Southern Man

Hat tip to Chris Muir, for inspiring this post...

So, the "big news" in the circles of the elite media-politi complex (like the military-industrial complex, except this is real and liberal), is that Neil Young, a Canadian, released a song about impeaching Bush.

Young, a burnt-out dope-smoking long-haired maggot-infested hippie cockroach who only became famous for protesting the Vietnam War, hasn't had a hit song since... since... well, since the Vietnam War.  Dang cockroaches... can't get rid of 'em!  But now we are supposed to take him seriously, because he is, gasp, *whispered tones* a serious artist.

Well, you know, more than one serious artist has spoken.  For instance, Lynyrd Skynyrd spoke this:

Well, I heard mister Young sing about her;
Well, I heard ole Neil put her down;
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember;
A Southern man don't need him around anyhow!

So now I am issuing a CALL TO ACTION!  The elite media-politi complex is going to do everything in its power to ensure that Neil Young sells a lot of copies of his new song  Well, we can top that: let's put Lynyrd Skynyrd sales over mister Young's.

BUY THIS CD:

If, like me, you already own a copy (most good-hearted rednecks do), then buy a copy for a friend!

Once you have your copy, have it on hand and ready to play whenever you see a dope-smoking hippie-maggot Neil Young fan.  Then hit "play" and, as the lyrics say, turn it up!

Call your local radio stations.  Request that they play Sweet Home Alabama.  A lot.  Blanket the airwaves!

Oh, and spread the word to every "Southern Man" you know.  Remind them why we don't need mister Young around.

Comments

[didjman]

Ah, the ol' right-wing tactic--if you can't counter someone logically, resort to name-calling.

I would be happy to bet all comers any amount of money they want that Neil Young has never been infested by maggots.

Yes, he has often had long hair (though he has also had short hair). The members of Lynyrd Skynyrd also had long hair. I haven't kept track of them lately--it seems pitiful that when they re-formed after the death of Ronnie VanZant.

Actually, Neil Young has had several hits since the Vietnam War. Comes a Time (1978) topped out at #7, Rust Never Sleeps (1979) topped out at #8, Sleeps With Angels (1994) made it to #9, Mirror Ball (1995) went to #5, Are You Passionate (2002) to #10, and Prairie Wind (2005) made it to #11.

Let's see, that's 6 hit albums since Vietnam.

As for singles, there's Ten Men Working (1988) #6, No More (1989) #7, Rockin' In The Free World (1989) #2, Mansion on the Hill (1990) #3, War of Man (1992) #7, and Downtown (1995) #6, all on the Mainstream Rock charts from Billboard.

So, at least six hit songs.

By the way, despite their image as a bunch of southern good ol' boys, Lynyrd Skynyrd's lyrics often portrayed a different message, as in Saturday Night Special, from Nuthin' Fancy:

Handguns are made for killin'
Ain't no good for nothin' else
And if you like your whiskey
You might even shoot yourself.

Dang, they almost sound like liberal New Yorkers!

Oh, and by the way, the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were great fans of Neil Young. There are pictures of Ronnie VanZant wearing a Neil Young t-shirt, and Neil Young originally wrote Powderfinger for LS. Sadly, the plane crash put an end to that idea.

If you have real criticisms, that's fine, but resorting to ad hominem attacks shows that you're unable to make a reasoned argument using real facts.

[pril]

damn i don't like Neil Young that much (altho i like him better than Bob Dylan) and I hate Lynrd skynrd. Can i just buy a Queens of the Stoneage album because i like it and not because of any kind of political crappitycrapcrap?

Neil Young didn't write Mansion on The Hill. I think that was a Hank Sr song.

[pril]

hmm and the rest of the post.. y'know, i'm in a band, and we have to play that retarded Sweet Home Alabama song all the time. I hate that song. We're in Oregon, not Alabama. It's 2006, not 196-whatever. In protest to all the crap, i'm stepping off the stage next time we play the damn song.

