While many have been spending the past fourteen years begging for Chinese Democracy, I’ve been waiting eighteen years for NKOTB’s The Block (1993’s Face The Music doesn’t count, because it was a piece of shit- like Guns N’ Roses’ Spaghetti Incident in ’94), though a comeback album wasn’t always in the works.

When The New Kids On The Block went on the Magic Summer Tour in 1990, I was there. It was a birthday present to my mother– that’s how in love I was with NKOTB. I was there at Dodger Stadium in a handmade shirt that read “I love Joey!!” even though Jordan was my favorite. Long story short, my older sisters called dibs on all the other New Kids until only Joey was left. We certainly couldn’t have duplicates.

Axl Rose didn’t call the FBI, but today it became more than obvious that someone really was serious about that threat. Johnny and I sat on a pew in the U.S. District Court building in Downtown L.A. as Skwerl sat behind glass, in handcuffs, and still in his jammies since the FBI arrested him at 6:59 this morning.

After five or so other cases were presented, the United States of America presented her case against Skwerl. The proceeding was mostly about what his bail was going to be set at. The U.S.A. requested bail be set at $50,000. Skwerl’s court-appointed attorney thankfully called B.S. on that one and recommended his bail be $5,000 and that this case is the kind of case where the defendant should have been summoned to appear instead of being accosted by five F.B.I. agents at his home in a quiet neighborhood.

After nearly two decades of sitting around crying about the end of the Cold War, Russia has decided to try that whole world domination thing again- this time they have their eyes set on a smaller, less bad-ass target: Georgia. No, no, not the state! The country! Georgia “is a transcontinental country partially in Eastern Europe and partially in Southwest Asia in the Caucasus region” (Wikipedia).

You see how I cited Wikipedia there? That’s what you’re supposed to do when you take information from a source and use it for your own reports, papers, and speeches. But it’s also important to note that Wikipedia isn’t exactly looked at very highly by the academic community based on the fact that it’s very user friendly.

Last week, the New York Times published an op-ed by Barack Obama, outlining Obama’s Plan For Iraq. It was bound to be followed by a rebuttal from John McCain. And it was– sort of.

McCain’s editorial response was submitted and quickly rejected by the New York Times Op-Ed editor, David Shipley. In his response to the McCain team, Shipley states that he’s “not going to be able to accept [the] piece as currently written,” but that he’d be “pleased” to look over a different draft.

What does that really mean? Is that editorial decision being made based on policy or content? McCain’s camp is quick to point out that Shipley served in the Clinton Administration and that the real problem is that he doesn’t agree with McCain’s policies toward Iraq and that reworking the draft would be useless unless it came with a change in policy.

The word change dates back to the 13th century and is a derivative of the Latin cambiare, which means to exchange, or barter. Today, the dictionary tells me that change means “to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone.” Maybe we can specify “politics” or “government” as that “something” and Obama fans can put it on a button and wear it on their sleeves along with their naiveté.

Last October I had a few lapses in judgment. One was dying my hair dark brown, one was a less-than-perfect life choice, and the other was getting a little turned on by Barack Obama. On October 3, 2007, Obama was campaigning in Independence, Iowa, raping the dry husk that is the American Dream, *giggle* when one reporter noticed something strange.

“You don’t have the American flag pin on. Is that a fashion statement?” he asked and pointed out that politicians had been wearing them since September 12, 2001.

At that moment, my world stood still as Obama spoke. He said he stopped wearing the pin on his lapel after 9/11 when it became “substitute for… true patriotism” and that his ideas for America will prove to be a testament to his patriotism. Immediately, I fell in love, but others saw it as a weakness and further questioned his patriotism and support of American troops overseas. “You show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who serve. And you show your patriotism by being true to your values and ideals. And that’s what we have to lead with, our values and ideals,” Obama said the next day in a response to the attacks. That, I think, is the spirit of change Barack Obama wants to embody, but has failed terribly at in recent days. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that his supposed candor is nothing but eloquent rhetoric that is just as malleable as any other politician’s promises.