I’d like to hang with this fine gentleman.
Chris
Category Archives: Culture Jamming
Columbus (Howard Zinn)
The Indians, Columbus reported, “are so naive and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone….” He concluded his report by asking for a little help from their Majesties, and in return he would bring them from his next voyage “as much gold as they need . . . and as many slaves as they ask.” He was full of religious talk: “Thus the eternal God, our Lord, gives victory to those who follow His way over apparent impossibilities.”
Because of Columbus’s exaggerated report and promises, his second expedition was given seventeen ships and more than twelve hundred men. The aim was clear: slaves and gold. They went from island to island in the Caribbean, taking Indians as captives. But as word spread of the Europeans’ intent they found more and more empty villages. On Haiti, they found that the sailors left behind at Fort Navidad had been killed in a battle with the Indians, after they had roamed the island in gangs looking for gold, taking women and children as slaves for sex and labor.
Now, from his base on Haiti, Columbus sent expedition after expedition into the interior. They found no gold fields, but had to fill up the ships returning to Spain with some kind of dividend. In the year 1495, they went on a great slave raid, rounded up fifteen hundred Arawak men, women, and children, put them in pens guarded by Spaniards and dogs, then picked the five hundred best specimens to load onto ships. Of those five hundred, two hundred died en route. The rest arrived alive in Spain and were put up for sale by the archdeacon of the town, who reported that, although the slaves were “naked as the day they were born,” they showed “no more embarrassment than animals.” Columbus later wrote: “Let us in the name of the Holy Trinity go on sending all the slaves that can be sold.
From A People’s History of the United States.
3 Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Here are some favorites I did for my American Politics course:
Schenck v. United States (1919)
For: Defendant Charles Schenck, a socialist, had violated the Espionage Act of 1917 by mailing leaflets informing World War I draftees to eschew military service. The Espionage Act had specifically made it illegal to interfere with the military or their activities during wartime. Since, Schenck did so, his conviction should be upheld. According to the Supreme Court, he had created “clear and present danger” and therefore his speech was not protected.
Against: Congress’ Espionage Act was unconstitutional because it violated free speech rights protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, which reads, “Congress shall make no law…. abridging the freedom of speech.” Since, the act Schenck violated is in itself a violation of the law his conviction should have been overturned.
My Opinion: Even though, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction, I believe he should not have faced any imprisonment. The Espionage Act was invalid because it was illegal from the start. Schenck’s free speech did not create a “clear and present danger” to me and therefore it should be legal. Ultimately, the act was merely a factor of the Red Scare that swept the first half of the 20th Century, with the intention of jailing socialists, communists, and anarchists.
We’ve Only Just Begun….
KLYAM has only just begun… Today Twitter, Tomorrow the World!
Chris
Subversive Book Club: Black Panthers Speak
Title: Black Panthers Speak
Author(s): Phillip S. Foner. Includes writings by all your favorite Panthers: Bobby Seale, Huey P. Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, Fred Hampton, Angela Davis, and Stokely Carmichael, amongst others.
Year: 1995
Pages: 328
Good Guys: Black Panthers and some of their vanilla comrades who fought beside them in the black struggle
Bad Guys: Oppressive, White AmeriKKKA: Police, businesses, the entire U.S. Government (particularly the most rotten pigs, the FBI), and average, apathetic, ignorant citizens
My Rating: A-
Why Subversive?:
I suppose it is “strange” for a white, suburban kid to walk around, clutching a book of militant black politics demonizing the wahhitte man and all his evils. But, then again I am a “strange” guy. So, why did I read this gem of incendiary material? Well, two main reasons: 1) I’m chiefly a propagandist, if anything. Without a doubt the Panthers are accountable for some truly outstanding propaganda. They are completely biased, unabashedly, may I add and write for their side/interests. The point of their works is not to offer you a fair look at how our society works or how certain events went down. Ohh no, they share their perspective of what it is like to be a free-thinking black revolutinary in an extremely racist and violent country that does not value them as human beings. If one were to read “objective” newspapers of the day they would not have the same reaction. The media was never fair to the Panthers, because they served and still serve the government. So, the Panthers fought the mainstream propaganda with their own propaganda and successfully did so. Crucial events such as the Chicago Conspiracy trial, Huey P. Newton’s manslaughter charge, the brutal murder of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark at the hands of Chicago Police with connection to the FBI are discussed extensively. 2) This book has helped me better understand how fucked up our nation was and still is and how ignorant, we white Americans are. Of course, by reading this or anything else, it does not immediately make me an expert on race relations and I certainly can not say I understand what it was or still is like to be a minority in the US of A. But, it does offer me an awareness of the American Nightmare for blacks, minorities, revolutionaries, and especially black revolutionaries (longer sentences than white revolutionaries). If the Weathermen were black they would all have been imprisoned. For those that doubt the sinister nature of our government, please look through the lens of the black experience in America. If you are privileged and white, then you will not be able to relate to it, but you will have a better understanding of how our vicious, racist system works.
