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Tuesday, May 13th

Vote Or Dye? Peter Buck of R.E.M.

Vote Or Dye? The Beholder Musical and media figures say the darnedest things, especially when it comes to politics. Do their words of wisdom inspire you to vote, or should they just go back to dying their hair? You decide.

Peter Buck is the guitarist of the influential (well, if you were born before 1983) R.E.M. When asked some slyly posed question about President Bush and his vocation, Mr. Buck fired back with this:

“Well, since he’s failed at everything else he’s done, he needs to step down the management level a little,” Buck snapped. “There’s probably a McDonald’s that could use management, and he seems like the kind of purse-mouthed snot nose who’d be great at terrifying 13-year-olds.”

Do these words of a 51 year old musician sway your thoughts on the upcoming election?

BTW: West Virginia democratic primary tonight. OMG, Charleston - represent!

Written by Seth Werkheiser
> Vote Or Dye | 2:00 pm |
More on: Peter Buck, R.E.M

44 Responses to “Vote Or Dye? Peter Buck of R.E.M.”

On 05/13/08 2:35 PM, Dan said:

I’m so glad that the music/movie industry is filled with so many political and social and government experts. These people are so knowledgeable about how politics and government work and they really can teach us so much that we need to know about the inner workings of those institutions. I mean, obviously the people who have gone through years and years of expensive, high-quality education and have spent most of their lives working with international relations and other politicians have no idea what they’re doing.
On 05/13/08 2:36 PM, Seth Werkheiser said:

Well Dan, he DOES play guitar. Come on! hahaha
On 05/13/08 2:36 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

I don’t think anything in that quote makes sense.
On 05/13/08 3:32 PM, kyle u said:

well bush isn’t running again…so…no.
On 05/13/08 3:35 PM, buddy said:

meh, i know a lot of those highly educated people…they really don’t know what they’re doing. And i know for sure I’ll be castin my vote for mcbush, i mean mccain.
On 05/13/08 3:54 PM, Joe said:

Yes, his factually based argument about the evils of George Bush have convinced me not too vote him in for a third term.
On 05/13/08 4:40 PM, Ben Pike said:

who is R.E.M.? are they still relevant?

didn’t think so…
On 05/13/08 4:53 PM, kyle u said:

thank you, joe.
On 05/14/08 6:33 AM, Pierre Richard said:

I’ve never seen Political Science as a required course for music education…why mix such a beautiful life of music with the @$#%$& political life…leave your talking to your fingers on the strings…
On 05/14/08 4:22 PM, andy said:

McBush? Hmm.

I don’t know who to vote for. IF the McBush comparison is right, I can’t take 8 more years of faux Republicanism. However, the other choice is someone who will abandon the democratic model all together for a Marxist agenda. What’s a liberty lovin’ fella to do!?
On 05/14/08 4:34 PM, jordan said:

Huckabee 08… oh is he out of the race :/
… wow… umm
On 05/14/08 4:50 PM, andy said:

He was still on the Republican ballot in PA when I voted in the Primaries. Of course, I didn’t vote for him what w/ Ron Paul still being on there.
On 05/14/08 5:13 PM, Dan said:

Yeah I’m not thrilled at all with any of the current candidates
On 05/14/08 5:21 PM, buddy said:

yeah, why can’t you ron paul guys, get yer act together. If I’m gonna be trounced, I’d like it to be by someone wacky. Not the yawn factory that’s mcsame.
On 05/14/08 5:32 PM, andy said:

We tried but you know, I guess the Republican Party isn’t interested in the Constitution anymore (as “wacky” as that sounds!) We’ll see what happens at the convention haha! I’m sure the Ron Paul folks will be making quite a ruckus. Can the Republican Party really afford to ignore over a million registered voters? That’s the question now. Not that Ron Paul will get the nomination…but perhaps the message could be sent that there are those of us who believe in personal liberties, limited government, and lower taxation. Maybe…
On 05/14/08 7:51 PM, J.J. said:

andy - Are you hoping that Ron Paul might get to be McCain’s running mate? That would be interesting.

Personally, I have a very different viewpoint than you, though. I don’t really like Ron Paul. I voted Huckabee in the primary, almost solely because of his stance on abortion. I’ll probably vote for Obama though in the fall. I like some of his views, more of them than McCain’s or Paul’s.

