Occupy This Album, Occupy This Blog
Music for Occupy - Music with a Mission
Sometimes we're asked, so what exactly drives you Thrasher?
Why have you been keepin' on the bloggin' for 15 years? Even as the power goes out?
Well -- in the parlance of our times -- it's complicated.
So let us answer it this way... by deflecting the question over to the upcoming release of "Occupy This Album" by Music for Occupy - Music with a Mission which is a group of musicians and music professionals who wish to give as much as they can to the movement.
The group is composed of:
Crosby and Nash
Jackson Browne
Warren Haynes
The Guthrie Family
Aeroplane Pageant
Tao Rodriguez Seeger
Dj Logic
Yo La Tengo
Lloyd Cole
Devo
Stephan Said
Lucinda Williams
Toots And The Maytals
Third Eye Blind
& many, many others
Last month, Crosby & Nash performed live at Occupy Wall Street. Their 20 minute set included “They Want It All” off of their double album Crosby & Nash, which was released in 2004; “Military Madness,” a song Graham Nash recorded for his solo album Songs for Beginners, which was released in 1971; “Long Time Gone,” a song written by David Crosby for the album Crosby, Stills & Nash, which was released in 1969 and was performed at Woodstock; and “Teach Your Children,” a song written by Graham Nash that first appeared on the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young album Deja Vu in 1970.
Yesterday, singer/songwriter Jackson Browne and the band Dawes played a six song set at Occupy Wall Street.
Browne did an acoustic “Casino Nation” with the lyrics:
In the fabled crucible of the free world
Gleaming faces in the checkout counter of the Church of Fame
The lucky winners cheer Casino Nation
All those not on TV only have themselves to blame
And don’t quite seem to understand
The way the hammer shapes the hand."
The lyrics seemed to capture the spirit of what #OWS is all about.
Here's Jackson Browne on OWS on Keith Olbermann show last night. A tremendously important perspective on why #OWS matters.
Which brings us back to the question posed at the top. Why blog?
Well, this seems to say it better than we ever could.
From Firedoglake | The Dissenter by Kevin Gosztola:
Music is essential to keeping this movement alive.
It won’t be sustained if the movement isn’t tapping into culture. I don’t mean popular culture or counterculture. I don’t necessarily even mean the kind of culture that Jackson Browne or Crosby & Nash because that culture reminds people of a time in the 60s, 70s or even 80s.
I simply mean that the occupations should be regularly inviting musicians, entertainers, comics and artists to perform or display their art at the camps or in locations where they are occupying so that they can project the idealistic vision of the movement, which is to bring about a world with more democracy and economic equality and justice for all.
That is why the Friday and Saturday action, Occupy Broadway, is so significant. Parallel to rampant corruption on Wall Street and growing influence of money in politics has been the commodification of art and culture. And that has meant more and more socially conscious art and culture is turned down by producers when artists want to create something powerful.
Song, dance and even street theater provide a shell that can preserve what this movement is about and make it about much more than stopping police or cities from arresting occupiers for wanting to have encampments in public spaces. It can be the soul that makes the movement even more powerful to humanity than the First Amendment rights the movement cites to justify not packing up and going home.
Also, more on freedom, music and occupations:
- #OccupyWallStreet 2011 and Kent State Ohio 1970: Is This Really Deja Vu?
- Neil Young Ohio Lyric Analysis
- Crosby & Nash: Live at Occupy Wall Street
- The Truth About The Kent State Massacre
- Tin Soldiers & Mayor Bloomberg Coming
- Occupy: From 1970 to 2011
- American Dream: How could something so good, go bad, so fast?
- American Dream: From 1988 To 2011
- The Answer is Blowin' in the Wind My Friends
- Ohio and Freedom
Labels: freedom, music, neil young, occupy
by thrasher@PermaLink: 12/02/2011 04:33:00 PM
45 comments
>> Pre-Order on Amazon.com << 
Human Highway
Concert Review of the Moment
This Land is My Land
FREEDOM In A New Year
*Thanks Neil!*
![[EFC Blue Ribbon - Free Speech Online]](http://www.thrasherswheat.org/gifs/free-speech.gif)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Neil Young
Pardon My Heart
"We're The Ones 
Thanks for Supporting Thrasher's Wheat!
