Purple People

Well, I guess today we should be the Purple Ladies.. I agree with everything my dear friend has said. I have never been a fan of rap 'music'. And I must say I'm floored that it's been around 30 years?? Having been emersed in classical music from an early age, I've always enjoyed music from the right side of my brain. The more key changes and the more rhythm changes, the better. Except of course hard core jazz such as Miles Davis and Chick Corea and contemporary classical artists such as John Cage and Mahler. Just can't get into atonality and 'tone poems'. But rap offers no theory in it's music perspective. I read about one rap band that was experimenting in rhythmic speaking or harmonic rapping or something like that but I never really explored that. When Rap first made a splash, lots of fans were talking about how it was showing the 'Way it is' and 'Keeping it Real', similar to folk and protest music of the '60's. No one really liked that at first either, all those Long-haired Hippy Freaks, but you can still hear it on the radio. Not so with rap, I don't know of any Classic Rap stations. It may reflect the black culture, but is that really the way it is? It glorifies crime, guns, violence, rape, nudity, sex, whereas folk music glorified peace and love. Big difference. I hope the black community find a true leader and spokesman, someone like Martin Luther King, Jr, someone with ideas and the backing, knowledge and charisma to bring about change.

About faith-based initiatives, we have this thing in the Constitution that talks about Separation of Church and State. What is so difficult about that concept? I don't want my tax money going to an institution that will preach to the needy. I will give to my church, but don't use my tax money. Along those same lines, I read today that the Progressive thinking and Cutting Edge legislature of Georgia tabled the Sunday liquor sales bill. This bill would allow each county and community to vote on legalizing sales of alcohol on Sunday. For some reason, preachers, government leaders and even the Governor himself don't want us to choose for ourselves, they feel they know better how to lead our lives than we do. This is a Republican governor and republican legislature, what happened to Less government? The committee chairman, David Shafer (R-Duluth) sent the bill to a subcommittee for review. Who was on the subcommittee? Himself and 2 others against the bill. Now that sounds fair. He eventually appointed another person, Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) to the committee. The preachers are claiming that anyone in favor of this bill will have blood on their hands if it is passed and someone who bought liquor on Sunday was killed. Oh my God, how can any intelligent person stay in this state filled with such ignorant people??!!

And the MARTA thing, I guess renaming some stations will help with the on-time issues, the safety issues, the maintenance issues. Spending tons of money on new sinage will help with these problems, no one will rob anyone in a station with a new name, now will they? It's like renaming Stuart Ave to Metropolitian Blvd, Stuart Ave had a bad reputation, but a new name will help. Like the hookers and junkies and drug dealers care.... MARTA is a great and fabulous tool that can be used to ease traffic congestion and revitalize the city. Get your hands out of everyone's pocket and start doing something constructive!!!