Poetry: Positive Feedback & Tree Waltz

by Linh Nguyen

Positive Feedback

ever wonder why we destroy something so beautiful?

that river where our blood runs
beating in measured harmonies
to life surrounding, singing in glory

that forest of trails where we once walked joy escaping through quaking leaves,
each footstep lighting stories,
inspiring movies, music, and poetry

that ocean of our origin, waters of wisdom
of foam-swept jewels and deep blue treasures,
adorn with coral reefs and ancestral anemones,

dancing in sea-life

that laughter and bright-eyes spark,
windows to our souls, shadows to our selves,
images of our "God"

all, that gives answers to who we are
stunted by solipsism, gored through greed
hushed by bombs and bullets, silenced,

stolen and buried in graveyards
of steel, plastic, concrete, chemicals, walls,
dividing, growing, burning, feeding, revealing...


ever wonder why we destroy something so beautiful?

Tree Waltz

every tree rises within us,
their branches reach for our breath
growing within each heartbeat
calling forth the song
in each inspiration,
lungs filling to form
what cannot be seen,
but felt, here
in the wave that moves us
dissolving in exhalation
into a dance forming within a pause
and flowering in-between

finding shape in curving branches
how they hold what has fallen
awakening our skin to snow
our sternum to strangers

as resonance rises through our roots
and drums the dead to life
buds open in the listening
to wisdom hardened in heartwood
whispering through aging rings
secrets proffer in tactile invitation
the bliss of fractal unison

is it in the silence or the
language of her that moves us?
hands to air, to snow
to embody the music of the unseen
to hold in prayer
the forgotten songs of
which we waltz to

when war of words stain the cell
and pompous pixels pain the heart
peace arrives in a waltz
with trees

What Will They Tell the Children?

by Angela Nolan

What will they tell the children?
In the generations to come.

Amerika is festering
And the world festers with her.
The wound is old but the boils and pus are worsening.
Blood is pooling just below the surface – a dark purple snake.
The orange one will quicken the fall
But it was coming anyway.
We eat too much, we consume too much, we waste too much.
Too many don’t care or are still lost in a dream of manifest destiny
That was never real in the first place.
What a ridiculous notion that one is favored over another in the eyes of the creator.
Who made up this nonsense?

What will they tell the children?
In the generations to come.

When Amerika falls it will be a devastation
But might it save the world after all?
For to succumb to the death urge of our society is to die before living.
It is to starve in the lavish lap of the earth’s abundance.
It is to be silent when every nerve in your body is screaming, “NO!”
It is to hail the chief and not step out of line.
It is to give up your woman’s body as sacrifice to the irreverent god that made it ugly.
It is to watch the natural world and too many people die unloved.
It is a procession of insults too numerous to count.
It is degradation, humiliation, trauma, pain, and loss.
It is feeling oneself as the shame of the world.

What will they tell the children?
In the generations to come.

They will tell the children that people had to take sides.
They will tell them that neutrality and inaction were participation.
They will tell them that passivity and hopeful thinking were inappropriate with wolves at the door.
They will tell them how women and people of color were dehumanized and who did it.
They will tell them there was a point when it wasn’t too late and we missed it. By a lot.
They will tell them there was only one true response.
There was only resistance – pure, visceral, instinctual, and right.
We were taught to be compliant.
And then we were taught to be grateful to our oppressors.
And then we were.
They will tell them the light at the end of the tunnel was the train.

The children will know the difference.
By our words.
By our stories.
By our defiance.
Beyond grief now. Beyond hope and optimism and happy smiling faces.
We live in the betwixt and between – the festering season.

The season when everything fake is real and everything real is fake.
The season when despots and petty tyrants have their way.
The season when the snow stops and the ocean’s rise.
The season when love doesn’t conquer all, or even a little bit.
The season when misogyny is on parade and people cheer.
The season of forgetting history, again.

What will they tell the children?
In the generations to come.

They will tell them that some chose to think with all their hearts, and minds, and spirits.
They will tell of ones who put their bodies on the frontline and of those who wrote about it.
They will tell that most people on earth only wanted to live in wellness and peace.
They will tell that the evil ones were few but gathered all money and resources for themselves.
They will tell who resisted, and who sat back and watched.
They will tell how oil, and money, and gold were everything.
They will tell how the water was contaminated, the earth raped and bled dry.

