You, too, Youtube.
============

Unshaven, unkempt hippies with rainbows coming from thier hands? Wow. Original. I'm staggered by thier originality.

Just wondering if they are referring to the military as an organization, and not individual members of the armed forces. It seems that their beef with 'Godsmack' has to do with the group's music being used for recruitment purposes.

Of course, it sounds as though Iranian military entities would be quite welcome.

Take a digital camera anyway, just in case.

I'm surprised they forgot to mention that after soundcheck they also require two baby jackrabbits that they will ritualistically slay, skin, and wear as makeshift toupees.

In the item above their herophobic statement, they have a rant about non-roganic foods from corporate agriculture as something they're trying to "destroy."

Tolerant of them.

Yes, but they did not request organic wine. Oops, someone pass the pistol.

Someone tip off PETA that the guy wears fur on his head. They'll teach him what counter-culture is!

A hippy band?

Between this and Jay griping about one anonymous commenter on some Indymedia thread, you guys seem to be aiming kind of low these days.

At least Lorie's still on the "John Edwards has a big house" beat.

Eh - hippie wannabes. Who cares?

Yes, but mantis, if we don't get to make fun of Brightblack Morning Light, the terrorists win.

At least Lorie's still on the "John Edwards has a big house" beat.

Houses. Plural. ;)

Between this and Jay griping about one anonymous commenter on some Indymedia thread, you guys seem to be aiming kind of low these days.

Mantis - I think they are doing anything they can to avoid discussing issues that really matter to the troops like the state of our veterans hospitals and the quality of care given to our returning heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yes, but mantis, if we don't get to make fun of Brightblack Morning Light, the terrorists win.

Damn hippy terrorists. Patchouli is a weapon of mass destruction!

That's not a rainbow, it's mustard gas!

state of our veterans hospitals and the quality of care given to our returning heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Posted by: Larkin

No offense, Larkin (and this may be O/T), but everyone is catterwalling about Walter Reed and the like as though this were new information, or some sort of issue that all of a sudden popped up, recently.

This shit's been going on for YEARS! Anyone remember the movie "Article 69?" ..., anyone?

Historically, returning soldiers end up getting the shaft as far as medical treatment goes. Heck post-traumatic stress disorder wasn't even categorized as an illness until the last 30 years or so. Everyone called it "shell shocked."

What about the agent orange issues/denials from Vietnam?

Anyone else been a medic in the Army and seen the conditions of other military medical facilities?

Sorry for the rant-burst; but, this issue should be corrected, immediately and not used as a political sledgehammer against either party.

Which one is Lee?

So THAT'S what a hippie fart look like!

Joke aside, who the flip cares about who they let back stage? Petulant, self-absorbed, alcoholic (look closely at their backstage Hospitality list) and otherwise drug-addled, intellectually deficient musicians have been with us since Elvis. And petulant, self-absorbed, alcoholic and otherwise drug-addled, intellectually deficient musicians will be us long after this tripe of a group has had their day in the sun...or rainbow fades.

Patchouli is a weapon of mass destruction!
LMAO mantis, I could NOT agree with more! There should be international treaties drawn up against the stuff...

Again, look close at the Hospitality list and what do you see....

Hippies who insist on Granny Smith BRAND apples! A band who openly supports the Western Corporation Complex! Sell outs!

LMAO.

Thanks for the laughs on this one!

Oops. Shame on me. And being from WA state, too. Granny Smith are a variety of apples...duh!

"No military recruitment for the US Government may be held on site."

I guess the CDC, will have to recruit interns/researchers to aid in the fight against communicable disease somewhere else.

VA? Damn, they sure could use some help, too bad they won't get it via help from these disingenuous buffoons.

Larkin said:
"Mantis - I think they are doing anything they can to avoid discussing issues that really matter to the troops like the state of our veterans hospitals and the quality of care given to our returning heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan."

Sorry, but Larkin seems to not understand something here. Veterans go to VA hospitals. Walter Reed Army Hospital is just that, an Army Hospital. That's where active duy personnel go. Walter Reed was also on the last base closings list, it it's services are set to be folded into nearby Naval facilities. Because it is on the closings list, this situation was all too forseeable. And facilities management deserved to be fired for not anticipating what happened.

