Deserves to be seen

[catinthedark]

I know... it's been discussed to death. Probably no one will respond. But I think it deserves to be posted. And I say... Amen.

http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2005/12/1722697.php

Mitzvahpaloozah. As Obscene As They Wanna Be
by Beowulf Crow Sunday, Dec. 04, 2005 at 11:20 PM


What do Aerosmith, 50 Cent, Tom Petty, Don Henley, Kenny G., Joe Walsh, and Stevie Nicks have in common with a war profiteer and a 13 year old girl ?

On the day the President told the American people to prepare for the long haul in Iraq,
David H. Brooks, CEO of bulletproof vest maker DHB Industries, gave his 13-year old
daughter and 300 of her BFF, a $10 Million Dollar Bat Mitzvah recently on two floors of
New York's Rainbow Room.
And the aforementioned artists were hired to play.
(I'll get to that in a minute...)

David H. Brooks, CEO of bulletproof vest maker DHB Industries, earned $70 million in
2004, 13, 349% more than his 2001 compensation of $525,000. Brooks also sold
company stock worth about $186 million last year, spooking investors who drove DHB's
share price from more than $22 to as low as $6.50 (DHB was recently trading at $4.20.)
In May 2005, the U.S. Marines recalled more than 5,000 DHB armored vests after
questions were raised about their effectiveness. By that time, Brooks had pocketed
over $250 million in war windfalls.
(He made a tidy profit outfitting our nation's fighting men and women in body armor that
allegedly can't take a hit from a 9mm round.)

Sarah Anderson from the Institute for Policy Studies said, "It's shocking to see a guy who
has no shame like this. He many be the world champion war profiteer.
The shareholders are up in arms, and he's out partying."

Iraq war vets are angry too.
Paul Rieckhoff, an Iraq war veteran and founder of Operation Truth said,
"It is already disturbing that anyone can live the high-life as a result of the booming war
business, but it is particularly disheartening to hear about someone having their own
private Lollapalooza, in part from the sale of defective equipment that put our troops in
harms way. America must take a long, hard look at the idea of profit on the battlefield."

Bobby Yen, another Operation Truth Iraq vet said, "I guess it just goes to show the state
of affairs and the state of the mind of this tired, old veteran that when this story came up it
didn't even make me blink. So some rich guy somewhere who made tons of money
selling defective bulletproof vests to the military has a filthy rich party for his daughter's
Bat Mitzvah. 'Oh, wow, someone wants to endanger my life for a few bucks?' Sounds like
the entire war. So the soldiers get paid poorly, on occasion shell out their own few bucks
to buy gear, lose a year of their life, lose their sanity, lose their limbs, lose their lives,
and a very few, very select group closely connected to our government get very, very rich."

As taxpayers, we paid for this.
And I find this obscene, morally repugnant, and extremely offensive.
The fish rots from the head, and we're seeing more and more of the results.
(You know what I mean. Don't you.)

Now, ...onto the, ahem, 'Stars'.

Tom Petty was the MC. Did a set on acoustic guitar.
Aerosmith did a 45 minute set. (And got paid $2 million.)
50 Cent, ($500 thousand), performed only four or five songs - and badly - though he did
manage to work in the lyric, "Go shorty, it's your bat mitzvah, we gonna party like it's your
bat mitzvah." 'Fitty's' beefy bodyguards blocked shots of his boss performing and batted
down the kids' cameras, shouting "No pictures ! No pictures!"
(Hah !)
A witness stated, "Fitty and his posse smelled like an open bottle of Hennessy".

Don Henley and Joe Walsh teamed up with Stevie Nicks on vocals.
Henley was grumpy at the realization that he'd agreed to play a kids' party.

Kenny G, ($250 thousand), played while people drank cocktails.

At one point Brooks leapt on the stage with Tyler and Perry, who responded with good
grace when their paymaster demanded that his teenage nephew be permitted to sit on
drums. At another point, Tyler theatrically wiped sweat off Brooks' forehead - and then
dried his hand with a flourish.