This blog 
(... he didn't kill himself either...)
#AaronDidntKillHimself
Neil Young's Moon Songs
Civic Duty Is Not Terrorism
Orwell (and Grandpa) Was Right
What's So Funny About 
45 Comments:
I started listening to Neil in 1968. I have seen him play at least 10 times...probably more...I can't remember. I can't find my car...
I ate LSD on Enchanted Rock in Austin Texas...Crested Butte in Colorado...Mount ranier in Washington State...to mention a few.
I saw through myself. My subjective paradigm of the construction...of reality...self-impotrance...
So...we all registered to go fight in Vietnam.
Government said drnking age is 18...no problem...go fight in Vietnam.
Pissed us off. Hendrix. Purple Haze.
This morning...5 am...I push the CD in. Sublime. Loud. Raining...turn off the traction control...I have the Cadillac sideways on Hwy 1189...Damn that still tastes good...right...
I remember riding my horse off the tank damn at 2 am by moonlight...into water 20 feet deep. Sinsemillia... Granddaddy's ranch...
Your Cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch and a wheel on the track...
Kent State...Vietnam.
Occupy Wall Street...punks. Socialistic wish you had it...share what you did with me please...
Pay your dues...punks.
I've got the Revolution Blues...
I bought that ticket and I'll take that ride...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqAe0BzNQ2Y&feature=player_detailpage
Yo Thrasher, thought you'd find this of interest.
The United Nations envoy for freedom of expression is drafting an official communication to the U.S. government demanding to know why federal officials are not protecting the rights of Occupy demonstrators whose protests are being disbanded -- sometimes violently -- by local authorities.
Frank La Rue, who serves as the U.N. "special rapporteur" for the protection of free expression, said in an interview that the crackdowns against Occupy protesters appear to be violating their human and constitutional rights.
"I believe in city ordinances and I believe in maintaining urban order," he said Thursday. "But on the other hand I also believe that the state -- in this case the federal state -- has an obligation to protect and promote human rights."
"If I were going to pit a city ordinance against human rights, I would always take human rights," he continued.
La Rue, a longtime Guatemalan human rights activist who has held his U.N. post for three years, said it's clear to him that the protesters have a right to occupy public spaces "as long as that doesn't severely affect the rights of others."
In moments of crisis, governments often default to a forceful response instead of a dialogue, he said -- but that's a mistake.
"Citizens have the right to dissent with the authorities, and there's no need to use public force to silence that dissension," he said.
Concur with Bill. It's just doesn't seem so peaceful. Check this ste:
http://commoncts.blogspot.com/2011/11/occupy-wall-street-document-record-of.html
I'm proud of the Occupy Wall Street protesters and concur with the need for federal protection. In fact, this is one reason why we need federal government -- to protect the civil rights of American citizens. All those whackjob politicians who think they can run their towns (and state governments) like a private golf club have got to go!
From voting rights to education rights to health care rights, the atrocities of state legislation action that has occured just in the past two years is eroding basic protections and safeguards we have as citizens. No family should be paying more for their healthcare than the next person. No family should be expected to pay from their property taxes money to send their neighbor's kids to private or parochial schools.
I just hope that our courageous protesters don't stop at Wall Street but continue to grow so they're at the capitol steps of every State in US by the next election time.
You don't need a bloodhound to sniff out where the money is coming from and where the money is going next. The big tax write-off for big companies is leaving many towns and states in peril.
(What is up with that first comment from the person who first listened to Neil in '68. Is that the seven second Shakey or what?)
And Karl Rove, shut up MOFO!
Occupy this comment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPC7ysx-B4k
from early 2011. Me and my band
Here's to the bloodless revolution.
