Fallout

(Advisory - the following lyrics contain explicit language—surprise [said no one ever]):

FALLOUT

Steady like a gun, I am living a nightmare
Married to my fucking disease
Can't stop now, wanna die in a car crash
Maybe that's what I need

I can't stop a deadlock
I won't let you pray for me
I'm not gonna stay long
My head is turning

Fallout, left me without our love

Tear us apart my heart

Burning inside me, oh

Terrified of none, I am sleeping with hardware
Fearless and fucking mean
Out of control, stone cold and reckless
Looking for my enemies

I can't stop a deadlock
I won't let you pray for me
I'm not gonna stay long
My head is turning

Fallout, left me without our love
Tear us apart my heart
Burning inside me, oh

Fallout, you're leaving me undone
Maybe I'll use my gun
It's right here beside me, oh

{guitar solo}

{bridge:

Running from the law
Always looking behind me
They better get ready for me
Wanna kill them all
Put an end to this long chase
I won't stop till I succeed

The lawyers, the fraud
The system is flawed
It's time to take it to the streets
I won't take the fall
I wanna leave them with no trace
For the naked eye to see
}

Fallout, left me without our love
Tear us apart my heart
Burning inside me

Fallout, you're leaving me undone

Maybe I'll use my gun
It's right here beside me
It's right here beside me
Burning inside me, oh
Fallout

Words and music copyright Buckcherry and Warner/Chappell Music

Oh, man, almost forgot. Because of the many possible metaphorical interpretations, let me help out by dedicating this song to the generally mediocre douche bags who run General Electric. 

Thomas Edison—Loser

Current Wars

Particularly enlightening is the section on "Edison's publicity campaign," for those who may not have believed me in the past that Edison electrocuted dogs, cats, and other animals to somehow demonstrate that DC power was safer, rather than that he was merely an abysmal failure as a human being.

Cheers

Fuzzy Math

“Pension has been a drag for a decade.” 

Jeffrey R. Immelt

GE Chairman and CEO

Investor outlook meeting, December 14, 2011

Much like determining what the meaning of "is" is, apparently "decade" means "next year," or in this case, 2012, since that was the year GE made its first pension contribution in 24 years.  Perhaps he was referring to non-cash accounting items.  Sadly, those of us in the real world don't consider those to be actual expenses, since no actual "cash money," as we in the streets would say, has to be paid.  

Never count out the white knight, however; the federal government is always happy to help out giant mega-corporations, with a handout attached to a highway bill, no less, cutting the cost to the company by $2.5 billion.  And to think, Obama claims to be a democrat.  He's just a career politician like all the rest.  But please, call them muses, let's not get tawdry on my blog. 

Oh, and the coda?  The heat of having to pony up some funds for the first time since 1987 was just too much, so the company chose to shut down its defined-benefit pension plan to new employees at the end of 2010.  Ah, that explains the quote above.  It's not fuzzy math, just the inexorable, never ending, spin...

Based on original posting at:  GE's deep pension freeze | Pension Rights Center

Spin Doctors, "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong"

Note:  Lead singer in video is not Jeff Immelt, nor is the girl, well, nor is anyone in the video.  Just want to avoid any confusion.  You might not have been confused, but my head spins like I'm in an Alice in Wonderland tableau when I read GE company quotes.

As an aside, the source posting (same as right before the video) makes a reference to Thomas Edison.  Not the nicest guy in the world.  Too bad this didn't actually happen:

Oh yeah, you can buy the stunning artwork above here.  And last but not least, the great debate about the genius scientist (ahem, that's Tesla, in case you were confused) and the hack who put a bounty on neighborhood pets and strays, then electrocuted them in public to show the danger of AC electricity (that's Edison, by the way), lives on:  Nikola Tesla > Thomas Edison.  Many apologists have come out since to defend Edison and his animal-killing ways (let's not forget that killing small animals is the first step on the slippery slope to serial killerism - maybe we need to delve a little deeper into Edison's past), but they've mostly relied on historical writings as their basis.  I'd have to say, having read a history book or two, that I have yet to read one (at least in the broader context of public education) that gives a true account of our country's treatment of its native citizens, Japanese internment camps, and dozens of other  atrocities committed in the name of keeping people safe, or more often, simply greed.

