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Politics : I Will Continue to Continue, to Pretend.... -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: abstract who wrote (3598)	7/19/2004 6:24:14 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

Could you explain to me how the article, <font color=blue>Elton Attacks 'censorship'<font color=black> in US is "on topic" for this thread? What is reality defying about this POS opinion piece? The article defies reality, but neither you nor the author made any such claim. Just because Elton is famous does not make his POS opinion factual, nor does it make it relevant to the subject matter that this thread is based upon. Please do not post any more articles here unless they are "on topic". No more excuses Paul. If you continue to insist on posting "off topic" articles & opinions here, you will be banned.

To: abstract who wrote (3598)	7/20/2004 1:03:19 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

Fools in Fashion Best of the Web Today - July 19, 2004 By JAMES TARANTO <font color=blue> "Elton John has said stars are scared to speak out against war in Iraq because of 'bullying tactics' used by the US government to hinder free speech,"<font color=black> reports the BBC, picking up an interview from Interview, an eponymous New York-based magazine. <font size=4>In reality, of course, the stars won't shut up about their opposition to the war. If this is <font color=blue>"censorship,"<font color=black> imagine what <font color=blue>"free speech"<font color=black> would be like. The rest of us wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise. Of course, it turns out there's no substance to John's complaint: <font color=blue><font size=3> "There was a moment about a year ago when you couldn't say a word about anything in this country for fear of your career being shot down by people saying you are un-American," he told the magazine. <font color=black><font size=4> So John is crying <font color=blue>"censorship"<font color=black> (the BBC headline appropriately puts the word in scare quotes) because for <font color=blue>"a moment about a year ago,"<font color=black> there was the possibility that criticism of Iraq's liberation would be met with . . . criticism! John also pines for the good old days of the 1960s: <font color=blue><font size=3> "People like Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, The Beatles and Pete Seeger were constantly writing and talking about what was going on. "That's not happening now. As of this spring, there have been virtually no anti-war concerts--or anti-war songs that catch on, for that matter," he said. <font color=black><font size=4> To judge by this list of <font color=blue>"Vietnam War era music,"<font color=black> though, Elton John was AWOL from that antiwar movement. The list includes two John hits, <font color=blue>"Honky Cat" and "Saturday Night's Alright [sic] for Fighting."<font color=blue> Here's a sample of the "Honky Cat"<font color=black> lyrics: <font color=blue><font size=3> They said stay at home boy, you gotta tend the farm Living in the city boy, is going to break your heart But how can you stay, when your heart says no How can you stop when your feet say go <font color=black> And this is from <font color=blue>"Saturday Night's Alright": Don't give us none of your aggravation We had it with your discipline Saturday night's alright for fighting Get a little action in <font size=4> Not exactly Speaking Truth to Power, is it? John did record a tune called <font color=blue>"Act of War"<font color=black>--in 1985, a decade after Saigon fell to the communists. Oh well, better late than never, right? But it turns out the song is strictly about domestic affairs: <font color=blue><font size=3> This ain't no battle honey, this ain't no fight How come you take it so hard when I stay out all night If I take a drink, is that against the law And if I have a good time, do you call that an act of war <font color=black><font size=4> Apparently <font color=blue>"staying out all night"<font color=black>> is Elton John's idea of being socially conscious. The man is what we might call a chicken-dove.