Let’s crank the A/C
I wanna feel
its artificial
breeze on me

Now turn the tube on
Let’s kick back on our backs
and listen to
its superficial song

What’s faux’s not false
unless, of course
we wake from sleep
to see the world
our parents reaped

The hunter’s basest instinct
is not merely to kill
not solely to survive
but to thrive

Inventing his spears
was merely a means
to spend less time killing
and more time living

Living was fucking
eating
and dreaming.

Much as it is now
for you and for me
and our dogs
and our cats

Much as it is now
for kings
and for rats.

It’s time to put some meat behind the word that we all seem to cherish equally:

FREEDOM

We all may disagree with how we achieve it and who’s freedom is more important than the others. We are striving to find balance. Some of us see taxes as achieving that balance, some of see it as tool of oppression. Some of us see our military as a means of spreading freedom and ensuring our own, others are wary of the authoritarian nature of our commanders-in-chief and the Top Brass.

What we’re forgetting is that we are all striving for the same goal. It is with that thought in mind that I would like to take the time to introduce you to Gogol Bordello, a band that I believe best represents the spirit of Freedom and what it means to all of us on a very personal level. Through the mere backgrounds of the members, the mixture of old and new sounds, and words that will help to remind you that we are all one people who want to party, fuck, drink and be merry. Never mind the Bollocks.

I should also mention how I was introduced to this band. I had just done a New Team Lunacy with 9 Famous Irishmen, at which a fellow by the name of Charlie whom I’d met a year earlier after a class show I randomly attended just showed up randomly to play on a Mix team. I thought he tore up the place. Anyway, I caught up with Charlie at the bar and we shared a drink and a smoke. Right before I left we started talking about Tom Petty and the excellent documentary “Runnin’ Down a Dream”. Specifically how he really just connects with so many different people and how his shows are incredible feats of audience participation, not to mention how he stood up to the Record Industry when no one else would. Anyway, he’s the one who first told me that I needed to check out Gogol Bordello.

It turns out that Charlie actually hung out with the lead singer a few times. His name is Eugene Hütz, and he told Charlie the story of how rock n’ roll saved his life. I will now paraphrase, please read in a Russian accent my friend!

Let me tell you story, my friend, of how Rock N’ Roll save my life. My uncle and me, we very much Like rocknroll. But State radio say “No!”, But my uncle, he was smart. He fix radio to listen to Pirate Radio Station, so we could listen to the rock n’ roll. Then one night, we hear over the radio that Chernobyl was happening, and so we leave. Only no one else in town knew, because they only listen to State radio. And that, my friend is how Rock N’ Roll Save My Life.

You’re goddamned right, Eugene. Enough words for now, I’m off to dig up more videos and lyrics to post in the comments.
Super Theory of Super Everything

Wanderlust King

And my personal favorite just for the final refrain.

Forces of Victory

My dear good friend
Let’s not forget
That we can take down Pinotchet
Against us any gang of four
Will be on the floor

When I was younger I thought
Someday that we will win
And in another country
I will find my twin
Spread good music and good poetry
Joining forces of the victory

Down in the hallways of unknown
Where we walk alone
Inside of hospitals and morgue
Clinical loneliness backs off…
If you’ll remember those before
and the ones that yet to come
then above suffer of it all
Triumphs the union of souls
With only one thing on its mind
I can’t go on, I will go on!
With only one thing on it’s mind
I can’t go on I will go on
I can’t go on I will go on…

All I’m sayin’ is, the more people who dig this band, the better off we’ll all be.

The night and day stay far away
Employing tricks to get their way

One speaks with shadows
The other with light

Or so they say
Or do not say

For what is not heard
Has never been said

And we can never learn
From a language that’s dead

Tomorrow night is the Solstice and the Moon Illusion will be occurring. This will signify a major shift in the lunar cycle and if enough people are out looking at the sky admiring the same magnificent natural event, I have no doubt that an amazing shift will occur in our collective consciousness. That may sound pretty hippie-dippie, but if this cold-hearted pragmatist can see the mystic value of sharing a little romantic moonlight with friends then I have little doubt that you do too.

So before the sunsets tomorrow, call or email your friends and loved ones and let them know that something wonderful and natural and good is happening in the world for once. Invite them to join you, even if you’re just gonna peek your head outside to take a glance. The important thing to remember is that as you stare up at that majestic celestially sexual body is that you won’t be alone.

Best of all, it’s FREE and EASY! The price of admission is merely eyes and a view of the skies.