V oicing
O ut
T o
E veryone
You really want to be a revolutionary in these troubled times? Be a conservative - NOT Republican! The dopes camping out for Occupy Your Mom's Basement are fodder for the left and the Democrats. The counterculture of the 60's has become the establishment of today - and yet here we see Crosby and Nash hoping for one last bit of relevance before their gig is up here on Earth. Neil realized back in the late 60's that the so called revolution was a joke and had been co-opted by the media - hence Revolution Blues. 2011 is no different. A GENUINE revolution would involve Occupying Capitol Hill and the White House - where the root causes of economic injustice lie. Thrasher keeps peddling the talking points of the modern day left - which is as corrupt and morally bankrupt as any movement throughout history. My Tired Eyes are wide fucking open. Liberalism is destroying economies all around the world. Wake up fools!!!!
Tax, tax you break our backs...
I'm okay with paying my taxes. I'm okay with paying taxes to maintain agencies that keep the soil, water, and air clean. Agencies that provide education and medical services for people who need it. Agencies that find placement for people who have been abandoned.
The problem is that the tax burden has shifted on working class who get no break, write-off, or deferrment plan. They get dumped on because they have to makeup for the loss generated by all the tax breaks.
The family making over $450K and keeping up their property value estimated as $1.2 million pay very little in state and federal taxes.
If everyone paid the same in taxes, we wouldn't be Occupying Wall Street.
If we can just move away from the name calling, friend. You either want to help others or you don't. If you don't, move out of the way.
Most of my friends who are conservative are not happy with the results or the outcome of the representatives that claimed to represent their views.
Mitch McConnell fueled the ongoing assault on America's working class when he chose to take sides immediately following the president's election. He is vindictive, like his associate John Boehner.
You want to see conservative views in actions? Go take a ride in Boehner's little fiefdom of have and have nots. The "haves" are whining about paying taxes for basic services like snow removel and public schools because John gave that money away in tax incentives and breaks to his buddies leaving the burden of responsibility on the "have nots" to fend for themselves. Wouldn't it just make sense if everyone paid according to their income? There wouldn't be this big disparity in government representation and livelihoods. Kids who are born into the poverty cycle might get a chance to break out of it instead of perpetuating the cycle.
And it is cycle. If you don't believe me, open a few history books and read for yourself.
@12/02/2011 09:36:00 PM - that was fun. we'll see you on the other side...
@Bill Up on the Hill - thanks. That says a lot if the U.N. feels it needs to intervene on behalf of U.S. citizens who's rights are being assaulted.
@MNOTR - yes, it seems we've have gone quite astray when we have to re-baseline what it means to be in the middle class as we race towards the bottom.
@SONY - VOTE. But for who??? Everything is broken.
@Anonymous 12/03/2011 12:44:00 PM - As usual, we really have a hard time responding to your comments. First, your tone is so offputting how can we have a civil debate?
Occupy Your Mom's Basement?
Really? snark gets you nowhere here.
Or is that what you think this is? Why don't you tell that to the 1,000+ riot troops in L.A. & NYC? They sure seem to be threatened & terrified by the movements just by looking out their outfits & gear?
But fundamentally, why attack C&N and others if their efforts are so irrelevant?
"Neil realized back in the late 60's that the so called revolution was a joke and had been co-opted by the media - hence Revolution Blues."
We think you're terribly mis-reading these lyrics. Neil was speaking directly towards Charles Manson's method of revolution. Obviously, chopping up folks in the Hollywood Hills gives your revolution a bad rep.
Let's all agree that Occupy advocates peaceful, non-violent civil disobedience.
Face it. That's what you really fear. That's why you are so afraid.
Fear is easy. Love takes courage.
join us.
peace
Hey Thrasher!
Thanks for blogging about the Occupying Wall Street protesters. These are young and old who've looked at life from both sides, you know?
Maybe they just can't stand to see the social injustice of life in America. Liberal or conservative, you have to be cold-blooded or completely detached emotionally to not see the injustice.
