From Belfast Common

I'm late getting this up! Another week with lots of new releases!

Sacred Trickster, Sonic Youth / Children Of The Revolution, T Rex / Learned To Surf, Superchunk / Talking To The Dog, The Obits / Time Machine, Cracker / What  A Rush, Slap Dash For No Cash, DC Comics And Chocolate Milk, The Replacements, Art Brut / Left Of The Dial, Bastards Of Young, Alex Chilton, Skyway, I'll Be You, the Replacements / Pills, the New York Dolls / Blister In The Sun, the Violent Femmes / Soma, the Strokes / Eton Rifles, the Jam / Debaser, the Pixies / My Dark Age, Pere Ubu / Nobody's Hero, Dropkick Murphys / 1989, Shackleton, The Loneliness Of The Outdoor Smoker, The Final Hill, the Rakes / Spiraling Down, Bob Mould / And The Same, Fugazi / Drugs, the Black Lips / Fish, the Clean / If I Wanted To Be Famous I'da Shot Someone, the Rock*A*Teens / I Got No Idols, Juliana Hatfield / Front Row, Metric / Freewayland, Three Fantastic / There's No Secrets This year, Substitution, Panic Switch, Silversun Pickups / Third Uncle, bauhaus / Toomerhead, the Coathangers / Living North, Cymbals Eat Guitars / Underneath The Waves, the Twilight Singers / Angels Rush In, Versus / When I Was Cruel #2, Elvis Costello / The Stars Are Projectors, Modest Mouse / Wave Of Mutilation, the Pixies

Lately, there has been some wild talk from some quarters, particularly in Texas, about secession. Haven't we settled this issue?

I took this picture a couple of years ago, at a little roadside cemetery up in Stockton Springs. Someone had put flags around this monument, which marks of graves of men who died at Gettysburg, in recognition of Memorial Day.

These men dies, thousands of brave men dies, destroying the odious philosophy of secession, and now, a century and a half later, unprincipled politicians such as Rick Perry and Tom Delay nonchalantly smear the memory of their sacrifice.

All my life, I have heard reactionaries scream "Love it or leave it" at anyone who thought this country had room for improvement. Now, ironically, the shoe is on the other foot. 

Some people have said "Fine, let them leave", but that's not a viable option. Millions of loyal American citizens live in Texas, and the federal government, and their fellow citizens, have an obligation to protect them and defend their rights. Would you want to be black, gay or Mexican in an independent Texas controlled by Tom Delay and the extreme right wing?

Is the prison still standing in the Dry Tortugas? Perhaps it should be returned to it's former use. 

As articles are written remembering Mark Fidrych, it seems like most of them miss the point of why he was such a sensation when he burst upon the scene.

Sure, he had an amazing arm before he blew his shoulder out, and he came along at a time when Tiger fans didn't have much to get excited about, but that wasn't the point. 

I think the reason the fans, not just in Detroit, but everywhere, went wild over the Bird was that, at a time when the nature of baseball as business was overtaking, this wacky young guy came along and reminded us that it was supposed to be fun. Many people have described major league baseball as "men playing a kid's game", but when Mark Fidrych took the mound, the cliche became life. No, something bigger than life.

Mark "The Bird Fidrych, rest in peace

                                             .

When Katrina hit, every show on WERU made a point of playing the music of New Orleans as a sign of solidarity with the people of that devastated city. And rightfully so. But who is standing up for the city and the people of Detroit, in it's darkest days?

Me, that's who.

The Modern Moonlight Motor City Rock And Roll Special playlist:

Hotel Yorba (acoustic) the White Stripes / 96 Tears, ? and the Mysterians / Respect, the Rationals / Who Do You Love, the Woolies / Jenny Take A Ride, Devil With A Blue Dress On-Good Golly Miss Molly, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels / Rock And Roll, Detroit / Bow Wow Wow Wow, Was Not Was / Heavy Music, East Side Story, Persecution Smith, 2+2+?, Bob Seger / 1969, I Wanna Be Your Dog, 1970, Raw Power, the Stooges / Kick Out The Jams, Rocket reducer #62, Looking At You, Sister Anne, the MC5 / Baby Please Don't Go, the Amboy Dukes/ Just Like An Aborigine, the Up / Black Sheep, SRC / Gutless Radio, Cinecyde / No Big Deal, the Sillies / Strawberry Cheesecake, the Algebra Mothers / I Say Yeah, the Mutants / So So Alone, the Reruns / When I Look In Your Eyes, First In Line, What I Like About You, the Romantics / Lust For Life, Five Foot One, Cry For Love, Iggy Pop / Mouth, His Name Is Alive / Plowed, Sponge / Pieces, Deathgirl.com/ Welcome To Our Underworld, the Twistin' Tarantulas / Shout Bama Lama, the Detroit Cobras / C'mon C'mon, Not That Social, Pale Bride, 21st Birthday, the Von Bondies / Offend In Every Way, Seven Nation Army, The Denial Twist, Icky Thump, the White Stripes / Motor City Is Burning, the MC5

"t's been incubating for 25 years but Stephen King is finally ready to show the world the 1,000-plus page epic he first attempted writing in the 1980s. Under the Dome, in which an invisible force field seals off a Maine town from the world, is due to be published this November, his publishers have said."

If it's not too late, I have a couple of towns I'd like to suggest.

I've added a couple of links to the sidebar.

Belfast Maine.com is Mike Hurley's site of listings of places and events around town. It's a gret resource for anyone interested in what's going on here.

Strange Maine is a wonderful site, and a load of fun to read. The fact is, this is an awfully strange state and they never seem to run out of things to talk about. Check it out.