OooowwwoooooooooOOO!!!!!!

bd

p.s. Anyone in NYC who’d like to join me and my friends, I’ve decided that my best vantage will be Corlears Hook Park. I’ve never been there, but judging by the map, it should be a fantastic view, plus I dig the vibe of its history. According to the U.S. Navy’s site, the moonrise is set to occur at 8:07, so I’m thinking of getting down there at about 7:45 to stake out a spot. Drop me a line if you wanna join the caravan.

Article on the Moon Illusion

Location of Corlears Hook Park

History of the Park

What do they have in common?

if you take away a either of these men’s followers they’d just be two crazy maniacs screaming on the street. That is how they are no different from each other and not different from all of us. There are no Christs or AntiChrists, only followers. We all must choose which message we follow.

One had a message of hate.

One had a message of love.

It’s up to each of us to find every opportunity to choose love, and not just at the voting booth.

Do you honestly believe you’d have an easier time convincing Bush or his enablers to see the error of their ways than than those who were misled into voting for them? Do you doubt that every single Amercian who voted for and vigorously supported this man and his agenda was misled on some fundamental level by a figure of trusted authority: a priest, a parent, a friend, an ideology?

If you do, me thinkest you drinkest too much Koolaid.

The easiest way to take away a leader’s power is to empower their followers to be critical and think for themselves.

Be the change you want to see.

No further explanation for the evils of the world is necessary, but apparently the machine thinks differently. That said, allow me to explain. Obama and Bush are two sides of the same coin. This does not mean there isn’t a difference, it means that we must as a species recognize the power that we all possess. We live in a world of choice, whether we realize it or not. Every action will be taken deliberately, whether we are conscious of it or not. All of us arrived at their destinations by your own actions. The job of any concerned citizen is to raise awareness, to enlighten, not to scold or punish. This requires self-determination, and a profound ability to see that ALL of us are capable of both good and evil. Obama is as worthy of praise as Bush is worthy of forgiveness. Poverty for one is poverty for all. If we accept can Bush is merely a misguided, flawed and manipulated being that is no different from the rest of us, then we can truly begin to treat the wounds that are threatening our very existence as a species. Good night and good morning

This diary is an endorsement of no candidate.

It is an endorsement of our innate ability to question authority and demand control over our own lives.

No matter which institution you consider to be an intolerable nuisance upon your lives: religion, the press, your parents, corporations, your boss, popular culture, your best friend. What we all share is a strong desire to guide our own destinies. Some of us have been oppressed by government, some of us by the free market. None of us is wrong for being suspect of either.

We are all individuals. We all laugh at different things. We all cry at different things. No one has an exclusive authority on anything. We all have a say as to what’s funny, what’s sad, what’s outrageous, and what’s impeachable.

We all have to learn that when others disagree with us, especially when they do so openly, that it is merely an invitation to question our own assumptions and either defend or reject them. If you defend a failed assumption for too long, you will soon find yourself quite isolated.

Always demand that the world bend to your own will. If all of us demand freedom in our own lives, none of us shall be spared it in the world.

The dominant position of our times insists that excessive self-interest is inherent in our nature and it must be restrained. I agree completely with this position. My primary complaint with society is that as a whole this restraint is applied with gross inequality when one compares the punitive measures taken against those in power with those who are not.

We should all be free to criticize any authority. Your voice is as important as your bosses’.

That is our shared cause and we can achieve it.

You bet your ass WE CAN.

This is some old home movie footage I have had captured for a long time. I don’t know who the people are, and I did not splice anything together. That being said, I find the original footage matches up with this song and especially the lyrics perfectly. If you’re tuned to the right frequency, that is.

We Hate This City
by Handsome Furs

Woke up with blankets in buildings with jaws
Stuck to the sheets, clammy with noon
We wish for night time, a darkening screen
Open the heart, just a machine

Oh, there was home
Oh, there was home

This one is vicious, a sinister lean
We haunted the staircase where small ghosts have been
Weening that heaven was stretched out and wide
Into the sky
Into the sky

Oh, there was home
Oh, there was home

Oh, life is long and hollow
Oh, life is long and hollow

Oh, life is long and hollow
Oh, life is long and hollow

We hate this city, filled its drone
We hate this city, filled its drone
We hate this city, filled its drone
We hate this city, filled its drone

So black out million screens
And wire up the floor
Baby we can get you anything you want, any time you want
But you won’t know what it’s for

So black out a million dreams
And wire up all the floors
Baby we can get you anything you want, any time you want
But you won’t know what it’s for

I hope everyone out there is getting the message. These are dark times we live in my friends. As fellow caravaners, I hope you are spreading the message that freedom requires vigilance. Evil is a cruel trickster. It uses power only for manipulation and self-interest. It perverts reason and argumentation to bend to its vile biases. It is an evil we all are at battle with. I have just awoken to it’s foul breath and am sickened by the smell.