My best example is that kids like Ben Young had to have their mother go out and start a school because there were no public schools around that served kids with special needs in communication.
It doesn't matter if your rich or poor in this country -- every child is entitled to a free public education regardless what their challenges may be in life. Every person regardless of income shouldn't have to beg and borrow and sell their home to pay the insurance premiums after their kids get cancer or other childhood diseases. I know five families who had their main income cut off because the Dad fell off a roof, died in a fire, or lost the use of their legs after contracting a virus. These people are struggling everyday just to pay their heating, food, and keep a roof over their head.
We are in total denial over the real needs of people living in America. People who NEED medication, housing, and other essentials after they've been abandoned or drained from using all their financial resources.
The Occupy Wall Street is about bringing an awareness to the struggle and hardship of others while others turn a blind eye. It's the same thing Woody sang about. It's the same thing Pete sang about in the 30s & 40s. The only thing that hasn't changed is the whitewash -- our selfish view and idea that somehow people aare deserving of their condition in life. It's their own fault.
The banks were forced to take the money and the gov crossed its fingers hoping they would lend it out.The occupy wall street is a joke,makes me laugh when people just jump on board to be cool or some shit.I love that i live in a rich country and have no problem with people making as much money as they want.
Thrasher, thank you so much for posting this - I am conflicted about the OWS movement - I see the hope and power it can have, but I also see problems with protesters who have laptops & blackberries & all the accoutrements of the modern age believing their fight is against corporations; the fight should be and always should be about inequality - it should be about the federal government giving corporations leeway; it should be separating our government from the federal reserve; it should be about taxing equally; it is not a problem with the rich having money, if they earned it in a system of equality. Thomas Jefferson's ideals should be studied intently by every OWS protester - that is what we should be fighting for. This is very powerful & how this protest works beautifully: http://youtu.be/2N1g3Xps68g Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf Mic Checked at NC State by Occupy on 11/30/11 - Occupy Raleigh Day 47 . So, thanks for using Thrashers Wheat to talk about it.
I love that I live in country that values being rich in compassion and good will. I have no problem with people making as much as they want as long as they're paying living wages to the people helping them get filthy rich.
Baby, if you can't beyond the laptops and bluetooth technology or grasp the idea that it might be your next door neighbor's kid studying Jeffersonian democracy in college getting pepper spray in their face simply because they want to protest the greed that has been guiding politics of Wall Street, turn off your television set and head out to your local OWSP.
Paul,
I'm really glad you shared that youtube video! Do you think any of those kids who interrupted the speaker deserved to get pepper spray in their face?
Love,
Mother Nature.
My sweet momma, if it's love that you have for the agencies that do all the protecting in exchange for your taxes and living wage, please come move in next door to me and we can revel in NY being the 2nd higest taxed state with the second highest paid state workers and we can cheer together as big oil comes to extract the marcellus shale gas that the DEC says is safe. I will then dance with you in the streets as the 'equality' gushes from the wells and we are one with our fellow man.
Did you see how much your neighbors across from Central Park pay in taxes? What you owe in taxes is probably a lot higher than the person who makes a hundred times more than you.
The DEC is a result of what happens when too much power is given to the individual states. However, they still have to follow federal laws regarding watersheds and other areas vulnerable to drilling.
@Paul - thanx for the note & thoughts.
We'd be making a big understatement to just say that #Occupy is important.
We think you could go back to Greendale in '03 and listen to BTR with lines like "There's corruption on the highest floor" to have seen this coming.
For many of us, it's been more "gee, thought this would've happened long ago". And the fact that many were inspired by Arab Spring is well... just sorta sad.
But most importantly, folks are waking up. Literally. They're finally seeing what we have all known for so winterlong... that this is all but an illusion.
Now, as for "laptops & blackberries & all the accoutrements of the modern age".
We suppose that might be the crux of your point? The disconnect.
Well it won't surprise you where we see the value & relevance of using the tools "of the modern age" to wage a revolution.
Seriously. Let's face it.
