Friday, July 04, 2008

"American Idiot" by Green Day



I realize that Green Day's massive hit single American Idiot was especially written for the truly delightful George W. Bush, but it seems appropriate somehow to dedicate it today to the recently deceased Jesse Helms.

The song is the title track of the band's 2004 album American Idiot; at the time it first appeared it was the strongest condemnation of the Bush Administration in the allegedly left-wing media*, which was then sleepwalking through White House press conferences, neglecting its duty to ask the hard questions with regards to the whereabouts of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, flagrant human rights violations at home and abroad, and generally displaying an attitude of collusion towards this tyrant.

And yet, like most good art, it's entirely relatable to the man of the hour as well, who did his country the greatest honour he could have by dying on the Fourth of July; indeed, from now on the term "Independence Day" will have a slightly different ring to it thanks to the one and only good thing Jesse Helms ever did.

*"Left-wing media"... Hah!
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Happy Birthday America!

America's foremost perennial bigot - at least since the death of his girlfriend Jerry Falwell last year - Jesse Helms has died at the age of 86; although, given the political views and voting record of this dinosaur his wasn't so much a death as an extinction.

PhotobucketAs we speak, event planners in Hell are planning the biggest event in the history of Hell, namely this creep's homecoming. Needless to say, it's all going smoothly, as there are almost as many event planners in Hell as there are lawyers. If you don't believe me you can ask any cater waiter to confirm this very fact.

It surprised me to learn (in the course of my research for this piece) that Helms was born in 1921, at the height of what is now called the Progressive Era; I only found it surprising because many of his ideas were born in 1821, in what we at the Pop Culture Institute like to refer to as "the bad old days".

Anyways, here's hoping that karma is not only a bitch but on a heavy period during a chocolate shortage today.
*
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