Willie do time?

All round singing legend, Willie Nelson, has been busted for possession of pot and magic mushies. Just back from canvassing for Kinky Friedman, in his bid for Texas Governor, Willie and members of his band plus sister, were pulled over by the Highway patrol. The most descriptive, probably fabricated,version of the moment of arrest goes like this..........

"When he investigated the source of loud music coming from a room at the rear of the bus, Officer Williams found Mr. Nelson, 73, of Spicewod, Texas, his sister Bobbie Nelson, 75, of Briarcliff, Texas, and Gates Moore, 54, of Austin, Texas, listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon while watching an old black-and-white version of The Wizard of Oz with the sound turned off. A large hubcap filled with marijuana was sitting in plain view on a coffee table in the room, next to a solar-powered vaporizer and a package of rolling papers with President Bush's picture and the words "Mission Accomplished" on each leaf.

Without missing a beat, our correspondent goes on to relate,..........

"At first Mr. Nelson thought I was one of the Village People," said Officer Williams. "When I asked him what that strong smell was, he said it was probably coming from a green crop of the biodiesel fuel the vehicle runs on."

This brings us to the latest passions driving this youngster at heart. Nelson has started a company called ' Bio Willie', which in no way relates to sexual preferences now, or in the past. The fact is, his touring bus runs on soy beans and he wants the rest of America to join him in the switch from oil. Further to that, he campaigns for the release of prisoners on minor drug charges clogging up penitentiaries. Indeed,it is possible that he will spend six months in the clink for this misdemeanor,he has been charged with. Though, this is apparently unlikely.

Scattered amongst the reports of his arrest is anecdotal evidence of the 'smokin' with willie' experience. Witness Johnny Knoxville, who appeared in The Dukes of Hazzard with Mr. Nelson.
"That shit Willie smokes is strong enough to get you committed," Mr. Knoxville told Blender magazine. "I honestly don't see how he functions. He had a crew with him shooting a documentary, and one of the camera guys keeled over while filming."I had two hits off a blunt Willie was smoking when we were doing publicity for the movie, and I felt like I was on fucking acid. And I had to do interviews that day. I called him later to say, 'Thanks a lot, Willie. I was on fucking Mars for six hours.' Nothing could have made him happier."Or these words from country artist Toby Keiths' tune, "Weed with Willie," in which he sings,

"Don't knock it `til you tried it, I tried it my friend, and I'll never smoke weed with Willie again."

Sounds very very scary. How priceless is this image of Willie and his big sister, busted in their seventies and growing old totally disgracefully? And sad for the fly, that's fallen from the wall, as it lies on its back, with it legs moving wildly.

No, I'm the biggest asshole !

What can I say, except provide a link to Mr Fish who comes up with some of the best cartoons. Vale Mr Steve.

Run this up a Pole!

Some people are very touchy about flag burning. It seems that it is a definite 'no no' ...... almost akin to murder, in the depth of feeling that it arouses, for the righteously patriotic.

On the scale of things to be outraged about, it does not rate with me. Why should I care about a piece of cloth, when it mostly represents associations with a country miles away?

It gets kind of scary when Howard P.M. sees the importance of a flagpole in every school above the many other priorities of our public schools . A state leader of the opposition recently called for a flag on every taxi in New South Wales. To me, both plans seem like American things to do, that would make the majority of Australians, gasp, gag or giggle. Which leads me on to this story.

Four local New Philadelphian lads were caught up in what seems like a drunken/stoned prank; not that funny,destructive of other peoples property, but a 'prank' , never the less. They stole two flags and painted on obscenities , partially burnt them and returned to hang one of the flags upside down. Before Ohio judge, Linda A Kate, one defendant claimed they "didn't mean to be anti-American or anti-flag ............ we didn't think of it as a symbol." Yeh, right boys. Here's the rub. Apart from the penalty, they received a dressing down from the judge in these terms.....

“Do you understand there are countries in the world where people are rounded up by the government and put in metal boxes to die in the desert?” she asked. “You don’t have to worry about that because of the hundreds of men and women who have been willing to put their lives on the line. You think so little of their sacrifice that you would do this to amuse yourself?”

You have to admit it is pretty bewildering. I wonder if the police chief ,who was there to put in a good word for his SON, looked across at naughty Jaymes, in a knowing way, as if to say, "I told you so". When people in authority crap on like that, it is enough to make you want go out and burn a flag. But what about when it is O.K. to burn the cloth? In the picture above, veterans can be seen burning the flag on a special day. Flag Day, of course.

However, don't think you can get away with it, for arts sake, in the garden state. Victorian wallopers confiscated a flag that a local artist had 'fired up' for exhibition. They felt pretty sure a crime had been committed, but damn well couldn't figure out what it was. Mr Plod was forced to return the art work. Flagfall.

Compulsory Overtime.

One of the more bizarre industrial disputes, amongst the increasing number, is at Heinemann Electric company in Victoria. Fifty workers have been stood down for refusing to do overtime, in the lead up to negotiations, over a new enterprise agreement.

Having put in their ordinary forty hour week, management has refused to pay them, claiming it would be illegal to do so, because they had engaged in strike action. Failure to do overtime = strike action = no pay for work done.

Both John Howard and Kevin Andrews deny that it has anything to do with the new workplace laws. Indeed, this sought of action has been available for the last 10 years. It just has not been used before. How's that for reassurance? Isn't it still despicable that punters should lose there pay, just because they choose not to do overtime? Not so in the brave new world of boss rule.

I always imagined that overtime was something you CHOSE to do. You may negotiate away some of your precious leisure/rest time. According to the advice Heineman Electric have received from Freehills, the same legal company that helped the government draft its Workchoices legislation, it is now illegal not to do overtime.


The great graphic is by Doug Minkler. This and many others can be found here.

100 posts!

thankyou linespeople and ballpersons...................














Picture from this chap