The choice is ours. Either a soft or hard revolution. It's going to happen one way or another.
So would you prefer Molotov cocktails or Twitter #hashtag flash mobs?
peace
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable."
~~John F. Kennedy, October 26, 1963
Like all technologies -- most come are double-edged because there are always two sides to a story.
While many of the social technologies drive people into isolation looking at life through a very narrow viewpoint, there are many more who seek out social connection giving them a different perspective.
Without our technology, we would never hear from our friends Matt, Deborah YIP, & Felipe.
"Now, as for "laptops & blackberries & all the accoutrements of the modern age".
We suppose that might be the crux of your point? The disconnect."
No, my point is that it's the money spent to those corporations is how they got those laptops & blackberries; it's very contradictory, isn't it? Just as I don't dig the college students doing Occupy protests at their colleges; college fees are not what the point is. A college is a business. Let's say I don't know if a great deal of the protestors understand what the real issue should be. To me, it is inequality.
"There's corruption on the highest floor" to have seen this coming.
They're finally seeing what we have all known for so winterlong... that this is all but an illusion.
Stupid lyric quotes really makes the arguments sound sophomoric.How old are you?
I think the issue is "inequity." We seek balance in our personal life. To arrive at this balance, however, we need to be on the same playing field. Hopefully it can be achieved through peaceful means and dialog.
I think Thrasher is just pointing out how the human condition, politics, and life in general haven't really changed all that much. Neil's songs are timeless but also still very relevent.
I think the presence of blackberries and laptops show that the protesters are progressive thinkers who are using an old form of communication to project their opinion and attitude about the way business is done in this country.
This is not a throw the baby out with the bathwater protest.
The people on wall street could care less about the protesters,it will accomplish nothing and the longer it goes on the worse they will look with the crime,trash ect.Its the governments deal/fault...i guess it just makes old hippies and libs feel good.
It's easy to blame the government instead of the people who have abused and corrupted capitalism and our system of government to the point that it serves a very small percentage of people who are in control. So much control that these same 1% dictated for years what kind of energy we used to run our cars, businesses, and homes. They even dictated what kind of wars we would fight.
The same people who would like nothing more than to do away with regulations and laws that protect you & me from being thrown out into the streets if our kids get sick or if we lose our job or if our crops fail.
It's easy to blame the government instead of the people
Ok what people? are they all breaking federal law?
The same people who would like nothing more than to do away with regulations and laws that protect you & me from being thrown out into the streets if our kids get sick or if we lose our job or if our crops fail.
Wtf does that mean? Wall street people want to throw us out on the street? they would like nothing more?Holy crap this is why most people dont take this crap seriously
So then, how do we control those who would hasten even futhur our demise and this divide? Is it not through governmental control? Is there any other way? Is it possible with those now in office under the rules and regulations that are in place? Are they now complicit in the current operations.
The true power of the populace is certainly it's voice and it's votes. It is the basic fabric that our forefathers engineered to bring down the tyranny of any age.
It will be of great interest to us all to see where this occupy travels, where it gains force and what shape it will take. It's got legs. As long as it's got heart, courage, brains and stamina it can bring about the change that is sought for the fairness that is portends to represent. The minute it becomes selfish and self centered for something other that true equality it will fizzle and drizzle and be forgotten as pissing in the wind. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. There's a long way to go, but at least it got started.
I have to agree that Wall Street could care less. They don't have to. But Washington and the rest must be rattled continually for this to be heard, there will be no other way. Martin Luther King brought his message to our great capital with great results. Necessary results. The Occupation must be centered there.
So then, how do we control those who would hasten even futhur our demise and this divide? Is it not through governmental control? Is there any other way? Is it possible with those now in office under the rules and regulations that are in place? Are they now complicit in the current operations.
The true power of the populace is certainly it's voice and it's votes. It is the basic fabric that our forefathers engineered to bring down the tyranny of any age.
