There are two sayings that we all know and love, trite and cliche as they may be (or get used): "never judge a book by its cover" and "wearing your heart on your sleeve." There are times that I forget about the first while living the second.

Since I was introduced into the underground music scene, nearly 20 years ago, I have always tried to search out other like-minded individuals. In "the scene," the music that one listens to often influences how one dresses (or one's preferred style of dress) so one of the ways that we would find others in "the scene" was by clothes (I know it sounds kind of sad but work with me here). Things were obviously a bit different in the pre-alternative explosion of the 1990's, but even after that point one could often approach someone who's wearing a t-shirt of a band that you like (which is how I met Otter) or dressed a certain way and strike up a conversation (which is how I met Danny). There was also a time that "the scene" was more inclusive than it is now. Many people nowadays get serious chips on their shoulders are shun those they do not know. This phenomenon has always saddened me because my first days in "the scene" were pretty wonderful. There was a group of kids who accepted me for who I was, no questions asked, and we shared music and friendship getting through the mess of high school. So in the honor of the inclusion that was shown to me, I have made a point to find others over the years to share the kindness that I was shown (I try to do this in general but it also applies here).

Fast-forward to a couple of weeks ago. There is a guy at my job who wears a leather jacket that has the names of many punk bands painted on it. So I happened to run into him and started up a conversation about Rancid. We chatted about some other bands (during which time I expressed my deep dislike of The Exploited) and I asked him what he thought of Minor Threat. I received a fairly blank stare in response. Now for those not well versed in punk rock or the underground scene, Minor Threat was one of the most important and influential hardcore bands of the 1980's. This is a band that I would expect anyone who knows the Misfits (one of this gentleman's favorite bands) to know. After a few other conversations I wrote down a list of band for this young man to check out. The list included 7 Seconds, Descendents, Husker Du, Swingin' Utters, The Replacements, Stiff Little Fingers, Screeching Weasel, Cock Sparrer, and The Minutemen. I will forgive someone for not knowing all of these bands, but he didn't know any of them. These are all classics and staples in "the scene" and I was honestly amazed that he knew none of them. I had judged the book by its cover.

This isn't the first time in recent years that I have run into similar situations. In some cases, they are kids that are new to "the scene" and are eager to learn and in some cases they are people who act like they already know it all. This guy at work seems to be in the middle of this spectrum, closer to the eager kid side. Sadly I get frustrated because so many time these are people who are putting on a fashion show and don't really care about the music or "the scene." With me, what you see is what you get. I don't dress like a slob or gutter punk but there is a definite punk/oi/indie rock style to my dress. In other words, I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve.

Even though I'm sure that I will run into this type of situation many more times over the years, I highly doubt that I will ever try to stop finding those like-minded individuals to wax intellectual with about music (and anything else for that matter), yet I'm still reminded of Minor Threat's "Salad Days" nonetheless.

The other night at work I'm talking with my friend and one of the supervisors in our department. My friend, Daniel is his name, was telling us about his recent illness that had kept him away from work for a few days. He had the bronchitis, strep throat double shot, and of Friday was doped up and hulled up on his couch shivering from fever. He was so sick that he forgot to call in to work and was thus logged as a "no call, no show" (which holds some pretty stiff consequences in this company). My gut, knee jerk reaction to hearing this was "Are you going to get someone to take care of that?" To which he responded, "There's nothing to take care of, I messed up." The supervisor, who is also a good friend, then said "Look the liberal wants someone to fix it while the conservative takes personal responsibility" (Daniel is a pretty hard line Christian conservative). We all had a good laugh at my expense and went on working, but I spent a lot of the rest of the night at home thinking about it.

Now before anyone out there starts to say things like "Dave is against personal responsibility" let me take you on a philosophical journey through the mind of Dave (scary I know but work with me here). To me intent and circumstances are often as important as actions. Granted at the end of the day we are all responsible for our actions, this is something that I believe with all of my heart, but in trying to understand ones actions I think it is important to understand the intent of the individual and the circumstances of the situation. This is not a new concept. During the Pax Romana, the emphasis of the law was on intent. One can see this influence in our current legal system. An excellent example is in whether a suspect is charged and/or convicted of manslaughter instead of murder. I know this is an extreme example but it illustrates my point.

