This may come as a great surprise to you...

You have won 20 million British pounds in the Microsoft lottery. Your email address was selected at random to receive this award at the appreciation of blah blah blah blah...

Ever received one of those? Chances are you have received this or many of the other variations of what is known as the 419 or "Nigerian scam". Most people read this in their inbox and delete it, knowing full well it's nothing but a scam. Some of us, myself previously, create a fictitious persona and email address and "bait" it.

Closing scammer bank accounts and warning victims is the main goal but some of us are just a little bit more demented. Getting scammers to get tattoos that proclaim their love for fictitious people or announcing they love giving oral sex to members of the same gender is another fun pastime. Sending one on a "safari" which requires them to travel 200 miles or cross an international border is a whole different treat, especially when you send them into a country where they don't speak the language or there is some type of insurrection going on. I'll relate my personal "safari" to you guys....

Some years back, I received an email from someone claiming to be a missionary that was attempting to help orphans from the crisis in Darfur. Being the "bleeding heart liberal" that I have been called, I ran the IP address from the email and found it came from Nigeria, Port Harcourt to be precise. After a couple weeks of emails back and forth, myself and a few other baiters sent him on a delightful journey to the very place he claimed to be based. Poetic justice? I think so. Here's his initial email to my character, notice the IP address up top, you can read the whole bait here http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=151668
:

[41.205.171.2]

DEAR ROBERTSON,

HOW ARE YOU AND FAMILY? WE GOT YOUR MAIL, I WANT TO USE THIS MEDIUM TO SEND THE FOUNDATIONS LOYALTY AND GREETINGS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

WE ARE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION RECOGNIZED BY UNICEF, UNESCO, COMMON WHEATH, AFRICAN UNION, EUROPEAN UNION AND W.H.O. ,HELPING THE WAR TORN AFRICAN COUNTRIES WOMEN, MEN, GIRLS AND BOYS. BY HELPING THE WOMEN/MEN TO LEARN A NEW TRADE/BUSINESS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH MONEY TO START IT UP AFTER THEY MUST HAVE FINISHED LEARNING.

WE EQUALLY SEND THE BOYS USED AS CHILD SOLDIERS BACK TO SCHOOL AND GIRLS RAPED TO REHABILITATION AFTER WHICH WE SEND THEM BACK TO SCHOOL.WE PROVIDE ACCOMMODATION, DRUGS, FOOD STUFF, MONEY ETC FOR THESE PEOPLE'S UP KEEP THEREBY PUTTING SMILES ON THEIR FACES AND GIVING THEM HOPE TO FACE TOMORROW.

WE STRONGLY APPEAL TO YOU TO HELP US PUT THIS SMILE IN THEIR FACES TOGETHER THIS FESTIVE PERIOD BY DONATING TO US ANY AMMOUNT OF MONEY YOU CAN AFFORD. PLEASE SEND TO US YOUR FULL NAMES, CONTACT ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBERS AND THE AMOUNT YOU WANT TO DONATE/GIVE TO US SO THAT

WE CAN SEND TO YOU THE ACCOUNT NUMBER WHERE YOU WILL PAY IN THE MONEY AND PRAY FOR YOU, YOUR ORGANISATION AND FAMILY. WHEREVER THIS MONEY WILL COME OUT FROM GOD ALMIGTHY WILL PUT IT BACK IN MILLION FOLDS. AMEN. DAN NKWERRE

FINACIAL OFFICER

SAVE THE CHILDREN AND WOMEN OF AFFRICA FOUNDATION

When the revolution comes

It won't be the vegans, the hippies and all the other people the right wing pundits like to paint as enemies who will take up arms when political and social upheaval comes. In the US, most of those people wouldn't even know how to click off the safety, let alone know the difference between a 5.56 and 7.62mm round or what semi-automatic versus a 3 round burst is.

There are however, people anxiously waiting on the sidelines to use their caches against people they dislike. The liberals, the Jews, the Muslims, the intellectuals, immigrants, or union members. Don't believe me, check out sites like Stormfront (if you dare) and any other white supremacy/right fringe/conspiracy site and see the number of people who are just biding their time to open fire. Every once in awhile, one of them jumps the gun and goes off prematurely. No puns intended. Afraid of "jihad"? Have you heard of the people who anticipate the coming of the "RaHoWa (Racial Holy War)"? Those are the people I'm really worried about. Combine that kind of hatred with the militant useful idiot status they hold and that is a true recipe for massive bloodshed. It is only a shame that those people can't be placed on an island with the most militant jihadists while the rest of us get on with our lives.