Which side do you want to be on?
When they tell the children what happened
In the generations to come?

The Seed of Greed, and Want

by Christopher L. Calkins

The Seed of Greed

Greed!
Where does it come from?
It comes from a seed.
Could it really be a dirty little seed?
The seed of greed!
How can this be in the heart of humanity?
I look out on the horizon, it seems so far to me,
surrounded by a society infested with the seed!
The seed of greed.
Who? What? No, not me!
It is that dirty little seed.
The selfish seed that turns a want into a need,
and need into greed!
The seed that our society so freely distributes like a weed!
Look and you will see
a world infested with the weeds of greed,
dropping their seeds, disguised as needs!
How can this be?
All from a seed, the seed of greed!

June 1992

Want

I did not want it this way!
I do not want it this way!
It doesn't matter what I think.
It doesn't matter what I say.
The rich keep on making the rules
while we the working people toil through the days.
Paying, paying, paying,
for the crooks who stole it all,
away, away, away!!!

2003

We Are Not This Culture

Michelle Jones / Deep Green Resistance

We are not this culture. We are not this society. The culture has hijacked us. This society has imprisoned what we really are.
We are water, and land.
We are the space between the trees. We are the wind and the leaves. We are sound.
We are the energy between glances of animals, running, chasing, hiding, playing.
We are animals, laying on soil, sitting in soil, walking on soil. The soil informing us of what ground is. What our bodies are.
We are sun, the warmth radiated over thousands of miles, traveling, traveling across water and land.
We are power.
We are the rain, falling, falling, landing, streaming, rushing, penetrating.
We are billion's of living beings cooperating flooding, swapping, picking up, putting down, merging, dividing, touching, loving, hating, dying and being born again.
We are the relationship of beings.
The relationships of life.

On the road to home from Standing Rock

Jennifer Murnan / Deep Green Resistance Colorado

Thin Blue Line
Flagged two times
Curious?
“The Line is what police officers protect, the barrier between anarchy and a civilized society, between order and chaos, between respect for decency and lawlessness.”
Blue line
Slap down
Smack down
Dogs dripping blood
Mace
Tear gas
Pepper spray
Pushing
Violating your way
Breaking past
Red and Black and Brown and
Even White Protectors
Faces
Bodies
What's left of human sanity
of human sanctity
Hellbent
for the river
What happens
Blue line
If you succeed?
Do you

Breach?
Or do you free fall
dragging all
into
a bottomless pit
of blood and oil?

Civilization conquers all.

---

A Prayer and a Promise

To the red and brown and black and even white protectors
faces and bodies who know no lines
those between the blue line and sacred water of life
All that remains of human sanity
of human sanctity

Peace be with you
Love be with you
Courage is in you
You are all that your ancestors prayed for
Without you our future ceases to be

Thank you

We are coming

"Daily Affirmations for Revolutionary Militants" perpetual calendars

Our friend Stephanie McMillan has printed calendars of her inspiring cartoons for revolutionaries, reusable year after year. These perpetual calendar are spiral bound with a stand for display on your desk (or wherever). They feature 365 full-color drawings with inspirational messages for those who define success as overthrowing the capitalist system. Each day you can flip to a new page for guidance and encouragement on the revolutionary path.

Order one for $27 or two for $49 at Stephanie McMillan's store.

Testimonials

“Every time I read one of your affirmations, I want to shout it from the rooftops and tattoo it where I can see it everyday. You have a gift – and now I can pass it on. (Y)our calendar ... empowers us to share something delightful and special and revolutionary – something aligned with our deepest values and vision of who we are and the world we want.”

— Michelle Reyf

"For that revolutionary who has everything - or more likely wants almost nothing, this is the right present. Stephanie McMillan's work is clever, accessible and right on. Arm chair liberals can pass on this one; if you are scared by the artist calling herself a "revolutionary" this is the wrong desk calendar for you. If you think radical, militant protest and action is necessary to keep this world from imploding at the hands of industrial capitalism, this calendar is for you."