Burnin' for You

At times, it makes me sad to think that the sourpuss Brits (you know, the ones our forefathers ran from because they lacked a sense of humor) have regained their sense of humor, while we've lost ours.

Effigy burning is protected as free speech by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. I know, right? I'm amazed. Actually, I'm not. It's sort of obvious in a country like ours, that protects freedom of speech more vigorously than perhaps any other, that our Supreme Court Justices make the effort to discern the difference between burning a giant (or miniaturized) cyclist in effigy, and actually setting that person on fire.

It's recently come to my attention, however, that some Americans, even those born here, are unaware of this. Which would mean they're either clueless, or living in a perpetual state of hubris, one in which laws can be applied or misapplied at their whim. Or they're faking it, which at least is better in one sense - the histrionics of the fakers are much more entertaining than those of the stupid and egotistical.

Sometimes, a rose is just a rose.

(Originally posted at Google+)

British Armstrong effigy causes outrage

Another in the growing list of examples of human beings failing to (1) have a sense of humor; and (2) understand even the most pedantic of situations (i.e., that Armstrong fixed his races, and the Edenbridge organizers actually wanted to burn more than one effigy, but they were sensitive to the kids who might attend, so chose the feelings of children over those of the cheater in yellow or his fans. Well done, mates!).

After years of having to listen to Armstrong apologists with all their lame arguments for why he absolutely, positively couldn't be a cheater, it's hard for me to have any sympathy for their arguments now. That's like saying we should appreciate all he's done with his foundation, while let's say, hypothetically, we should ignore that he's a complete ass to people (oh wait, he is). Now, go back to your James Frey nonfiction, oops, I mean fiction.

Oh, and in case you wanted to see how it went down....

Lance Armstrong! Burned Alive! Video!

Not nearly as exciting as The Teds (RIP), but I don't think they had a staff writer for dialogue. It was 30 feet high, though.

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* With apologies to Blue Öyster Cult...Burnin' for You

**********

Rise of the Phoenix

The Phoenix arose from the burning embers of the funeral pyre, and fire came from its razor-sharp beak, along with a frightening sound.  The boy recognized that within the screech, there was language, and meaning, but he was too young, too afraid, too uninformed, to understand what it meant:

"Complacentiam mors est.  Noli timere, quia iam sunt in domo mea."

"But what can I do?  I am afraid, for the fire almost engulfed my village."

"Ah, puero vos sentio indefensos quia vos cognitione carent, et notitiis. Est ignis causatur quia vos non agnoscerent, in his autem, substituto fantasy pro re. Non tibi hostiam tibi causa doloris lacessierit."

"I'm sorry, I did not know!  My little village is so small, and I have never seen the world, nor can I imagine anything beyond my bedroom walls."  

"Video et te misereri. Nolite timere. Sis felix, quoniam tu instituis. Liberavit scientia, ut possit vim bonum quam malum. Hostia amet velit tincidunt sed oportet - quod tam facilis et perspicua."

"Yes, I see.  I feel as if the sun is rising for the first time in my life."

And the two began their journey in earnest...



Phoenix (Mythology)

A phoenix depicted in a book of mythological creatures by F.J. Bertuch (1747-1822)

******

Soul on Fire

    And so it came to pass in those days, that a famine had set upon the earth.  Feeding on the general malaise of the people, a power arose from the East, and gradually enlisted the populace to its armies.  Several men rose to power, mostly through cunning, but some through brute force.  One of these was particularly gifted in both areas, and became the man that many looked up to, or at least feared.  In most quarters, the men and women of knowledge and privilege called him Charles, or the Conqueror.  But amongst the serfs, he was known as The General, the Slayer, or Lucifer (often shortened to Luke when speaking in the open).
    The General's power had become so great, in fact, that many considered him the supreme ruler, and were ready to lay down their weapons for him at any pass.  Because of this, many men of independent beliefs had subjugated their lives to serve a person whose motives they truly didn't know, but preferred that to the uncertainty of what would happen to the first person to openly rebel against his power.
    The Great One, looking down from above, was told of The General's great power, and of his stranglehold on the lives of the people.  Believing this was wrong, not so much because it was wrong to control the people, but because he was not the one doing it, The Great One sent an avenging angel to earth to smote The General.  And so it was to be.