Frank Turner - I Still Believe

If the revolution has an anthem, this would be it.

Tomorrow comes a day too soon

Oh what a trip, what a decade, what a bunch of madness that I would never trade for anything else in this crazy, crazy world.

I first saw Flogging Molly with an old flame back in 2000 at Trax in Charlottesville, VA (now closed) when they opened for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. When Dave first strummed the guitar on the first song which turned out to be "The Likes Of You Again" I was wondering what kind of hippy Irish band Dickie Barrett had signed on for the tour. I was relatively new to the whole ska/punk scene but knew who the Bosstones were. Once the music hit, it was love at second verse.

It's been a whirlwind trip ever since and I have seen them play in Houston, Seattle, Portland, DC, Norfolk, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Atlanta to name a few places. I try to get out to see them on every tour and sometimes catch multiple dates if the cities are close enough or if there's enough money in my bank account. I've had the honor of drinking pints with all of them, sharing stories and perspectives over many a pint and been introduced to other awesome bands like Frank Turner, The Slackers and The Aggrolites that came on tour with them. I even managed to get the nickname "Squid Kid" from Nate, it was the time I took them to the music store for new guitar strings in Virginia when I had a grocery bag full of bait on the floor of my beat up old station wagon.

Relationships have come and gone, the years have passed and so have my states of residence and responsibility but I still get out there and go to shows. I've laughed at Dave's stage antics, the times Nathen did the drunken monkey and chewed on Matt Hensley's shoulder and I've bawled out my eyes at "If I Ever Leave This World Alive", especially after my dear friend Jim passed away.

I really, truly would not trade the experiences for anything. I wouldn't trade the dear friends like Alexis or Jonny or Chaz that I have met through mutual love of the music for all the riches in the world. It has been a wonderful, wonderful trip and I cannot wait for the next adventure.

Slainte!

Don't Be a Sucker - 1947

The budget and the Republican power grab

I wonder if I could start working less, thereby bringing in less money, then tell my creditors that I'm broke and perhaps maybe I'll just have to stop paying them? I'm sure most of the "conservative" persuasion would scoff at the "lazy person who doesn't want to take responsibility" but this is sort of what Walker is doing in Wisconsin. This isn't the best analogy because it's not laziness we're talking about, it's greed. If you hand out $142 million in tax cuts that benefits corporate interests and then state you're in debt and have to cut benefits, that just makes no sense. Unless what you're doing is part of a much bigger plan and that's what's going on here.

You see, this is not about budgets. This is about busting up unions which are Democrat supporters and major contributors. This is about taking control of swing states like Florida, Indiana, Michigan and others where unions can mean the difference between a Republican victory or defeat. In the long run, when you see all of the states that are facing similar "crises", they're almost all ones where presidential elections hang in the balance. It's a power grab to make sure Republicans get back into control nationally and stay there.

What I'm really afraid of

I'm not afraid of Muslim terrorists possibly flying a hijacked aircraft into my little house out in the middle of nowhere, nor am I really worried that some radicalized mosque attendee is going to go on a shooting rampage in my little town you probably never heard about unless you really are a crawfish fanatic.

I refuse to live in fear but I tell you what really makes me nervous, racists and rabid nationalists. Not just your ignorant, white trash people who think they're better than others just because they're white. I'm talking about the Neo-Nazi, white power, National Alliance, white pride idiots who are planting bombs and shooting up synagogues. These people are just as dangerous as international terrorists and they're in our neighborhoods. They're planning for the "Racial Holy War" and like Al-Qaeda, many of them believe their actions will reward them in the afterlife.

Why are there not Congressional hearings on these people, the Eric Rudolphs, Timothy McVeighs, David Lynchs, and others of their disgusting ilk? That's what I want to know and that's what really scares me.