— Paxus Calta Star

Beats of the Antonov: documentary on Sudan

Sudan’s ongoing civil war is not mentioned often in US or other Western corporate media outlets but has been going on for years, and currently the country is split in two. Government/military missions utilizing Russian made Antonov aircraft are carrying out bombing runs on the small villages along the borders of the divide.

The inhabitants of the Blue Nile/Nuba Mountains don’t care about government solutions or war. Since they cannot respond to the ongoing assaults with firepower, they fight back with music, dancing and singing.

This documentary is beautiful and visually stunning. Why are the so called “civilized” attempting to wipe out everything that is beautiful? From the Deep Green Resistance book: “The culture as a whole and most of its members are insane. The culture is driven by a death urge, an urge to destroy life.”

Watch the trailer below:

Rang De Basanti: a modern inspiration for direct action

Review by Parag Dalal / Deep Green Resistance

Spoiler alert: important pieces of the movie plot revealed below.

Rang De Basanti opens with a British officer in pre-independence India walking along prison cells and finally entering one. The man inside, reading a book, instructs "Wait a moment, Mr. McKinley, one revolutionary is meeting another." Thus are we introduced to the legendary Bhagat Singh, engrossed in a book by Lenin. Singh rises calmly, ready to be escorted to the gallows. Mr McKinley, with sadness on his face, says “Sorry it has to end like this.” Bhagat Singh replies unwaveringly with a smile on his face “But this is not the end, Mr McKinley. There will be many more who will follow.” He starts walking and we see tears in the eyes of Mr McKinley.

Rang De Basanti goes against the regular Bollywood (Hindi) fare of romantic movies. It is a powerful commentary on the state of Indian politics and a call for direct action. Its ultimate clearance by the Indian Censor Board, albeit with a lot of controversy, delays, and reviews, is nothing short of surprising. The music by the Oscar winning A.R Rahman is visceral and evokes feelings of anger, rage and of freedom fighters and Indian independence.

In an interview with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the writer, director and co-producer of the film said that when Aamir Khan heard the script, he immediately agreed to star in it. This is a telling fact since Aamir Khan, one of the biggest names in Bollywood, has since directed and starred in some of the most controversial Bollywood movies, bringing some very deep seated and taboo topics of Indian society to light. Amongst his films are a satirical comedy about the farmer suicides in India (Peepli Live); a story about Mangal Pandey, an Indian soldier who led a violent revolt against the British Rule in India in 1857 (Mangal Pandey: The Rising); and a story of a dyslexic eight-year old child which brought awareness to dyslexia in India (Taare Zameen Par).

Rang De Basanti is a story of four regular college going young men who are completely apathetic to Indian politics until they find themselves at the receiving end of the corrupt system. Before the main events in the movie, they are cast in a documentary about five Indian freedom fighters - Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Ashfaqulla Khan, and Ram Prasad Bismil. The choice of these specific freedom fighters is significant. While all of them were key in achieving Indian independence, all of them used all means necessary, including violence against the British empire. Four of them were hanged, and the fifth shot dead in a conflict with the British. While there is no way to ascertain the truth, story has it that as they were escorted to be hanged, these men wore gentle smiles, looked their executioners in the eyes, and were confident they did the right thing and were inspiring hundreds of Indians to do the same. History proves the last part was definitely true, not only during the independence struggle but also today.

In the movie, an ace air force pilot friend of the actors is killed during a practice run in a MIG-21 crash. The government closes the investigation concluding that it was the pilot’s fault, covering up the true cause: a politician bought cheap spare parts for the MIGs in return for a bribe. The young men and their community hold a rally and vigil, but the police violently disperse it, brutally injuring their friend’s mother. With peaceful protest not an option, and at their wit’s end as to what to do, they decide to kill the politician involved in the deal.

The parallels between the modern protagonists and the freedom fighters they portrayed are reinforced repeatedly with cuts to black and white clips of them playing their older versions. This vividly highlights similarities between the modern power structure and British rule. One of the most inspiring poems written during the Indian independence ― Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna by Bismil Azimabadi ― which to this day inspires countless Indians and brings up visceral feeling, is featured in the movie at key moments.

सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है
देखना है ज़ोर कितना बाज़ू-ए-क़ातिल में है

which loosely translates to:

The desire for revolution is in our hearts
Let us see what strength there is in the arms of our executioner

The youth carry out the assassination, but the elites spin the news to paint the corrupt politician as a martyr in the media. So the modern freedom fighters take over a radio station to reveal the entire truth and their reasons for killing the minister. The police declare them terrorists and kill all of them, the scenes moving back and forth between the deaths of the historic freedom fighters and those of the protagonists.

The movie had a noticeable impact on Indian society. Internet bloggers increased their criticisms of corruption and bureaucracy in the Indian Government and intense political discussions were common after the movie’s release. Young people took to streets protesting many contemporary issues and injustices, most notably the 1999 Jessica Lall Murder Case, in which the court acquitted the accused which caused intense civil protests for his re-arrest. One group of demonstrators carried out a candlelight vigil similar to that in the movie. In another instance, large rallies were organized in India and the US in response to the Priyadarshini Mattoo rape and murder case. A survey revealed Rang De Basanti as the cause of this sudden increase in Indian people’s political involvement.

The movie is revolutionary in its subject matter. The audience, especially youth, are not only sympathetic but even identify with the protagonists, average college going men. The sympathy does not wane even after they assassinate the corrupt politician and take over the radio station at gunpoint to deliver their message. The message is clear: violence is not only justified but required in certain situations. The politicians and the police force are depicted in a negative light, something almost never seen in any media, Indian or Western. The movie inspired a generation of Indian youth to take direct action and continues to inspire people to this day.

Rang De Basanti is available in the US for rental from Netflix, or purchase at amazon.com

Soom T music videos

We recently posted a review of Bullets Over Babylon, the latest album by Soom T. Here we highlight some of our favorite videos.

Soom T singing “Ganja Ganja” live

Soom T and Naaman “freestylin” on live radio in Toulouse, France - spectacular jazz, dubstep and reggaeton

Soom T and the Reggae Rajahs singing “Boom Shiva”

Soom T's "Bullets Over Babylon" Album: Tribute to Resistance

HouseofReggae.de

 

Dubstep, Reggaeton and Electronique Gives Voice to Culture

Soom T (Sumati Bhardwaj) is an Indo-Scot from Glasgow who is known for her musical melange of DubStep, Hip Hop, Electronique, Reggae and Reggaeton. She's created her own distinctive style and genre to accompany her eclectic, poetic, socio-political lyrics and versatile vocals. She also adds in other modern and world influences with her music. The genre is called several different names and hard to reduce to one label, but one that fits accurately is “Digital Laptop Reggae.”

Even more unique about her lyrics and sound are all the other musical acts she has collaborated with. Her writing, producing, recording and worldwide touring schedule is constant and rigorous and her global fan base is already huge and still growing. She is probably one of the hardest working women in the music industry in Europe and has produced more than 50 releases since 1999. She currently is signed to Renegade Masters.

MySpace.com

To get the music out, Soom T uses all the tools in the toolbox. She is online everywhere, with uploaded videos, sound bytes, photos and a presence on viral sites such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Spotify, Last.fm, Bandcamp, Soundcloud and more. Her upcoming recording, “Free as a Bird” is due to be released on November 13th, 2015.

“Bullets Over Babylon” was recorded as a collaboration and produced by Monkey Marc, released on April 20th, 2015. This album surprises with lush instrumentation and dedicated lyrics, multi-layered synth, keyboards and electronique. No two tracks sound the same:

1. “Aliens in Jars” -- driving rhythm, looped drums, electronique, rapped lyrics, special effects with the vocals, reverbed keyboards.
2. “Bullshit” -- world rhythms in the intro, rapped angry socio-political lyrics, lots of instrumentation, synth.
3. “Complex Simplicity” with MC Karma -- Far East sounding strings and chord progressions, MC Karma rapping lyrics, chorus done by Soom T, yearning and melodic vocals, world music sound, some vocal parts sound Middle Eastern. Another standout track.
4. “Drill”
5. “Boom”
6. “Slave” -- darkness, slow, minor keys, rhythmic, synth and special effects, jazzy vocals.
7. “Rebellion” with Combat Wombat -- rapped lyrics, electronica, mix of dubstep and reggaeton, layered vocal riffs.
8. “Under the Bubble” -- organ/keyboards intro and throughout, rapped and sung lyrics
9. “Sick of it All” -- spoken intro, rapped lyrics about corporatism and resistance, great special effects, vocals about the corporate culture.
10. “Storms Come” with Marina P and Solo Banton-- slow rapped reggae by Solo Banton, dancehall rhythms, Soom T’s lyrics are soft and beautiful used in the chorus and as a backdrop for Marina P’s soul voice in the verses. Outro with the sound of rain and thunder. Definitely a standout track! This writer’s favorite.

