[But if I had your faith, then I could make it safe and clean]
Tomorrow is Amy's and Phil's mom's birthday. Get sloshed!

The library is dead. I'm trying to squeeze something out of this brain of mine to write about, either fact or fiction, but I got nothing. Well ... almost.

Here's a fact for you: The new Rock Against Bush album came out a week or two ago, and is worth the $7, which goes to Punk Voter, an organization trying to get out the vote among disaffected youths. Naturally, Phil snatched one up (he paid!!) and it was in our CD and DVD players that night. This volume came with a DVD that contains comedy skits and documentaries that are, for the most part, pretty good. There's a particularly good portion called "Independent Media in a Time of War." It's a speech by Democracy Now's Amy Goodman, who is an eloquent, articulate speaker. She questions the mainstream corporate media's willingness to jump on the war bandwagon and pick a side once the war began, never moving to pursue information about Iraqi casualties or the massive worldwide peace movement. Instead, she says, what Americans saw when they turned on FOX, CNN, ABC, or any other network, was an account that more closely resembled a computerized war game than balanced, skeptical news coverage. There were segments and shows that detailed what every piece of combat equipment could do: how fast these planes could fly, how these "smart" bombs find their target, how our troops are protected by their cushy night-vision goggles and camouflage fatigues. The networks never once questioned which side was right; they simply gave our government the benefit of the doubt, and then told us each night how many of our boys had been killed. Goodman argues that ignoring the ethical and moral complications that are inherent to war is inexcusable for a so-called independent media. She said she can't imagine that the coverage would be much different if it was provided by state media, and she's absolutely right.

There's also some comedy on the DVD. Will Ferrell yuks it up as George W., which gets funnier each time I watch it. But Patton Oswalt, in a drunken, bitter stupor, is completely hilarious when he talks about wanting to vote for Bush because he knows it will bring about the Biblical apocalypse, with flying skulls and volcanoes spewing menstrual blood, and how awesome it will be to die in the apocalypse and get to live in the velvet-rope section of heaven for eternity.

Not that I want to hock products on my blog, but if you have $7 and want to hear some decent music and watch some truly thought-provoking programming, all while funding a pretty cool cause, I would suggest buying one of the CDs. Otherwise, if you're bored or concerned about the future of humanity, visit these sites:

Move On
Democracy Now
FAIR
IndyMedia
Alternet