It will be of great interest to us all to see where this occupy travels, where it gains force and what shape it will take. It's got legs. As long as it's got heart, courage, brains and stamina it can bring about the change that is sought for the fairness that is portends to represent. The minute it becomes selfish and self centered for something other that true equality it will fizzle and drizzle and be forgotten as pissing in the wind. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. There's a long way to go, but at least it got started.
I have to agree that Wall Street could care less. They don't have to. But Washington and the rest must be rattled continually for this to be heard, there will be no other way. Martin Luther King brought his message to our great capital with great results. Necessary results. The Occupation must be centered there.
(sorry for the double hit there...
T-delete one if you can. and this)
I have to agree that Wall Street could care less. They don't have to. But Washington and the rest must be rattled continually for this to be heard, there will be no other way
thats my point..these people are in the wrong place for the wrong reasons but they dont seem to care as long as the tv people keep showing up..
Capitalism only works if you can find people to do the job. Unfortunately, there are people who would like nothing more than to exploit their workers so they can make a profit.
The guilty are people who are responsible for turning the profit for a business at the expense of another individual or the environment. The guilty are people abusing and corrupting capitalism and free enterprise at the expense of another person or the environment. Some are even guilty of abusing our government and laws protecting the rights of people who are the most vulnerable.
Where do you think it all starts? On Wall Street, of course. Where else does it matter?
Good point, Sony. But remember, the civil disobience, boycotts & non-violent protest for civil rights started in 1955 at the point of contention -- places like Montgomery & Selma -- March on Washington came years later in '63when everyone was on board.
OWS protestors are starting at the point of contention. Where else does it matter if businesses are profitting or not?
from our friend Jackson - same principle.
I've been waiting for something to happen
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headlines
And the sound of the crowd in my ear
You might ask what it takes to remember
When you know that you've seen it before
Where a government lies to a people
And a country is drifting to war
And there's a shadow on the faces
Of the men who send the guns
To the wars that are fought in places
Where their business interest runs
On the radio talk shows and the t.v.
You hear one thing again and again
How the u.s.a. stands for freedom
And we come to the aid of a friend
But who are the ones that we call our friends--
These governments killing their own?
Or the people who finally can't take any more
And they pick up a gun or a brick or a stone
There are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire
There's a shadow on the faces
Of the men who fan the flames
Of the wars that are fought in places
Where we can't even say the names
They sell us the president the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us every thing from youth to religion
The same time they sell us our wars
I want to know who the men in the shadows are
I want to hear somebody asking them why
They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are
But they're never the ones to fight or to die
And there are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire
I really do believe we can change the minds of the people who are the decisions makers. We've done it in the past. (I really have a lot of faith in humanity.)
Right now, there is a denial about the consequences many are living & facing as a result of self-serving, greedy actions. Wall Street still has a lot of control over the message about how they want to present the OWS protesters, but when the movement grows and people see that nice neighbor kid who use to sit with their aging Mom or Dad to keep them company bringing chicken soup over to the house out of the kindness of their heart is on the television getting billy clubbed over the head for protesting -- people will have a change of heart.
@Paul - Thanks for clarification. 2 points.
Contradictory to have a laptop?
Well, we really have a hard time here with this and what you're suggesting. What's the alternative? Folks build their own laptops? You can grow your own food, but not practical to build your own technology.
@12/04/2011 02:01:00 PM, Anonymous - "Stupid lyric quotes really makes the arguments sound sophomoric.How old are you?"
Well, this is a music blog about a poet so lyrics matter.
And we encourage folks to use lyrics whenever possible to illustrate their points as usually the shorthand convey much more than a verbose commenter. ;)
@SONY - thanks for lyrics! yes, there's blood on the wire.
@MNOTR - thanks for optimism. Appreciated, welcomed & needed.
peace
On the inequality issue. Yes. But the heart of the matter is that the inequality exists due to the system being corrupt & rigged. That's the point of Jackson's song Casino Nation. The game is fixed and you will always lost. That is what Occupy is protesting. There is no level playing field and it is being tilted more rapidly than ever.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/video-jackson-browne-debuts-protest-tune-at-occupy-wall-street-20111201
Different new tune on Rolling STone site.