Review by Anita Stewart of Deep Green Resistance Florida, originally published at Rock at Night.

Climate Change Painting Series

Andrew Carr has painted a series depicting weatherpeople of the 2010-2014 era reporting on extreme weather events. Each painting links to further details on the event depicted.

Broken Records reveals many faces of climate change – from the slaphappy smiles of our weather prophets to the extreme weather events afflicting nations across the geographic and political spectrums.
Broken Records is a time capsule of inaction, circa 2010-2014. In 50 years, as the children of both believers and disbelievers face the long term consequences of climate change, they will wonder how we could have forecasted our doom with such sexually-infused, hyperactive ignorance.
Aesthetically, weather reports provided another opportunity to use “my colors” – the vivid, intense hues also seen in Game Shows and Prom Girls. I did not paint from still images, but rather clipped together the most apt elements of various weather reports to convey a time, a culture, and a missed opportunity to panic.

View the paintings at Broken Records.

The Desert Star

by Unblind

There once was a little boy, who lived in the Middle East.
His family had been murdered when bombs rained in the streets.
He huddled silent upon the rubble of his crumbled home,
Suffering, starving, terrified, he survived there on his own.

Fire lit skies from ravaged landscapes burned into the night,
But when the smoke clouds cleared a lonely star came into sight.
Deep from within his broken heart, the boy wept out his wish;
End the massacre of his people by the hands of the Western Rich.

There was something magical in that star,
No one could understand it.
Even the boy didn’t realize that his wish would soon be granted.

What then followed was not what he had perceived,
Something far more incredible would make the world believe.
An army of one million spirits taken by the war,
Rose up from their graves that night to walk the earth once more.

They marched in silence hand in hand, mother father, child,
Through the endless battlefields that spread for miles and miles.
When the invaders' outposts had finally been reached,
The spirits simply stood there until the gunfire ceased.

The soldiers were all dumbfounded as they looked on in disbelief,
There they stood hand in hand the spirits of their casualties.
One by one the soldiers dropped their heavy guns,
Staring at the ghostly faces, they realised what they had done.

Thinking of their own families and of those who they loved best,
The soldiers stripped off their uniforms, turned and headed to the West.
War machines stood empty, with weapons in the sand,
Smoke cleared to blue sky as peace fell upon the land.

The little boy stood there smiling, for his wish had come true,
Now he stared up at his mother’s face and asked;
“Can I come with you?”

The spirit embraced her child and gave him one last kiss,
She took his little hand in hers and granted him his wish.
His soul followed the others as they floated to the light,
Free from their deaths misery, they each glowed with renewed delight.

Wide-awake the world now sees,
Through the eyes of others new found empathy.

---

also see Unblind's "Older But Not Wiser..."

Deep Green Resistance on Instagram

A new DGR member has revived our Instagram page, posting beautiful pictures, political cartoons, thoughtful quotes, and all manner of resistance oriented memes. Follow our page to receive regular doses of visual inspiration, and please share our page with friends and family!

Deep Green Resistance Instagram

"All These Days I" by Jamie Little and the filthy politicians

the filthy politicians, with Jamie Little, make a musical (and succinctly logical) argument for forcibly stopping the insane dominant culture, which is akin to an axe murderer frantically killing everything within reach. They reiterate a point often made by Deep Green Resistance: we need it all in this fight - propagandists and fighters, books and bullets. And those fighters on the front lines depend on supplies from a support base. There's a place for everyone in this culture of resistance, so find yours before it's too late for life.

