Monster was a great Steppenwolf record. in fact, it's the only one i ever bought.

heh..i have actually quoted this very song months ago to make the same point...

"meet the new Boss, same as the old Boss"
Pete Townshend

nuff said

Excelsior?

Quite appropo, Peter.

And it still brings tears to my eyes.

WAKE UP, AMERICA!!

I asked nearly the same question in a post on my own blog.

See 'The Politics of Escalation in Viet Nam', page 67, bottom note. Each of those places has transplanted palm trees from the mid-Pacific islands and also indigenous varieties -- hence "the magic carpet ride", those trees are rough enough when young! [Armed conflict continues to rage in most of those regions.]

Yes our leaders on both sides of the aisle have become nothing but a bunch of greedy self serving shills for assorted interests. However that does not absolve the American population of any blame for the problems we face. Our society has become so materialistic and placed such a high value upon monetary concerns. It seems as if we are a nation of consumers seeking to fulfill our potential for happiness with material purchases.

Congress isn't to blame for this, we all are.

As for the infighting among AMericans... it would seem their is a culture war going on right now.

One side advoactes the relaxing of traditional american values almost to the point complete moral relativity. They seek to make america into a secularist nation where god is dead there is no collective morality on many many many individual moralities. A situation which would seek to make almost all but the most aggregious behaviors permissable and acceptable.

The other side values traditional american values and faith. They expect society to hold people accountable for their actions and punish people when their behavior becomes harmful to society because it does not conform to the norms defined by society.

Both sides feel very strongly and that is why there is such a high level polarization in today's American society.

I am only 29. I was not around during the 1960's or vietnam. But it sounds like you are waxing poetic for those times Peter. It sounds as if you think the hippies of the 60's are a group to be admired, idolized and imitated. From everything I have ever come to learn about the 60's hippies they were nothing but a bunch of self righteous malcontents who did a lot of drugs, had no jobs, and basically contributed nothing of any real value to society. It would seem that all of thier protesting and bitching about vietnam did nothing to actually end the war. it was only when they sentiment of normal americans got so sour on the war that we actually pulled out. Let us also not forget that many of these hippies spit on the troops who were fighting in vietnam and called them baby killers as they came home.

There are many in my generartion it would seem who are mad that they missed the 60's. They try to emulate the 60's hippies and immerse themselves in the 60's culture. They talk about how great the 60's hippy movement was. Most of them are desparately searching for a cause.......something to protest, something that can be there vietnam. It seems as if they're incomplete without. They're striving to create their identitiies as individuals by that one big thing taht is this generation's equal to vietnam but so far there hasn't been one. Most recently they're trying to see if Iraq will full that void. it makes me fucking sick to my stomache.

Smoke a joint, Arch. You'll feel better.

Archie, thanks for focussing your ire on the issues. You make powerful points that make me think. I don't agree with most of it but I welcome your energy and contribution.

Please note it is only because of the "liberals" that run this place that you still have a voice here. Myself, being less tolerant than they, I'd have banned your pottymouth ass way before now. Ironic, huh?

There was a lot that was great about the 60s (nb: no apostrophe, btw) and a lot of incredibly stupid stuff too. There was also a complete sea change in cultural values then that has shaped a large part of our contemporary life. That is one of the paradoxes that face us all today.

Nobody wants to go back to the drab culture of the past, not even one as angry as yourself. But with increased cultural richness comes greater diversity. This in and of itself demands a greater tolerance of us all.

You're busy being Mr Angry Shouty Man and trying to reduce things to simple if ultimately empty tags like "liberal" or "hippy" or "conservative" but it's way too late for such a simplistic approach; real life is way more complicated than that.

You're a smart guy, Archie, so use that brain a bit more will you? (Or not!)

Respectfully

Arch, Christopher, et al:

hippy means a person with large hips.

hippie is a member of the 60s (no ') counterculture movement

Hmmm...

Bing, for a guy so young, you seem awful bitter. Reminds me of a fellow I see a lot of when I shave. I had to grow out of the bitterness by suffering. Smoking a joint won't help you at all - but time will make you think a bit more, and "wear the shirt of the other fellow" a bit more.

The trouble with time is that it takes time...

Focus on the issues more and ditch the labels. Labels hide truth, they don't enlighten at all. You'd be better off as "Bing" than as "Arch-conservative." When I was a kid, being "liberal" was a good thing. "Conservatives" were trash. The dress code appears to have changed somewhat. But the reality is that lots of the pigeons in the States shed the "liberal" label and picked up "conservative" one instead. They are still the same pigeons chewing on the same crumbs. But lots of them are older pigeons and they don't fly as fast. The jury is still out on whether they are any smarter...