Just reading now the BP is accusing Halliburton of destroying Gulf spill evidence:
"According to BP, Morgan testified that during tests the slurry mixture separated, instead of foaming as designed, and looked “thin’’ to him, an indicator of potential instability. Morgan said he didn’t take notes of the tests and dumped out his samples partly because he feared the results could be harmful to the company in court, BP said.
When a second Halliburton lab replicated Morgan’s tests with similar results, lab employees also “destroyed records of the testing as well as the physical cement samples used in the testing,’’ BP said.
Halliburton’s in-house labs used up all samples of the slurries and chemical additives actually used in the well, which prevented third-party labs from conducting precise tests, BP said.
Even though it couldn’t provide any actual samples, the contractor has maintained that post-incident tests conducted by outside labs are unreliable because they use simulated cement slurries and additives, BP said.
.
- By Laurel Brubaker, Wash. Post/Business
Love watching the video of J. Browne. Thanks Sony!
I like the part where he's says he's gotta read the lyrics cause he just finished it last night. I've been there, as I always try to lay it down as fresh as I can. I anin't no Jackson, but the best vibe is the freshest vibe.
Haliburton...figures. WTF, somebody's gotta be acountable. That's what's missing throughout our society, government, families, schools,. Where the hell did our credibility go? Our F$%^ing dignity. Right out the door with the jobs and the factories I guess.
Here's your USA, USA, USA-
Today, a Texas woman shot herself and her two kids in a state welfare office after struggling for months to qualify for food stamps. The two kids are in critical condition. The mother is dead.
It is so difficult to even get welfare in this country that a mother would rather just kill herself and her two kids than watch them starve or struggle to live.
USA, USA, USA
Ranking #9 world-wide in gun violence is nothing to be proud of there, Buster. Yesterday, a woman and her children were shot by the Daddy. I think Texas is # 1 in the US.
FYI - places (with few exceptions) with no state income tax or state taxes have through the roof statistics on domestic violence, gun violence, and poverty in general.
That's OUR USA USA USA anon. Sad as it is.
My point was that in states that go unregulated or unchecked by federal government generally have the highest number of abuse perpetrated against people who are the most vulnerable.
Remember when all those nursing homes got busted in the 80s for abusing their residents? It happened in states with no regulations and safeguards in place.
Places like Texas have federal agencies but they are poor examples for a reason. Anytime a politician wants to point out the inefficiency of federal government, guess where they go?
There use to be a few exemplary states that did a good job investigating abuses (of humans and the environment) but those agencies were severely cut by the federal government during that "small government" campaign that went on during the Reagan years. Everyone got on that bandwagon, remember? Even the USDA inspectors are down to "regions" instead of having inspectors for each state.
That Massey mining tragedy happened because nobody was following the safety regulations that were in place. The few people they had left to cover that region were hired on by Blankenship -- in fact the sheriff and all the other politicians were financed by Blankenship.
My point is that government and economic systems are only as corrupt as the people who are in control. The system is rigged here in the US because you got Blankenship-like big boss fiefdoms in control.
Blankenship is the 1%.
Well, maybe his day of atonement came yesterday when the feds busted him for $210 million for all the disaster. But ...
Do you think he gives a fuck how many people died or are now sick because he rigged the system that was in place to protect people when they went into mines or from their water and soil being poisoned?
Thanks MNOTR. "government and economic systems are only as corrupt as the people who are in control."
we feel your anger & pain, sincerely.
finally folks are waking up to this simple fact and the realization that changes lies in their own hands.
be the change
"be the change" - great lyric from the song you've referenced...politically and in the context of standing around or camping in public spaces it's nothing but a platitude...
Maybe what we're seeing is the difference between a well organized non-violent occupation vs. an out- of-control bloody uprising.
Sorry it's not bloody or violent enough for you. Why don't you try a sporting venue like hockey or soccer?
Post a Comment
<< Home