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lenka clayton's new 12" on accidental records provides a revelation of sorts. lenka took bush's 2002 state of the union address--the "axis of evil" speech--removed all pause and applause, and chopped it up word-by-word, re-arranging it alphabetically. what emerges from a listen is amazing: a laundry list of talking points and pointed vocab, where repetition underscores importance and inclusion/omission communicates bush's twisted vision (and more importantly, his projection of that vision).

you can hear excerpts and order copies from boomkat.

also, here's an interesting piece on the state of conscientious objection today.

and if you're looking for more reading material on this holiday weekend, there's always harper's weekly review, which never fails to astound in its concision and comedy.