I have a lot of respect for you libertarians but I very much disagree. The thing is, its not about rights and theoretical equality. What matters is whats actually going on. You can say that’s none of the governments business. But if individuals and churches are not helping the disadvantaged, somebody’s got to do it. What matters is that lives are improved. I think that - *to a point* - individual freedoms should sometimes need to be sacrificed for the good of all. I don’t have a problem with that when it’s helping other people.
On 05/14/08 8:51 PM, Katie said:

I think cellphines are OK, to a certainher extent. I only use mine at a concert if the band is doing something out of the ordinary that I want to document.
On 05/14/08 8:53 PM, Katie said:

Sorry, my comment is “awaiting moderation.”
LOL, I made yet ANOTHER typo in it.
On 05/14/08 9:39 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

“individual freedoms should sometimes need to be sacrificed for the good of all.”

I hope you know how really, really dangerous this idea is.
On 05/14/08 10:15 PM, buddy said:

I’m a libertarian at heart, then again I’m a socialist at heart as well, both systems have their flaws.
On 05/14/08 10:40 PM, andy said:

I have no problem helping other people. I do have a problem w/ a population being taxed over 40% of it’s income. I have a problem w/ the government trying to run something it was never (in this country) designed to run. There is nothing in the private sector that could be ran better by the government.

Socialism should ALWAYS be by choice and not enforced by the Government. For instance, I believe that to a degree, the Church should run a more “socialist” or dare I say…”communist” workings. Not that I believe that no one in the Church should have more than someone else, but when we see a brother in need for example, we should be willing to sacrifice our own luxuries for the sake of the brother. However, if the government is deciding who is worse off than someone else, forcing that person to give up what it perceives as a luxury for the benefit of someone else, well that’s pretty messed up. The government should never have the right to take what is your’s and give it to someone else as they see fit. Most would have a problem w/ eminent domain…but isn’t a government enforced socialism eminent domain on a much larger and farther reaching scale?

Just some thoughts. I believe the words of Reagan when he said, “No government willingly reduces itself in size”. The more power we give the federal government, the more they’ll take. You may trust a bloke like Obama to run things correctly, but sooner or later, you’ll have someone in office who will abuse the power that you want to give your candidate now.
On 05/15/08 1:20 AM, jordan said:

ugh I vomit in my mouth every time a republican says they are going to vote for Obama. His foreign policy would have him assassinated before he made it out of his second year in office.
On 05/15/08 3:36 AM, kyle u said:

wow, jordan. that foreign policy comment is completely misinformed.
who would assassinate him? an american?
if that’s the case then, that just confirms that our biggest terror threat is backwards fucks who murder the president just b/c he re-examines the ethics of this UNPOPULAR war. unpopular meaning=majority of americans don’t want us there, majority of the WORLD doesn’t want us there.
would a middle eastern terrorist do it? what would provoke it? “hey, you withdrew your troops that entered illegaly…now i’ll kill you!”

as far as 40% of your income being taxed? when that tax goes towards making things that we pay for right now, free (health care, day care. etc…) you actually wind up paying less.

sure, its not called a “tax” but with healthcare costs as they are right now, you see much more than 40% of your income drifting out of your pocket.
On 05/15/08 6:32 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

kyle, the fact that a war is “unpopular” doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be there. Citizens don’t vote on whether we should go to war, and neither do foreign entities; Congress does.

And no, I ultimately don’t think we should’ve gone into Iraq, even though some good came out of it.
On 05/15/08 8:01 AM, andy said:

That sounds great Kyle…until the government decides that you’re too old or I’m too fat and they’re not going to give me health care anymore. That’s great til uncle Buck who is 83 and diabetic needs open heart surgery and the government turns him away. It’s great until I need to schedule doctor’s appointments and check ups 4 months down the road.

Oh I know, “That will never happen here”

How about a big chunk of that 40% going back into your and my pocket so we can pay for our own health care? We pay for it now WITH heavy taxation…imagine what we could do w/out it!
On 05/15/08 8:12 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

Would people who are incurably stupid get healthcare?

*gives andy a sad, helpless look*
On 05/15/08 8:20 AM, andy said:

Or another option would be to get rid of the health insurance companies and let health care companies compete with each other. Like it or not, it’s still an industry and still a business. When businesses compete, the consumer wins.
On 05/15/08 8:33 AM, andy said:

Whatever Jay!
On 05/15/08 8:34 AM, andy said:

Jay don’t you think Congress has a job to represent the people though? I mean, I think that statement is equally as dangerous as “sometimes we need to give up our own liberties…”
On 05/15/08 8:56 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

andy, that stupid comment was directed towards myself, not you. But if you want to join the stupid camp, you’re always welcome. We live an easy life.

