The Return Of Mechasmack

What is up with cops these days? It seems like every other day I hear about some citizen minding their own business being struck by a taser at the hand of the police. Ok, that's an exaggeration. And I'm sure most of these people had it coming. But too many people are dying from these things lately. When is the stun gun coming out?

How come the bios of most prominent non-Caucasian actors on IMDb.com always have to point out what race they are?

Is it more common for teachers to hook up with students these days? Or has it been that way for a while but now we just hear about it more often?

What happened to Crazy Howard McGee?

I'm hungry.

Come wit it now!
Come wit it now!
The microphone explodes, shattering the molds
Either drop tha hits like de la O or get tha fuck off tha commode
Wit tha sure shot, sure ta make tha bodies drop
Drop an don't copy yo, don't call this a co-op
Terror rains drenchin', quenchin' tha thirst of tha power dons
That five sided fist-a-gon
Tha rotten sore on tha face of mother earth gets bigger
Tha triggers cold empty ya purse

Rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells
They rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells
They rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells
They rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells

Weapons not food, not homes, not shoes
Not need, just feed the war cannibal animal
I walk tha corner to tha rubble that used to be a library
Line up to tha mind cemetary now
What we don't know keeps tha contracts alive an movin'
They don't gotta burn tha books they just remove 'em
While arms warehouses fill as quick as tha cells
Rally round tha family, pockets full of shells

Rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells
They rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells
They rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells
They rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells

Bulls on parade

Rage Against The Machine - Bulls On Parade

One of the many things one has to deal with living in an urban landscape is people asking you for money. My first such encounters were accompanied by a certain amount of guilt and I readily handed over the change in my pocket to the needy. After a couple of months of that, however, I became as cold-blooded as the rest of the city dwellers. I can't be giving out change to every person that asks. And of course everybody's got a different story. I'd probably be more willing to give some change to anyone who had the guts to ask me for money so they could go get drunk.

So a couple of days ago I was presented with the "I just need a couple of bucks to get on the train cuz my car broke down" story. I've heard this 34 times. I'm not going to say I've heard it a million times. I'm pretty sure it's in the 30's, so let's just say 34. The guy seemed nice enough but I just wasn't in a giving mood. I did once give a lady two dollars to get on the train and she broke down and cried and thanked me. It might have been an act but she seemed genuine, mostly because her story wasn't too elaborate. Also, I think I was coming home from happy hour and was in a good mood so the two dollars wasn't that big a deal.

Yesterday I drove to work because I didn't feel like dealing with the CTA and I thought I might be at work late and it would be nice not to have to add that commute to the long day. I was entering the parking garage and this woman asked stopped me asked me if I could do her a favor. So I'm immediately suspicious. She says that her credit cards are all maxed out and she won't be paid until the next day so she can't get her car out of the garage. She says she'll write me a check if I pay her parking fee. Now she didn't look too shady. And I did kind of feel bad, but not that bad. I thought about it for a second. Would I be willing to say goodbye to $14 or maybe more? Not last night.

So these two incidents, two days in a row, got me thinking. Am I being tested? Could this be Jesus in disguise? Who knows. But if someone has some sob story for me today, I think I better give them some change.

David Quaid brought his caravan to Pressure again last night. He's getting to be like The Grateful Dead with his legion of fans following him from performance to performance.