Listen to this track and read the lyrics below, and hear more songs at the filthy politicians on bandcamp and at the filthy politicians on soundcloud.

all the days i threw away
it's obvious i just don't trust what comes my way
all the days i walked away
i never realized what controls my mind to be

check it - for every day i just threw away
now i'm grown up or so they say
all this bullshit comin my way
but i'm told this is life - til i'm old i should stay
in line like a rollerblade
but fuck that this life ain't an arcade
do you think it's a game to the slave who made
your i phone, blue jeans, or your microwave? no
no, and yo it's not your fault
but we're livin in the midst of a heist from the vault
nothin is sacred - for riches they'll rape it
take a look around before the forest is pavement
tell me where the ice caps, whales, and their ways went
why i should give a fuck about outer space when
runnin away ain't the answer
we can't escape it - we need to stop the cancer
stop creatin and makin poison
stop feedin it to all the little girls and boys and
stop burning oil, stop all this toil, stop bein loyal
to the same system that destroyed the soil
to the way of life that made this pot boil
your privilege is faced with a choice to continue
keep on keepin on or do you have it in you?
to reject all their bribery
it's not for the poor it's for you an me so
we gotta re-imagine - we gotta fight back
and not stop until we've stopped their attack
it's not abstract - it's as clear as day
there's an axe murderer and he's swingin away
but with so much already gone we've got used to livin this way
but all we've ever seen is proof
that this shit won't stop anytime soon
if we don't act now then we seal our fate
if they have their way it's gonna be too late so
go do what you gotta do
get a bullet or a book or a breath or a clue
this depends on me, it depends on you
life is the front line - sad but true
we don't all have to fight
but for supplies in the night, can we depend on you?

Older but not wiser...

by Unblind

I love you Dad, I really do.
So, it kills me to feel this way about you.

There was a time when we could converse, talk late into the night about the universe.
We shared stories, sipped drinks and poked fun at the world, we agree on so much it was great to be heard.
Your opinions were from life and they were your own, you gave me advice when I felt so alone.
I valued your views and made mine the same, never could I of guessed that that would some day change...

We barely talk now when we get together, the only safe topic seems to be the weather.
The stories you share now all come from TV, there's nothing about you, us, or your family.
Your opinions aren't your own, in fact they're quite sour, we can't talk politics or we argue for hours.
Your views no longer make sense they are based on the news, we're at odds now even my kids are confused.

I love this planet, you used to love it too. Can't you tell from the villains and those who speak true?
You challenge every thing that I say, yet you don't take a minute to see things my way.
It hurts to be belittled by someone you trust, I guess we're done talking....

I'll just leave you to rust....

New ebook: "100 Daily Affirmations for Revolutionary Proletarian Militants"

Stephanie McMillan has a new ebook available for downloading, for $2.99: “100 Daily Affirmations for Revolutionary Proletarian Militants”. The ebook is a collection of hints of encouragement for those who want to destroy global capitalism, paired with cute drawings.

You can also view all the Affirmations at Stephane McMillan's website for free, but you may like having a collection all in one place, and buying the ebook is a great way to support her work!

"142 Years" by Drew Wadden and the filthy politicians

This collaboration between the filthy politicians and Drew Wadden provides a concise summary of the trajectory of civilization, then challenges the listener with a fundamental moral question: what are you going to do about it?

Listen to "142 Years" from the album Modern Man and read the lyrics below, and hear more songs at the filthy politicians on bandcamp and at the filthy politicians on soundcloud.

do you believe that you will die at the end of your life?
what do you think that you will do when nobody can find you?

shit- if we leave here just like this
the way it is now right now
it's a crime scene past time we quit
we've filled paradise full of maggots and shit
which when left to their own are a part of the cycle
but that's blown sky high by a psycho
cancer of a culture that conquered the world with agriculture
we ain't been right with the world for awhile now
rocks, rivers, plants, and animals in exile
we killed the tribes in due course
and turned relationships into resource
extractors - manufacturers
turn the living world into plastic we're
drownin in a sea of loneliness
flailin about for a long lost home it gets
hard to listen to the screams
when you wake up and take in the scene
people take up the meaningless memes
to disconnect is how we cope it seems
if he who dies with the most toys wins
mother earth cries but it's lost in the din
does that man get to join the elders?
or does he wander the depths of hell?
if you sold your soul every time you
took a bite of the torture behind you
hid the light from the torch inside you
do you really think in the end we could find you?
if you sold your soul every time you
took a bite of the torture behind you
hid the light from the torch inside you
do you really think in the end we could find you?
you gotta wake up
you gotta wake up
we tear apart the world for what?
we're still not happy - time to give it up
there's always other ways - old ways - waitin
fight back why are we hesitatin?
we got zombie hearts with the brain rot
take a look inside - what do you got?