To the artists --
I held many of you in high regard.
However, I have a big problem with you receiving blood money.
You gave tacit approval to horrific acts of greed by indicted criminals
that plunder our economy and cost Americans their lives.
As icons, you have a responsibility to your audience.
To watch you irresponsibly squander it by aiding and abetting these
war criminals reduces you to nothing more than cheap, (albeit expensive), whores.
To say that I'm appalled and disappointed is an understatement.
F**k You ! You Suck ! Byte Me !

To the obscene war profiteer putting our troops,
(And the New York Police Department, BTW), in harms way,
for your part in looting our country, and for all the despicable evil that you are,
...Everyone...REAL LOUD... BYTE ME !!!!!!!!

[catinthedark]

I agree - and I just find it surprising because Stevie has been so supportive of the troops who have gone to Iraq. Seems hypocritical to me.

(Yeah - whatever. Jump all over me. Tell me it was only a few thousand, and that the recall didn't put any soldiers at risk. I still find it capitalistic on her part - and hypocritical).

[Ghost_Tracker]

Guys, BEFORE this degenerates in to the big huge inevitable flame war that it's obviously going to become, I'd like to point out that there may be another side to this story, and we haven't heard that. This guy hasn't had a chance to defend himself - and I'd like you all to consider that maybe the people writing these angry articles have an agenda and aren't being completely forthcoming with the truth ( i.e. they are LYING. ) It's inevitable for a certain percentage of ANY war-related product to have to be recalled. He recalled a certain percentage of them and fixed the problem. And take a real close look at the way these "reporters" ( read: Internet bloggers with a hidden agenda ) are lumping this guy in with "Evil War Profiteers" as if he's sitting around with Cigarette-Smoking Man plotting the end of the world for his own fun and profit. He makes body armor - the ARMY approached HIM with a request to buy his product. He did NOT have some secret covert meeting with George Bush to cause the Iraq war to happen. He SOLD them the product they asked for, to their specifications, at the standard cost (making him very rich - that's the way the Defense Industry works).
Some problems crept up, he fixed them. And then spent his own money in the way he saw fit, which was to hire Stevie and the others. W/e, it's HIS
money, not "blood money." This is an EXTREMELY emotional issue, but try to separate that out from the facts, and try to read between the lines to see that these people have an agenda and are lumping him and Stevie in to a certain category without ACTUALLY giving you all the facts. And if you REALLY think about this, you may see that what these people are doing is actually rooted in jealousy, and in misplaced anger about the Iraq war. If we don't like the way the war is going or the reason it started we should vote for a new President the next time around, not take it out on some rich guy who provided our government with the product his company happens to make, or on Stevie, who provided her service (singing and spreading her magic, etc.) for the standard asking price.

OH-kay, I suppose the flame war can start now. I hope it pitters out pretty quickly and that there won't be too much carnage...

[PenguinHead]

Thanks Ghost Tracker. Your words of wisdom and reason are greatly appreciated!:o

[amber]

Actually, that's a very good thing to share. :shrug: Apropos, insightful, etc.
Obviously I think the guy is pretty heinous, but sadly, I don't have too much more to say. I just always try to check your posts. ;)
I am beyond finding Stevie hypocritical, really. Do I wish she hadn't done it? yeah, probably. But Stevie has never, ever, ever, struck me as political, or even thinking about politics, or anything like that. I don't expect her to take hard lines, and base her career on her political social beliefs, at least not to a huge extent. I've always thought of her as the girl who loves to perform, and may take up random causes and charities, and sing for them, but is a largely apolitical performer. :shrug:
In fact, I've always thought of Stevie as being very savvy as far as her career goes, and I've also thought of her as the kind of person who shoots from the heart, whatever whim her heart may have at that moment, but while doing so, always having an eye on not pissing anyone off. And I don't mean that in a bad way, I just think Stevie doesn't really, really, really care about the minutae of politics all that much. She's kind hearted, she's a good person, but above all she is a singer and performer, and I think that is most of what she cares about. So indeed I am pleasantly suprised when she does charitable things, b/c she's never given us any intimation that she is politically involved. And when she has sung for "causes", heck - I just get the feeling the girl likes to sing, and will do so whenever she can, and super bonus if it's for a cause. :)
And I think that's fine.
Remember, Stevie is the girl who can work with people, rock and roll guys, sing with anyone, and who was good with the media like no other band member was. She was the media darling, still is, and still works that way for the band and herself, as she always has.
She has people skills, and people skills don't always go with strong political stances. Besides the fact that I honestly believe she HAS few strong political stances.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Thanks Ghost Tracker. Your words of wisdom and reason are greatly appreciated!:o


