The Smiley Smile Message Board

Please support this petition I started. We must prevent the Beach Boys from playing Trumps inauguration.   https://www.change.org/p/the-beach-boys-touring-band-the-beach-boys-should-not-perform-at-trump-inauguration

I don't think this'll make any impact or difference, but I'll sign it anyway as a sort-of symbolic gesture

Same here

Signed.

I wrote..."I don't want Mike to tarnish THEIR name.  Any publicity isn't necessarily good publicity.  This is as close to the worst publicity the Beach Boys could get at this point in their storied history without actually having to do jail time.  But...make NO mistake about it...to play for trump would be a total crime."

I gave them my name and my e-mail address.  But no!!!  They want my actual address and postal code.  :o Well THAT ain't gonna happen.  Good gawd!!!  ::) I'm not a total idiot. :lol

Odd...I didn't have to give all that information when I signed it...

I don't personally require that info.  The site is just being weird.  You can log in with Facebook, that might help.

Yup.

Might I also add... I quite dig your username 8)

your heart is in the right place and I'm happy to sign, BUT...

you might want to check things like grammar and capitalization in order to be taken a bit more seriously. if we're gonna do this, let's do it right!


merry christmas  :)

I made some minor edits.  If you see anything else that needs to be changed please notify me. 

cool. as Add Some pointed out, it should read THEIR name not THERE name.

I shared this on my BB Opinion Page Facebook page. Hopefully got it a few more eyes.

I know I'm going to be bashed for this but here goes.

I've enjoyed this board for a number of years. Been a fan of the group since The Beach Boys In Concert changed my life. Saw the group first at Boston Garden in 1975 and have seen them dozens of times until the Mike / Bruce band at Hampton Beach a few years ago. Since this board seems so much of a Mike vs. Brian thing I'll just say I don't take sides and simply say it's disappointing that they can't all ride out into the sunset on the same wave, but that's OK. You can't expect people who have known each other personally and professionally for more than 50 years to exist in some kind of time warp where everyone and everything stays the same. People change. Times change. As fans, all I can say is that we are blessed to love a band that has created so much joy and different music styles that you can go through phases where one kind of music touches you more than the others. Me? My favorite Beach Boys period runs from Pet Sounds through Holland. That being said...

It is disheartening to see this board go political and engage itself in the petty politics of whether or not the Beach Boys Band (I refuse to call them The Beach Boys) should or should not play at Donald Trump's inauguration. I get it that it seems the majority of folks here didn't vote for Trump. But back in my day, if someone had the honor of being invited to play an inauguration ball you did it out of respect for the office. Anyone can look at the election results and see that the country is divided. In my mind, any time the Beach Boys Band has the opportunity to share the joy of the Beach Boys music with a large audience can only be a good thing, and a way to - even in some small way - help heal the country. Brian's and Dennis' music was all about laying it out there. It's funny that a group so viscerally divided like the Beach Boys were could still be capable of generating songs of love and joy. What's wrong with sharing those same vibes with the American people?

I get it that a bunch of people on this board hate Donald Trump and the idea of his being president. Had Barack Obama asked the band to play at his inauguration I doubt you'd see the same kind of push back on this board that you're now seeing. In my view, it does this board a great disservice. It's not my place to say what people should or shouldn't post here, but if this board is going to become another vehicle for Trump-bashing you can count me out. And that's because my view it should exist for the music and for what the Beach Boys, collectively and individually, were as a force in American pop culture. If you want to destroy this board by turning it into a political forum, go for it, but I and those who think like me, won't be a part of it.

That is a good way of looking at it, I have to grant you that. I got tired of the political talk so much that I just recently just returned from a self imposed hiatus. So yeah I can respect what you're saying.  I do feel very strongly but it's even more than Trump for me , it's his cabinet,  and Imho it'd not something the band should associate with.

the reason you wouldn't see the push back from fans if the band played Obama or anyone else besides Trump's inauguration is because Trump is a RACIST. he has nominated and appointed racists and white supremacists to his cabinet. he has made disgusting and insulting remarks about people based solely on their race and gender. he mocked a man with a disability for f*ck sake. it's not a political left/right issue with Trump, it's about human decency and not aligning oneself (or America's Band) with hateful and racist ideals

Thank you. You just made my argument. You don't know Donald Trump personally. Neither do I. But to call someone a racist simply because of what you might have heard on NPR, CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post or New York Times or whatever does your cause (whatever it is) no justice and diminishes you. Maybe not to all those who might agree with you, but most certainly not for those who come here wanting to talk about the Beach Boys. Everything you stated is YOUR OPINION - you have no proof whatsoever. If you want to hurl serious charges like this you better have more proof or at least have the decency of posting at Daily Kos or Huffington Post. Again - and it's just my view - this board deserves better.