I write to find the answer to one question: Is anybody out there? Do you smell it too?

But unlike the snake, I believe in love and understanding. I am writing now, often and with the passion I feel is necessary to restore reason and sanity. Once the veil has lifted, and you see the traps that others have fallen into, the compulsion to help them can be overwhelming. I am allowing it to manifest by putting myself out in the world as openly and vibrantly as possible. I have invited others to understand my fears and in turn ask them to share their own. The desire to proclaim the joys of freedom is somewhat insatiable. But it is a far more rewarding insatiability than that of money or fame.

I write for the sheer joy of connecting with another person, no matter who, and no matter the reason. Some I disagree with, some I quibble with, some simply cannot be bothered, but I love them all. The discussions that do occur veer towards a common understanding of the many obstacles that face our generation. I see no way around them other than to open our mouths and let our pains and our fears be heard as loudly and as publicly as possible. Open yourself up to your friends, your neighbors. Tell them what sort of evils you imagine are still possible, it will scare you. From that fear will pour endless love, love of family, love of friends, love of total strangers, and most of all love of freedom.

God bless. Keep the conversation going.

If you need a more verbose explanation of the truth in the title, click here.

The Devil is in the details.

I responded to this questionnaire on David Brin’s website last night and just wanted to share my answers with any readers with whom I’m lucky enough to commune. If you’d like to see the context in which most of this was formed, I highly recommend you take the time to answer these questions yourself. I was very illuminated and delighted to see that I had such concise and immediate responses to these issues and think that anyone else will to. (I have added the questions that prompted responses in bold where context may be necessary)

How do you feel wisdom is acheived?

• I believe humans knew a natural idyllic condition at some point in the past, from which we fell because of bad, inappropriate or sinful choices, thus reducing our net wisdom. (The Look Back View.)
• I consider such tales mythological. Wisdom is cumulative and anything resembling a human utopia can only be achieved in the future, through incremental improvements in knowledge or merit. (The Look Forward View.)

Can you provide convincing evidence to support your point of view?

I actually believe in a hybrid of the two choices.

I do believe that wisdom is the cumulative knowledge of human beings, and that progress has been and will always be a chaotic and incremental process. As I have read over various accounts of history and begun to recognize patterns in all forms of societies. The most glaringly obvious and alarming of these patterns is our society’s tendency to shift from being very open to being very closed.

I also do believe in mythological explanations of wisdom and truth for the same reasons as I mentioned above. I have realized that many of the modern day and ancient mythologies when looked at from a fresh perspective seem to indicate the exact same pattern of events. Every story and every song seems to harmonize towards the same themes as those I have established with my rational mind. On a very personal level, since becoming aware of the truth that is buried in these perpetual myths, I find it very hard to divorce these mythical patterns from my own past and my everyday life. In a very real way, this awareness has caused me to feel a much deeper connections to the people who have influenced my life, regardless of whether or not I physically know them. I recognize patterns in art, movies and music now that I never did before, all of which seem to be expressing the same theme: do not submit.

Are members of our present culture subjected to propaganda? What kind?

I have had personal experience with what I believe to be the holy trinity of propaganda outlets in our society, public/private education, corporate marketing, and a healthy dose of religion. For me, religion was the easiest to shed, as it simply did not relate to my life. Everything was about recitation and memorizing dates. School didn’t get much of a chance to propagandize me much beyond the whole “square peg in a round hole” aspect of being a creative, inquisitive kid (also called ADD). The deepest hole I’ve seen by far is the corporate propaganda. It exists as almost a multi-headed beast. Not only do they produce external propaganda that gives a false impression to the public, many also seem to sinisterly insulate themselves from internal criticism by subtly propagandizing their workforce–often by divided into competing teams.

All I see are systems that seem to condition people into submission. To a certain extent, it has become avery alienating sensation. These systems seem to cause people to be conditioned only to obey their “in” group and totally ignore anyone from the outside who questions the leaders of their group. I see them as systems that control through an unconscious paranoia, a fear is cultivated by making people feel isolated and restrains them from sharing their truest feelings with others. A system that values secrets over truth.

