Most Conservative Rock Songs of All Time

National Review's subject for the list they are compiling is admittedly anathema to conservatism but fun nonetheless. The #1 most conservative rock song is...

NSA....sort of....maybe...w/e

I can't say as I have a strong opinion one way or the other with the whole monitoring phone calls thing. Mostly because I can't say as I am really all that surprised or shocked. Nothing short of a conservative army going door to door and stringing up every Arab they find for being a terrorist (and maybe throwing in the queers for good measure) would really surprise me; and that surprise would consist entirely of me arching an eyebrow, uttering a noncommittal "Huh" and going back to drinking my beer.

At any rate, I don't know if this is true or not (or even if it applies to the whole NSA discussion) but I had been noticing lately that my cell phone service seems to experience brief clicks (half a sec or so tops) that interrupt service. I called and asked them what the deal was and was told that conversations can be monitored if certain "key words" are used repeatedly and that the clicks were likely a result of intitiating or terminating of the monitoring process. Now, I don't know which "key words" that I use on a regular basis while using my cell phone (the only people I talk to regularly are my family members) would instigate such things or who exactly is doing the monitoring, but this seems shady to me. Looking back, nearest I can tell is that the "key word" bank must consist of such suspicious words as "fishing", "school" or "treatment" since conversations with my dad, bro, sis or mom revolve around those topics. And now, just to get the blog monitored:

Instead of going to school, I am going fishing as treatment for my boredom.

What if Mexicans Were Crack?

Jonah Goldberg had an interesting take on illegal immigrants this morning.

I'm having a hard time getting worked up about the illegal immigration issue. I'm opposed to amnesty and the President's position he claims is not amnesty. The problem seems simpler to me than people are making it out to be. We need not round them all up, and I don't think anyone is arguing this despite the President's and others' statements to the contrary. I think we just need to have the will to prevent more illegals from coming. This simply means making it harder for them to find work and harder for them to get anything from the government. This will deter more from coming, and perhaps cause illegals already here to leave willingly. We just don't have the will to crack down on employers or deny illegals welfare. The courts even entitle illegals to some things such as in Plyler v. Doe where the court claimed the 14th Amendment required that illegals could not be excluded from public schools. The logic of this equal protection argument can't be stopped at an entitlement just to education.

This is just nonsense. But as I said, for some reason the issue doesn't seem all that pressing to me. This may be changing, though, the more I see unassimilated illegals claiming entitlements to the Southeast or a life in America in general and all the generosity of Americans that entails.

NSA

Here's what Mark Steyn had to say about the phone records. He makes some interesting points about how this is surely less obtrusive than other information we willingling supply to the government, that people whine when the dots aren't connected but whine when someone tries to find the dots to begin with, and that so many people's records are being looked over because no one has the balls to simply go over the records of, say, people of Arab or Middle Eastern descent.

I hope you have checked your rage, Slaps. Like Mark Steyn, I also yield to nobody in my antipathy to government, but I am not seeing the danger here, at least not one outweighed by the prospect of catching terrorists in the US. The phone records are annonymous and a warrant is required to act on anything they find. One can imagine, hope even, the government is looking for calls to known terrorists or their supporters from yet unknowns or missing suspects. I just don't see the danger of the government using this type of information. Perhaps you could illustrate some scenarios that justify rage.

Now lets discuss the NSA

Soooooo...the NSA is now keeping track of domestic phone habits of American citizens? I didn't care before based on what I understood. But this, this pisses me off. If I had a land line phone I'd immediately switch to Qwest (the only company who didn't bow down to government assholes). And the defenses from "conservatives" are especially embarassing, almost boot licking. Grow some Goddamn backbone you cowards. This is idiotic policy and most assuredly illegal. I'm too pissed off about it to be constructive right now.

Re: The Darkness

I bought the new album pretty soon after it came out (sometime last fall I think) and at first I was kind of disapointed. But after listening to it a couple of times, I realized that while it was less hard rocking than the first album, it still was very good. It is essentially a breakup album. Most of the songs are about relationships with some exceptions (the opener is the required drug-related song and is hilarious). My favorite is "Girl with the Hazel Eyes." Maybe the change in direction is due to the loss of the bass player, I don't know but he did bring a distinctive style to the band (both musically and otherwise). His Southern Highway will be missed.

In other music-related news, a long time ago Nick reccomended RHCP's "Californication" as a good album. And finally, I get around to seconding him on that. I just recently listened to the whole album (like 5 times in a row) and will say that despite the radio overplay of about 1/3 of the songs it is indeed a very good complete album.

And another plug for Neil Young's (less) new album "Prairie Wind" and the concert movie that goes with it. Very enjoyable. And not crazy at all.

New Darkness Videos

I don't know how far behind on this I am, but here they are with syntheszier in tow. I've heard "Is It Just Me" on the radio. Damn my dial-up. I can't really watch the videos, but I can hear the rockin'. Don't know if this measures up to the debut or my expectations...

Plus Francis as gone. According to the website, "Francis departed The Darkness in May 2005 due to irreconcilable musical differences." I wonder if he objected to the stuff on the new album.

John Kenneth Galbraith, RIP

Well, maybe he shouldn't rest completely peacefully.

I failed to mention this the other day.

Here's what George Will had to say about the man's influence. Here is the WashPost obit.

More Steyn

This is funny stuff, Slaps. And this is even funnier.

Atlas Shrugged

The height thing is not a problem. Pitt would be alright for Galt. However, who would play Hank? Russell Crowe, perhaps? There just aren't many manly actors out there to choose from.

Best Record in Baseball!?!?

This can't last...

ZOMFG

I'm still not sure what to think about this, other than its obvious awfulness:

In 1989 and 1990, the House investigated allegations that members of Congress had sex in the gym’s nap rooms and took late-night skinny dips in its pool.

That's only part of it. Congress has their own fricken gym??? That's funded by taxpayers? Whatever. Something needs to be done about those freeloading waste of space bastards. I'm all fired up about that now.

And, and now somebody wants to remake Revenge of the Nerds? Christ, what's going on?? Why would you remake one of the most perfect movies to come out of the 80s (along with Robocop and Ghostbusters, among others)? Everybody involved in this is stupid.

Bert clearly doesn't have enough schoolwork

1. First of all, how many kids these days actually listen to Neil Young? I meant his music but his crazy rants count too I guess. Anyway, Prairie Wind was a great album and Demme's movie (it might still be at an arthouse theater near you) was very well done. And it had Emmylou Harris (who has a new album out with Mark Knopfer?!?) . Anyway, the point is that Neil has always had crazy things to say but I think he's pretty well ignored by most. But I still like his music and will try to catch CSNY in C-Bus in September. Everyone (except Jarrod, who is musically challenged) should come.

2. I can't decide if Steyn is funny or just a pretentious ass. Still up in the air on him.

3. Personally, I've always thought Brad Pitt should be John Galt. Except there aren't enough tall actors for an Atlas Shrugged movie. Everyone in the book was at least 6'5" or something ridiculous.

4. Can Epstein EVER be wrong? He's so dreamy....

Vioxx nonsense

I'm pretty sure this will be the only time I ever recommend a Sebastian Mallaby editorial, but he gets the Vioxx lawsuit nonsense right.

Richard Epstein had a good op-ed in the Wall Street Journal when the first verdict was handed down in Texas. If ever there was evidence for tort reform, this is it. How many baseless $20+ million lawsuits can a company take?