Cliven Bundy on blacks: ‘Are they better off as slaves?’

"Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher whom some Republicans and tea party activists have rallied around as he fights federal government efforts to restrict the land his cattle can graze on, suggests in a New York Times story that African Americans might be better off as slaves, given their current situation."

“I want to tell you one more thing I know about the Negro,” he said. Mr. Bundy recalled driving past a public-housing project in North Las Vegas, “and in front of that government house the door was usually open and the older people and the kids — and there is always at least a half a dozen people sitting on the porch — they didn’t have nothing to do. They didn’t have nothing for their kids to do. They didn’t have nothing for their young girls to do.

“And because they were basically on government subsidy, so now what do they do?” he asked. “They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. And I’ve often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn’t get no more freedom. They got less freedom.” (read more)

The call is going out for conservatives to distance themselves from Bundy. I find it interesting that after President Obama has repeatedly called for a national conversation or race, as soon as a citizen is engaged in the race conversation, the conversation is used against him.
I'm not going to defend Bundy, but, (I guess I 'am) we all have been asked to talk about race. And unless there is a school we have to go to learn how to talk about it. I'm not going to condemn a man for being in-artfull, un-nuanced as to the euphemism riddled, ever evolving language of race. Bundy spoke his mind the best he could, which is saying a lot, in the day when exercising free speech by making a donation to the unapproved cause can get you virtually tarred and feather not to mention fired.

KLEM FM

Ozzy Osbourne appeared briefly onstage with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler the other night on the Grammys:

I used to love Black Sabbath. But by the time I got to see them -- in 1974 -- they could barely put on a show. They showed up over an hour late at their Madison, WI show and played for less than that. My most vivid memory (from safely off to the right up in the stands) is the lights abruptly coming back up after 45 minutes or so and the angry mob of drunken fans refusing to leave. A well-aimed, empty liquor bottle struck Bill Ward's bass drum and bounced off. Black Sabbath had sodded off, never to return. I was pissed off -- $4.50 was a lot of money to me then -- equivalent to $25 or so today.

Ozzy explains what was going wrong behind the scenes at the time:

(The clip is from Penelope Spheeris' epic "The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years").  Watching Ozzy cook bacon and pour orange juice is worth the click.

Black Sabbath still can't seem to reconcile with original drummer Bill Ward. My cursory read is that they badly mistreated him over the years and still enjoy doing so. Screw them. I won't forgive them or give them another dime until they do. Nobody lives forever, so kiss and make up.

Let It Bleed

Brian Jones played maracas, oboe, alto saxophone, and harpsichord on that 1967 song. Shortly thereafter, things soured. Allegedly, the following exchange between Jagger and Jones occurred during the recording of "You Can't Always Get What You Want":

Jones meekly asked an agitated Jagger, "What can I play?" Jagger's terse response was 'I don't know, Brian, what can you play?'

A year later, Jones was dead. I'm looking for the source of that quote. I think it's in Keith Richards' "Life" however I can't word search it.