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BACKOFF
In response to Glen Clampitt's letter about
the Mental Health Benefit art auction [Feb. 15],
a few points need to be made: first of alt I am
that good. There are a number of local artists
who can say the same. Second of alt how poor
do I have to be to satisfy you? Jumping Jesus
on a pogo stick. Batman. I work 45 hours a week
to make ends meet Oo you have any idea how
many Almighty Dollars I lose making art? Third,
where do you get off criticizing if or when an
other person donates to charity? If you feel the
Mental Health Benefit people need more help,
Mr. Mother Theresa, just write them a freaking
check. Or better yet, what do you do for a liv
ing? Offer your services for auction. Visual artists
don't exactly have it easy in this town. I mean,
if I were in a band, I could at least get free beer
for my work. As an artist, I self-medicate on my
own dime. In short, back off or buy me a beer.
Mark Watkins
Athens
INQUIRING MINDS
I was interested to read Morgan Hudgens'
response to the Feb. 8 Pub Notes column. When
I read Pete's comments regarding Ralph Hudgens'
political machinations, I felt he was pretty much
on the mark. His feelings mirror mine. Apparently
Ralph's son feels we've got it wrong. He says
we are ‘'misinformed' and 'ignorant." As I read
his vituperative comments, I kept waiting for
him to enlighten us regarding the 'truth' about
his father. I was disappointed, therefore, when
I got to the end of his letter and was no more
informed about his father than when I started.
Please, Morgan, set us straight. Tell us exactly
how we are misinformed and ignorant regarding
your dad. Inquiring minds want to know.
Jared Harper
Athens
HOPE AGAIN
I think maybe we all missed the point. I
think it's marketing genius. I mean think about
it. They could have done one of those mondo
bizarro auctions on Ebay where you get a photo
of the band, with your name scribbled in crayon
on it. if you are the auction winner. Or “buy it
now" and “receive a tuft of belly button lint from
our lead singer/ that sort of a thing. They could
have played more paying gigs, sold more t-shirts,
saved their money and purchased the things they
need to be a successful business venture. The
“business' side of the music business is often
overlooked by many bands. But no, HFAGS's fan/ .
groupie base took the downtown Athens tradition
of panhandling global via the Internet and elec
tronic banking. Kind of like a “parking meter' to
feed the homeless, or in this case to buy a van
and recording time, but with a much larger audi
ence. It's not exactly the traditional route for a
band, but if their fans are gracious enough to
help them out financially, more power to them.
dh
Athens
ON LETTERS
In this week's Flagpole [Feb. 22], people are
PISSED. They're pissed at God about Kis bill
boards on 316. They're pissed at the thought of
a sorta-Libertarian (no offense if he isn't) not
enjoying or supporting a self-proclaimed 'anar-
cho-communist' band (a term that, at best, is an
oxymoron—how can you have perfect chaos and
perfect order at the same damn time?). They're
pissed that someone would draw a cartoon that
depicts what they call "animal cruelty'—even
though (probably) no animals were harmed in
CONTACT US AT P.0. BOX 1027, ATHENS, 6A 30603, EDITOR@FUGPOLE.COM
OR VIA THE “TALK BACK TO US” LINK AT FUGP0LE.COM
the making of said cartoon. They’re pissed at
Athens for threatening itself with such a large
population that we need to go Chinese and start
restricting how big it is with 'population caps.*
Color me amazed.
Aside from being amazed, I'm actually tickled.
See, NONE of these people are setting fire to
the Courthouse downtown. They aren't rioting in
the streets. They aren't burning Heidi Davison
in effigy. They aren’t chanting en masse, 'Death
to The Infidels.' (Really, what would we chant
in Athens? I'd like to think we'd all enter in a
rousing sing-along of 'Bulldozers and Dirt" or
something.) They're just writing their letters to
the editor, letters that probably—at least hope
fully—won't change a thing.
Unfortunately, it's past the point of a letter
to the editor in Denmark. It's past that point in
most of the Middle East and any country with a
theocratically Islamic government, just because
of an insensitive cartoon. Say what you will
about that mess, but also remind yourself that
Athens, from the Flagpole on down, is a pretty
great town to live in. And we're never past the
point of speaking our minds. Just remember not
to set fire to anything while you're doing it
Kris L
Athens
EIGHTH OF A SECOND
World War III, nuclear holocaust bioterror-
ism, clowns; yeah, there are a lot of scary things
looming over my head, but all of these combined
do not even compare to my fear of the human
mind and its many and varied faults. You’ve prob
ably heard of that Lewis Fish guy who died a few
weeks ago from a 'toxic cocktail" of various hard
drugs and alcohol in his Russell Hall dormitory.
The Red & Black jumped on the story, as did the
Athens Banner-Herald, and not without good
cause: a 'good kid' gets exposed to parental
freedom and a fake I.D. and dies from exposure-
exposure to collegiate life. When I picked up
the R&B outside the Miller Plant Sciences build
ing that morning and saw the headline, I was
honestly not surprised in the least. Somebody
died. Okay, that's sad. A student died. Still sad. A
student died from a drug/ alcohol overdose. Was
I still sad? You bet your ass I wasn't. Should I be
sorry that my heartstrings aren't being plucked
by a harp virtuoso? Probably, but still no. Lewis
Fish was placed in an environment where drugs
and alcohol are easier to get than a boating
license, but that doesn't mean that he should
have. Just because I keep Windex under my
kitchen sink doesn't mean I should chug my way
to a date with the Poison Control Center's all-star
stomach pump. Maybe you can chalk it up to him
making a mistake, but that makes it sound like
he drank expired milk because he didn't check
the date. He didn't accidentally snort heroin and
cocaine instead of powdered sugar and baking
soda. No, this was no tragic accident or one-time
blooper to be laughed at the next night you get
drunk with your buddies. This was another run-
of-the-mill human being stupid. An idiot died. .
