Obama Effigy Lynched at University of Kentucky

UPDATE: UK senior Joe Fischer and his friend Hunter Bush were arrested for hanging a life-sized likeness of Barack Obama from a tree on the campus.

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America is being poisoned by our own 'strange fruit'. University of Kentucky officials said an effigy of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was found hanging from a tree on campus.

Lee Todd, the university president, said the effigy of the Illinois senator, who could become the nation's first African American president if he is elected, was first noticed by a professor riding his bicycle.

Todd said it is not yet known whether a student was responsible for the effigy and the incident is being investigated by the University Police Department and the Lexington Police Department. He said the Secret Service has been notified.

"It's a very embarrassing situation that has happened on our campus, regardless of who did it," Todd said.

He described hanging the effigy as a "despicable act."

"We certainly believe in political expression, just not in this form," he said.

Villagers, unless you're living in the early 1800s out in the wild west and somebody stole your horse ... there is NEVER a good reason to hang a fellow citizen in a lynching rope. Period. Doesn't matter if it is Sarah Palin or Barack Obama. It is horrific image to promote in our country.

This nonsense must end. I hope that John McCain and Sarah Palin will stop the dog-whistle racism that leads their supporters to do such things. I hope that the UK perps are punished sufficiently when they are found.

A celebration of witches!

Some of them are creepy as fuck, some of them we want to give full body massages to; Witches come in all shapes and sizes... regardless of which Witch they are (see what I did there?), they are as much a part of Halloween lore as razor blade laced apples and jacking little kids for their bags.



Some Witches will scare the fuck out of you. They will make you pee your bed when you're a kid, and carry the dark shame with you all the next day at school, all the while hiding in your closet just waiting for you to fall asleep the next night.





Some Witches are whores. It's true, some of them dress all slutty and have captivating cleavage that makes you rub the TV screen and whisper "Someday... Someday." This is all a part of their charm.





Some Witches are adorable. They make you fall in love with them when you're in 7th grade, prompting you to write letters to them; cast love spells made from a concoction of Prell, teddy bear fuzz and ginger ale; or take a running dive off of your garage on a broom, because you jsut know that you can fly if you only believe... Bitch.





Some Witches are evil. Oh, they're out there, the fiendish ones, hiding in your VCR, talking in badly dubbed English and making you never want to trust Italian film makers again. Then again, who really trusts them anyways?





Some Witches are tricky. They seem all hot and innocent, but guess what? They aren't really a music student with a cat, they're one of the Three Mothers (just like the creepy old bitch above the hot one), and they want to rip your fucking face off.





Some witches are lame. They pray to trees and shit. Yeah.





Some Witches don't look like Witches at all. These are the best kind, as evidenced by Sabrina the Teenage Witch; she hates clothes, and I fully support her not wearing them.





Love them, fear them, have illicit thoughts of them, it doesnt matter; in one way or another, they will mess you up for life.

The 31 Days of Horror 2008 Archive

Here is a handy archive post of 2008's 31 Days of Horror, for you're easy browsing pleasure.



The Best of Each Decade (Synopsis of the 31 Days.)

How we Picked Em' (Our criteria.)

The Honorable Mentions (Those that failed to make the cut...)

***The Master List*** (For quick reference...)



The Countdown of the 31 best movies of the 70's, 80's, 90's, and 2000's:

#31

#30

#29

#28

#27

#26

#25

#24

#23

#22

#21

#20

#19

#18

#17

#16

#15

#14

#13

#12

#11

#10

#9

#8

#7

#6

#5

#4

#3

#2

#1



Enjoy!

The 31 Days of Horror is over... and I'm kinda sad...

The creepiest day of the year is finally here! I hope everyone gets plenty of tricks and treats, and gets the hell scared out of them at least once :)



October absolutely flew by, and I'm torn about how I feel...



On one hand, I'm glad; doing the 31 Days of Horror was a blast, but it took a ton of time gathering, formatting and creating every post. It also gave me less time to do our normal reviews and posts...