As far as Congress representing people, yeah sure, to a certain extent - but they have a duty to follow the charters of the Constitution and their individual states more than what just people randomly want. Then we’d end up in a pure democracy and that would just be disastrous.

More than that, who really wants to be in a war, ever? I don’t know. Maybe I’m not making sense.
On 05/15/08 9:12 AM, buddy said:

I LOVE being at war! it stimulates the economy and provides a sense of justice while simultaniously giving gov’t the power to make real palpable changes that help its people, making us a model of democracy the world over!…wait.
On 05/15/08 10:43 AM, Seth Werkheiser said:

That sounds great Kyle…until the government decides that you’re too old or I’m too fat and they’re not going to give me health care anymore.

Yea, because health care providers don’t do that already.
On 05/15/08 10:52 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

BUZZGRINDER THREAD WAR

*throws blockquote grenade*
On 05/15/08 12:33 PM, andy said:

They do indeed, but at least you can go somewhere else and at least legally hospitals can’t refuse treatment.

Under the government, “No means no! Unless I’m drunk…”
On 05/15/08 1:00 PM, buddy said:

I must say andy and i don’t agree on much but I’m with him on the “let healthcare be a free market system” that way, if you need surgery, you can get it at ed’s surgery shack for 39.95 or you can go to the ritzy place for 2 grand, either way its a hell of a lot cheaper than insurance.
On 05/15/08 7:07 PM, andy said:

I guess agreeing w/ me kills a tread Buddy!
On 05/15/08 10:28 PM, buddy said:

there’s little i hate more than republicans…but insurance is one of em.
On 05/15/08 11:37 PM, cardenio said:

cancer’s a little worse than both…
On 05/16/08 12:46 AM, kyel unzicker said:

jay- the unpopularity SHOULD lead congress to do their jobs- REPRESENT THE VALUES HELD BY THE PEOPLE THEY REPRESENT. when congress voted to go into Iraq, there was not much local opposition. now it is huge. and the biggest opposition is not “we are doing this wrong” its “we should not be doing this anymore at all”.

andy- “We pay for it now WITH heavy taxation…imagine what we could do w/out it!”

ah yes, i forgot that we are able to pay for it. all this talk is just for giggles.

“That’s great til uncle Buck who is 83 and diabetic needs open heart surgery and the government turns him away.”

??? this is happenign right now! and the numbers aren’t 83, its 53! if you can’t afford it, you’re not going to get it.

ever checked life expectancy rates by country? canada, france, germany, norway, netherlands, sweden…..they all have us beat.

wonder kind of health care plan they have…

thankfully, some communities are lucky enough to have charitable organizations step up to plate. a friend of mine who has no health insurance was able to get a 20,000 surgery reduced down to about 1300 with the help of a non-for-profit.
On 05/16/08 12:48 AM, kyel unzicker said:

“As far as Congress representing people, yeah sure, to a certain extent - but they have a duty to follow the charters of the Constitution and their individual states more than what just people randomly want. Then we’d end up in a pure democracy and that would just be disastrous”.

the members of congress who voted to go into iraq failed at their job, defined by you. they IGNORED the charters of the Constitution. war was never declared. and BECAUSE of this, the Geneva Convention does not apply to our prisoners of war b/c its not teeeeeeeeechnically a war.

oh how convenienet.
On 05/16/08 7:26 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

Why was that directed at me?
On 05/16/08 11:18 AM, andy said:

Why do you want socialism Kyle?
On 05/16/08 4:20 PM, andy said:

Sorry Kyle that’s only a fragment of a post I wanted to write! My comp at work keeps kicking me off.
On 05/17/08 1:31 AM, kyle u said:

why do you think socialized medicine=socialism?

do public libraries = socialism?
do our firefighters = socialism?

I don’t understand that we are the only country in the western world without universal healthcare, AND billionaire healthcare companies and billionaire CEO’s to boot.

universal health care seems like a no-brainer, and the socially responsible and moral thing to do.
at the very simplest level, to take care of your neighbor is to take care of his physical well being, and have a system where people are not denied life-saving treatment because they can’t afford.

I guess that’s why I want socialized medicine…i mean socialism?

and Jay, I directed that towards you because you made some bad remark about one of my favorite bands months ago…or something like that. haha
lesson learned!!!!

Tuesday, May 13th

Vote Or Dye? Peter Buck of R.E.M.

44 Responses to “Vote Or Dye? Peter Buck of R.E.M.”

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