It's MUSIC. That's all.

[didjman]

Yes, Hank Williams Jr.(not Sr.) (co-) wrote a song called "Mansion on the Hill". Neil Young wrote a different song called "Mansion on the Hill". Bruce Springsteen also wrote a song with the same title.

By the way, Neil Young said he liked Sweet Home Alabama.

By the way, I believe Neil Young's main anti-Vietnam song was "Ohio", and it's actually not about Vietnam--it's about the murder of four protestors by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State Neil Young was already famous by then.

It's interesting that the right-wing in the U.S. were quick to condemn the Chinese for killing protestors at Tiananmen Square, but they still won't acknowledge that it was wrong to kill peaceful protestors in the U.S.

[Gullyborg]

Ahhh... I thought this post would bring in the smelly hippies! YES! More readers! Better advertising rates!

Muwahahahahaha!!!!

Of course, you guys miss the real point:

The real point is the Neil Young will have NO EFFECT on liberal politics. The people who will be moved by this song are the same 60 year old stoners who still follow the VW buses around, not realizing that Jerry Garcia is dead. Meanwhile, the conservative silent majority in America will see Neil Young (many of them for the first time) and be revulsed. If anything, the net effect of Mr. Young's rants will be an upsurge of support for Bush -- kinda like how, after releasing the anti-war song "Ohio," Nixon was re-elected in the most lopsided election in history.

I love the irony.

[Bubba Joe Jim Bob]

FREE BIRD!

PLAY FREE BIRD!!!

[phil]

didjman has a different idea of a "hit" than I have.

sure, Neil sold some records and albums, and spent some time on charts.

big deal. The Bears "Superbowl Shuffle" sold more copies than everything Neil Young did after 1976.

charting isn't a big deal. established artists ALWAYS chart because of the way music is marketed.

what matters is staying power.

in the 60's and early 70's, Neil Young made some great music. they still play it on radio stations. Songs like Ohio, Sugar Mountain, Heart of Gold, Down by the River... great stuff. And you hear it on the radio. And you can still find the CDs selling (albeit in small numbers).

But when is the last time you heard Rockin in the Free World on the radio? Have you EVER heard Ten Men Working or War of Man? Me neither.

True, Lynyrd Skynyrd hasn't had a real hit since the death of Ronnie. But then, songs like Sweet Home Alabama and Free Bird endure. Post-1976 songs of Neil Young do not.

Sounds like Gullyborg nailed it when he said Neil Young really hadn't had a hit since 'Nam.

[stoner man]

no dude you got it wrong man, he means Neil aint had a HIT, you know, from the bong. dude gave up drugs, man!

[didjman]

Actually, Rockin' In The Free World is probably the Neil Young song I've heard most on the radio lately.

I have heard Ten Men Workin' and War of Man on the radio, albeit not often.

I also hear both My My, Hey Hey and Hey Hey, My My on the radio with some regularity.

I actually like Free Bird, and other Lynyrd Skynyrd songs, but NY has had so many great songs over the years, they aren't in the same league. And, as is true of many artists, some of their best songs (both LS and NY) are ones that haven't made a dent in the charts. Simple Man by LS, for example. One Thing and Music Arcade by NY for another couple of examples.

And nobody has really addressed my main point--if you actually have an argument, you won't resort to name-calling as your primary argument.

If your main argument is to call someone a "maggot-infested hippie cockroach", then it's clear that you don't have much to say.

There's no criticism of the actual words of any of the songs, just name-calling. If you want to criticize something, at least take the time and effort to check out what you're actually criticizing.

