hey, Do the Stu, I agree that ITLIS is the best post 2000 cd. I love every song on there but my fave is 'If I Could Fly'. you know one thing though, there are great songs on all the cds, sometimes an album that as a whole may not be a favorite but it has one awsome song on it. I would put Starry night in this group. I especially liked the live version from Denver. I also liked the others from SBM but just not as much. well i am going to the wiltern show, maybe i will see you there. i missed you at the g3 show last time. this time we are sitting way up in the mezz. because i have been so busy i just now got the tickets. the time just got away from me. this time i will be bringing my daughter to the show. she got to see and meet joe a couple years back at west LA music and she is looking forward to it.

woodworking is a hobby for me and i am going to make a guitar in the js1000 style. I haven't decided on the color yet but i was thinking of chrome. they have a chrome paint that is supposed to look really good. another thought was that i could use color changing paint like on the 90thham. any way it comes out i will try to post some photos if anyone is interested.

hey do the stu.

brad,

regarding the fan question

i believe the term 'fan' is short for fanatic. To answer the questions,

Do you think you can be a fan if you know the name of the band, but don't know any names of the songs? no. a fan knows the names of most or all of the songs and also knows about the band's history and members.

Do you think you can be considered a fan if you don't feel the need to buy any of their albums or have no interest in going to a concert? no. if you are a fan, you have at least some of the band's work and you have interest in going to a concert. you may not be able to go due to where you live but you want to. you don't need to own everything a band has ever created. the group may have changed over time and the music styles could be way different- early doobie brothers vs. later doobie brothers is an example.

Is there a line between "I'm a fan of (that band)" and "I like their work"??? yes. many people like lots of band's music but they may not be true fans.

And finally. If you were to ask a person if they were a fan of something, do you think it should only be a yes or no answer?? Is being a fan black or white, or are their shades of gray in between? yes or no. no shades of gray.

just my two cents

Well, tomorrow is Joe's birthday. I was thinking it would be a really cool idea if those who can give would give to charity in Joe's honor. There are tons of places - near and far. Soup kitchens, animal shelters, local places in your area, or bigger organizations like United Way, Interational Red Cross, ChildFund, ASPCA, Charity Water, or any other place that's near to your heart.

That is a great idea, my wife and i support the wounded warrior project. www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Michelle, i can see how strongly you feel about this. i feel for those people in Colorado too. whether you like it or not, the militia is every able-bodied person of age. that is how it was when they wrote our Constitution. all the citizens were expected to provide their own arms and defend the nation. it seems to me that when people form militias and practice so they can actually do the job, certain people tend to get worried and upset, and try to stop the militias from organizing. the whole purpose of an armed public is to protect us from the rule makers, the government. that is a tough job now that we have a standing army, but nonetheless that is what the militia is for. the other thing is, that the bill of rights is not a list of rights granted to us by the government, it is a list of natural rights that every person has, given to him by his creator. there are a lot more people alive because of guns then there are dead because of them. there certainly are not 100,000 deaths from gun violence each year. tragedies like this happen in spite of laws against gun ownership. i do agree with you that in a crowded theater, with no clear target, it would have been difficult for armed citizens to stop this guy. i am sure there were warning signs that this guy was not right in the head. now as far as the weapon he used, there are probably hundreds of different guns that fire the same cartridges that he used. there is nothing more powerful about that gun than the others. the highest crime rates are where the guns have been taken from the people. if the people of this country want to dis-arm the public, they can make a constitutional amendment and do it the right way. i doubt if that will happen in my lifetime. it is more likely that the government will try to 'protect us from ourselves'

its ok if we disagree Michelle.i didn't see the author's name at the bottom the first time i read it so i thought they were your words.

the founders wrote the Constitution a long time ago and they did it right. they knew there would be things that needed changed over time. but they didn't want a small majority like 50.001% to dictate to the other 49.999%. that is why it is so hard to amend the Constitution. it should be hard. it takes 3/4 of the states to pass an amendment. you can be sure that if an amendment is passed, then it was the will of the people.

'there is NO NEED for a public citizen to own a semi-automatic weapon. NONE. If you can't defend yourself and your family with a pistol or hunting rifle, then that's just to bad.'

the right to bear arms is not just to protect your family, it is to defend the nation. that was the will of the founders. if you want to change that, you have to convince 75% of the people. otherwise you have to live with it or move elsewhere. i live in the people's republic of california and we have some strict gun control here but i was born here and i like the climate so i put up with the curtailment of my rights.

'I want you to have to fill out 22 gaddamn pages of information and have a double and even triple background check to be able to own one. I want every gun owner to have gun safes and gun locks. '

if we had to do what you want, it would violate the Constitution. there can be no infringement on the right to bear arms. in many places there is a total ban. it isn't right. i sometimes wish they would make people take a test and fill out papers before they vote. or give the lawmakers a drug test before they vote. hell, how about they just ask for ID to make sure who you are. but its not going to happen. so i live with it.

i really don't know what to say about the "the lies of the NRA' . that organization has been around a long time and they are all about defending the rights of regular people. just imagine that instead of the second amendment that was being attacked, it was the first amendment. you wouldn't stand for it. you would fight back. imagine a background check before you could post back to this forum, or a fee every time you wrote your newspaper. the NRA reports to its members what our elected representatives are voting on and how it affects our rights.

' a document written in 1700's by a bunch of guys in pantaloons and wigs is supposed to be solid gold and still fit into today's standards??'

