This meme has been infecting my Facebook newsfeed lately, and I thought I'd reply. The facts are these...

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula spent a lot of his life making drugs, evading taxes, and commiting bank fraud, all acts that landed him in various institutions over the years. Because of the last fraud conviction the terms of his probation included no using alias or Internet usage without his probation officer's approval.

He violated both when he made Innocence of the Muslims, in addition to sparking protests where more than 70 people wound up dead. Nakoula ended up with a year in prison, and four years probation. As far as I can tell, he has never expressed any remorse or apologized for the trouble he has caused.

That's a bit more than simply "upsetting Muslims."

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I love Election Day. Sure, early voting is great if you absolutely can't make it to the voting booth the day of, but given the choice I will always vote on Election Day. There may be lines, it may be out of the way, and it may even involve casting a ballot for someone I don't necessarily like, but voting makes me feel more American, and I like that feeling.

I also like making playlists, and I make them for everything. Seriously, I can't even make a 30-minute trip out of town without two hours of music to listen to, just in case.

What I'm getting at is that like anything else good in life, your Election Day drive needs a playlist. Struggling for ideas? Don't fret -- here are five songs to help you get in the voting spirit, no matter your political persuasion.

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Photo by Groovehouse

Imagine this: You go to a concert to see one of your favorite artists. Suddenly, mid-show, he or she starts spewing political rhetoric. You disagree with his or her ideas, so you and many others leave.

Free speech is something we claim to value in this country, but we are biased against opposing viewpoints. Rarely do we show favor towards those who hold a different point of view.

This happens often with artists regarding their fans: Should they speak their political opinions and risk losing their audience? Is the potential backlash worth their right to free speech?

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This week Republicans from around the country gather in Florida to celebrate all things conservative and curse Issac for stealing the national spotlight. For me the 2012 Republican National Convention marks the true start of the presidential campaign season, the playoffs to the primaries' regular season.

Hard to believe that there have already been two musical controversies for the Romney campaign this year, one concerning the use of a Silversun Pickups' track and the other dealing with Paul Ryan's favorite band.

As a Republican it can be real confusing trying to figure out which bands like you and which bands don't. Here are some clues I've come up with to help any right wing Rocks Off loving candidates avoid the dreaded cease and desist order.

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Above: A burka-clad Madonna talks about Pussy Riot to her Moscow audience

Rewind: Vladimir Putin: No Pussy Riot on His Watch

Free speech is a valued thing in this country. It's why journalists, writers, musicians and artists exist and are able to do what they do. However, in Russia, it seems to be under attack.

One case that has really gotten the international music world's attention is the Pussy Riot case. In March, the Russian punk band performed their song "Virgin Mary, Redeem Us of Putin" outside Moscow's main Russian Orthodox Cathedral. All three burka-clad alleged members were subsequently arrested and charged with hooliganism on grounds of religious hatred.

If convicted, the ladies face up to seven years in prison.

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Mitt Romney had a troublesome time during his recent trip abroad, pissing off politicians and citizens in England, Palestine, and Poland (although to be fair, that last one was simply a guy who worked for Romney, not Romney himself).

Besides providing a potential future Ted Nugent album name -- "Kiss My Ass, This Is Holy Ground" -- Romney and his entourage have reminded us of just how difficult it can be to adjust to foreign cultures and their customs. Although some gaffes seem obvious in retrospect, such as immediately shitting on a country's ability to handle the Olympics, maybe Romney, his advisers, and yes, the rest of us could learn something from the mistakes of those who have gone before: The rock stars.

Few people travel more than they, and few people get into embarrassing situations more often. Let's have a look at some rock stars' faux pas abroad.

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Above: Video of the performance that got three Moscow punk rockers arrested

If he were still alive, Frank Zappa would have a field day with this one.

Just when we thought the Montgomery County sheriff's department was setting the standard for dodgy tactics and thought control with Friday's suspicious preemptive arrest of local activist Aaron Brown prior to the Sarah Palin/Ted Cruz event in The Woodlands, we were reminded once again of what thought suppression looks like.

If you didn't see it in the headlines, back in March three alleged members of Russian female punk band Pussy Riot were arrested for performing a protest song against Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow's main cathedral. The performance has divided Russia, with some supporting the women and demanding wider freedom while the Orthodox establishment has called for severe punishment as an example of the limits on individual expression.

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Rock and pop music in the United States has earned a distinguished reputation for quality protest anthems and anti-war songs, from Country Joe and the Fish all the way up to friggin' Green Day. And that's great; it really is.

Not only are many of the tunes timeless, but criticism of our society's more destructive tendencies is a necessary function of art. If you can listen to "Fortunate Son" without feeling anything, chances are you haven't been paying attention for the past 40 years.

When July 4 rolls around, however, we don't particularly wanna hear any of that pussy shit. We've got 364 other days of the year to feel guilty, conflicted and torn with regard to U.S. foreign policy and aggression. What harm is there in taking a day off from all that to revel in America's unchallenged military supremacy? Stealth bombers are fucking cool!

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Photo by Deneka Peniston

Coupled with dynamic rhythms that somehow flow together like streams of water, their ripped-from-the-headlines lyrics of liberation struggle had the audience literally -- at least in the case of one wild fan in a Mexican wrestling mask -- hanging from the rafters.

-- Nick Turse, Village Voice

Miles Solay is the front man for a New York City band called Outernational, who open for Puerto Rican band sensation Calle 13 tonight at House of Blues. Outernational's album, Todos Somos Ilegales (We Are All Illegals) is extremely dope and refreshing; listen for yourself.

The high-energy quintet is now touring the border, and from Brooklyn to Phoenix to Los Angeles, has been drawing rave reviews about their performances across the board.

But let's get something clear.

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Rocks Off was only 13 years old in October 1992 when singer Sinéad O'Connor sang an a cappella version of Bob Marley's "War" on Saturday Night Live and, on cue, tore an image of Pope John Paul II into pieces while singing the word "evil."

"Fight the real enemy," she exclaimed at the end of one of live TV's most shocking moments. The gesture was labeled as sacrilegious, and what got lost was O'Conner's intent to bring attention to the overwhelming number of sexual-abuse claims inside the Catholic church and all over the world. And that's probably because her gesture was so over the top and bold that the message got vaporized in the firebolts of controversy.

That was our first real introduction to music's sometimes contentious crossing with religion.

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