Well, I probably should have added, it's just my honest opinion. :rolleyes: :shrug: :o

[Ghost_Tracker]

above all she is a singer and performer, and I think that is most of what she cares about. So indeed I am pleasantly suprised when she does charitable things, b/c she's never given us any intimation that she is politically involved. And when she has sung for "causes", heck - I just get the feeling the girl likes to sing, and will do so whenever she can, and super bonus if it's for a cause. :)
And I think that's fine.



You just reminded me of this quote from Stevie about Robin, which is on inherownwords.com -

"It's the only friendship that I've ever had or... well, I'm not going to say ever will have. We just started out together at 15 years old. She kind of walked me through life. And, as I questioned would there be life after Fleetwood Mac, I certainly questioned would there be life after Robin. Then I found that there is life after Robin, except that it's not the same, not near as special. There's a spirit gone, and that's why I'm really dedicated to this leukemia [benefit]. That's why I will do anything I have to do to make as much money to get rid of this disease as I can because I would really never want anyone to experience losing someone as beautiful as her in this horrible way."




Yep. . . . .

[amber]

You just reminded me of this quote from Stevie about Robin, which is on inherownwords.com -

"It's the only friendship that I've ever had or... well, I'm not going to say ever will have. We just started out together at 15 years old. She kind of walked me through life. And, as I questioned would there be life after Fleetwood Mac, I certainly questioned would there be life after Robin. Then I found that there is life after Robin, except that it's not the same, not near as special. There's a spirit gone, and that's why I'm really dedicated to this leukemia [benefit]. That's why I will do anything I have to do to make as much money to get rid of this disease as I can because I would really never want anyone to experience losing someone as beautiful as her in this horrible way."




Yep. . . . .
Yeah. I think of Stevie as a "personal person" ie, if something touches her personally like that, she is more inclined to get involved. Which makes sense. Her lyrics are so personal and self absorbed that I wouldn't expect anything else.

[dontlookdown]

wow -
that's really creepy.
creepy on many levels.
first and foremost - what the hell is stevie doing as paid entertainment for a bat mitzvah?

the blood money thing - yes i agree with that but i'm not the right person to weigh in because i feel that anyone who supported Bush in this war has blood on his or shoes too.
but that's another story.
the more important issue with this "gig" - is
why are smart talented musicians whoreing their talent out for this?
Yikes!
This was a really really bad PR move for Stevie and Tom. The rest of them have been screwing up over the years when it comes to reputations so I'm sort of not surprised.

[BombaySapphire3]

Well someone from the Eagles board came over and provided evidence that Henley had sent all of his blood money directly to Walden pond fund.This doesn't totally absolve him of participation IMO but it does go a long way .I could care less about 50 cent and Aerosmith became a joke years ago IMO .Kenny G is so lame he's off the radar to me.Which leaves Tom and Stevie.I really hope someone can come up with information about what they may have done with their payola from this despicable event .

[BombaySapphire3]

If we don't like the way the war is going or the reason it started we should vote for a new President the next time around,....


I DID!!!!

i do have something against folks who bitch about our government and didnt vote at all... but i think for those of us who did vote we can say all we want... if we dont like something we should say so, not just wait to vote in the next election. this isnt really what the whole topic is about... just thought id put my 2cents in... so THERE YA GO! anyways i see what you are saying GhostTracker, and you are right, and im sure stevie or any of the other artists did say "hmm let me make sure this guy stands for everything i stand for so i dont misrepresent myself" im sure it was all in good fun (or money) so W/E!
~shanna
I was down in the streets of San Francisco protesting the immoral and illegal war the week it began.Of course Bush and co. pay no attention to what people in this city have to say, so they dismissed us as crazy Bay Area left wingers and maybe we are .Their problem now is much of the rest of the country has finally come around.Back to the topic .I would like to know what artists that I have spent thousands of dollars supporting over the years do with their payola from such a tainted event as this Bat Mitzvah .