I’m not saying I agree with all the Panthers’ tactics, but this subversive book at least demonstrates how positive and successful the Panthers were in their individual communities. They were a national organization and in each of their many chapters, they had schools, free breakfast for children programs, free medical clinics, and drug rehabilitation for poverty-stricken blacks. Unfortunately, history textbooks and other media outlets place too much emphasis on the violent conflicts and militancy of the Party and not as much focus on their positive, survival programs. Don’t get me wrong, the militancy was an important factor, after all their name was the “Black Panther Party for Self-Defense” and these were clearly violent times with extreme Police Brutality. In the following video, Co-founder, Bobby Seale details the Party’s Ten Point Program/Platform:
If you like this subversive book and/or want to learn more about the Black Panthers, the Black Struggle, or racist white scumfucks, then I recommend the following:
Soul On Ice By: Eldridge Cleaver
Seize the Time By: Bobby Seale
The Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told To Alex Healy
Malcolm X Speaks
Live From Death Row By: Mumia Abu-Jamal
Seen above are Co-Founders, Bobby Seale, Chairman (left) and Huey P. Newton, Minister of Defense (right). Very badass.
Chris
Band Spotlight: Tom Jefferson
Top Album: The Declaration of Independence (1776) This is Tom at his finest; one incendiary motherfucker. Before he completely sold out with 1803’s corporate shilling Louisiana Purchase. No expansion my ass!
Top Lyrics: “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government.” and “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing… the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
Chris
Concert Review: The Rifles
John: Last night, I ventured with Glen and Paul to the Great Scott in Allston, Ma. We went to see the two amazing acts: Mike Fiore, of Faces on Film and the British indie band, The Rifles. Though this was my first time at the Great Scott, I could tell it was a slightly smaller, and a bit more intimate venue than that of the MidEast. But, I liked it.
The gig was amazing, though that goes without saying. Mike Fiore had very passionate, and at times depressing, lyrics. His voice was like that of a male angel, singing the travesties of life, love and the injustices of the world. I especially loved when he sang something to the effect of “before she left I would never need medicine.” Thought not many people were drawn to him, I was. I could never be able to perform by myself in front of a few people, let alone a group of one hundred or so; and so, I commend him for his bravery. Due to being the lesser known opening act, most weren’t crowding around him. They were all waiting for the Rifles.
Glen: Mike Fiore did go a bit under-appreciated. I recognized a few of his tunes, notably “I’ll Sleep To Protect You,” “The Medical Mind,” “The Winners Daughter,” and the classic closer “Natalie’s Numbers.” For an acoustic solo musician, he deserves a lot of credit. The Rifles surprised me in a number of ways. I didn’t anticipate such a lengthy set (17 songs including the two song encore). The Rifles played seven songs off of their top 10 album of 2009 The Great Escape and a number of songs from No Love Lost. There were clap-alongs, sing-alongs, requests…you name it. Amazing drumming, amazing guitar solos, amazing singing. “She’s Got Standards” stood out as did “Romeo and Julie,” with its catchy “woh-woh-woh-oh” bit. I’m definitely glad I ventured out to see this show. It goes down as amongst the best.