On the other hand, I'm sad, because this was a hell of a lot of fun. Compiling the lists gave me a chance to revisit a ton of old favorites, and posting them gave me the chance to make some new friends, and introduce them to some movies they haven't seen or even heard of in some cases. .



This blog went public in July, and was set up for my friends and I to have some fun with horror; since then, we've had thousands of visitors with some pretty nice things to say, and it's awesome that our little horror club has grown. It's awesome how tight the horror community is, and in the month's ahead, I'm definitely going to be adding some other sites to our link lists so that we can all become tighter.



Our top 31 lists weren't perfect, but I think they were pretty good for the most part. I think we gave some props to a bunch of excellent flicks, an I hope you had fun with them like we did... and I hope you check out every last one of those movies, whether you end up loving or hating them. That's really what it's all about, isn't it?



We will be back to normal after this weekend; reviews, rants, Horror Hotties, remakes, "coming soon's"... so strap yourselves in and hang on! Oh, and don't forget that in December we will have our Best/Worst of 2008.... woo!



I'm going to creep myself out now.



-The M

The 31 Days of Horror- #1!

We made it! Here we are at the #1 movie from each decade in our countdown, and each of them is deserving.

The Devil, a nightmare, a cannibal, and a sick and twisted bitch...




The 70's
The Exorcist (1973)- This is the best horror movie ever made. It is the Godfather of horror, and it's like will never be seen again. Linda Blair is amazing as Regan, the little girl who gets possessed by the demon Pazuzu/The Devil... and Mercedes McCambridge is FANTASTIC as the voice of the demon; this is really the only movie that still terrifies me as an adult. Full of classic scenes, classic lines and nightmarish visuals, this is the movie to beat for horror's heavyweight crown.


The 80's
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)- Freddy wasn't always witty and pre-equipped with cheesy one liners; once upon a time he was absolutely terrifying. The first NOES was an exorcise in terror... dark, atmospheric, creepy and downright nightmarish. Robert Englund made an all time classic horror icon in Freddy, making millions afraid to fall asleep and dream. This may be my second favorite horror flick of all time, although that's a tough decision. Either way, this is one of the absolute best.


The 90's
Silence of the Lambs (1991)- Hannibal Lecter is one of the best villains to ever grace the silver screen, and Silence of the Lambs is one of the best movies ever made. We get not one, but two serial killers, each playing their own sick game, and terrifying us in the process. Even though Lecter is locked up for most of the movie, he still makes us feel uneasy... and when he gets free... well damn if he doesn't do some messy shit! this movie may be horrors greatest moment; it's not every day that one of our films wins the Academy Award for best picture.


The 2000's
Inside (2007)- What? What in the hell is A L'interieur (Inside)? It's one of the most disturbing and yet beautiful films I've ever seen, that's what. A single mother about to give birth fights for her life when a mysterious woman shows up at her house, demanding to be given the baby inside of her... I cant tell you the last time, or anytime for that matter, that a movie f'd me up this bad. Inside is brutal, twisted, messy, bloody, disturbing, horrific and absolutely engaging... and yet it's a well made film that has a sad and even beautiful undertone. You need to see this one, but I warn you; this is a tough movie for women to stomach, as the subject matter is not nice at all. Proceed with caution.


And that's a wrap!

Remake Heaven/Hell- My Bloody Valentine 3-D

Yes, it seems as if Hollywood is happy to continue abusing my childhood memories, and a remake of My Bloody Valentine is the next "you know you deserve this!" slap in the mouth. A 3-D slap none the less. Seriously.



Now I'm not totally against this remake for one simple reason; the 1981 original was a great film, but it was heavily censored in the U.S., so we never really got the full impact that it could have delivered had it been released with all of the blood and gore in tact. While the remake at least promises to be a bloody R-Rated romp, two things bother me; the first of which is the plot...