[didjman]

Some post 1976 Neil Young songs that will endure:

Like a Hurricane
Lotta Love
Four Strong Winds (yes, I know Ian Tyson wrote it)
My My, Hey hey
Hey Hey, My My
Pocahontas (IMHO perhaps the best opening line to a song ever)
Powderfinger
Coupe de Ville
One Thing (I know hardly anyone has heard these two, but they are GREAT songs)
Rockin' in the Free World
Change Your Mind
I'm The Ocean

There are lots of other great songs that probably won't make it into the pantheon, just because only the people that listen to the whole album know about them, but they're great songs.

And there are probably some songs I left off of that list that other people would include.

So, anybody, what exactly is your quarrel with the lyrics to the upcoming CD?

[didjman]

Oh, and does anyone on this site know who made popular the term "military-industrial complex"?

[MAX]

Well, Gully - I gotta disagree.

Who wrote and performed "Let's Roll" - and then donated all proceeds from the single to the family of Todd Beamer?

Neil Young.

Who wrote and performed (albeit years ago) "The Needle and the Damage Done"? Same guy.

You want hits? You're Brittney Spears material.

Relevance, on the other hand, is where Neil Young shines.

[Crackpot]

Skynyrd is cool, but Neil Young's body of work is far more impressive. This particular tune is not among his best, but I'd say it had the desired effect. The Bush fanboys are annoyed by it.

[Sailor Republica]

Beh. I'll take Kyu Sakomoto over any of them anyday.

If you want a real band, you go with Roxy Music.

Yes, I was a DJ. Yes, I played Neil Young. But only when it was requested.

[didjman]

it's great seeing all these righties with their panties in a knot over a CD. The ad hominem attacks flow like the Columbia River, but I think I haven't seen any of them challenge any of the lyrics.

Of course, it's tough, because Bush has screwed things up in Iraq, he did screw up the response to Hurricane Katrina, he has kowtowed to religious extremists, he has presided over huge federal deficits (after inheriting a surplus).

So, they resort to things like calling Neil Young "maggot infested". And, when called on it, they have no response.

[Rick hickey]

BIGGEST NEWS EVER! PLEASE read these two. We have the ACLU agreeing that people should know who stole their Social Security #. The IRS reports over 9 Million S.S.#'s from Employers that are not correct and Congress will get permission to investigate and hand it over to ICE!
In the 2nd story, We have the same Attorney who got $1.3 MIL. out of Washington Apple co. for hiring Illegals, taking ANOTHER COMPANY all the way to the SUPREME COURT on RICO LAWS!
Justice will prevail and ILLEGAL ALIENS will have no where to work or hide anymore soon. Rick Hickey
Measure would require agencies to divulge details of illegal workers
By Tim Funk and Liz Chandler
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Finding illegal immigrants could be simpler if federal agencies cooperated
WASHINGTON - Congress is moving to knock down barriers that currently bar the IRS and Social Security Administration from sharing information that could help law enforcement identify illegal immigrants and the firms that employ them.

The two agencies routinely collect evidence of potential workplace crimes, including the names and addresses of millions of people who are using bogus Social Security numbers, their wage records and the identities of the bosses who knowingly hire them

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/nation/14436263.htm

Illegals case a landmark
Court to decide if Mohawk faces RICO charge

By MARILYN GEEWAX
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/27/06

Washington — If a company works closely with labor recruiters to hire and harbor illegal immigrant workers, is it acting as an organized crime syndicate, similar to the Mafia?

Yes, according to an attorney for four current and former workers at Mohawk Industries Inc., a Calhoun-based carpet maker, in an argument made to the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The workers say Mohawk's purpose was to drive down wages and that the company should be punished under the civil provisions of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. That federal law, enacted in 1970 to fight organized crime, allows victims to collect triple damages, plus attorney fees.

Mohawk attorney Carter Phillips asked the justices to dismiss the racketeering suit, saying the company never took part in a separate enterprise to violate immigration laws. When the company uses an outside recruiter to find employees, "it's an arm's length deal," he said.

There were indications that some justices sympathized with Mohawk's arguments.

