Another one in the can

I go slow this morning. Tired, physically exhausted, and serenely contented after two straight days of setup, teardown, more setup, and having to deal with a few egos. All of the exertion, pain, and suffering during the day was erased little by little throughout the night with smoother than expected transitions from band to band. No real glitches to speak of. Thank goodness... There is nothing like observing the inner workings from backstage and being so close to the musicians and the action.

It gave me great pleasure to use what little influence I had to get my friends access to a few people that we all look up to and are inspired by. It also gave me great pleasure to be able to let other people use some of my guitars and gear. My Bo~El never sounded better, and probably never will unless Marcel plays it again. Alicia and I were also very happy that another guitarist wanted to use her brother's guitar. I'm sure John would have been as well.


That's my Marcel Coenen signature Bo~El MC-7 and that's Marcel Coenen playing it!

Last year brought friends from Germany, England, and Australia. This year brought new ones from The Netherlands, Sweden, and Japan. Icing on the cake was meeting two of my major influences in person. Such great people.

Now for some much needed recuperation and renewal, although later today we have a fun engagement with friends, fermented grapes, and crushed oyster shells.

Moodage =

Last night, I and a few buddies had the pleasure of spending the evening with the members of Sun Caged. The unbridled joy and wonder in the eyes of my friends, like those of a child on Christmas morning, was worth all of the resources to get us and them together. The memories of what happened last year at BAR Fest are being repeated again. A gathering of kindred creative spirits joined together by an bond that can only be felt.

Thank you, sweetie for allowing me this indulgence.

Mood =

But your bias is worse than my bias

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According to the article above "3 in 10 Americans Admit to Race Bias". Race bias. Let's dissect that a little bit, twist it up, and swap out a few premises. Let's begin shall we?

Is it any more biased to vote FOR someone because he/she is of the [insert here] race or ethnicity than NOT voting for someone for the same reason? Bias is bias.

Is it any more biased to vote FOR someone because he/she is [male/female] than NOT voting for someone for the same reason? Bias is bias.

Is it any more biased to vote FOR someone because he/she is [gay/straight/transgendered] than NOT voting for someone for the same reason? Bias is bias.

Is it any more biased to vote FOR someone because he/she is from the [insert here] part of the country than NOT voting for someone for the same reason? Bias is bias.

Is it any more biased to vote FOR someone because he/she is from the [insert here] political party than NOT voting for someone for the same reason? Bias is bias.

Is it any more biased to vote FOR someone because of his/her support of the [insert here] issue than NOT voting for someone for the same reason? Bias is bias.

Of course this applies to more than voting. It applies to everyday life. Every decision we make is influenced by our biases, preferences, and prejudices no matter what we may deny to the contrary. This isn't an inherently bad thing. It is based on our survival instinct. Remember that "instinct" can also be a learned response from parents, friends, teachers, professors, clergy, media, TV, advertisers, the press, pundits, artists, musicians, authors, and so on. All of these external sources influence and shape our biases over our lifetime. I'm no PhD (obviously) but it makes sense to me.

Bias is not a negative concept. It is what it is. What we do with it and how we use it as a bludgeon against someone else is another matter entirely.

So why is it more socially acceptable to be FOR than AGAINST? I guess it depends on who is asking the question...

Mood =

And more is sure to come

Democrats want to know every financial transaction you make, not just the ones over $10,000. Big Brother/Sister is putting a bloated and greasy hand in the cookie jar. And that would be YOUR cookie jar by the way.
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And Democrats now want to socialize/nationalize our nation's oil industry. Great. Government does such a great job of managing all of the other things it has taken over. Hail, Comrade!
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Remember - You asked for it. More of this kind of "change" is what you're getting with Obama and more Democrats in Congress. They're not even hiding their true colors anymore.

Mood =

Algore, a hypocrite?

** Warning ** - Anti-Deity Al Gore propaganda below.

No, really? Don't say it's a another case of an elite caught in the old "do as I say, not as I do" hypocritical gotcha.

Disclosure: the article below does have some biased opinion, BUT it doesn't mean that the facts mentioned aren't true.

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Do as I say, not as I do...

Youth isn't always a good thing

Especially when it relates to politics and public policy. See my Jan 25, 2007 BLOG. I don't understand the glamorization and nobility of the opinions of our youth when it comes to politics. The article below says it a lot better than I can.

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Happy Father's Day!

What can I say about the best father in the world? He is the most giving, selfless, loving person that I know. He inspires me more than he knows. I am only 1/10th the man he is. Now that I am helping raise my wife's nephew, his fatherly example is priceless. I can only hope that I can come close to what he gave me.

Like you, I moved away from my home at an early age to make my mark in the world. My only regret is that over the years I haven't been as close as I should have. Fortunately I have time to start making up for lost time.

Love you, Dad!

Katrina Part II - NOT!

Nope. Not that the liberal mainstream media is trying its best to blame President Bush for this.

Not in Iowa. I was born and raised in Iowa - I know - and not far from Cedar Rapids. We are a different breed from the government dependant liberal gimmee gimmee types from New Orleans. I recall you didn't hear much about all of the other places affected by Katrina. It's because they took care of themselves and the press couldn't use them to bash the President. The people of Iowa will take the federal help when it's offered, not expected. Best wishes to you all affected by this tragedy.

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Read the comments. They express it way better than I ever could. To me, these capture it best:

"No looting, no raping, no killing, no demanding Bush do something, no media coverage, and no professional race hustlers."

"Midwesteners are not whiners. We are doers and will get the job done without becoming the victims the main stream media would like us to be. Get out of our way - we have a job to do."

I'd take HIS word for it

** WARNING ** Anti-global warning propaganda below. If your constitution is susceptible to damage by exposure to facts and views blasphemous to the religion of the environment or its deity, Al Gore - for the sake of the children - DO NOT READ ON!

This from the founder of The Weather Channel...

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WWAGD?

Is there any doubt this is a religion for those who worship the environment and its defacto, self-anointed deity? The image below came from a student at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS.

I'm just sayin'...


Image courtesy of Glenn Beck

One more in the can

Just finished my second complete "redo" of one of the tracks for the new CD. Three more to go...

Take a load off

It's a start

The first new oil refinery in over 30 years! Score one for the rest of us. Let's hope this is the beginning of a positive trend for helping our country become more self sufficient.

Typical American = 1
Environmental wackos = 0

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Good news out of this piehole for a change. May the black cloud dissipate and float away...

Coincidence?

STOP! Before you continue, let me be crystal clear: I am not suggesting for one second that women should be denied the right to vote. Get that thought out of your head right now!

This is just an interesting observation of government spending after the end of women's suffrage. I'm also not suggesting that the items mentioned in the article are negative per say. Again, interesting observations that seem reasonable. To me it is the alignment of the services provided by the government with the desires of the complete electorate, which prior reflected primarily from only one gender.

End of Women's suffrage = The birth of BIG government? You decide...

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You go ahead

If you lemmings who want to "save the planet" please savor these delicacies. I'll keep eating my steak, chicken, pork, and fish thank you very much.

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