...and BTW I wont bother to make a point about irony of your icon with the "let's be friends" logo. I think this whole country could use a little more of that sentiment.

If somebody is LGBT, and they are deeply offended and threatened by a VP who wants to strip their rights away and believes in conversion therapy, you think they should just "play nice" and sit back, and casually let their rights be trampled, allowing these backwards politicians to become normalized?  Dude, of course people are going to stand up against bigotry and not be "friendly" about it.

Where exactly is your empathy for folks like that?  Or do you take more of a "f*ggots can go f*ck themselves" approach? Because not only do many (certainly not all) Trump supporters take that approach, but the imbecile VP-elect encourages that type of mindset indirectly.

You cannot claim that there is no proof that Pence is a homophobic bigot.  There is plenty. And members of the incoming cabinet casually refer to lesbians as "dykes".  Are the radio show audio recordings of that enough proof for you? So yeah… There is plenty of absolutely disgusting, nausea – inducing bigotry in the cabinet which has been chosen by you know who. So there goes your argument, buddy boy, lest you want to keep pretending that the Trump/cabinet bigotry is simply a myth.

Mike's OK with the term "dykes"...  or at minimum, OK enough to not have it be any sort of dealbreaker.   No apparent problem for Mike to entrench the brand with powerful/ influential politicians who casually -  publicly on radio shows, not private bathroom talk conversations - call gay people "dykes".  Ignoring tons of other legitimate reasons… you don't see the issue with Mike not considering that example as being any sort of dealbreaker?  What would it take? What group of people and what potential epithet would you consider a dealbreaker for any association with the brand?  How about 25 instances of the "N" word by Trump on video? How about 50? 250? Would you not draw the line at any point?

Because Mike is a heterosexual male, and was never repeatedly called the "dyke" name, and bigotry/threats against homosexuality never apparently deeply affected his life in a profound way, he cannot empathize on any real level, because it seems he is just not particularly capable unless it's an unchangeable part of his own being that socially negatively affects him… Like perhaps less BJs from groupies compared to Denny because of his baldness -  that's something Mike could feel screwed over about (it may sound silly, but I'm not even kidding -  he was and probably remains more pissed about that then having any major issue over lesbians being referred to as "dykes"). What if Mike had several gay children who had been victims of hate crimes ? I wonder how he would feel about it then? Just be real for moment and imagine how you would feel if you were a member of the LGBT community, and what a slap in the face this administration would be.

But of course, what does Mike care about that? His gay fans are probably a very small percentage of his revenue stream, so they are completely unimportant to him.  The UN can go screw themselves and the dykes can go f*ck themselves, as long as the money's good! That's the Mike motto!  (The majority of that quote is, disturbingly, actual paraphrasing of Mike's own quotes, by the way).

I'd like to see that discussed more in the sandbox because my friend Melissa is personally affected by this and if rights are taxes away it could be bad. That's a valid concern but I'd rather do this elsewhere

This will be my only post in this thread as I already have said what is to say in one of the other threads and because there is no need for such a discussion because the truth is there to see and hear for everyone.



I don't know bossaroo's sources but there is no question about his claim of Trump being a racist, a homophobic and misogynic. You can hear that in his (Trump's) speeches, tweets and actions. Not to see and realize that is a sign of being blinded by whatever it might be. As mentioned before, this is not a political discussion, it has nothing to do with democratic vs. republican side, nothing with Clinton/Obama against the republican candidate; this is about ethics, about humanity and quite frankly about human dignity. I feel sorry for everyone who doesn't understand this, because that indicates a very ignorant worldview.
It's sad to see what's happening in the USA, but we also have the same problems over here in Europe. The people seem to live in constant fear of the complexity of the world but don't even try to understand it. What is needed is a little (read: a lot) more reflexion instead of this outburst of gut feelings and primitive instincts. The human being has a mind and the ability to reflect himself and his natural, animalistc instincts and find solutions to solve problems and make sure that no one's dignity is touched or offended. To paraphrase Kierkegaard, we have to use our anxiety correctly so we can come to the point of self-awareness realizing our personal responsibility

I signed it but didn't share as I'm hoping this will all blow over without more people knowing it is even being considered.

Great post rocker! 8)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V47yTGdGCfA

Obama Fired January 20th.  Make America Great Again !!

I love the Beach Boys for their music and harmonies. Never did I decide I liked them because of who they support politically. I find it asinine to think that we should push our political beliefs on others, or we will have negative feelings towards them. As grownups we should just accept that people have different opinions and respect their opinions as we would want our opinions respected.

