JONNY MILLER

Not only did I enjoy reading every second of Paine's brilliance and wit, I was surprised to find the insight he had regarding social issues that still haunt Americans to this day. There is something so punk-rock and defiant about Paine's style, and yet so universal that every man can resonate with this work. I regret that I did not read it sooner! "One of the most influential writers and reformers of his age, Thomas Paine successfully publicized the issues of his time in pamphlets that clearly and persuasively argued for political independence and social reform. Rights of Man, his greatest and most widely read work, is considered a classic statement of faith in democracy and egalitarianism. The first part of this document, dedicated to George Washington, appeared in 1791. Defending the early events of the French Revolution, it spoke on behalf of democracy, equality, and a new European order. Part Two, which appeared the following year, is perhaps Paine's finest e

I am playing solo tomorrow night with some local Folk Music studs at Back to the Grind in Downtown Riverside.

In the autumn of nineteen ninety eight, I lost the last sane part of my poor brain. Nature, she loves to exsanguinate, Strip my soul ‘till all of my blood drains. Mother, she feasts on entropy! If there’s a god up above, It’s not a spirit of love, It’s not a being of goodness or light; It’s dark matter, a cancer, a blight. I’m the son of a plumber and bookkeeper, Though my family is full of teachers. But the lesson I’ve learned from those meeker Is that we're all just servants of the reaper. Mother, she has no empathy! If there’s a god up above, It’s not a spirit of love, It’s not a being of goodness or light; It’s dark matter, a cancer, a blight. My grandparents, they poured their love on me, But their neurons nursed on nicotine. And while the rich, they profit on disease, We bow, deluded, praying on our knees. Mother, she knows no equity! If there’s a god up above, It’s not a spirit of love, It’s not a being of good