Name 5 popular modern films in which these propaganda messages have been promoted
Carnivale
The Arrival
Twelve Monkeys
The Island
Waking Life
Minority Report

Which of the following best describes how and why you arrived at your present set of political opinions and political agenda?

• Logical appraisal of the evidence.
• Inherent qualities of my nature, character or intelligence.
• The effects of propaganda or upbringing.
• Pursuit of my agenda may result in personal advantage.

Now answer the same question about why your political opponents hold the opinions/agendas they do.

• Logical appraisal of the evidence.
• Inherent qualities of my nature, character or intelligence.
• The effects of propaganda or upbringing.
• Pursuit of my agenda may result in personal advantage.

Do you think your opponents would agree with the way you answered just now? How do you think they would respond, if asked the very same questions about their own beliefs… and yours

I cannot know what my opponents would say until after I have expressed my own views. I tend to get into very heated and passionate discussions that try to dissect either my position or theirs and find common ground. It is never as important for me to be right as it is for me to be honest when I feel there’s a component missing from either my argument or my opponents. In most cases, I tend to be the one who wants to debate socio-political issues endlessly. I find nothing more engaging.

How often have your political or other discussions with your allies actually focused on the distant goal? What is that goal?

Talk to everyone I can. Tell them to speak up about their fears and criticisms and urge others to do likewise. Everyone I’ve reached out to has taken the time to respond in some way. Often inviting me to expand the conversation, or in some cases fill out questionairres.

Do you have a clear image of the future society all your efforts are aimed at achieving? Describe your program for getting there.

They should always yield to the best interests of the people they were originally designed to serve. We occupy these systems, and we have the power and the obligation to make them work in our favor.

How have you verified that your “allies” have the same destination in mind?
The public feels largely powerless over all of these issues. It is sad that we are all trapped in the belly of the machines we built to serve us.

What are the attributes of these four social innovations — Democracy, Science, the Justice System, Free Markets?

All except for free markets are systems based on documented evidence and serve a necessary role in maintaining honest cooperation towards the common good. Free markets has, in my mind, become purely ideological, and not based on any coherent system. It seems to be the only system that is free from accountability.

Do you believe in evolution? Are humans still at least somewhat part of the animal kingdom?
We are absolutely part of nature. An apartment building is no different than a beehive. To a large extent, humans seem to be just as susceptible to conditioning to authority as dogs are. The perversity of human kind right now is that we have forgotten we are a part of nature’s systems.

Many in our industrialized world seem to think that the world is a play thing, a game that simply involves collecting trinkets and throwing them away.
There is much wisdom to be gained from restoring a connection to the natural world in general, and not merely a detached cataloging of places and dates.

What politically relevant things, if any, can we learn from fields like mammalian ethology, psychopharmacology, anthropology, and the historical behavior of real human tribes?
As someone who feels that ADD is a gross mischaracterization of what i consider to be a highly advantageous set of traits, I feel the entire field of psychopharmacology needs critical scrutiny. Especially treatments that involve long term drug usage with questionable results but reliable side effects.

How are the four social attributes listed above different?
It’s hard for me to think of a time when human achievement did not come with an equal amount of human tragedy. The arguments that led to American independence stand out in my mind as a great achievement of transcendence, but a somewhat flawed execution. I’d like to believe that we could have had a smarter, less bloody revolution if the mood had been right for it.

Are there any historical examples of a successful society that embraced Widespread and open criticism?

The problem with criticism lies in when it is applied carelessly and without regard to maintaining closeness and improving that which is being criticized. For instance a society that is highly polarized, but free to criticize, may end up just screaming at each other across a void of actual understanding.

We as a society must remember to be inviting of dissenting views and critical opinion, and most of all eccentricity. It is through diversity, not conformity, that our species will find it’s purest being and highest achievements.

I has often seemed apparent to me that if one is truly following the path to personal satisfaction, it will always guarantee wealth and happiness. The problem lies in navigating a world that severely limits us in having our own unique path, which we all must take in order to arrive at our destination.

If the world were the way I see it, we would all be free to live and learn and only be led by our inquisitive and playful natures. No individuals should feel shame for any act that does not involve oppression of any kind. In my bible, oppression is the only sin there is, no matter how noble the cause.