Please remove me from this board ,ban me or tell this filthy deplorable how to get unregistered.

Consider it done, Kirt. But before you go, I have a point to raise:


C-Man was never banned as shown by him posting earlier this morning. Don't know where you got that false information from, maybe you're listening too much to the ersatz fact-checkers and self-proclaimed insiders who can't seem get a handle on the actual facts?

So first you left in September because C-man was banned even though he wasn't, you left because some "insiders" left or were banned, and because of the Mike bashing. Now it's politics?

Whatever the case, consider it done. I'll leave it open for a bit so you can get the PM invitation to join elsewhere, unless you're already set up elsewhere and posting with an account and just decided to drop in to throw some dirt on the fans who post here.

Have a Merry Christmas!   :ohyeah

Serious question: Why do people ask to be removed from a board instead of just *not* logging in anymore and not looking at the board anymore?

When they're "unregistered" then it actually makes it more difficult to go back and track all the things they've said, because you can't just click on their username.

I don't mind some people departing, especially these people with like 25 posts to their name who only pop up to post one liner political BS.

These campaigns in whatever form they take and continue to reappear can at least be comedic entertainment, to look on the bright side of it.

Is it wrong for me to suppose that this is getting kind of idiotic? :-\ By that— of course— I mean; let's not affiliate politics with music that we enjoy; because people are being more torn apart from one another.

I screwed up on C-Man being banned. It was Cam Mott,I believe. I wrote that when I was a little ticked. I should have checked before I posted. I have nothing against C-man.I always liked reading his post.
I don't know any of you or any fact-checkers and self-proclaimed insiders.The reason I rarely post is I come here for news on release etc... Why do I ask to be removed? Because ,I'm human and I don't want to post or reply to a post that might be done in anger. It's too tempting to get pulled into a political scrap.  

                                                                                                                                   thank you

Remember when Trump retweeted an image claiming 85% of whites are killed by blacks (when it's really 15%)? You know how that was debunked in the media, but Trump never disowned the tweet or apologized for it?

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/nov/23/donald-trump/trump-tweet-blacks-white-homicide-victims/

That's something racists do. Trump is a racist. Even if he personally doesn't give a crap, appealing to and encouraging supporters' racism is BEING RACIST.

We can talk about Steve Bannon, sherriff's stars, Pepe memes and the alt-right, too. I'd be curious as to your feelings regarding Trump's campaign ceo and chief policy advisor being a nationally-known alt-right (white supremacist) figurehead.

It should be an honor to be invited to play a Presidential Inaugural, regardless of who won the election. With all the controversial things Trump said in the campaign and the backlash I can understand why they have to think about it.

I took a look at the petition, too much political bullshit involved so I'm gonna pass. 

 Its a shame that bands/artists are getting bullied over this by the media and political hacks. Just because an artist plays at a Presidential inauguration doesn't mean that they support and agree with everything the incoming President has ever said.

The inauguration should be about how our democracy works and the peaceful transfer of power. Something to be proud of regarding our nation's history. Should not be all about the party affiliation, personality or policy positions of the incoming President.

Quick thought here. This is not a pro or anti Trump post. But freedom of speach post. I am not a moderater here but I think people should be able to voice their opinions (without insulting each other) even political if they wish. If you don't want to get political on this board just don't read these political topics.  There is so much good about this board, why would you leave this message board because of a few political posts that upset you? I would consider leaving if people WEREN'T alloud to bring up these contraversial topics from time to time. Even if I completely disagree! No one is forcing you to sign this petition. I'm not signing it but that doesn't mean they can't make one if they wish.

People who toss around claims that someone - anyone - is a racist are nothing more than ignorant asses. You love to toss around claims like racist, sexist, homophobe and xenophobe at the drop of a hat simply because their political views don't happen to be yours. You don't know Donald Trump. You don't know his company's hiring practices. All you know is what you're spoon-fed by the liberal media and toss those accusations out. Give me one Donald Trump tweet that makes him a racist. Give me one Trump hiring practice that makes him a sexist. It wasn't Donald Trump's campaign who sat the father of the guy who shot up that Orlando nightclub filled with gays and lesbians. It wasn't Donald Trump who called half the U.S. population deplorables simply because they thought Trump was a better choice than a vile, corrupt, and incompetent elitist who couldn't even be bothered to make one campaign stop in Wisconsin. It's not It's folks like me who have a wrong-0headeed view of the world - it's you. Just because folks like me want to make sure American citizens get the jobs ahead of illegal immigrants, want to see our country's borders secured, and want to save this country from the suffocating impact of political correctness that has turned Europe into a hot-bed of Islamic radicalism and endangered all forms of free speech on our college campuses doesn't make us racists, sexists, hompphobes, and xenophobes. That's your opinion, perhaps, but it shows how ignorant you are and how incapable you are of even considering alternative views than yours.