Michelle, the constitution is up to date. it has been amended 27 times, the most recently in 1992. the second amendment is not about the right to sporting arms, it is about the right of military arms. the supreme court has decided that the second amendment applies to military style weapons and it is an individual right. the only way to change it is by amendment. those guys in pantaloons were the founding fathers and they were a pretty smart bunch of guys. not perfect, but that is why they made a way to update the document as needed.

'Votes here in America are bought and paid for by corporations and entities like the NRA.' agreed, just include Big Hollywood, left wing media, and the unions.

'How many stories have you or anyone you know read where a citizen had to use a semi-automatic rifle to protect themselves from a home intruder or a mugger on the street? How many bullets does it take to drop a dear or whatever animal you're hunting for food? One, maybe two. They can be dropped by a sharp stick with a point on it! No need for automatics there.'

there have been lots of incidences of self defense with firearms. probably many more with handguns than long guns. there are legitimate uses of all these guns.

'I believe people are more in love with their entitlement than with what's right or better for society as a whole. As long as it's somebody else getting slaughtered, it's not your problem. '

i think you could substitute the word 'taxed' for slaughtered to make that a correct statement.

hey michelle, it's me again.

'WTF is wrong with these people?? Then to go spreading that bullshit in other countries? Really? People like Mustaine and Nugent and all those other America (loving??) hating idiots need to pack their bags and gtfo and go live in the wild lands somewhere in Bumfuck where they can be mayor Fuckall of their own make believe town.

"Hello me, meet the real me" - No thanks Dave, I've seen enough.

Absolutely mind blowing. I don't think any president in the history of the US has been this blatantly disrespected.'

really? i guess you weren't around the last 10 years or so when literally every democrat and celebrity disrespected America and the president in regards to the war against islamic terror and everything else.

remember the 911 conspiracy? bush had explosives planted in the building when it was built?

'So all the people who voted for McCain in that election because he was white (soooo white) is not the same in what way? '

'A president has the responsibility and duty to take care of the many, not the few.'

i would have to disagree with that statement. the duty of the president is to execute and enforce the laws written by us, the people.

it is every persons own responsibility to take care of themselves. it is the price of freedom. when someone else pays the bills they have a say in how you live your life. think what your parents said to you 'as long as you live under this roof, you will live by our rules'. it is no different with the gov't and the people.

i am not sure what you expect republicans to do. we believe that the policies of the liberals will destroy the country eventually. so we try to stop it. just the same way the liberals would try to stop any conservative efforts. why does this bother you? i guess anyone who is well to do is an idiot. does that include rich liberals?

we don't have to show id in the people's republic of california to vote.

""Section 303(b)(2) specifies the ID requirements for voters who vote in person or by absentee ballot.

"In person" voters must show a "current and valid photo identification" or "a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter."

"Absentee voters" must submit with their ballot one of the documents listed above.

The Secretary of State, in accordance with Elections Code section 14310 (e), has promulgated emergency regulations defining the documents a voter may use to prove ID to vote (see FAQ #3 --- Standards for proof of residency when proof is required by HAVA – Section 20107 of Title 2 of the California Code of Regulations). Is there any way a voter can avoid having to show ID when he or she votes?

Yes.

First, the requirement only applies to voters who have never voted in the county in a federal election. Persons who were already registered as of January 1, 2003, or who change address within the county and re-register, are not required to show ID to vote.

Second, voters who do not register to vote "by mail" are not required to show ID to vote.

Third, Section 303(b)(3) states that if the voter provides his or her driver's license number, or the last 4 digits of his or her social security number, on the form to register to vote, and the elections official can verify the number is correct, then the ID requirement does not apply.""

i think the citizens are concerned that those who get public assistance may not have a legal right to vote, but are still voting. it is very easy here in california to get a fake id, even a fake social security card. we all know which side they will vote for. i live near a sanctuary city where there are millions of illegal aliens. i have heard reports that voters in democratic districts have gone back to the polls after closing and witnessed them stuffing the ballot box. there is indeed voter fraud.

i don't know why you hate the rich so much, but hate will burn you from the inside. in this country we are all still allowed to make our own way in life. some are happy with little and others want to have more. take another look at the richest list and notice that some of them are rich liberals who give to the obama machine.

http://www.fec.gov/disclosurep/PCandCompare.do

http://www.fec.gov/disclosurep/PCandCompare.do

check out the links, they show how much was collected and spent by each candidate.

If you're stealing SS# and making fake ID's, are you really going to be stupid enough to even care to vote and have your name filed with the government? THAT'S NOT HOW CRIMINALS WORK! It's a FEAR TACTIC!!

they're fake ids. they don't use a real name. and yes i think some illegal aliens do vote. there was a local congressional race a few years back, don't remember exactly when but there was a town hall type meeting and the democrat running for re-election was asking for the crowd to vote for her on tuesday. one person said she couldn't vote because she didn't have 'papers'. the candidate said 'there are ways around that'. i remember that because it was taped and i heard it played. i really think that some people will commit voter fraud because they think the ends justify the means.

i don't think it is racist to expect that people who want to come here from other countries should follow the rules. it cost a lot of taxpayer money to educate their children, treat the ill, food stamps, transportation etc. way more than most of these people can possibly earn. i certainly don't want them to vote, because of course they will vote for the guy who will keep the services coming and not lift a finger to deport them. maybe you have to live here to understand the way it is.