Justice Stephen Breyer questioned whether it would be wise for the court to "RICO-ize vast amounts of commercial activities." Justice Antonin Scalia said he was hesitant to let courts try to read "the minds of corporations" in such cases.

A decision is expected by July.

Business groups are watching closely because if the high court were to rule that outsourcing a service such as recruiting workers can create an illegal "enterprise," a wave of expensive RICO suits might wash over them.

The workers filed their class-action suit in 2004 in a bid to get current and former workers the higher wages they say they were denied because of Mohawk's hiring practices.

More than 4,000 employees

The company, with more than 4,000 employees in northwest Georgia, says it provides workers with competitive wages and benefits.

But so far, Mohawk hasn't been able to shake off the RICO case. Last June, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the company's motion to dismiss the suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

The Supreme Court's decision potentially could clear the way for many RICO suits to be filed in connection with the use of immigrant workers. The court could rule in a way that imposes much more responsibility on employers, rather than government officials, to stem the flow of illegal labor.

Some supporters of immigrants also fear a ruling against Mohawk. They believe it could force employers to conduct much stricter documentation checks whenever a worker looks or sounds foreign. That could discourage the hiring of all immigrants, including those who are legal.

But supporters of stricter immigration controls hope the court will empower private individuals to use RICO suits against employers in an effort to stop the use of illegal labor. They note that in 1996, Congress amended RICO to include the employment of illegal immigrants as an offense covered by the law.

The workers' case was argued by Howard Foster, a Chicago attorney who pioneered the use of RICO provisions to help workers win back wages. Foster recently won a preliminary settlement of $1.3 million in a case involving back wages for employees of Zirkle Fruit Co., an apple-packing company in Selah, Wash.

The Bush administration, which has been pushing for immigration reform, sides with Foster. Mohawk is supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and other business organizations that fear getting hit by costly RICO suits.

If the Supreme Court rejects Mohawk's arguments and allows the RICO case to go forward, workers say they will be able to prove that Mohawk, the country's second-largest maker of commercial and residential carpets with $6.6 billion in annual revenue, paid recruiters to go to Texas to seek out illegal workers willing to accept low wages.

They allege that the company worked with the recruiters to violate immigration laws, forge documents and harbor illegals.

As a result, the plaintiffs say, wages remain depressed in the Calhoun area even though the unemployment rate is low. They say they can find out what Mohawk's average wages are only if they move forward with the pretrial discovery process.

Mohawk's use of immigrant labor has transformed Calhoun's demographic profile. The Hispanic population there shot up from nearly nothing in 1990 to an estimated one-sixth of the town's 13,000 residents today.

http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/0427bizmohawk.html

[didjman]

WWJD?

I'm guessing NOT call someone "a burnt-out dope-smoking long-haired maggot-infested hippie cockroach" because they have a different viewpoint.

[didjman]

There's an old joke about guitar players:

How do you get guitar players to slow down? Put sheet music in front of them. How do you get them to stop? Put notes on it.

Similarly, how do you get a right-wing blogger to stop? Ask them to back up their statements with facts, and point out that their name-calling shows they are incapable of making a reasoned argument.

Thus, no responses to my call to actually criticize Neil Young's lyrics.

[Gullyborg]

didjman,

I certainly appreciate feedback, but jeez, man, how many fricken comments are you going to make?

you're reaching the point where it's like someone who keeps calling my phone and breathing heavy several times a night.

you like Neil Young. you think I am wrong. we get it.

[didjman]

Gully,

I pointed out that comments about Neil Young's new CD consisted only of ad hominem attacks. It's not that I think you're wrong, it's that you gave me absolutely no reason to think you're right, and when prompted to give me reasons to think you're right, you were (and still are) silent.

Calling Young "maggot-infested" tells me nothing substantive about his CD. Lyrics from the CD have been available on the internet for several days now (the CD itself is available for streaming today), but none of your comments actually addressed the lyrics.

