Hi, Texas. How are you? The next leg of the Scion Installation 4 tour is rolling through Austin. The show, titled It’s a Beautiful World features artists such as Dalek, Blaine Fontana, Jeff Soto, Angela Boatwright, RETNA, Ron English and Sam Flores. The exhibit will open at the Gallery Lombardi on Thursday, Jan. 17th with a reception featuring It’s a Beautiful World artists Fontana, Andrew Pommier, Michael Sieben and Tim McCormick to be held that day from 6 - 10pm. The exhibit will run until Feb. 22nd.

So a lot of people I know have been saying a lot of good things about Ron Paul, the darkhorse Republican Presidential Candidate who has made a name for himself with his unflinching dedication to withdrawing troops from Iraq and actually instituting the small-government type shit that Republicans always talk about but never actually do.  However, a look back at some of the Texas Congressman’s old newsletters uncovers more than a few somewhat questionable opinions, to put it mildly. Though nebulous in their actual authorship, the passages in the newsletter all ran with the implicit editorial signature of Paul himself. A few of the better excerpts:On Martin Luther King Jr:

A “world-class philanderer who beat up his paramours,” “seduced underage girls and boys,” and “made a pass at” fellow civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy. One newsletter ridiculed black activists who wanted to rename New York City after King, suggesting that “Welfaria,” “Zooville,” “Rapetown,” “Dirtburg,” and “Lazyopolis” were better alternatives. The same year, King was described as “a comsymp, if not an actual party member, and the man who replaced the evil of forced segregation with the evil of forced integration.” 

 On AIDS victims in San Francisco:

“[T]hese men don’t really see a reason to live past their fifties. They are not married, they have no children, and their lives are centered on new sexual partners.” Also, “they enjoy the attention and pity that comes with being sick.” 

Paul’s newsletter was also supportive of some interesting causes. Such as right-wing militia groups:

In January 1995, three months before right-wing militants bombed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, a newsletter listed “Ten Militia Commandments,” describing “the 1,500 local militias now training to defend liberty” as “one of the most encouraging developments in America.” It warned militia members that they were “possibly under BATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms] or other totalitarian federal surveillance” and printed bits of advice from the Sons of Liberty, an anti-government militia based in Alabama–among them, “You can’t kill a Hydra by cutting off its head,” “Keep the group size down,” “Keep quiet and you’re harder to find,” “Leave no clues,” “Avoid the phone as much as possible,” and “Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.” 

 And everyone’s favorite, David Duke:

In a passage titled “The Duke’s Victory,” a newsletter celebrated Duke’s 44 percent showing in the 1990 Louisiana Republican Senate primary. “Duke lost the election,” it said, “but he scared the blazes out of the Establishment.” In 1991, a newsletter asked, “Is David Duke’s new prominence, despite his losing the gubernatorial election, good for anti-big government forces?” The conclusion was that “our priority should be to take the anti-government, anti-tax, anti-crime, anti-welfare loafers, anti-race privilege, anti-foreign meddling message of Duke, and enclose it in a more consistent package of freedom.” 

Duke has, of course, returned the favor in kind, offering frequent updates on and support for the Paul campaign on his website. If you’re one of the tens of thousands of people who’ve given Paul money over the internet, there’s only one thing I can say: PWN3D!!!!!!!!!!!!111    

The Inversion House (r.i.p.) More pics at this crazy German blog. Built by Art League Houston

Houston based graf artist Gonzo247

They also have their own toast, wtf?

We haven’t mentioned our good friends at The Sword in a while, but like a dragon awakening from an eon-long slumber, the stoner rock quartet is ready to once again ravage the countryside. The Sword is taking a short break from writing their new record to play The Wall of Sound Festival along with Explosions in the Sky, Midlake, Pinback, Ghostland Observatory and many others. If you’re in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex on Sept. 22nd (tomorrow!), don’t pass this up. 40 bands on three stages for just $30. Tickets available here

.