An open society that is truly guided by the principles of freedom would not be so easily seduced by the false aphrodisiacs of safety and order that are the standard prescriptions of domineering leaders. The trick is getting our society to open up, one person at a time, before either of those rears its ugly head again.

Democracy represents an evolution of consciousness. It may have taken a long time, but eventually we figured out that the guys on top are just as clueless and fallible as the rest of us. That is the left, our shared belief in true equality. Unfortunately, it is a belief that must navigate the muddy waters of change. Luckily for us the stream seem to be getting clearer as we reach the end of this evolution.

Anarchy is a fantasy. As long as there have been more than two human beings on the planet, we are social creatures. Being social requires us agree that we need to work together to better ourselves. While this is a noble and pure endeavor, many people can be misguided about how they achieve their betterment. This is where the free markets cannot be more free than individual liberties. Freedom does require a social contract, but that contract must be devised in a way that is dynamic, transparent, and most importantly reactive to change. Most important of all, the social contract must restrain individual oppression most of all. Too many of the rules in our society seem to punish all of us according to what the very worst of us are capable. Such a system seems intentionally designed to cause us to see the worst in each other.

Over the long run, what are the fundamental prerequisites for nurturing a growing state of freedom and wisdom for all human beings? (Please write a list.)

Honesty
Compassion
Shamelessness
Patience
Humor
Experimentation
Forgiveness

The environmental preconditioning seems to be the prevalent method of the world we live in. People seem very comfortable to believing that everything is as it should be and ever was and are very reluctant to invite any challenge to this belief.

The best way to undo this conditioning is by simply illuminating others to our own concerns. As profoundly and personally as possible, and always in a manner that is attempting to create commonalities. Focusing on our differences has gotten us nowhere. We all share the same stories, but have been told repeatedly that we live in a far more divided world than I am willing to believe.

The most important thing to remember when combating a bad idea is to truly “hate the sin and not the sinner”. Of course, in this case the sin is that most people have been completely and utterly led astray without knowing it. They have been barked at and yelled at all their lives and many think that there’s simply no common ground with their “enemies”. When an opponent’s viewpoint is considered, internalized, and respectfully criticized, it can only enrich both parties. To those who are resistant to this change, there can be no forcing them to understand, only patience will bring it about.
Never. The truth, while painful will always set us free.

The ideas and themes I have written on are all quite “new” to me. I have been reading and expanding my understanding of the world through a very serpentine journey. It is only recently that I have discovered how easily I can talk about these issues an see the root causes of so many of the world’s ills. This ease seems to feed itself, pushing me to write more and reach out to others more and see if they’re on the same wavelength. So far the responses I have gotten are highly encouraging, and I look forward to opening more doors and finding more connections with the time I have left.

Addendum
While I do agree that most people can see some of the propaganda that surrounds them and often derive a sense of superiority by doing so, I feel only empathy. I do not consider myself in any way more enlightened than other people, I was merely fortunate enough to be free to follow my interests. It was in doing so that I came to your lecture, which in turn led me to seek out other information, but most importantly helped me to see how simple our problems are to correct. It sounds totally hokey and simplistic and trite, but I really do SEE the answer is merely talking to everyone whenever you can.

The trick is learning to speak everyone’s language in order to find commonality, then helping them to merely enunciate the various ways in which they have been individually oppressed. This can applies to liberals, conservatives, genX’rs, genY’rs, and certainly the upcoming GenZ.

So I feel that I have gone from internalizing this “Hey!”, to externalization by saying “Hi!” to everyone I can. And I’m not only extending this courtesy to my fellow travelers such as yourself, but I am also working very hard to reach out to strangers. The key I’m finding is to really listen and realize that nobody’s wrong, and that there will never be one BIG answer that illuminates everyone.

For me, it all goes back to something that you said in Evaluating Horizons. The only way to fix this problem is by love and understanding. Invite others into your house, create empathy, and spread understanding. It is a solution rooted in diversity and reconnection with one another. The greatest injustice that industrial society has committed against each of us as individuals is to breed isolation.

This is a very personal crusade for me, as I feel I must struggle against the part of me that is inclined to think it is somehow improper for me to initiate and maintain a dialogue like this with total strangers. What I am learning is that this reticence to reach out to people who have actually had a positive impact on my life may be merely a social restraint.

If I am to believe my own eyes now, the mere fact that some people have gone out of their way to express gratitude to me for saying the things I’m saying leads me to believe I was right to follow my heart and see what the evidence presents after I act.