You could have said "well, actually Iraq is going swimmingly, Bush hasn't shipped all our money out the door, he hasn't hired a bunch of criminals, and he hasn't broken every law in the country."

But you didn't do anything like that. And now that you're called on it, you're whining about it. Which seems to be typical of conservatives. They push a load of garbage, then when asked to back it up, they complain that they're being mistreated.

So, why don't you show some cojones and give us a real critique of the words on Neil Young's new CD, and refrain from your fantasies about his grooming habits.

[Gullyborg]

And if I don't, are you going to post 10 more comments? Why do you care so much what I post on a blog? Are you Neil's gay lover? Are you Neil's illegitmate love child? Do you have some vested interest, such as a share of profits from his sales? Seriously, why the hell do you need to make, now a total of nine comments, mostly repeating the same tired old crap? Do you have tourette's syndrome?

Let's see how many more comments it takes you to attempt to get your point across.

[didjman]

Gully,

It's clear that you're unable to have a civil conversation and unable to debate actual ideas. When you grow up and get to a point where you're capable of such things, let me know--I'll be happy to engage you in a conversation.

[Gullyborg]

Whatever.

Oh, by the way, didjman is still welcome to post (hopefully he will try to make his point in fewer comments), but Rick Hickey is now BANNED FROM THIS SITE for continuing to post comment spam unrelated to the post topic.

Bye bye Rick. Don't come back.

[USMC Jake]

didjman assumes the gully has nothing better to do with his time than check back here every few minutes and respond to his (her?) posts. if didjman read this blog regularly, he'd know that gully is in the middle of law school final exams while trying to find a new place to live in a new city. so I can excuse gully for not answering.

I usually don't have the time, energy, or inclination to post my own comments--but since this post now has over 20 comments, I got drawn in and took a look. don't worry gully, I got yer back!

so now I will respond for him:

didjman wrote:

'You could have said "well, actually Iraq is going swimmingly, Bush hasn't shipped all our money out the door, he hasn't hired a bunch of criminals, and he hasn't broken every law in the country."

But you didn't do anything like that. '

well, now I will fill in for gully:

We ARE doing well in Iraq. if all you listen to is CNN, BBC, and the new york times, you might think differently. I, on the other hand, have been in Iraq and seen first hand the success we are making. 26 million free citizens, free elections, a new government, women working and going to school, rape rooms shut down, and while 2,500 AMerican soldiers dead is certainly tragic, compare that to the 250,000 killed during the same time duration in World War II. Compare the progress we have made in 4 years to the miserable failure of 8 years in Vietnam. And considering that TO THIS DAY there are still 60,000 U.S. troops in Germany and Japan, calls for "exit strategy" ring hollow. The Iraq war represents the single greatest military success in the history of mankind, despite the best efforts of lying fifth-columnist scum like you and Neil trying to drag our men and women in uniform down.

Bush hasn't shipped all our money out the door. I honestly have no idea what point you were trying to make there, but I have thousands of dollars in the bank, and that's BANK OF AMERICA not some other country. Jobs are up. Stock markets are up. Home sales are up. What is this problem you think you see? is it that you are broke? maybe you should, you know, get a JOB instead of playing guitar, and do something productive with your life. but that would mean actually working (and bathing) and I'm sure it would cut in to your reality tv viewing schedule.

Bush hasn't hired a bunch of criminals. What criminals do you think he hired? I don't see any felons in the White House. You must be talking about Scooter Libbey? Innocent until proven guilty bud, innocent until proven guilty. And what crime do you think he did? Hmmm... rape, perjury, giving nuclear secrets to the chicoms? Oh wait, that was BILL CLINTON! Back up your allegations with some facts instead of slinging mud, you "maggot infested cockroach."