In asking the question, "Are you going to get someone to take care of that?" I wanted to make sure that my friend wasn't going to get shafted. Yes he messed up and should have called in, but when you are so sick that you can't get out of bed (or in this case off the couch) I have a hard time with implementing the same exact punishment that would be given to someone who didn't call in to work because he/she was drunk or stoned. Daniel is a hard worker and he now is going to have to work even harder to improve his attendance score (don't ask…this company uses a point system for attendance that is a bit convoluted and very hard to explain). This is part of my natural outlook on life and the world. Like the ancient Romans I believe in the concept of equity (i.e. fairness, but hopefully I do a better job of it than they did, but that is a topic for another time). I know that the world is not fair or equal, but I want to do what I can to see as much fairness and equality spread as possible.

With all the criticism I laid out in some of the previous posts, I thought it would be a good idea if I provided a list of people that I look up to, admire, respect, and who have influenced me. This list includes politicians, religious leaders, musicians, journalists, and commentators. Some of these people I know and call friends and others I have appreciated from afar. When possible I have included links to either these individuals' web pages/blogs and links to any Wikipedia articles about said individuals that I can find.

In no particular order –
Tony Blair – 10 Downing Street Bio; Wiki article
Dave Smalley (lead singer of Down By Law; former lead singer of DYS, Dag Nasty, and ALL) – Gonzo Conservative column; Hardcare Hall of Fame interview; Wiki article
Mark Linskey (lead singer of the Hudson Falcons)
Tenzin Gyatso, The Dali Lama -- Official web site; Wiki article
Mother Teresa – Wiki article
Robert F. Kennedy – Wiki article
Joe Lieberman – US Senate web site; Wiki article
Andrew Sullivan – Official blog; Wiki article
John Dean – Find Law Writ column; Wiki article
Bono (lead singer of U2) – Wiki article
Ian MacKaye (lead singer of The Evens and Fugazi; former lead singer of Minor Threat and Embrace) – Dischord Records Bio; Wiki article
Kevin Seconds (leader singer of 7 Seconds) – Official blog; Wiki article
Colin Powell – White House Bio; Wiki article
Johnny Cash – Official web site; Wiki article
Dick Morris – Official blog; Wiki article
Tom Brokaw – Wiki article
Dennis Miller – Official web site; Wiki article
Pope John Paul II – Vatican Bio; Wiki article
Michael Stipe (lead singer of R.E.M.) – Wiki article
Art Bell – Coast To Coast AM Bio; Wiki article
Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha) – Wiki article
Mahatma Gandhi – Wiki article
Martin Luther King, Jr. – Noble Prize Bio; Wiki article
Neal Conan – NPR Bio; Wiki article

Over that last few days I've been trying to write a post on what would be my platform if I ran for President. While thinking about it today the idea expanded to putting together a list of random things that I believe in (ranging from politics to music to TV to religion). The idea came partially from a list that Rush Limbaugh had put together years ago called the 35 truths or something. So here is my list of random thoughts, feelings, opinions, and beliefs.