Oh yeah... One last point. Hippies usually thought they were pretty hip. But a diet of pot and not enough food usually meant they weren't often hippy.

Good point about labels, Ruvy. The other thing they do is stir up emotions unnecessarily.

Ruvy #11, Sounds like you haven't smoked much pot. When you're stoned, you get the "munchies" and eat like crazy!

"When you're stoned, you get the 'munchies' and eat like crazy!"

I know about munchies and potheads, Clavos. What they munched on was food?

Ruvy, I'm afraid to ask what you thought it was.

BTW, what time is it in Israel right now?

When I don't use the labels but rather examples I get accused of being overly dramatic.

For instance.. the ACLU is biased when it comes to christianity. The countless cases where they have attacked expressions of Christianity prove this. Their lack of objections to expressions of other faiths are further proof. This org has thrown in a few cases over the years in which they defended chrisitan interests for the sole purpose of paying lip service to being balanced and objective but the majority of the evidence illustrates thier anti-christian bent. This is the reality of the situation wether or not you guys see it that way or not. Case after case after case after case where the ACLU has purposely misapplied the first amendment so that they may file lawsuits which seek to limit the expression of christianity by private citizens. The aclu also routinely takes the side of terrorists who are not even american citizens. All the while attacking christianity they have sought to come to the aid of NAMBLAin lawsuits.

I'm sorry but terrorist sympathy, defending the free speech rights of pedophiles and bashing the religion that over 70% of the us pop practices today and our nation was founded upon the tenets of are not my values. I find the ACLU to be a vile disgusting organization and generally the people that support it could be called "liberal."

Then there's the fact that "liberals" tend to be more concerned with social welfare, income redistribution etc....


these are not my values and history shows that they have never been mainstream american values. I have no problem with moderate liberals with views that differ from my own but i have no respect whatsoever and never will for those on the far left who want to totally transform the american landscape into something resembling a communist/socialist, secular, one world one govt, utopia

Bing sez...
*I am only 29. I was not around during the 1960's or vietnam.*

and then goes on to spout a bunch of what he has just shown he knows absolutely nothing about...ie: the culture of the times in question

Bing, a completely serious bit of advice, take it for what it's worth or not at all...stick to shit you have a fucking clue about, otherwise you just come off sounding poorly and any valid point you make is lost amidst the stupidity...

as for the topic...i still say that the verse...
"Our cities have turned into jungles
And corruption is stranglin' the land.
The police force is watching the people
And the people just can't understand.

We don't know how to mind our own business
Cause the whole worlds got to be just like us.
Now we are fighting a war over there,
No matter who's the winner We can't pay the cost!

Cause there's a monster on the loose
It's got our heads into a noose
And it just sits there watching!"

is just as relevant, and eerily appropos now under the current circumstances as it was then...

your mileage may vary

Excelsior?

the ACLU is biased when it comes to christianity. The countless cases where they have attacked expressions of Christianity prove this.

and then of course there are the many case where the aclu has gone to bat for religious organizations of all stripes. ignore it if you'd like.

Clavos,

The time listed on Gonzo's comment was 12:19 p.m. I'm assuming this was the time in Ohio. There is a seven hour difference between Ohio and Israel, which means that Gonzo's comment would have popped up on my screen at 19:19 IST, or 7:19 p.m. Now it is 8:10 p.m.

Thanks, Ruvy--just curious as to the difference.

"Bing, a completely serious bit of advice, take it for what it's worth or not at all...stick to shit you have a fucking clue about, otherwise you just come off sounding poorly and any valid point you make is lost amidst the stupidity..."



I prefaced my comments by saying my opinions were based on what I have learned about the 1960s and I thought it was understood I in no way claimed to know as much about the 60s as those who lived through that decade. The whole second part of my comments referred ot the 20 something deadbeats that want to be 1960s style hippies with some grand cause and I know a whole hell of a lot about these pathetic creatures.

deadbeats with a grand cause? contradiction in terms. unless their grand cause is hittin that four foot bong in one breath.

zingzing...tell it to the Weathermen/Black Panthers/Abbie Hoffman/Bob Dylan/Neil Young

or any number of others who wanted to make a difference

that's NOT to be confused with the trendoids mocked by Zappa in "We're only in it for the Money"

Excelsior?

Arch-- would you be so kind, in your etched in stone way, to define "conservative" and "liberal" for us? That way, we could all be enlightened once and for all.