Ten years ago, a tragedy changed the town of Harmony forever. Tom Hanniger, an inexperienced coal miner, caused an accident in the tunnels that trapped and killed five men and sent the only survivor, Harry Warden, into a permanent coma. But Harry Warden wanted revenge. Exactly one year later, on Valentine's Day, he woke up... and brutally murdered twenty-two people with a pick-axe before being killed.

Ten years later, Tom Hanniger returns to Harmony on Valentine's Day, still haunted by the deaths he caused. Struggling to make amends with his past, he grapples with unresolved feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Sarah, who is now married to his best friend, Axel, the town sheriff. But tonight, after years of peace, something from Harmony's dark past has returned. Wearing a miner's mask and armed with a pick-axe, an unstoppable killer is on the loose. And as his footsteps come ever closer, Tom, Sarah and Axel realize in terror that it just might be Harry Warden who's come back to claim them...?

It just sounds lame compared to the original, then again maybe I'm just being a horror snob. Horror worked so well back in the 80's because it was simpler; film makers were forced to be creative due to limited budgets, which also gave the films a grittier look.



The second thing that bothers me is the fact that the movie is going to be 3-D. It seems like a gimmick to me, and I'm fine with that, as long as it's not the only damn selling point of the movie. The trailer looks pretty good, but the way they're selling the 3-D is kinda sad:



The Trailer



Release date- January 16th, 2009

Rating- R



Verdict- The Jury is out on this one, as it could honestly go either way. This will be an epic win, or an epic fail.



She's in this.

Obama Effigy Removed in California

A Redondo Beach resident has removed an effigy of Barack Obama hanging from her balcony with a giant butcher knife through its neck. Lisa Castaneda put up the blood-covered figure with a placard that read "Nobama."

Castaneda, a mother of two who supports John McCain, says she didn't mean to be racist or offensive. But the display drew immediate criticism and she took it down last night at the request of a local McCain campaign representative.

The end of this election cycle can't come to soon...

Obama Effigy Lynched in Indiana

UPDATE: This man's son removed the effigy from the tree.

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Villagers, we have another American citizen who thinks it is good politics to show Barack Obama being lynched from a tree in his front yard.

School children, neighbors and others in Clarksville, Indiana can plainly see the Obama effigy hanging by a noose in the front yard of Kirk Deddo. Deddo called it a Halloween decoration, saying it was the most frightening one he could find.

Deddo said the effigy had nothing to do with race, and he put it up because he doesn't like Obama's stance toward the military.

Someone should tell Deddo that he can VOTE to express his opinion. Lynching an image of an American citizen ... whether it is Sarah Palin or Barack Obama ... is wrong. Period. Doesn't anyone remember how horrific it was in America when lynching was a regular form of torture, intimidation and murder in this country?

'Wassup' Video for Barack Obama

Villagers, do you remember the 'Wassup' craze that swept the nation back in the day. Those boys that were selling beer by saying 'Wassup' to each other? Well, they are back ... this time with the 'Wassup' perspective on 2008 presidential politics. Check it out!




By the way, over in the left-hand sidebar you will see us flip the script on John McCain's denigrating 'That One' statement from the debates. Click on the 'That One 2008' image whenever you visit. We plan to update it regularly for the rest of the calendar year.

The 31 Days of Horror- #2

The Bogeyman, a puzzle box, 7 deadly sins, and a jigsaw puzzle...




The 70's
Halloween (1978)- OMG, this isn't the #1 horror movie of the 70's??? No, but it is perhaps the quintessential movie to watch on Halloween (and not just because of it's name), and the best slasher movie ever made. The themes song to this day gives me the creeps... I once had it as my ring tone, but it made me cry when I'd get calls at night, so... Carpenter gives us his best film here, one with no flaws and maximum horror. Michael is the quintessential bogeyman, and Halloween is the quintessential horror movie.