The Beach Boys can o what they want, and if because they play an inauguration that makes you think lesser of them to the point where it effects the way you enjoy their music, that's your problem. And it would just how shallow and petty you are.

correction to the above: it wasn't Donald Trump's campaign who sat the father of the guy who shot up that Orlando nightclub filled with gays and lesbians in the VIP section behind Hillary Clinton during a campaign rally.

(http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2443283.1448229931!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/trumptweet23n-1-web.jpg)

Lol. I'm happy to go evidence for Century Deprived's (or whomever you're ranting at - anyway claims that Trump is racist, sexist, etc.) claims against evidence for your claims claim-for-claim in the sandbox any day.  YOU are the one who is wrong on the facts.

Forgive the cut and paste:

As far as border security goes, this would not be a problem if the United States had not enacted policies that viciously exploited Mexico. To me, the conversation of border security for Mexico amounts to telling Mexicans that they are forbidden from trying to disentangle themselves from being exploited. To me, there are ways to improve the order of the country without forcing people to submit to our exploitation and devastating economic policies.

As far as Islamic radicalism goes, remember that what has worked to radicalize Islam has not been political correctness. You have to remember that by 2002, most serious analysts concluded that "radical Islam" was in decline. Here's a very good article from Jason Burke illustrating this point of view in 2002:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jun/30/pakistan.islam

By the following year, this position was impossible to articulate. The attack on Iraq sparked a renewed interest in radical Islam. After the attacks in London, the Royal Institute of International Affairs concluded that the attack on Iraq gave a "'boost to the al-Qaida network' in 'propaganda, recruitment and fundraising'" --> http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/jul/18/uk.july7

I have noted this before but it bears repeating Glenn Greenwald's point that in “2004, Donald Rumsfeld directed the Defense Science Board Task Force” – a committee appointed by the Pentagon – “to review the impact which the administration’s policies – specifically the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – were having on Terrorism and Islamic radicalism. They issued a report in September, 2004 and it vigorously condemned the Bush/Cheney approach as entirely counter-productive, i.e., as worsening the Terrorist threat those policies purportedly sought to reduce.” This should not have been a surprise given the various warnings from experts before the invasions that this was precisely the reaction that was going to happen as a result of the attacks. The findings of the 2004 report was an echo of other findings that have been reached throughout history. According to a National Security Council report from 1958, during a staff discussion, President Eisenhower asked why in the Middle East there was a "campaign of hatred against us, not by the government but by the people." After researching, the National Security Council reported back that it was because the United States typically supported tyrannical regimes in the region, blocked democratic movements, prevented development in attempts to gain control of their territory. After receiving the report, according to the NSC, the Eisenhower Administration confirmed that this perception was correct and that this strategy would continue.

And this follows a long history of the US supporting actions in the Middle East that had the effect of radicalization the area, not the least of which was Ronald Reagan's own support of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's radical Islamisation of Pakistan. This support of radicalizing policies have only continued with Obama's drone campaign which has had the effect of generating more terrorism. As Akbar Ahmed recently pointed out, "Every act of violence in these tribal societies provokes a counterattack: the harder the attacks on the tribesmen, the more vicious and bloody the counterattacks."

Anyone who is in a position to know understands quite well the reasons why radicalization has taken place and none have concluded it has anything to do with PC culture. That's simply a myth that has been circulated by right-wing extremists in an effort to deflect attention away from the real problems. But, yes, Trump and his supporters have been crucial contributors to this propaganda campaign that works to severely distort reality, of which your above quotation is a striking example.

And, by the way, it is not so much that free speech is being curtailed. Rather, there is less tolerance now for these kind of overt distortions and massive fabrications. When someone is no longer able to get away with outright lies, because someone else calls them out on it, that's now referred to as PC policing. It usually just amounts to someone essentially saying that "I should be able to say whatever false think I want to say without anybody being able to question it."

Tom Cruise is nuts and believes in a religion I do not pretend to understand, but it is wildly different from what I believe in. I will also be one of the first in line to see his films because regardless of his personal beliefs (and maybe because of them), he excels in his profession, and I enjoy his movies.

What Trump believes does not have to affect what you believe. That is up to you as an intelligent, thinking adult. He says his goal as president is to "Make America Great Again." Making America great and having the greatest American band play at the inauguration seems like a good fit. 

Make America Great Again = Do It Again, so we will probably get yet another version of this song too. ;D