What is a FreeThinker?

free-think-er n.
A person who forms opinions about religion on the basis of reason, independently of tradition,
authority, or established belief. Freethinkers include atheists, agnostics and rationalists.

More Jockey Club Reunion Info

Last Sunday we had another cookout, this time not only did Jughead and Billy show up but so did Handsome Clem and Jimmy D.

We did a little round table discussion about the Jockey Club but we also drank some BIG CAN FOSTERS provided by Jimmy D.

So here is the final line up for Jockey Club Reunion 08:

The Thangs

The Libertines US

SS-20

BPA

The Reduced

Jockey Club Book And Reunion Show

This picture of Bill Leist, myself and Jughead taken on July 26th 2008 is proof that The Jockey Club Tribute Book and Jockey Club Reunion show will both take place on my birthday November 22nd 2008. The book release will be at Shake It Records in Northside in the afternoon and The reunion Show will be at The Southgate House that same night with the bands starting at 9:00pm. So far we have the following Jockey Club Bands lined up:

The Thangs
SS-20
The Libertines US
Stay tuned at our website:
www.aurorepress.com

Frustrated and Disillusioned

I just thought I would make a quick list of things that frustrate and disillusion me:

1. Bad middle and upper managemment decisions.
2. Same management trying to implement those decisions.
3. The wrong people in management positions to start with.
4. People who voted for George W. Bush.
5. People who voted for and still stand behind George W. Bush.
6. Those same people who will vote for John McCain.
7. People who are supposedly "religious".
8. People who use religion as a crutch.
9. People who think their God is "The" God.
10. People who try to push their religion on everyone else.

That's it for right now..........

Is this left enough?

Several people have ask me if I would actually vote for Barack Obama because he is ...you know..
black.
My response is.....
He could shoot George W. Bush and John McCain in the face on national television on the White House lawn and I would still vote for him........Is that left enough?

The Black Vote!

I've been asking every African American friend that I come across if they are going to vote for Barack Obama. For the most part I have experienced a non-committal attitude. I have come to refer to it as black political apathy. I understand it...I understand that the black race in The United States is and always will be a minority. After being beat down for so long I get that sense of hopelessness. I ask them if they voted for Mark Mallory for Mayor of Cincinnati. Here is a black man elected as mayor in one of the most racist, right wing, religious cities in this country. The answer is a flat out NO! The response is usually,"He's pretty much a white guy anyway, so what's the difference?" Then I ask them if they are even registered to vote in the first place. I'd say 90% answer with a NO! I had a friend at work tell me if he couldn't vote for Hillary he was going to vote for McCain. Let's just say that conversation got a little heated. I ask him how you could vote for a female Democrat and her platform and not a black male Democrat with the same platform and then for for a rich white Republican male who has a totally different platform and pretty much has an anti-black people platform. That kind of blew my mind a little.

I've read Howard Zinn's "People's History Of The United States" and the follow up "Voices..." and I cringe at the struggle that black people in this country went through just to get the right to vote. A lot of people were beaten and hanged and died for that privilege. For that purpose alone I would think that voting would be taught and expected in the black community.

I know all about the nightmare of the 2000 and 2004 elections. Black people in this country, especially in Florida and Ohio took it up the back side. Ken Blackwell and Katherine Harris showed black people where they stood with George W. Bush. That just shows you how much more important it is to register and vote for Barack Obama in November. If every black person of voting age in this country registers and votes for Barack Obama it would be a landslide victory. I can't promise that Barack will change the condition of black America but it would be an historic event that could change the course of history in this country. So I say if you don't register and vote for Barack in November don't bitch at me.

Wrestling Show and SS-20 Show

What a weekend!
Saturday night I indeed worked a wrestling show. I managed a guy with the name "The Inmate", turns out he used to train when we had Queen City Wrestling going. It was interesting to work with two guys that you never worked with before and you are booked in the first match of the night. It's slightly nerve racking when you are up first. It's your job to get the crowd worked up and to set the tone for the night. But I was able to take the microphone and bad mouth the ring announcer whom everyone loved and get shit started and have fun. The match was so so at best but we used a comedy spot to end the match and all seemed to go well.

Sunday night was a stroll down memeory lane. My favorite local punk band from the early 80's SS-20 played a gig here in Northside. We were able to go and hear and I sang along to a couple of classic songs. Man, I miss the Jockey Club! We tried to set up a date in November for the release of our Jockey Club book and have SS-20 be an integral part of everything, I think it is going to happen.....
I'm getting too old for all this, but damn I sure had fun.