The 80's
Hellraiser (1987)- Clive Barker, I love you; if that makes me gay, I don't care! You have given us many great nightmares, both on paper and celluloid, but none greater than Pinhead, his Cenobites and the uber wicked puzzle box. With some of the best writing of any horror film I've ever seen, quotes like "The box. You opened it. We came. ", "No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering", and "We have such sights to show you!", have stuck with us over the years, and through many sequels. Plain and simple, Hellraiser is a brilliant concept and film.


The 90's
Se7en (1995)- Ok, I know that some of you are saying, "WTF?!? A Brad Pitt movie at #2?" Make no mistake, this is a horror movie, it's just disguised as a high end work of art. A brilliant movie with brilliant performances, direction and cinematography, not to mention story, Se7en is a hellish ride through a dark city plagued by the murders of a serial killer... Hollywood gets it right now and then, and this is a perfect example.


The 2000's
Saw (2004)- Oh Saw, how I adored you in part one, and could care less about the 20 sequels that followed. The first one was inventive, fresh and effective from start to finish... not to mention creepy. The traps are the best part about the Saw movies; what twisted and wince-inducing ways to die! Unfortunately, we will have to sit through Saw 6, but at least the first one will always be there for us, and be the best.


After long last, tomorrow we get to see what #1 holds for us!

Female Voters Respond to John McCain

NAACP Leaders Talk with Black Bloggers

NAACP President Ben Jealous has been engaged in the Vote Hard Bus Tour going through four states down south. However, he took time yesterday to continue his dialogue with Black bloggers. Garlin Gilchrest II, Chris Rabb and I were the bloggers on this month's conference call. You can see summary of last month's call here.

NAACP leaders introduced to us by President Jealous included Rev. William Barber (North Carolina), Chris Smitherman (Cincinnati) and Angela Ciccolo (NAACP General Counsel).

Here are the highlights from the call:

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Rev. William Barber (NAACP North Carolina Conference) - He shared history of the 'early voting' initiative that began two years ago in North Carolina. This year the state has 15 sites open for Sunday voting. Over 1.2 million NC residents have voted already ... 400,000 of them are African American. Over 6,500 Charlotte citizens voted this past Sunday. Two voter suppression challenges that NAACP NC Conference dealt with recently involved (a) out-of-state college students registered to vote in NC and (b) ex-felon voting rights. Finally, Rev. Barber encouraged everyone to check out the Million Voting March information in print and video.

Chris Smitherman (NAACP Cincinnati Branch) -President Smitherman highlighted the importance of early voting by spending the night in order to be the first person to cast a vote in Hamilton County. Over 15,600 citizens followed his lead as of yesterday. The goal is to have over 25,000 early voters in Hamilton County. He noted that Hamilton County went to Pres. Bush in the 2004 election cycle by only 27,000 votes. NAACP worked with a number of strategic partners including the Greater Cincinnati Urban League, Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), SEIU and others in a variety of early voting efforts. CPS provided two busses to help get 18-year old high school seniors to voting booths! NAACP Cincinnati Branch wants citizens to 'own the ballot'. As such, the branch is actively promoting support for local ballot initiatives.

Angela Ciccola (NAACP Headquarters) - She acknowledged the powerful work being done by local branch and state leaders such as Barber and Smitherman. She pointed out that the NAACP is aggressively fighting voter suppression and voter intimidation situations in places like Lake County (IN), Indianapolis (IN) and Virginia.

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NAACP has a number of election 'watch parties' taking place next Tuesday night. I imagine that most NAACP members and supporters will be watching the election results next Tuesday all over the country.

I understand that the issue of the NAACP Youth Entrepreneurship Institute will be on the agenda for our call next month. NAACP would like to see more bloggers of African descent on these monthly conference calls. Let me know if you're interested and I'll forward your information on to them so you will be notified.

Wordless Wednesday: Haunted Houses

The 31 Days of Horror- #3

The man with the leather face, a haunted TV set, hail to the king baby, and a true psycho...




