Review of The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006) by Nichole N — 18 Feb 2007

[QUOTE]John Lennon's humour was often quoted during his time with the Beatles, but he later rejected the idea of being a "loveable mop-top" and concerned himself with drug experimentation, meditation, therapy cures, world peace, and was active for a range of anti-government causes.

On 4 March 1966, Lennon was interviewed for the [i]London Evening Standard[/i] by his friend Maureen Cleave and made an off-the-cuff remark regarding religion.

"Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink.... I don't know what will go first, rock 'n' roll or Christianity. We're more popular than Jesus now. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me.".

The article was printed and nothing came of it ? until five months later, when an American teen magazine called [i]Datebook[/i] reprinted part of the quote on its front cover.

A firestorm of protest erupted across the American Bible Belt in the South and Midwest, as conservative groups staged public burnings of Beatles records and memorabilia. (The Beatles at first viewed this in a wry way, saying, "They've got to buy them first before they burn 'em.") Many radio stations banned Beatles music, and some concert venues cancelled performances. The Vatican issued a public denunciation of Lennon's comments.

[/QUOTE]Anyway, that's the part of the story I found the most interesting. Jesus Effin Keeeeeeeeeeeeee-RIST, that Bible Belt is scarier than sh[i]it[/i]! What can possibly be more dangerous than ignorance?

[i]"'Forgive me if I am not justified in what I ask,' said[/i].

[i]Scrooge, looking intently at the Spirit's robe,' but I see[/i].

[i]something strange, and not belonging to yourself, protruding[/i].

[i]from your skirts. Is it a foot or a claw.' [/i].

[i]'It might be a claw, for the flesh there is upon it,' was[/i].

[i]the Spirit's sorrowful reply. 'Look here.'[/i].

[i]From the foldings of its robe, it brought two children;[/i].

[i]wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable. They knelt[/i].

[i]down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment.[/i].

[i]'Oh, Man. look here. Look, look, down here.' exclaimed the Ghost.[/i].

[i]They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling,[/i].

[i]wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. Where[/i].

[i]graceful youth should have filled their features out, and[/i].

[i]touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled[/i].

[i]hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and[/i].

[i]pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat[/i].

[i]enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No[/i].

[i]change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any[/i].

[i]grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has[/i].

[i]monsters half so horrible and dread.[/i].

[i] Scrooge started back, appalled. Having them shown to him[/i].

[i]in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but[/i].

[i]the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie[/i].

[i]of such enormous magnitude.[/i].

[i]'Spirit. are they yours.' Scrooge could say no more.[/i].

[i]'They are Man's,' said the Spirit, looking down upon[/i].

[i]them. 'And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers.[/i].

[i]This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both,[/i].

[i]and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy,[/i].

[i]for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the[/i].

[i]writing be erased. Deny it.' cried the Spirit, stretching out[/i].

[i]its hand towards the city. 'Slander those who tell it ye.[/i].

[i]Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse.[/i].

[i]And abide the end.' [/i].

[i]'Have they no refuge or resource.' cried Scrooge.[/i].

[i]'Are there no prisons.' said the Spirit, turning on him[/i].

[i]for the last time with his own words. 'Are there no workhouses.'"[/i].

- A Christmas Carol, Stave 3: The Second of the Three Spirits.

Republi-CANTS... and the woe they bring upon us all! All the dirt about Nixon and Hoover is common knowledge, but I guess you can never say it often enough.