Arch,
For 29 it seems like you've got a pretty good grasp of what makes the world turn. Only problem is when you weren't there and have to rely on other peoples versions. When they tell you about IT that's all your getting. Their version! Here's my version,,,of me. That, nobody knows better. I was a teen in the 60s. I had long hair, smoked pot,did acid, went to concerts, went to rallys, if I believed in the cause.I would NEVER spit on one of our soldiers, I lost 2 friends there. They did not start the war. They did what they believed was their patriotic duty. But remember, when you break a man down to nothing, literally ,and rebuild a killing machine you never know when it might go out of control! I was NOT a hippie! My main concerns were the war, the draft and lying mother fuckers. This means I believe that the war was not ours, it was fabricated by liars! The liars also killed 2 Kennedys and Martin Luther King, a belief I'll take to my grave.(remember, these are MY beliefs,I didn't just throw them out there for discussion) .Then there was the Draft. Nobody will ever make me kill someone I don't know and don't want to kill. I could have made a lot of money in Southie doing that shit if that was my choice. Remember ,I was not a Hippie, I thought the Peace thing was a great ideal but I had no control over it past my personal space.I was peaceful until someone treated me otherwise. I followed no one, I followed what I believed and acted accordingly and it was a big mistake to assume I was a peace freek and walk over me!
I hold those so-called hippies more responsible for todays dilemma than anyone else. WE let the government do this to us, it didn't just happen! We trust in fools.
We have no leaders today, just a lot of people depending on polls to tell them whose ass to kiss next.
The only possible candidates (libertarians and such) who hold out any hope to begin mending fences will never get there. They don't have the money or the air time to get out the gate. They'll be trash talked by the money gods and all the silly people will listen! We are such a naive lot.Opinions are like ass holes, everyone has one. How you shape yours is your responsibility. Do you wanna be a punk and let some power monger shape yours for you or do you want to do it the natural way, let all the shit out!!
Listen to people but pay attention to why they're saying it. People lie, Bush lies, Kerry lied! These people will ONLY say what you want to hear. Educate yourself. Read. I didn't know that Ann Coulter was such a dingbat bitch until I read one of her books! (ok, I lied. I only read less than half of it, what a silly little girl! I gave it to one of my ultra conservative friends who likes to jerk off on her picture) Ann Coulter, like,,Duh !?!
Don't lose your grip and get pissed off, it's not worth it.
Always wash under your arms and wear clean underwear, you'll never know if you're going to be in an accident and hafta go to the hospital!

It is quite amazing how arch some conservatives can be.

The world needs less arch-ness and more of"...the religious, the hunted and weary,
Chasing the promise of freedom and hope,
Came to this country to build a new vision..."

deadbeats with a grand cause? contradiction in terms. unless their grand cause is hittin that four foot bong in one breath."

not really....if the only one who considers the cause grand and worthwhile is the deadbeat himself

it seems like so many on bc are so much more idealistic than i am or will ever be

I am not one of those "change the world" type of guys. I realize that for the most part... individuals and groups with grand notions of bringing about large scale societal changes do not really accomplish that but rather themselves get changed by society....so what's the point...

sure there are a lot of problems in today's american society but sweating them all isn't going to make you a happy person


some of you might wonder how i can say this when i have obviously made posts that show how strongly i feel anout certain things such as gay marriage or abotion but the truth is that these issues really haven't affected me personally.... i mean i am against gay marriage and abortion but if gay marriage were ever legalized and abortion were somehow made worse than it already is i would probably still bitch about it...........but i'm not taking anytime out of my day to go picket at an abortion clinic.... i have more important things to do that concern ME....

this might sound like a lack of conviction and maybe it is but I assure you that i do have one conviction that never waivers....that is looking out for myself and my friends and loved ones in every way..i have maybe 80 years on this planet if im lucky and i want to enjoy them and not have to worry about idealistic bullshit. i have learned how society works and so far been able to depend on myself enough so that i have not had to experience any great personal hardship that sometimes gives birth to those urges to change society... this doesn't mean I don't care about others... not at all.... i like to help when i can...i think helping others who are genuinely less fortunate is quite an admirable thing........it just means that i'm going to make sure i'm happy, safe, and secure before I will go out of my way to help make a total stranger happy safe or secure

I stumbled across this article upon while surfing the internet.I have grown up listening to Steppenwolf. It was always one of my fave.s Unfortunatly thirty years latter,it needs to be dusted off and used again.

Now more than ever Jakki.
This country is sadder now than it's ever been, mostly because so many people just don't get it.
They either smoked way too much dope, were members of the young republican's club or just plain sold out..