Bush hasn't broken every law in the country. I can't think of ANY laws he broke. Could you be more specific there? Any actual crimes you can point to? See above.

there. the conservatives answer your whacked out liberal delusions. now crawl back under your rock and go back to leeching off society, because no one gives a shit about your leftwing propaganda. oh, and no one listens to neil young except for 60 year old hippies like gully has to deal with in Eugene (don't worry Gully, Salem is better).

keep up the good work, Gully! you will be graduating soon. America NEEDS lawyers like you. And I ordered Skynyrd from amazon, just because of this post.

Semper Fi!

[Ken Summers]

Fact: Neil Young sucks as a singer/artist/musician. Always has, always will (very rare exceptions noted).

Irrespective of politics.

Lynard Skynard is okay, at best.

That's my artistic comment for the evening.

Politics aside, here is a true story from almost 30 years ago but it echoes this post beautifully.

In college, my roomie had an amazing and expensive and LOUD stereo system. One day, the guy below us bought a new Neil Young album (not the one with "Southern Man", that would have been too perfect). He played it continually for a few days, irritating the crap out of us. Finally, my roomie put the speakers face down on the floor and blasted "Sweet Home Alabama" at about 2 million watts.

Red-faced confession: Because I'm not a big Skynard fan, he had to explain whey "SWA" was the right song to play.

Small addendum: Your software seems to check to see if a url is valid. Mine is currently under a DOS attack and this comment was initially rejected, so apparently your software works. Just thought you might like to know.

[didjman]

Jake,

At least you made an honest attempt to engage in debate (too bad you also had to resort to the juvenile name-calling).

First of all, I have no expectations that Gully will check back with any regularity. It's just that EVERY SINGLE POST he made consisted of nothing but name-calling.

If he's going to law school, one would think that he's learning things like how to make a coherent argument.

I can just see it: "Dear members of the jury, the (defendent/plaintiff) is nothing but a maggot-infested cockroach. I urge you to find the defendant (guilty/innocent)."

Yeah, that'd go over really well.

I'd say that at best Iraq is a mixed blessing. Saddam Hussein being out of power is undoubtedly a good thing. It's also become a hot-bed of terror.

The Iraqis seem to want us out--according to an August 2005 British Ministry of defense poll, 82% of Iraqis were strongly opposed to the presence of coalition troops. The percentage who believe coalition forces were responsible for increases in security is less than 1%. The percentage who say they wer less secure because of the occupation is 67%. The percentage who said they rarely had safe, clean water was 71%. 45%! said that attacks against British and American troops was justified.

Not a rosy picture.

As for "shipping all of our money out the door", I believe Mr. Young is referring to the huge increase in the national debt under Mr. Bush, much of which is held by China.

The unemployment rate is still higher than any of the last three years of Clinton's presidency.

By the way, I am not a big fan of Bill Clinton.

How many Clinton officials were convicted, despite a lengthy, expensive investigation? One. (I believe the Reagan administration set the record on that one--29 officials convicted).

It's unclear how many Bush administration officials will be convicted, if any. It looks likely that Karl Rove will join Scooter Libby in being indicted. Yes, they are innocent until proven guilty (the same is true of Bill Clinton--you make charges about him that he was not convicted of).

Perhaps it's unfair to tar the Bush administration for the doings of Duke Cunningham, but it does seem fair to tie him to Jack Abrahamoff, who has pled guilty.

By the way, I find it interesting that right-wingers refer to accused criminals simply as "criminals" EXCEPT when it's people they support who are accused, like Oliver North (convicted, conviction overturned on a "technicality"), Rush Limbaugh (I guess he made a deal with the prosecutors), and Scooter Libby.

If I were writing Neil's song, I probably would have worded that line differently.

Jake, I'm glad you joined in--although you also resorted to the juvenile name-calling, at least it's not a battle of wits with an unarmed man, as it seems to be with Gully.

[didjman]

Oh, and it seems that nobody on this site knows the answer to the question I posed: Who first used the term "military industrial complex." It was that renowned socialist, Dwight Eisenhower.

