It's gotta end sometime

Happy thoughts for a Friday. Well people were all wound up waiting for the European Union to release their findings from the bank stress tests they conducted. It seemed like a big non-event, and the market is basically going sideways on the news. This got me to thinking about the depression that a lot of people seem to be calling for. Not that they’re calling for it, but they are predicting it. The third great depression (did you know there was one in the 1870s? I didn’t either). I don’t know why I started to think about Hitler, I’m trying to connect that dot. Maybe it’s because I was reading about Iran and their nuclear ambitions. Not much of a connection there. Anyway, I was thinking about how Hitler rose to power during the aftermath of the great depression, or whatever they called it in Germany. I guess that helps to answer the questions of how someone like Hitler could achieve so much power and seemingly have the support of the people. I say seemingly, because I think Hitler ruled by fear, and I’m gonna guarantee that people were afraid to oppose him or the third reich in any way. So, that’s not really a people’s mandate so much as everyone is scared shitless to come out and say “this guy is wacko, what are we thinking? Somebody has to stop him!” But it was the economy that allowed Hitler to springboard into power. Now, I have to admit that I know absolutely nothing about Hitler’s rise to power, I don’t know if he was popular cuz he gave out bread or made big promises, or just worked the fear thing mentioned earlier. It just doesn’t matter, the point is that he rose to power in a severe economic climate, and if another severe economic climate develops as many are predicting that one is developing, we may have another Hitler come to power.

Ok. I don’t want to talk about Hitler. I would, if I knew anything about him. I really don’t want to know anything about him though. It’s like, I would like to have known about him enough to maybe comment further on this idea, but I have no desire to do the actual research required to make said observations. A conundrum for sure. Anyhoo, the thing I really wanted to say is that when the whole world economy goes into the shitter as it very well might in the next 3 years, someone, somewhere, is gonna launch a nuke. When things get dire, when people aren’t eating, when people are pissed off, someone is gonna push the button. Okay, this was an easy google, the countries that currently have nukes are USA, Russia, UK, France, and China. There are some other nations claiming nuclear capabilities that I’m a little skeptical of: India (very likely to have them), Pakistan (who the fuck knows what they’re doing), North Korea (yeah, and they also have anti gravity boots, Spanish fly that works, and telepathic telephones, these guys couldn’t blow up a lemonade stand with their ‘weapons’), and Israel (very likely). Safe to say if things turn bad, there are enough nukes out there, that somebody is gonna push the button. I really don’t think we will see the eradication of the human race. I guess that’s a good place to start. I think there could be some mass devastation, probably in the US, because it’s safe to say that we’re a prime target. If someone launches a nuke at us, chances are we will return the favor. Pakistan? Wasn’t that blown off the map? Yep. I’m not the WOPR, so I can’t foresee all the possible attacks and retaliations, but that little scenario I threw out there kinda undermines the idea that the US will be a target, just cuz everyone knows how that would end. You bomb us with some piece of junk that might not work, we eradicate you. Not good odds for the other guys. More likely, someone like Iran lobs something at Israel. Who knows? It’s just food for thought. No doubt if things get ugly, we will all see things that we’d never thought we’d see and go through things we prayed we’d never have to.

On to lighter subjects. I stumbled upon a website that I haven’t thought about in years. Well it’s still around and it’s still pretty darn acerbically funny. I’m talking about Buddyhead. I was just reading their best/worst album reviews for 2009 and it got me laughing out loud a number of times. I didn’t know Dashboard Confessional had a new album last year, buddyhead’s take: “These guys redefined sucking back in 2001.” I dunno, I laughed. Check it out. No need to read the likes, I think I’ve heard of like 2 of the 30 albums that they like. Go straight to the albums they don’t like. Good stuff. They are pretty good at blowing the bands they like, but it’s not nearly as funny as the bands they attack. While I’m on this subject. I’m having a hard time getting motivated to write those record reviews for Pitchfork. I just don’t have any desire to fit into that crowd. I’d have to buy a pair of adidas sambas, roll up my jeans to my knees, buy some plaid short-sleeve oxfords, grow a mustache, and grow out my hair and slick it down. I’m just not there. Whatever I review is just gonna be dismissed by them cuz it’s not Santogold or Andrew Bird. I’m sorta down on the whole idea of record reviews. I mean, who reads them? Do you seriously need someone to review a record before you go check it out? Nowadays you can listen to most records, or parts of them, for free. So if you hear of a band, you can just go listen to it, you don’t need some dildo that’s dressed like a serial killer telling you whether it’s good or not, you can just decide for yourself. That’s how I do it, it seems to be working.

Rock and roll this weekend. Taste of Lincoln ave. They are calling for rain. We shall see. Soul Asylum. Should be good. They rock. And amazingly, I’ve never seen them. Good times are expected.