That's why I'm not sorry. No briny drops falling
off my cheek, pal. But this is where it starts to
become an actual tragedy, a real high note in
the swan song of humanity. I read the article
and I noticed a series of quotes from a series of
prominent individuals in Fish's life: mom. dad,
pastor, teachers, etc. A parade. It was a goddamn
parade.
'He was such a good kid.'
“He had endless potential."
'He was so full of life.'
They should have just dropped confetti in
front of my eyes to complete the effect. All of
these statements are broad, so broad they can
almost be called universal Everyone's a good
kid until they do something bad; everyone's got
potential the last time I checked, if you've got
a pulse and you're not attached to a feeding
tube, you're alive. This is where I start to feel
like a fool for being associated with other hu
man beings—a kid dies and everyone, including
the damn parents, are turning an event to be
mourned over into a state-the-olvious contest of
epic proportions. So to get to my point already...
we are instinctual creatures, maybe not so much
as dogs or cats, but we still operate largely based
on how we feel instead of how we ought to act
What I'm saying is, every time someone dies from
excessive stupidity, should we stop the presses
and bitch and moan for days at a time? I prick
you in the arm with a needle, you say, 'Ow, that
hurt.' I do it again, you feel the pain, but prob
ably won't make a sound. Most (if not all) people
abstain from screaming obscenities at a fancy
dinner party if they stub their toe. I'm not saying
that we need to desensitize ourselves to personal
tragedy and write it off as emotion getting in
the way. AU I'm saying is we need to slow down
for a second and think—just think. Maybe if our
beloved Lewis did the same thing before he put
the drinking straw to his nose, he would still be
kicking around the quad right now. Is stopping
for an eighth of a second to examine a situation
so hard?
Evan Smith
Athens
MORE ART AUCTION
One afternoon last week, stepping away from
my easel and making the long walk across my
downtown loft studio, I looked out the window
at the streets of Athens and the North Campus
of the University. Regarding the teeming mass of
workers and students going about their business,
I pondered what it might be like to be one of
them. Scurrying around tike rats in a maze. Trying
in vain to please some cold authoritarian for a
few bucks a week and that all-important health
insurance plan. Medicating themselves with
bottle after bottle of bad beer. I actually began
to feel some sympathy for those poor saps.
True, I'd felt compassion before. Lots of
times, actually. But today was going to be dif
ferent Today I was going to step down from my
loft to join—temporarily, of course—the ranks of
the beleaguered citizenry. Handing my pipe and
smock to an assistant I fastened my tie, donned
my hat and headed out
Almost immediately, I was accosted by an
odor that seemed to mix domestic beer, vomit
and the potato 'tots* that I understand are
served in cafeterias of public schools. Shielding
my face, I half-ran away from the alley that was
displaying that foul feast and towards Broad
Street where a more welcome aroma greeted me.
Espresso Royale Caffe, with its wide selection of
coffees and haphazard smattering of tables, was
going to be my perch from which to “blend in'
with the populace. I paid for my cup, filled it
and took my seat.
Wishing not to be obvious about my under
taking, I opened the Flagpole tabloid someone
had left on the table and pretended to read.
Soon my attention was diverted from the “Pub
Notes' to the display of art on the walls. I
recognized the work instantly: still-lives in oil
rendered by an old associate of mine. It seemed
that 'Curt' (not his real name) had finally dis
covered the color green. Judging by the absence
of red dots on his labels, viewers were not shar
ing his fervor for the hue. At least his frames
were improving, though I found it puzzling that
he was still making them himself.
Ttn- D\r4 C itiCt mi g s
ICcxted By Rubcn Bocun&I
SUPER-PUH-PAK COMIY
SPECIAL
ETDITICM
A WORD FROM THE
C.C.O. OF SUPER-FUN-
PAK COMIX, INC.
The Danish cartoons that
have incited riots in tha
Middle East have caused
great concern here at SFPC
—^
jp [ecu
HOLSTEIN’S HEROES
HH
But an Iranian newspaper's
retaliatory announcement
of a contest for Holocaust
themed cartoons raises
troubling questions.
Specifically: Is there a
cash award Involved? Our
calls were not answered.
But in the spirit of healing,
we make these entries for
the contest
And to the Judges, we ap
preciate your consideration
COLONEL, MERES A
WORK ORDER TOR YOU
TO SION, r
6000! IT ISSTO IN
CREASE PER VORKLOAp
UPPER PRISONERS, JA?
NR (TS TOR A POOL
TABLE TO BE INSTALLED
IN MY BARRACKS.
CLASSIX COMIX
Not a lutostrtutc for rcadr»g the text or for ctmroom daeusuoo of the tent.
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GOOD AT HE ACT.
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THAT HITLER BOY
MOUR PRIZE AZALEAS?
V* SO SORCY, MRS.
Merrill.
Adolph, get down
MERE THIS N$TANT/
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HOLOCAUST DENIAL COMICS
KILLJOY WAS HERE
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4 FLAGP0LE.COM • MARCH 1,2006
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