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Family has lived with street name long enough (Jagger Court)
The Virginian-Pilot ^ | 08/16/05 | Kerry Dougherty

Posted on 08/17/2005 1:57:37 AM PDT by smoothsailing

Family has lived with street name long enough

By KERRY DOUGHERTY, The Virginian-Pilot

© August 16, 2005

Naming a public place after a famous, living person is fraught with peril.

After all, a celebrity's ability to make mischief doesn't die until he does.

Take Mick Jagger for instance.

He may look like a fossil, but the old boy can still rock. And outrage.

The Stones' latest CD won't be out until September , yet it's already making headlines. One cut in particular, "Sweet Neo Con," has Bush supporters steamed.

Some call it "profane." Others say it's "anti-American." Here, you be the judge:

You call yourself a Christian
I call you a hypocrite.
You call yourself a patriot
Well, I think you're full of…

Ooops. Enough of that. Clearly this isn't a song that will be played on the floor of the next Republican convention.

Those of us who don't like the Stones won't buy the CD. Or tickets to see the ancients when they play Charlottesville in October.

Avoiding Mick Jagger is easy for you and me.

It's not so easy for French and Inna Mackes.

Stop for a second and ask what you'd do if you were offended by the latest Mick Jagger song and yet you lived on Jagger Court in the Kempsville section of Virginia Beach.

Move?

Maybe. But the water views from the Mackeses' back yard are splendid. Plus, they just bought the house next door as an investment. On top of that, the cul-de-sac is kid-friendly and they have three children.

Ironically, French Mackes was once a Stones fan. He even saw them in concert in the early 1980s. And when he bought his house three years ago, French said he found the neighborhood street names humorous. There's Joplin Lane, Hendrix Drive and Guthrie Street. Woody and Arlo each have their own court.

Mackes is no longer amused. "I'm a big supporter of the military," he said. "My wife, Inna, and I are offended by Mick Jagger's new anti-American song during this time of war."

Because of that song, Mackes no longer wants to share every envelope he receives with Jagger. Nor does he want to see that street sign after a long day at work. He wants a new moniker.

Last Thursday, the Mackeses were minding their own business and watching the evening news in their living room on Jagger Court. When they saw a story about the controversial "Sweet Neo Con" song, they decided they'd lived with Mick Jagger long enough.

By the next night, the systems analyst had fired off letters to City Council members asking them to redub his street "Pat Tillman Avenue" in memory of the Arizona Cardinals football player who volunteered for the Army Rangers and was killed in Afghanistan in April 2004. Mackes put a Ronald Reagan stamp on each letter and dropped them in the mail.

He didn't stop there. He also wrote a letter to the editor and e-mailed members of the media.

When I talked to him Monday, Mackes said that if the council moved quickly to rename the court to honor a fallen U.S. soldier, it might send a message to the BRAC Commission that this was a town that would rather honor the U.S. military than British rockers.

Before we hung up the phone, I simply had to ask French Mackes about another name.

His.

After all, it wasn't so long ago many red-blooded Americans were ridding themselves of all things French.

Did he ever think of changing that one?

"Nah, I never did," Mackes said, laughing , noting that he was named for his father. "It's funny, but when my son was born four years ago, we at first planned to name him French D. Mackes III.

"Then I thought about France's policies and decided against it."

French Mackes of Jagger Court. A man who knows a thing or two about names.

© 2005 HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Philosophy; US: Virginia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 08/17/2005 1:57:38 AM PDT by smoothsailing
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To: smoothsailing

Old Grampa Mick reduced to singing folksongs of protest. How totally passe. I envision a block of about five thousand fans at his first concert suddenly producing American Flags and chanting USA!, USA! until they drive the old fool off the stage.


2 posted on 08/17/2005 2:04:54 AM PDT by NaughtiusMaximus (The liberals promised to move to Canada but they lied . . . bwaaaaah.)
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To: NaughtiusMaximus

FYI Mick, Neo-Con is just liberal for Jew or Jew-lover. Just another Euro Anti-Semite, Oy.


3 posted on 08/17/2005 3:23:18 AM PDT by deltabean (Born free, die free.)
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To: deltabean

Are you serious? Can you elaborate?


4 posted on 08/17/2005 5:14:05 AM PDT by Fawn (Being a FREE COUNTRY doesn't mean EVERYTHING'S FOR FREE!!!!!!!)
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To: NaughtiusMaximus
I envision a block of about five thousand fans at his first concert suddenly producing American Flags and chanting USA!, USA! until they drive the old fool off the stage.

Mick is not anti-American, anti-Bush, anti-Blair, or anything of the sort. They wrote a song, that's all.

5 posted on 08/17/2005 5:15:26 AM PDT by AbeKrieger (Islam is the virus that causes al-Qaeda.)
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To: smoothsailing
He may look like a fossil, but the old boy can still rock

Right, with the proper equipment


6 posted on 08/17/2005 5:37:42 AM PDT by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to say it.)
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To: Puppage

When is the stones concert in Charlottesville? Sounds like a good place for a big FREEP......


7 posted on 08/17/2005 5:52:02 AM PDT by Gopher Broke (Abortion: Big people killing little people)
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To: AbeKrieger

Have you read the lyrics? I think fat Linda Ronstadt collaborated.


8 posted on 08/17/2005 5:56:05 AM PDT by NaughtiusMaximus (The liberals promised to move to Canada but they lied . . . bwaaaaah.)
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To: Fawn

Sure. Just read this garbage.

http://www.middleeast.org/launch/redirect.cgi?num=308&a=38

or do a yahoo search for "jewish neocons".


9 posted on 08/17/2005 7:42:06 AM PDT by deltabean (Born free, die free.)
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To: deltabean

Wow----It's amazing they keep track of something like that!!


10 posted on 08/17/2005 7:45:06 AM PDT by Fawn (Being a FREE COUNTRY doesn't mean EVERYTHING'S FOR FREE!!!!!!!)
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