"Concrete" by the filthy politicians

A call to dig underneath the distractions and lies imposed on us by civilization, "Concrete" urges us to decolonize and join the side of the living. As always, the filthy politicians, joined on this Modern Man track by Drew Wadden, blend engaging rythm and melody with meaningful lyrics to draw listeners into a culture of resistance.

Listen to this track and read the lyrics below, and hear more songs at the filthy politicians on bandcamp and at the filthy politicians on soundcloud.

won't tell you to put your hands up in the air
won't tell you to put em anywhere
cuz you can put em up or down
all that really matters is you listen to the sound
and let it sink in get to thinkin
look reality in the eye without blinkin

don't think that i don't realize
that today if you want to reach the hearts and the minds
of these people that you need a beat to sweep them right off their feet
to reach deep underneath these sheets of concrete
that they been layin since you were playin in plastic sheets
and runnin through creeks now filled with chemical leaks
now tears are runnin down our chemical cheeks
cuz we don't wanna go outside without makeup on
we can't have fun without jager bombs
and this ain't the way it's supposed to be
ain't supposed to lose somebody so close to me
in a car accident we shouldn't have cars
but we're all so used to all these scars
we build our own prison but we don't see the bars
it shouldn't be so hard at night to see the stars

won't tell you to put your hands up in the air
won't tell you to put em anywhere
cuz you can put em up or down
all that really matters is you listen to the sound
and let it sink in get to thinkin
look reality in the eye without blinkin

these days we're taught conscious thought ain't hot
your brain might be sayin tpain i am not
so i'm already workin against the fence
you might be sittin on but if you're not then just pretend
we can take a thought and follow it to its end
just take a look around, what the fuck is happenin?
we shop til we drop for things that got made
half way around the motherfuckin world by slaves
if you got eyes to see take a look around
if you got ears to hear listen to the sound
of isolation, domestication
to the natural world we're an alienation
and we sold the soul for the sweet sedation
of lonely sex robots on tv stations
it shouldn't take flobots to show these bourgeois
the new boss is just like the old boss

won't tell you to put your hands up in the air
won't tell you to put em anywhere
cuz you can put em up or down
all that really matters is you listen to the sound
and let it sink in get to thinkin
look reality in the eye without blinkin

so if you got a breath of life left
and somethin inside you that's more human than machine to guide you
then you just gotta dig it up listen to it an we'll do it
you just gotta set it free then we can get to it
cuz the real enemy is all around
everyday they're the ones that are holdin us down
cuz they know as long as we don't know anything else
that we won't know what it's like to think for ourselves
and that's half the problem is every debate
is framed to accept the existence of the state
with this history they write, the lies they tell
so we identify and we don't rebel
we just eat the food and we watch the shows and
we consume exactly what they want us to know
but before we were consumin we were human at birth
gotta find our way back cuz we're killin this earth

won't tell you to put your hands up in the air
won't tell you to put em anywhere
cuz you can put em up or down
all that really matters is you listen to the sound
and let it sink in get to thinkin
look reality in the eye without blinkin

hu-MAN Up project to end rape culture

hu-MAN Up is working to end rape culture, starting by challenging it through billboards, bus signs, and theater. They're currently fundraising to place their ads. See the hu-MAN Up website for more information and to support them.

River's Song: A Poem

Calliope Braintree is the protagonist of two novels by Anne Pyterek, whose work explores rape culture from both the personal and planetary perspective. The poem River's Song was "written" by Calliope as a tribute to the Chicago River, poisoned and channeled by industrial humans but still living a life of her own.

I am the Atoms and the Space in between, the Unmanifested heard, felt, smelt, tasted and seen I am Anger and Forgiveness all in one stream. For I am the Source,

I am the Dream... I am the scent of holy things, the sound of shadowy, unseen wings... ominous... foretelling black endarkenings. I flow slowly, ever to the Sea.

I am Wildness, Authenticity.

Download the whole 40-page narrative poem for free: River's Song: A Poem.