If you actually didn't understand this Larkin, don't feel badly. It seems to be widely misunderstood in the broadcast media as well. Or maybe you did understand it, but I sure didn't get that impression from what you wrote.

No US Military entities? How fast will that proviso be dropped when they find themselves, like Spinal Tap, playing Air Force socials...

Lt. Hookstratten: "May I start by saying how thrilled we are to have you here. We are such fans of your music and all of your records. I'm not speaking of yours personally, but the whole genre of the rock and roll."

As we all know, military recruitment is a real and growing problem at rock concerts. The fans get distracted by the shiny buttons, and might miss some gratuitous anti-American quip from the "artists."

Old Guy ~ I know you're Upset, but it isn't fair to expect "understanding" from Larkin.

What's next? Demanding he be honest? Patriotic?

A slippery slope, indeed . . .

;-)

Actually, I see this as a positive sign.

In this age of competing social mores and agressive liberalism a rock band has found a way to protest the bourgeois military, while simultaneously protecting their ability to profit financially from the fascist soldiers.

Power to the $eople!

I took my daughter to see a japanese band (we left before the last band on that tour which was Corn) and the Army had a portable climbing wall anyone could try (I didn't get to the top). I thought it was brilliant. I'd say very very few people climbing it qualified for military service but lots of people were lined up to try and just talking to the recruiters about anything. Sure, they had literature but is anyone ever convinced all at once? I'd think that the biggest goal would be making themselves available for those couple of young people who have already gotten themselves half-convinced, who already want to join but would rather talk to someone informally instead of showing up at a recruiting office which is a bit like saying "sign me up now" and also to simply be seen in uniform in a personable way.

The piss and moan about Godsmack and not wanting any recruiting done is really all about believing that their audience are morons who can't make decisions about their own life. It's no longer about being persuasive with ideas it's about making sure that people don't ever hear the ideas that you don't want them to hear.

No one is shutting up this band but they sure do seem to want to shut up others and control what information other people are exposed to.

The band is probably hoping Lorie Byrd will organize a boycott of their music - -which will mean a sure-fire Grammy and record album sales - lol!

After listening to some of their music, they should have just called themselves: Flash in the Pan.

This is the height of their popularity, in a few weeks, they'll be bargain binned.

Wow, it's nice to see all these fascistic comments about a band that simply does not agree with military recruiting practices. I believe that is a protected freedom in the Constitution. And calling them hippies, no less. How original!

Someone is posting as p'p' under the name "lee".

It's only fascist to disagree when the disagreement includes trying to shut down other people's speach and access to information.

Which side, Mr. Frith, is only saying what they think and which side is trying to control what other people hear?

It's really... telling... that you view the mere expression of disagreement in one direction is "fascistic comments" and the actual denial of speech in the other as "a protected freedom in the Constitution."

The show is intended for people to hear the musical stylings of one Brightblack Morninglight, not military recruiters. That's hardly denying the military their free speech. Especially when recruiters are allowed to recruit the poor and people of color just about anywhere without an alternative perspective present.

My comment about fascism/totalitarianism was meant to convey this: one sign of a totalitarian state is when mere citizens attempt to quash the ideas of those who disagree with the military/foreign policies of the state because those opinions/thoughts are a threat to the status quo of the state's military actions. It's also interesting to note that being called "anti-Soviet" was the greatest insult anyone could incur in the former USSR.

I'm probably the only guy here who actually had a song on the radio at one time, or played live shows with Frank Zappa's band or other national acts, lost a lead singer gig because of Courtney Love's then boyfriend. But rebels and radicals in the music business are nothing new in all my years of experience.

Some bands of the past like Elephant's Memory that did stuff with John Lennon were practically hard core revolutionaries, compared to some artists of today like The Dixie Chicks which only oppose the war.

In the music business, adult entertainment distributing, head supplies distributing, and other counter culture businesses, counter culture politics will always remain popular, with very few conservatives ever to be found. It just goes with the environment.

