wtf. is that what you were saying to yourself trying to log onto the message boards or access the tour page the last couple days? that’s what i’ve been saying too (and more). cgi and php scripts are not working so great, site-wide. the good news, is that our hosting company is working on fixing it. last time something like this happened it was resolved quickly. generally, the people at www.westhost.com have been quick and polite and reliable and we thank them.

since i’m here rambling, i would like to take this opportunity to remind you to register to vote.

in case you were wondering, i confess that i hesitated a little in doing/saying something, but i eventually came to the conclusion that rock the vote and (supposedly) non-partisan political action groups, although not particularly meaningful when it comes to educating people about candidates and issues, are at least good at reinforcing the idea that voting matters and caring is cool. i trust that individuals (and especially JFK fans!) are smart enough to make their own good decisions provided they have access to good information and actually want to care. i think (or i would hope) anyone can be an advocate of “giving a shit” without turning people off. the last thing i want to do is alienate anyone by blatantly politicizing the band. the second last thing i want to do is nothing. while my ultra-liberal friends might say the idea of side-stepping issues in favor of just saying “vote” is a cop out, i say it’s absolutely better than nothing, and nothing is what most people do.

our government is a republic. not a democracy. why it has become so popular among politicians of all colors to refer to america as “this great democracy” i’m not sure. it is a representative democracy at best, but we pledge “to the republic for which it stands”. in a republic, the people elect officials to govern and make decisions for them. that means it is extremely important to take an active part in determining who those officials are. when you don’t, you forfeit the only real governing power you have. power is meaningless if it’s not exercised. don’t assume our leaders are representing your beliefs and interests, or even the beliefs and interests of the majority of the people. in a republic this is often not the case. don’t make assumptions. vote. it’s not going to take you long to register. and going to the polls is fun! go with friends! go with your family. you stand in a neat little booth where you can feel confident that you are doing something good, something infinitely more worthy of your time than television.

and sometimes you get a free sticker.

talk to you soon
joe