[Kelly]

Stevie has done alot more than the other artists who played this gig, for the soldiers. Her feelings on the war are pretty apparent from what she has said publically, reading between the lines and the several thousand ipods she bought with her own money and either delivered personally or had delivered to the injured vets. She obviously cares. I guess it is her ultimate responsibility to know whom she is playing a private gig for, in the future she needs to be completely aware how these people are making their money. Henley donated his. Stevie might have donated hers. Brooks is a creepy man who feels the need to flash around his cash. Insecure much? I hate the idea that Stevie played for and earned money from such a creep but considering I have no idea what she did with that money or whether she had the slightest clue about what Brooks was all about (I would bet she had no freaking idea whatsoever), I am not letting it cloud my opinion of Stevie. She has a huge heart.
I think the biggest surprise or shock from this private affair is Tom Petty playing. I never, in a million years, would have expected that from him. Stevie, eh, she has played private, corporate gigs plenty of times.

[Jyqm]

I was down in the streets of San Francisco protesting the immoral and illegal war the week it began.Of course Bush and co. pay no attention to what people in this city have to say, so they dismissed us as crazy Bay Area left wingers and maybe we are .

Don't worry, they don't pay attention to what people in their own backyard have to say, either. I went to the big pre-war protest in DC in January 2003, and that obviously didn't do very much good. Of course, there also just weren't that many people there, because at that point most people either didn't care or actually believed the bullshit they were being fed.

[catinthedark]

Actually, that's a very good thing to share. :shrug: Apropos, insightful, etc.
Obviously I think the guy is pretty heinous, but sadly, I don't have too much more to say. I just always try to check your posts. ;)


:) Thanks :lol:

I am beyond finding Stevie hypocritical, really. Do I wish she hadn't done it? yeah, probably. But Stevie has never, ever, ever, struck me as political, or even thinking about politics, or anything like that. I don't expect her to take hard lines, and base her career on her political social beliefs, at least not to a huge extent. I've always thought of her as the girl who loves to perform, and may take up random causes and charities, and sing for them, but is a largely apolitical performer. :shrug:


I think you're on to something there; the connection between the two issues just probably never even occurred to her.

[sasja]

Even if Stevie is as political as a doorknob, she is still a human among humans and as such, ought to be aware of big issues, such as war and war industries affecting humans.

What makes me so upset is her "singing" out of both sides of her mouth:
visiting the wounded soldiers of this terrible war on the one hand, which makes ME think she IS in the know about human issues, and then turning right around and blatantly supporting one of the giants in the war industry, one who delivered defective armor on top of that!

Yup, makes me lose respect in a big big way. Which is it, Stevie? writing letters to, and visiting soldiers? Or supporting the war machine by hobnobbing with it's biggest economic benificiary?

Also: if Stevie were smart even if she didn't care personally ( I believe she does, but even if she didn't) she ought to have her staff check out these potential "employers" such as Brooks. Now, she's stuck with all the negative downfall. Bad move on all counts in my book, Stevie!!

Sasja

[Jyqm]

Even if Stevie is as political as a doorknob, she is still a human among humans and as such, ought to be aware of big issues, such as war and war industries affecting humans.

What makes me so upset is her "singing" out of both sides of her mouth:
visiting the wounded soldiers of this terrible war on the one hand, which makes ME think she IS in the know about human issues, and then turning right around and blatantly supporting one of the giants in the war industry, one who delivered defective armor on top of that!

Yup, makes me lose respect in a big big way. Which is it, Stevie? writing letters to, and visiting soldiers? Or supporting the war machine by hobnobbing with it's biggest economic benificiary?

Unless! She turned around and donated the money she got from Brooks to Walter Reed or some philanthropic organization or some sort.

[DavidMn]

Well, I probably should have added, it's just my honest opinion. :rolleyes: :shrug: :oNice going. At least give the other side a chance to explain themselves.:nod:

[diamondsnake]

Everybody hold it! How was Stevie supposed to know who the father of the girl in question was? Is she expected to know the occupation of the person who hires her for a concert?

