© NOT MINE

Republicans across the country have a very good chance to nominate a true statesman who could truly change the face of politics of the better, and actualize the two-party system as opposed to two parties who govern in the exact same fashion: welfare for corporations vs. welfare for people. It must be realized – no matter what one’s political party affiliation – how important it will be for the future of this country, as well as the future of this country’s politics, to nominate the candidate of liberty and individual prosperity in 2012.

More to come….

The problem is that this little faction is split in two due to either glaring hypocrisy or general misunderstanding of freedom and/or “smaller government”. The stark ideological contrast between Ron Paul and Herman Cain highlights the intellectual divide between the real-life grassroots and really fake astro turf so-called Tea Party movements. Ron Paul has spent most of his political career inside the Republican Party, and stayed there even when his viewpoints didn’t align with any other members of that crowd. He has consistently voiced his anti-Federal Reserve, anti-corporate welfare and anti-cronyism viewpoints for 30+ years. On the other hand, Cain has served as both lobbyist and Federal Reserve chairman, and apparently has no problems with the Fed or lobbying. For tea party people to think of him as a political outsider shows how misguided many of them are, although not nearly as misguided as OWS. Cain undeniably has business know-how, but the U.S. government is not a business.

The summer before, I begged my dad to take me and a friend to see the Bangles, who were playing at Kings Island. He loosened up his personality and his wallet and relented (with binoculars in hand), and we all three were off to what ended up being a really good time. Susanna Hoffs was the only singer I ever wished was singing her songs to me besides Amy Winehouse  some 20 years later (get that look off your face). The following year, I could clearly see that my musical preferences had gone downhill. My sister had raised me on all the best rock vinyl (Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Rush, etc.), and even years earlier, when I wanted to change my name to Michael Jackson in elementary school, at my core I was always a rock and roller. In the fifth grade Marsha (said sister) took me to see John Cougar. Shortly thereafter, my second concert, although more of a novelty, was the Monkees with Herman’s Hermits. Still, it rocked. I didn’t believe it when Steve Marlowe told me Mickey Dolenz smoked pot, but after seeing the concert, it was believable. Then a year later comes the Bangles?

So last week I decided it was time to go back and see what it was about the Bangles that I liked so much. Obviously,  Puberty + Susanna Hoffs = good music. I won’t play dumb about it. But if that was really the reason, Susanna was in a lot of magazines I had at the house. It would’ve been much more convenient to, um, you know – “stay home”. But I wanted to see these ladies rock. And really, they did.

For my research de justificación, I youtubed the Bangles, and the first video I noticed kind of blew me away. They were covering a band that I had not yet discovered (for myself) at the time, but years later would become one of my favorite bands of all time. A band they were not covering because the band was rich and famous, because it wasn’t. I never would’ve guessed they were influenced by Big Star, but props must be given where props is due…

With all that being said, I am currently downloading all the Bangles records. I can love them again. Not necessarily because they loved a great band and it came across in their music, but because these days, I could give a shit less what people think about the music I like…