Life Goals

A great little scene.
I love his list of things he DOESN'T want to do.
:)


sj

Re: Music - Revolutionary and Inspiring

A friend sent me a link to this TED Talk and it brought together a lot of unorganized thoughts I've had on this subject for quite a while. This lady pulls it all together and I realized when I heard her, yes, that's what I've been trying to get at.  That makes sense of it.


I have to ask: why am I making music?

Is it for the money?
Or is it to make connections, to communicate, to share a message I believe has value?


I'm about to make some radical changes.

I hope you dig it.

sj

NDAA Explanation

This is the law that Obama is fighting so hard for.
That should make you think.
Assuming you're still capable of thinking.

sj

Standing Up

The outrage amongst gun-owners over the 2nd Amendment violations could help galvanize resistance to ALL Constitutional violations by ALL levels of government.

Don't argue about WHICH Right to protect! Some people are touched more directly by some than others, and so respond more. Embrace ALL these folks.  We're ALL on the same side, not matter how or why we got there.

You heard few protests over the PATRIOT ACT because it was pushed through without having been read by most of the Congresspeople who voted for it, let alone by the People, and it was passed in a frenzy of post 9/11 hysteria. Further it is a subtle thing that targets individuals quietly.

By the time the TSA appeared at airports, there was substantial learned helplessness as evidenced by the compliant behavior of air travelers.

Both things SHOULD have been stopped in their tracks. However, we can't go back. We have to take action to fix it now.No matter how far you go down the wrong road, TURN AROUND!

What's important is not that some people FAILED to notice when other rights were violated, but that they are personally being touched by a violation NOW, and THAT may in turn sensitize them to the violations that they DIDN'T see or understand earlier. (You could look at the flip side, too. Some people who were wailing and moaning over First Amendment violations have said NOTHING about Second Amendment violations.)

You have to understand that until it happens to YOU, it doesn't seem real or important. You know that guy who said "First they came for the Jews, but I wasn't a Jew so I didn't speak up...?" (I'm paraphrasing). He hit the nail right on the head.

When people finally DO wake up, we need to accept and embrace them instead of castigating them for not having awakened SOONER. If they COULD have, they WOULD have. The Bad Guys play a full court man-to man press game of DIVIDE AND CONQUER --- we damned well better not do it to ourselves.

For WHATEVER REASON a person finally wakes up and joins the fight, I welcome him or her. As Will wrote in Henry V: "...He today that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my brother..."

Liberty & Justice,

sj

 What the Spartans said about giving up their weapons, 

we should all say about giving up our freedom.

Requiem for a Republic

Matewan

John Sayles is a great film-maker, and Matewan, in my opinion, may well be his masterpiece.

If you haven't seen it, you should.
Right now.
Today.
You can find it on youtube, and it's available on dvd.


In 1920, they called Union men "Bolsheviks" and "socialists" and "communists," or just "reds."
And even today you'll hear idiots griping about unions.
Socialists.
Communists.
Uh-huh.

You work an 8-hour day instead of a 12 or 16-hour day?
Ever hear of the "minimum wage?"
You get time and a half for overtime?
How about paid vacation days or sick days?
Health care?
Retirement plan?
You think the government did that for you?
Guess again.
Why do you think so many politicians are union-busters?

If you have any of those things, you can thank a Bolshevik, socialist, communist, union "red."
And a lot of them paid their union dues in blood.

I want you to see Matewan because, if you squint just a little, it'll look very familiar.
In fact, the situation is exactly what we have today
Every one of us who can find work is working dawn 'til dusk and still hopelessly in debt to the Company Store, and being rode roughshod over by Company thugs.

What we need now, is a damn good union.


liberty & justice,


sj

An Offer You Can't Refuse

The U.S. Government represents 

The People of the United States

Like the Mafia represents 

The people of Chicago.

sj