I think everyone is really upset because they think Stevie is supporting this man, but how was she supposed to know who he really was? It is not her fault. She has to bring home the bacon somehow... And a lot of her friends (Tom and Don) were involved.

I am sure if someone offered you a million dollars to sing a couple of songs at a birthday party you would do it- no questions asked!

[Rickypt]

Well, it took me a total of about 15 seconds to find out who Brooks is through a Google search. I found out that he's a defense contractor with controversy over making flawed equipment and has a history of major labor disputes.

I don't blame Stevie, but certainly she has people on staff who look out for her public image. Whoever told her to back out of the Katrina benefit because it was disorganized surely could have warned her about this mess.

[Rickypt]

For anyone on the west coast, Anderson Cooper is going to go off on this party in the next half hour (it's 8:30 PST right now)

[Ghost_Tracker]

For anyone on the west coast, Anderson Cooper is going to go off on this party in the next half hour (it's 8:30 PST right now)


Nice to see that cnn is so neutral and unbiased, as usual! :shocked:

( But I admit that Lou Dobbs rules. )


"Done to death
with slanderous tongues
was the hero,
that here Lies."

[Rickypt]

Nice to see that cnn is so neutral and unbiased, as usual! :shocked:

( But I admit that Lou Dobbs rules. )


Actually it turned out to be about a trend of highly expensive parties, and the Bat Mitzvah wasn't mentioned (even though Cooper talked about it in the teaser). They interviewed plenty of people who said they enjoyed the parties and that the money is well spent.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Actually it turned out to be about a trend of highly expensive parties, and the Bat Mitzvah wasn't mentioned (even though Cooper talked about it in the teaser). They interviewed plenty of people who said they enjoyed the parties and that the money is well spent.


k cool, thanks! :)

[cliffdweller]

Kenny G is so lame he's off the radar to me.

Bwahhahahaha! :laugh::laugh: I hate Kenny G!

[DavidMn]

Everybody hold it! How was Stevie supposed to know who the father of the girl in question was? Is she expected to know the occupation of the person who hires her for a concert?

I think everyone is really upset because they think Stevie is supporting this man, but how was she supposed to know who he really was? It is not her fault. She has to bring home the bacon somehow... And a lot of her friends (Tom and Don) were involved.

I am sure if someone offered you a million dollars to sing a couple of songs at a birthday party you would do it- no questions asked!I agree, but it is important for the artist to watch out for any possible bad pub also. I'm not going after Stevie for performing at this thing because I wasnt there and I dont personally know what she knew, but you still have to be careful.

[cliffdweller]

I went to the big pre-war protest in DC in January 2003, and that obviously didn't do very much good. Of course, there also just weren't that many people there, because at that point most people either didn't care or actually believed the bullshit they were being fed.

The apathy is deafening isn't it? And that was in 2003? Bad sign. You know, it really shocks me [although it shouldn't :rolleyes:] that a lot of the protest and dissention against this war has died down to such a quiet indifference lately. Either people are too self-absorbed to care (I HOPE that's not the case), or it's the frustrated hands tied behind the back syndrome, i.e., Bush has made too huge of a mess to sort this out any longer, and it's gone on too long :distress:

[DavidMn]

The apathy is deafening isn't it? It really shocks me [although it shouldn't :rolleyes:] that a lot of the protest and dissention against this war has died down to such a quiet indifference lately. Either people are too self-absorbed to care (I HOPE that's not the case), or it's the frustrated hands tied behind the back syndrome, i.e., Bush has made too huge of a mess to sort this out any longer, and it's gone on too long :distress:Unfortunately I think that people want to care like myself, but there are alot of other things going on in all our lives that are more pressing. Not that it's an excuse not to care mind you.

[Angelick Witch]

Stevie hasn't given this guy any money or anything, she's not exactly supporting him. She _took_ money from him, as is her right to do as a performer. It might have been a mistake to do it, but the girl, the daughter, might have been a Stevie Nicks fan, and probably doesn't go around making faulty equiptment herself, even if she does benefit from it. We know Stevie really _does_ support the troops, she really _does_ give _them_ money and iPods and goes to visit them and that, and that's obviously her true feeling on the matter, because she speaks about it in such a heartfelt way and keeps going back and visiting them, and wanting to take care of them all and writing Desert Angel and all. Unlike going along with some friends and being paid to sing some songs, which is just a night out, really.

