The 4th of july is coming up.

Every year, the fourth of July comes up and the empire celebrates revolution. The contradiction annoys a lot of us, but something else happens: a lot of people come to History Is A Weapon and read The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Frederick Douglass. Read it, forward it to your friends, and enjoy your Fourth. We may be a small axe, but the big tree will know soon enough, we're sharp and ready and, soon enough, it'll fall.

George Carlin RIP

From Carlin's Obituary in the always disappointing New York Times:

Although some criticized parts of his later work as too contentious, Mr. Carlin defended the material, insisting that his comedy had always been driven by an intolerance for the shortcomings of humanity and society. “Scratch any cynic,” he said, “and you’ll find a disappointed idealist.”

Still, when pushed to explain the pessimism and overt spleen that had crept into his act, he quickly reaffirmed the zeal that inspired his lists of complaints and grievances. “I don’t have pet peeves,” he said, correcting the interviewer. And with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he added, “I have major, psychotic hatreds.”

Carlin will be missed.