The More Things Change…

It has been a while since I wrote one of these. I feel a little out of practice. What has happened since the last time I wrote? We have seen a new president elected, one that broke racial barriers and changed the direction of the country. We have seen the order signed to close Gitmo and the pledge to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq. We have seen several plans implemented to stabilize the nation’s economy. We have seen a true attempt at reforming healthcare. All good things, and this was all in 2008! So then what happened?

Gitmo was never closed and there are still troops in Iraq, Afganistan, and now Libya. Oh yes, we are fighting in a third middle Eastern country now. The stimulus plans, at best, held off a full-fledged depression but did not turn our country around. And healthcare reform? It became insurance reform, and was combined with a mandate that requires all Americans to purchase insurance. But don’t worry. If you choose not to, there really isn’t anything the government can do about it. Or at least that was the line we were sold along with the rest of the bullshit. This is on top of the various comments about cops acting stupidly, playing along with the birther movement, and not taking the lead on a single issue. The only real question here is, why have I not written before now?

Let me make this perfectly clear. I hated George Bush as president. I thought his policies were wrong and went against everything this country stands for. I thought his way of dealing with other countries was incompetent and dangerous. I Dick Cheney was pure evil on a scale that only fictional characters can achieve. But I do have to give the Bush administration credit. They did at least have a vision for the country and they were going to plow their way to that goal, no matter who stood in their way. They were not afraid to lose battles and they brought ideas before congress and the American people. They stood beside their policies and their beliefs.

These are qualities that the Obama administration is lacking. If there is to be any hope of his being re-elected, or cementing my vote at the very least, he will have to step up to the plate. I do not want him to become some sort of dictator. That’s not what I am saying, but he will have to show some backbone. He can not wait for the opposition to define what his administration is supporting (Ask John Kerry how that plan works out). He has to be confident in his beliefs, he has to stand behind what he stands for, and he cannot be forced into a position that he doesn’t agree with. This does not mean that he should not negotiate. There is still plenty of room for that while maintaining strength. Both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton were very good at this. If Obama can’t find the line that he needs to walk, someone else will. And maybe someone else should.

Of course, the republicans don’t seem to have a very deep list of candidates to choose from, although they will be loads of fun to watch and discuss. These are not the only options though. There are plenty of independent candidates that need the support of the American people, if only to break the two party stranglehold that has gripped this nation for too long. They will need to have a strong candidate that doesn’t come across as some sort of crazy person that escaped from the mental institution long enough to show up for a couple of debates. It will also require a bit of effort from the American voter. You see, that is going to be the tricky part. I am guilty of it myself. People just don’t want to take the time, and some legitimately don’t have the time, to research the candidates. We are content with short sound bites that are provided to us from cable news, and don’t think that there is a network out there that doesn’t have its own agenda, even if that agenda is the almighty dollar. There are many who only watch long enough to get some juicy dirt on the person they hate. And there are far too many of us that do not care at all. As long as that is the case, the problems that I have mentioned, which are nothing new, will continue. No matter who is elected.

Waiting 17 Years for Disappointment

A week or two ago I was in the comfort of my own home, watching the Colbert Report and having a tasty beverage when I heard news made my heart race, my ears perk, and my…well, good things happened. Colbert broke the news, for me anyway. The new Guns N’ Roses album would be released the following Sunday. Holy Crap!! Could it be true? Seriously? After seventeen years of holding my breath, checking music web sites, asking people behind the counters at music stores that no longer exist when it would arrive, it would finally come. (Funny how Axl survived longer than music store chains, isn’t it? Maybe a little scary. Can you find the one that sold his soul to the devil? It would explain the braids.)

I didn’t really believe the news. I was excited, but I thought it was a prank. It had to be. But that Sunday, I ran to the nearest Best Buy to pick up the album. By the time I arrived, there was a table set up that had been picked nearly clean of clear plastic cases holding the CD of goodness that I was anticipating. I picked it up, held it to my chest and wept. After being tapped on the shoulder by the far more rational employee of the company and being escorted to the register, I purchased my long anticipated love, smiling like a child on Christmas morn, which wasn’t far off considering Christmas was just two weeks away. Isn’t Axl a marketing genius when it comes to the 30-40 age demographic? Man can’t keep a band together, but he knows when to release an album.

On my way to the car I remembered all the fond GNR moments of my life. I remembered being in high school, owning my first car, and blasting an Appetite for Destruction cassette tape with the windows open. (I don’t know what the worst part of that last sentence was: cassette tape or that my first car could blast anything other than a valve.) It reminded me of walkmans in class during exams and making love for the first time, even though I had no clue what I was doing in either case. I thought about skipping school and going to the beach, shooting pool, hanging out at some dude’s house even though I didn’t know who he was (still don’t) just because some chick was there that was hot. I was hanging with the guys, enjoying my first addictive cigarette, tasting my first funny cigarette, and getting shit faced drunk for the first time ever. I remembered good times, great times, and some of the best times with some of the best people.

I got in my car, threw the CD into the player, and pulled out of the parking lot. I never could pinpoint why I loved this band more than others. I guess it was partly because they sounded badass, but you could still understand them. Maybe it was because they had a great flow to the lyrics while keeping them simple. Possibly it was because they sounded like classic rock with some blues thrown in for effect. It was probably because they dressed in leather, had long hair, smoked, drank, and shot heroin. You know, the kinds of heroes any young man needs. Whatever the reason, they were good. And you know it too.

I turn onto the road as the new CD plays. It’s different. I drive down the road, trying to get a feel for the new sound. It’s different. I flip through a couple of songs, letting half of it play, listening to the lyrics and Axl’s scream before going on to the next tune. It’s different. I get through the whole album and tell people it’s pretty good. Then I listen to it again. I continue to promote it. I get home and play it on the stereo there. I look over at my half lab\half beagle puppy who looks up at the speakers and then at me as if to say, “It’s different, mister.” I tell him he’s right and give him a treat for appreciating music. And really, it’s not bad. If it were any other band, it would be good. A little whiny for my taste, but good. The problem is, it’s not Guns N’ Roses, and I’m not seventeen. A bad combination. The memories connected with this album aren’t going to last. Chinese Democracy won’t define my thirties the way Appetite and Use Your Illusions defined my teens. But that’s ok. I’ve listened to a lot of other great music. Pearl Jam, STP, Rage Against the Machine, and even Nickelback with their simply constructed Canadian lyrics. And I’m ok with GNR not being around. I can still listen to them and remember the old stuff. And I can listen to new stuff and remember the good times now.