[-keith in silicon valley]

Hey, how about we re-write some country's anthem, You got a good native-country song? Something that really resonates? One that makes you proud of your history? One that was written by a famous figure in the past? A glorious song of wars fought-hard, and battles won, battles that were paid-for in blood? All the hardship and suffering that stirs you, and embodies the noble soul and essence of your native land?? Something that maybe people lately have gotten lax and condescending about, but still raises their spirits and national ardor? How about We re-write your Old-Country song to our own words and language, change a few things - sing it in English?

It will still sound like the old anthem-thing, but that was old and we need to change it so it addresses our modern-day needs and wants. That would be bitchin' kewl (and so postmodern), right?

Not that it would matter up in socialist Cannuckistan, their anthem is meaningless.

[didjman]

Gee, Keith, I'm not aware that Neil Young re-wrote the Star Spangled Banner. He did use a bit of it in a song.

Oh, and Gully, why don't you show some of your law professors our posts on this thread, and ask them, based on the logic in our postings, who they would rather have represent them. Let me know what they say.

So far, it seems that Jake is the only righty on this site who is able to put together a coherent argument, and even he can't help but resort to ad hominem attacks.

[Max]

Gully,

I like Neil Young, though I don't usually agree with him.

I do, however, agree with banning Rick - that guy's been like a rash all over the place with the same long post.

Once or twice is plenty - a concept not grasped. I do, however suggest consideration of hiatus, rather than outright ban.

[didjman]

I've learned over the years not to judge a Neil Young album on its first few listens. There were some that I loved right away, but over time the seemed not to hold up that well, and others that didn't grab me right away, but eventually became favorites.

I listened to the streaming Living With War, and there are a couple of catchy pieces, but overall it didn't grab me as one of his top CDs musically. I may feel differently after hearing it more times, but that's my initial reaction.

I did think it's effective on "Let's Impeach the President" when he uses Bush's own words that contradict himself.

You can check it out for yourself at www.neilyoung.com.

[A law professor]

If you think name calling, smear tactics, and emotional appeal won't win over a jury over good old facts and logic, you have obviously never tried a case.

How do you think people like Johnny Cochran make it big?

Why do you think people like Michael Jackson (pardon the pun) get off?

In the courtroom, give me a bomb-thrower over a cogent argument, anyday.

[didjman]

I guess it depends on the jury. On the three juries I've been on, the facts and the law were diligently pored over. A lawyer who called one of the parities in the case a maggot-infested cockroach would have been laughed at.

Johnnie Cochrane is far more than his work on the O.J. Simpson case--he represented Reginald Denny, the white trucker seriously injured in the riots that followed the first Rodney King verdict.

He at least backed his grandstanding with logic and real argument. Gully has shown absolutely none of that in this thread.

Sure, his calling Neil Young a maggot-infested cockroach may appeal to people who already hate Neil Young's music, but he's not going to pursuade anyone else, and when prodded to actually respond to Neil Young's lyrics, Gully responded with more name calling, and attacking me for making too many posts.

I can just imagine him in the courtroom: " Judge, this is just unfair. The other side has called 40 witnesses, and I haven't called any. Obviously the other side has way too much time on its hands. And another thing, they have occasionally used different witnesses to make the same point in different ways. What's up with that?"

With that kind of approach in the courtroom, he'd last about 5 minutes.

[Sailor Republica]

Neil Young needs to die.

Not for any political thing. Just because his songs suck ass.

And yes, I'm a better DJ than didjman.

Lawnmower time.

[didjman]

Gee, I thought conservatives were "pro-life".

You probably are a better DJ than I am, since I'm not a DJ at all.

[Independent Thinker]

You might not be a DJ, but if you invest this much effort into commenting on one post on one blog, you obviously have no job or life.

[SpankThatDonkey]

Awesome post !!! Better believe I got second helping on vinyl.. time to get one of dem shiny things...