Dropkick Murphys "Going Out in Style"

When I first heard the title of the album when the news was released, I thought perhaps this was their last hurrah. Hopefully it's not because the fire is still there although I thought they had jumped the shark with "Blackout" when they apparently attempted to cross over into the Hot Topic genre of punk rock visibility. This is definitely not their best album and the old Al Barr vs. Mike McColgan debate will probably continue on for years, but this is still a solid outing.

The title track is up first and it's definitely one of those you want to play at your wake, or at least when you ponder how you're gonna go out. The video doesn't disappoint although it does remind me a lot of their video for "Walk Away" except with a regular funeral instead of a penis funeral (wedding). 3 out 5 pints is what I'm going to rate it.

"Hardest Mile" reminded me of "The Gauntlet" from the album "Gang's All Here" for the first few seconds and it's also a solid, solid track. 3.5 out of 5 pints.

"Cruel" is the obligatory 3rd track, the one you have to play slower to give your crowd a chance to catch their breath and get another pint. Reminds me of "Forever". It's ok but nothing special. 2 out of 5 pints.

"Memorial Day" is "These Two Boots of Mine" from Al's old band, The Bruisers just rewritten and with female vocals added in. Still better than the majority of music out there but I was disappointed overall. 1.5 out of 5 pints.

"Climbing a Chair to Bed" is not bad at all even though it's haunted by notes of Shane MacGowan. 3.5 out of 5 pints.

"Broken Hymns" starts with a little banjo and becomes one of the best tracks I've heard in quite some time. I'm a sucker for soaring, orchestral-like pieces once in awhile, this one got my heart. 4.5 out of 5 pints.

"Deeds Not Words"...Anything that starts off sounding like "Cadence to Arms" and involves bagpipes on through the song will get me to listen over and over. This is the song you want to listen to during a barroom brawl. 3.5 out of 5 pints, half of one of those pints was spilled while punching a hipster douchebag in the face.

"Take 'Em Down" is a token shout-out to union politics that falls flat on it's face like that college kid who thinks he can drink with the punks and skinheads but passes out after just a few rounds.1 pint out of 5 and I'm being really fucking generous with that one.

"Sunday Hardcore Matinee" is a rollicking piece that doesn't reach it's full potential but still decent. Take it or leave it. 2.5 out of 5 pints.

"1953" is another attempt to duplicate "Forever" and it's ok. This is one you sing arm in arm while drunk as hell. 3 out 5 pints if you're buying another round.

"Peg O' My Heart" is if you took a generic top 40 song, Irished it up a little bit and then let a punk band sing it. Pfffffffft. 1 out of 5 but I'd still rather listen to this than the Top 40 alternative.

Hey, it's still better than "Blackout" but I'm hoping that the album title is not prophetic and this isn't their swan song because I'd hate to remember them this way. It's still worth the $9.99 on Itunes that you have left over.

Corporate responsibility

Recently I wrote a piece "The Pride of Labor" and how we as workers owe as much loyalty to the companies we work for as they give to us. You know the statement "with great power comes great responsibility"? Well, it seems that many corporations seem to want to have as much power as they can with as little responsibility as possible. I know some people will say that the government forces them to be responsible and if only regulations were lifted, they'd be able to do so much more good. However, I just don't see that happening. Look at BP, look at Enron or any of the other avoidable financial or economic disasters that could have happened if only a company put responsibility and safety ahead of profits.

I'm not saying that they need to completely sacrifice profits for the sake of keeping from accidentally spilling a gallon of oil here or there. Profit is what drives business, it's what fuels enterprise. Unless you're independently wealthy, you go out and try to bring home money because that's how we survive both as people and as businesses. I would never expect companies to take a loss quarter after quarter just to keep people employed, I realize that in sagging economies cuts have to be made to stay solvent. Yet, when I see executives making hundreds of times more annually than the entry-level employee and making bonuses every single quarter, it's hard not to see that as unjust. When you've worked at a company that allows millions of dollars to be lost every single month because a few people are making hefty commissions from cooking the books and allowing fraud to happen while everyone else has their benefits slashed in the name of saving money, you can't help but be outraged.

When you give your working life to a business only to have your benefits ripped away from you so that shareholders can take more of a profit each quarter and bonuses will be higher for execs due to their "cost-cutting measures", that's not mutual loyalty. That's being exploited and that's what unions ideally are there to protect workers from. Yes, I know unions aren't perfect but it's better than the alternative.