The 70's
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)- Tobe Hooper helped to define a genre in 1974. This could easily be the best of the 70's, as it's just about as effective of a horror movie as you will ever see. It's fun to note that as gritty, disturbing and violent as this movie was, there was very little in the way of blood... that still blows my mind. And how about Leatherface; along with Michael, Jason, and Freddy, he is one of the cornerstone icons of the horror genre, and his dance at the end of the movie is a thing of legend. Long live the saw!


The 80's
Poltergeist (1982)- How in the hell can a PG rated horror movie be so damned effective? One word; Spielberg. I remember seeing this at the show when I was 9; I also remember thinking my stuffed St. Bernard was going to hide under my bed and try to kill me, and didn't sleep for weeks afterward. Why they're remaking this movie next year, ill never know, because it wont have the same feel and will be ruined by CGI... At least we will always have the original to cherish.


The 90's
Army of Darkness (1992)- Bruce Campbell's Ash is one of the most beloved horror icons in the entire history of horror, and deservedly so. This trilogy, and Army of Darkness in particular, has given us some of the best blood and gore, and definitely some of the best lines in horror history; "Hail to the king baby!", "Gimme some sugar baby!", "Shop smart, shop S-mart..." God I love it! Without Bruce, it just wouldn't work quite right... I don't mind "Fun" horror at all when done like this, but unfortunately, most of it never comes close to being this good. Hail to the king indeed...


The 2000's
American Psycho(2000)- Christian Bale is one of the best actors on the planet, and roles like this are the reason why. Another social commentary movie, American Psycho makes us laugh and cringe at the same time. The book was much more violent, and as much as I would have liked to have seen "The habitrail" scene on film, what we did get was more than enough to satisfy. If you love good serial killer horror and hate yuppies, this movie is right up your alley.
"Hey Paul!" Loves it...


Tomorrow brings #2!...

November 5th Etiquette Tips for Obama Supporters

Villagers, I've been watching crowds of over 100,000 supporters coming out to Obama campaign rallys in Portland, St. Louis and Denver. I noticed that Obama and Biden swept all four debates with their opponents. I see that the early voting enthusiasm and the polls are suggesting that Obama may win this election on November 4.

Barack Obama might win the election on November 4!

If he wins there will be a lot of people (some of our co-workers included) who will be afraid that an Obama presidency will usher in the end of days. They'll be watching us on November 5th (the day after the election) for signs of the end times.

To keep the peace and keep a lot of folks from getting nervous, we should develop a list of celebrations and behaviors we should probably avoid on November 5th:

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1. No crying, hugging or shouting "Thank you Lord" - at least not in public.


2. No high-fives - at least not unless the area is clear and there are no witnesses


3. No laughing at the McCain-Palin supporters


4. No calling in sick on November 5th. They'll get nervous if too many of us don't show up.


5. We're allowed to give each other knowing winks or nods in passing. Just try to keep from grinning too hard.


6. No singing loudly, "We've Come This Far By Faith" (it will be acceptable to hum softly)


7. No bringing of barbeque ribs or fried chicken for lunch in the company
   lunchroom for at least a week (no chittlings at all ... this may make us seem too ethnic).


8. No leaving Kool-Aid packages at the water fountain (this might be a sign that poor folks might be getting too uppity).


9. No Cupid Shuffle during breaks (this could indicate a little too much excitement.)


10. Please no "Moving On Up" music (we are going to try to remain humble.


11. No doing your private "Happy Dance" (unless you're in your office with the door closed)


12. Please try not to yell --- BOOOO YAH!


13. Just in case you're wondering, doing the 'Running Man', 'Cabbage Patch'
    or a backhand spring on the highway is 100% okay.

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Feel free to add to the list. We just want to make sure villagers all on the same page when Obama brings this thing home on November 5th.

Now go get your early vote on and let's make this thing happen!!!

The 31 Days of Horror- #4

The living dead, Snake Plissken in Antarctica, the birth of tween horror, and a masterpiece...