*

[DavidMn]

Stevie hasn't given this guy any money or anything, she's not exactly supporting him. She _took_ money from him, as is her right to do as a performer. It might have been a mistake to do it, but the girl, the daughter, might have been a Stevie Nicks fan, and probably doesn't go around making faulty equiptment herself, even if she does benefit from it. We know Stevie really _does_ support the troops, she really _does_ give _them_ money and iPods and goes to visit them and that, and that's obviously her true feeling on the matter, because she speaks about it in such a heartfelt way and keeps going back and visiting them, and wanting to take care of them all and writing Desert Angel and all. Unlike going along with some friends and being paid to sing some songs, which is just a night out, really.

*On that point, Stevie genuinely supporting the troops, I have no douvbt that's true.

[Angelick Witch]

On that point, Stevie genuinely supporting the troops, I have no douvbt that's true.


It has to be, I certainly couldn't bring myself to spend that much time and money on something if I didn't believe in it. And I can't see why you would.

*

[Jyqm]

The apathy is deafening isn't it? And that was in 2003? Bad sign. You know, it really shocks me [although it shouldn't :rolleyes:] that a lot of the protest and dissention against this war has died down to such a quiet indifference lately. Either people are too self-absorbed to care (I HOPE that's not the case), or it's the frustrated hands tied behind the back syndrome, i.e., Bush has made too huge of a mess to sort this out any longer, and it's gone on too long :distress:

Do you really think dissention has died down? Dubya's poll numbers consistently hit record lows every week these days, and the main thing dragging them down is the fact that people feel the Iraq conflict is a miserable failure and we either need to dramatically change course or get the hell out of there.

If things seem quiet right now, that's only because it's December. Congress isn't in session, and people are focused on the holidays. Wait until things in Washington get rolling again in January, there will plenty of fresh decrying of this war.

Meanwhile, General Wesley Clark had a very interesting op-ed piece in the New York Times earlier this week about how neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have a real, viable plan to make things better in Iraq. He does, though, and he does a nice job outlining it.

[JazmenFlowers]

I find it interesting and typical that so many have jumped on this bandwagon. Over the years, think of the good that Stevie has done and how much she HAS done for charities, etc. Now, all of a sudden, she plays the bat mitzvah, we know very little of her knowledge of the guy or what she did with her money (not that it's any of our business) and WHAM, we jump on the "Stevie is a traitor, I've lost respect, Shame on Stevie" train. It's pathetic. Having a conversation about it is one thing, but taking jabbs is another. As Angelick Witch says, Stevie is in no way supporting the guy. I hope those of you who have such harsh things to say find yourselves in the same situation (whether that is partaking in an event of which you aren't fully aware of everyone's backgrounds, etc. or offered money to do your job even though you may not like the person or what he/she does for a living or even know for that matter) and then experience those you felt were on your side, turn on you.

[JazmenFlowers]

Don Henley and Joe Walsh teamed up with Stevie Nicks on vocals. Henley was grumpy at the realization that he'd agreed to play a kids' party.
and I find this interesting as well. think about it...maybe Henley or Walsh asked Stevie to join them...

[JazmenFlowers]

i know i dont post here much but i lurk from time to time....
i totally agree that this is a shameless way to earn money esp. for those who i mean ... they arent really struggling here, and their careers are pretty good right now. i think the guy that hired them is dirty.... uncooth and ugly. i dont know if stevie or any of the other artists really knew the background on this guy, but if they did!SHAME ON THEM
~sHANNA
maybe it's better if you just lurk then. :shrug: sorry

Shame on them? :laugh:

[BombaySapphire3]

maybe it's better if you just lurk then. :shrug: sorry

Shame on them? :laugh:
Isn't it a bit unfair to ask someone not to post just because they present an opinion that does not agree with yours?:shrug:

[JazmenFlowers]

Isn't it a bit unfair to ask someone not to post just because they present an opinion that does not agree with yours?:shrug:
probably...