"Especially when recruiters are allowed to recruit the poor and people of color just about anywhere without an alternative perspective present."

Racist and classist ass, you are.

Don't you even see it?

The band, actually, has every right to arrange with the venue, facilities management, etc., limits on venders if they want to limit venders and the facilities management agrees. They also have every right to make statements that the military is not welcome in any form, even though they can't legally exclude military members. And then they have every right to backpedal on that and say that it's just they don't want recruiting, which seems the normal way to say that if that's what they wanted but *that* is something that the facilities management, etc., are in charge of. Recruiters don't just show up on what is certainly private property, without permission. If nothing else, they have to be assigned a spot to set up.

It is not fascist to agree with foreign policy or to be pro-military. It is not fascist to publically argue in favor of foreign policy or the military. How can it be? If it is, if any public argument in agreement with the nation's foreign policy defines fascism and if any public argument in favor of the military and military service defines fascism you've made the word itself entirely useless.

Liberty means having to hear people who say things you don't like. That they, like you, can freely speak is the opposite of what the word fascism means.

Probably why nearly no one has ever heard of Elephant's Memory.

I don't know if it's seeking relevance like some actors do, as though it's not good enough somehow to be a musician or to act. Sort of as though they despise their own art and their own profession so much that it has to have a cause to make it deep enough.

Writers do it. Talk to a dozen stary eyed idealists with a novel and eleven will have a sacred mission nevermind that no one but the already converted will read past page three.

People seem to come in three sorts when it comes to the creative act. Those who respect it. Those who preach. And those who masterbate. You can tell when people start grasping for relevance outside of what they do that they don't respect what they do.

The military actively recruits the poor and people of color. That's not my racist/classist opinion, it's fact. And I'm not quite sure how you determined that I said anything but that; it was pretty straight forward.

Again, totalitarian states can function effectively when citizens (not the govt.) suppress the opinions of those who disagree with the policies of the state. Think being called "anti-American", or "support the troops" and likeminded vacuous statements that don't ultimately mean anything.

Good day

Simon,

The military actively recruits the poor and people of color. That's not my racist/classist opinion, it's fact.

Yes, Michael Moore is a very factual source. Regardless of the truth of the statement, would you prefer that the poor and the minorities be excluded from being recruited? Last I checked Simon, our military was still volunteer, no one is conscripting these people.

We are not in danger of of becoming a totalitarian or fascist police-state. The most vocal people in our country are liberals and no one is supressing them or voiding them their right to dissent.
That, or I must have missed all the peace activists being rolled over by tanks and being summarily executed at the last march.

I could and ask that you support the troops till the end of my days, but until I make it a lawful requirement or spirit you away to a gulag for your political views all your talk is just misguided paranoia.

In fact it's almost laughable that you use the freedoms granted you to complain about the freedoms granted you.

Real numbers about recruiting are available. They aren't hard to google. It is not a "fact" that the poor and people of color are over represented in the military. They are *under* represented more often than not. Urban, inner city sort of areas provide the fewest recruits, similar to the percentages of the wealthiest 1/5 of zip codes. Most recruiting happens in the middle.

But even if it were true that the poor and non-whites were over represented (whites are actually over-represented in combat roles by a significant margin, and so die more often too) the thing that makes it racist of you, Simon, and classist, is that you express that these poor unfortunates aren't able to defend themselves from the nasty recruiters while expressing no similar concern for any other demographic group.

Your "facts" aren't true to begin with, but your assumptions are what is racist... that the poor and people of color need to be protected like children.

why is everyone so surprised that a band opposes military recruiting at their concerts? i am sure that any number of like minded musicians from dylan and neil young to public enemy and dead prez would not want their music to be associated with the military, whose actions they do not support.

I don't care for the venue, the element, or the bands that perform there, but had I known these clowns had requested this I would have shown up there in my uniform just to see thier reaction. I am one of those that protect their freedom to be idiots.

Huh, huh, cool, dude.

That Colonel Klink guy scares me, dude.

Huh.

I am just as amused at mission to "try to destroy" "corporate agriculture."

Feed the world, man. Just not too many at once.