The 70's
Dawn of the Dead (1978)- No one mixes horror and social commentary better than George A. Romero, no one. One of the most horrific, gory and untactful horror movies ever made, DOTD was also a slap in the face to the sheepish mall culture that America was turning into. This is the standard to which all zombie movies are held, even to this day, and for good reason; it's one of the best horror flicks ever made. Not for the squeamish.


The 80's
The Thing (1982)- John Carpenter was horror gold in the 70's and 80's, and this is just one of his many masterpieces. A remake, Carpenter hit every mark he aimed for, and then some, creating a tense and paranoid little world, where isolation and mistrust are the true horror. The FX in this movie are still some of the best ever put to film, the "Thing" in the movie changing into wildly grotesque shapes that are guaranteed to give nightmares. This movie holds up VERY well after 26 years, and will always be a classic.


The 90's
Scream (1996)- Try as I might to hate this movie because it's so damn campy and hip, I can't deny how good it is, nor it's importance to the genre. Face it, horror was a mess in the 90's, and nearly dead; millions of sequels, yet not much original new material hit the cinemas, then along came Scream. Fun, tongue in cheek, original and surprisingly creepy and violent, it reminded us all just how much we love our horror.


The 2000's
Zodiac (2007)- One of the most mysterious and terrifying serial killers of the 20th century, one of the most brilliant films of the 21st. Zodiac is aces in every way, creating and drawing us into a world filled with panic and fear. Masterfully directed, brilliantly acted, a tight script and maybe one of the creepiest scenes ever (the basement, I'll say no more) Zodiac is a modern day classic, which shouldn't be overlooked as just a drama.


Tomorrow brings #3!!!!!

Am I Not Human? America's Prison System

We proudly participate in the monthly 'Am I Not Human?' blogging campaign on the 27th of each month. Our hope is to shine a light on human rights abuses. I'm shining my light this morning on the junkie-like appetite of America to putting our citizens behind bars.

There are more than 2.2 million persons in US prisons and jails, an increase of 500 percent from 30 years ago. A June 2007 report by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) found that the incarcerated population continued to grow in 2006, experiencing its largest one-year increase in six years. The United States now has both the largest incarcerated population and the highest per capita incarceration rate in the world, with a rate five times that of England and Wales, seven times that of Canada, and more than 10 times that of Japan.

The sheer numbers alone should be cause for concern. These 2.2 million felons weren't born criminals. What is it about our criminal justice system that results in such large numbers?

Many of us think that racism is one reason for these horrendous numbers.

The burden of incarceration falls disproportionately on members of racial and ethnic minorities. Black men are incarcerated at 6.5 times the rate of white men, and 11.7 percent of all Black males age 25 to 29 are in prison or jail. The US government failed to explain or address these rates in its 2007 report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

As the prison population grows, so does the challenge of providing adequate medical and mental health care. A September 2006 BJS report found that more than half of all prisoners—and nearly three-quarters of all female prisoners—suffer from a mental health problem such as major depression or a psychotic disorder.

In California a federal judge found that medical care in the state’s prisons violated the US Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. In 2006 the judge appointed a receiver to oversee prison medical care, stripping that function from the state government. In September 2007 the receiver issued a report finding that 15 percent of California prisoner deaths were either preventable or possibly preventable. New ideas for reducing prison population floated in California earlier this year.

Enacted by the US Congress in 1996, the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) creates a variety of obstacles for prisoners seeking to challenge their conditions of confinement or otherwise vindicate their rights in court. In January 2007 the US Supreme Court issued a decision overturning some particularly restrictive interpretations of the PLRA by lower federal courts.

Often we think of places like Darfur, Haiti or Tibet whenever we discuss 'human rights abuses'. However, these abuses can take place in America ... and the men and women in our US Prison System are human beings ... not animals.

Any thoughts on ways to improve the system of incarceration in America? Are mandatory sentences helping or hurting? Wouldn't it make sense to decriminalize drug use? Put a druggie in prison if they rob or steal ... put them in a hospital if they are addicted. Couldn't we cut our prison population in half if we stopped putting people in jail for being high on drugs?

What say u?