In no particular order –
1. Liberty and freedom are the most important aspects of American government and culture.
2. In their purest forms, communism, socialism, democracy, and capitalism are abysmal failures.
3. Separation of church and state is a vital and important concept and is part of the foundation of the United States.
4. Abortion is wrong. We should do everything humanly possible to prevent abortions, but they must remain legal.
5. I believe in God, karma, and the afterlife.
6. Collectively, the working class in this country is getting the short end of the stick.
7. Our tax system is completely broken and abused. The best potential solution that I have seen is the Fair Tax.
8. Equality of opportunity is more important than equality of results.
9. Jimmy Carter was probably the best person to hold the office of the Presidency in my lifetime. Unfortunately he was probably the worst President in my lifetime.
10. Bobby Kennedy could have changed the world if he had not been killed.
11. Lilly Tomlin is the greatest actress alive, closely followed by Kathy Bates.
12. It is physically impossible for George Lucas to release a completely finished product.
13. Citizen Kane is the greatest film ever made.
14. Jesus would be devastated by some of the things that have been done in his name. As would Buddha, Mohammed, and God.
15. Overall, America is a force for good. To fully appreciate this one must understand the complexity of our history, the good and the bad.
16. The Second Amendment provides individuals the right to bear arms.
17. Morality does not come from religion. Religion is an expression of human morality.
18. Angels & Demons is a much better book than The Da Vinci Code.
19. Twenty years ago, John Cusack would have made an incredible Holden Caulfield.
20. The Ramones are the greatest band on rock 'n' roll since the 1970's.
21. Star Wars is a work of fantasy fiction, not science fiction.
22. Mystery Science Theater 3000 was the most inventive and original television show ever.
23. Tom Brokaw was the best news anchor of our time and possibly the best ever.
24. No one political philosophy or ideology has all the answers.
25. If someone tells you that he/she has all of the answers, then that person is a liar or a fool.
26. We should all live by and follow the Golden Rule.
27. Whether Jesus was divine or not is not the point. His message is what matters.
28. Collin Powell would have been an excellent President.
29. The first step to solving the illegal immigration issue is sealing the border. Once that is done, our laws that determine who gets to enter our country need to be reformed (if people could get here legally they wouldn't do it illegally). Finally we can then determine how to best deal those who are already here.
30. The North American Union is a bad idea.
31. We need a Kennedy-esque moon mandate to focus our energies on getting away from using oil. First we need to produce and refine more of our own oil. Second we need to provide incentives to the car manufactures, oil/energy companies, and gas station chains to collectively and via competition develop new ways to power our vehicles and new means to distribute the new fuel. Third we need to make sure that these companies have the incentives to keep and grow good paying jobs in America.
32. The long term fix for illegal immigration is to fix Mexico, the Mexican government, and the Mexican economy.
33. God has taken different forms for different peoples and spoken through many different prophets and messengers.
34. The Dropkick Murphys are the next U2.
35. Drugs should be decriminalized.
36. As should prostitution.
37. And gambling.
38. That having been said, I believe that drug abuse and gambling are harmful activities that if done in excess can destroy peoples lives. Also I believe that you should only have sex with someone that you are in love with. All of that having been said, the government has no business telling individuals what they can or cannot do with their bodies or money as long as their actions are not harming others, beyond stand health regulations of course (regulation of drugs by the FDA or some other agency; regulation of prostitutes and mandatory STD testing; etc).
39. You can learn something from anyone, even if it is what not to do.
40. Bill Stevenson is the best drummer in rock 'n' roll.
41. School vouchers are wrong. The education of America's youth is all of our responsibilities.
42. Political correctness is like a bad virus.
43. Ideologues and zealots are destroying this country.
44. Marriage is a religious institution and thus the government has no say in the matter. The government should provide civil unions for any two consenting adults (18 or older) and by doing so, fulfilling the equal protection under the law clause of the 14th Amendment.
45. Affirmative Action should still be used to help minorities who attended inadequate schools get into college.
46. The public education system needs to be reformed to streamline the process and expenses, to provide higher salaries for teachers, to reward teachers who succeed, to have basic unified standards while at the same time providing local communities the ability to tailor the education to their needs.
47. The best album to have been released in my lifetime is U2's The Joshua Tree.
48. My favorite song of all time is "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel.
49. I want the songs "As One" by the Dropkick Murphys and "40" by U2 played at my funeral.
50. I want my body to be cremated and my ashes spread across the ocean.
51. I believe in recycling and doing everything possible to keep our world safe and clean.
52. Terry Brooks is the best fantasy author alive today.
53. While I may not agree with him on a lot of issues, I think that Tom Coburn has been an excellent Senator and unless the Democrats provide a stunning candidate I will vote for Coburn's re-election.
54. The music of U2, R.E.M., 7 Seconds, the Dropkick Murphys, Johnny Cash, The Blues Brothers, and Peter, Paul & Mary have had major impacts on my life. 55. I believe in evolution.
56. The truth always comes out in the end.