been extracted by greedy corporate hate mongers who bombard us via multi media outlets with constant and incessant musical trash?

Which brings me to yet another point. How the hell did the music industry eclipse Brian Wilson from an album of the year nomination when the “artist” Kayne West (who mind you is an asshole for complaining about being “ripped” off at a certain award show) received a staggering ten Grammy nominations for his so tastefully titled College Dropout? Brian Wilson received one Grammy award, ironically for best rock instrumental. Talk about tossing the dog a bone. The Beach Boys changed the music industry forever with their vocal arrangements. Best instrumental, are you kidding? The Beach Boys for that matter have never received a Grammy. Yet we give them away to musical assassins who are ruining music for everyone. We need to denounce the music industry and demand better quality music or else we’ll surely be doomed forever.