"I Can Say Anything I Want To Say"

In case you're wondering, I don't always grouch about people abusing the sincerely-held philosophical, moral and religious beliefs of others in a cynical attempt to advance their personal, political and professional careers. Okay, so I just did it again, but moving on ...

I've added David Corn to my online reading list, which I should have done sooner. Believe it or not, while I had a great time at Steve Earle's performance last week, it sounds as if Mr. Corn had even more fun (scroll down the entry) at the D.C. show over the weekend:

Prior to show time, drummer Rigby asked if I wanted to be a "celebrity" contributor to the show by participating in the chant that occurs in the middle of Earle's anti-FCC tune, "F the CC." Without thinking much about it, I answered, "Sure." Then I realized this would mean jumping on stage and spelling out the F word rather loud. I started expressing misgivings, and Rigby seemed to suggest there would be others. Well, I thought, there's less potential embarassment in numbers. And I also said to myself, "What would Hunter do." Certainly, the recently departed Hunter Thompson is not a role model for any responsible family man. But why not push the envelope when you can--especially when there's no health risk.

~snip~

So when the time came, I was there on the side of the stage. I looked around for the others who would join us in this Country Joe moment (remember the F chant at Woodstock?). But there was no one else from the audience. I had misunderstood Rigby. It was just me and two band members, Patrick Earle and Frahn.

Lucky duck. I've also added a link to the folks at Crooked Timber, all of whom share the same characteristic as the rest of the folks on my list - they write better, about more interesting things, than I can.