The Rifles Set List
1. “Science in Violence”
2. “She’s Got Standards”
3. “Repeated Offender”
4. “The Great Escape”
5. “Peace and Quiet”
6. “Out in the Past”
7. “History”
8. “Hometown Blues”
9. “Spend a Lifetime”
10. “Toerag”
11. “Robin Hood”
12. “When I’m Alone”
13. “The General”
14. “Local Boy”
15. “Romeo and Julie”
——
16. Encore #1
17. Encore #2
My Favorite Record Labels
1) Sub Pop– No Age, Nirvana, Beat Happening, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, The Shins, Handsome Furs, Wolf Parade, The Vaselines, Iron and Wine, Modest Mouse, Rogue Wave, Sebadoh, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Postal Service
2) SST– Black Flag, Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Bad Brains, Minutmen, Husker Du, Descendents, Soundgarden
3) Matador– Jay Reatard, Sonic Youth, Fucked Up, Cat Power, Mission of Burma, Yo La Tengo, Pavement, Interpol, Lou Reed
4) In the Red– Black Lips, Jay Reatard, King Khan & BBQ Show, Mark Sultan, Dirtbombs, Vivian Girls, Deadly Snakes- Nice, little label!
5) Vice– Black Lips, King Khan & The Shrines, Death From Above 1979, Fucked Up, The Raveonettes
6) Domino– Animal Collective, Arctic Monkeys, Lou Barlow, The Fall, Stephen Malkmus, Will Oldham aka Bonnie Prince Billy, Pavement, Elliott Smith,
7) Rough Trade– The Smiths, Arcade Fire, Galaxie 500, Beat Happening, Vaselines, Libertines, Babyshambles, Mabuses, Butthole surfers, The Moldy Peaches, The Raincoats, Sufjan Stevens, Stiff Little Fingers, The Strokes, The Veils,
8) Bomp!– Black Lips, The Stooges, The Germs, Dead Boys, Devo, Mark Sultan, The Modern Lovers, The Warlocks
9) K Records– Calvin Johnson, Beat Happening, Beck, Bikini Kill, Built to Spill, Kimya Dawson, Modest Mouse, Vaselines
10) Alternative Tentacles– Jello Biafra, Dead Kennedys, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, D.O.A, Half Japanese, Butthole Surfers, The Crucifucks, Lard, Melvins, Wesley Willis
11) Touch and Go– Big Black, Rapeman, Shellac, Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid, Butthole Surfers, Naked Raygun, The Rollins Band, TV On the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Urge Overkill
12) Dischord– Fugazi, Minor Threat, The Evens, The Teen Idles, The Nation of Ulysses, Scream
13) Fat Wreck Chords– Descendents, NOFX, Anti-Flag, Against Me!, Propagandhi, Rise Against
14) Epitaph– Bad Religion, Social Distortion, NOFX, Descendents, Green Day, Circle Jerks, Vandals, Converge, The Sounds of Animals Fighting,
15) Saddle Creek– Bright Eyes, Two Gallants, Tokyo Police Club, Cursive
16) Merge– Arcade Fire, Dinosaur Jr, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Vallye Band, … And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead, Lou Barlow, Buzzcocks
I’m probably forgeting some. Oh well. Feel free to post suggestions.
Chris
Take a Spaceshit!
Early Canadian footage of King Khan aka Blacksnake haha and the BBQ in their first band, The Spaceshits. Enjoy!
Chris
What Does Politics Mean to Me?
This was for my American Politics class lol
What Does Politics Mean to Me?
So, what does politics mean to me? That’s a surprisingly difficult question for me to answer, but by the end of this paper, I’m sure I will have the perfect response. For most kids my age, politics means nothing to them, at least it appears that way. For some strange reason my brain is completely engulfed in politics. Well sort of…. When I say politics, I don’t mean typical CNN headlines or vapid Congressional hearings. When I think of fascinating politics I conjure up an image of Abbie Hoffman decked out in his inverted American Flag tee shirt holding a demonstration or Howard Zinn giving a lecture to an audience of intrigued students. I often hear the term, “political junkie.” I suppose I’m more of a “subversive junkie.”
Every day the aforementioned subversive politics enters my psyche one way or another. While other teens chat about fantasy baseball teams, my comrades and I propose our fantasy political systems. One of my amigos desires a classic free market, laissez-faire, libertarian society. Another friend terrifyingly insists fascism is the path of sound politics. I personally find anarchism to be the most appealing (and most misunderstood) political philosophy. Although, I initially favored socialism. Anyway, I also co-run a blog that often features strong social/political commentary of the radical persuasion. I read dozens of dissident books, essays, and articles over the year. Noam Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent and Jerry Rubin’s Do iT! can be found on my bookshelf, just to name a few. My friends and family make every effort to eschew engaging in debates with me because they know how much I love political bull sessions. Like most folks, I love You Tubing ridiculously funny videos, but most of the time I use this enormous resource to discover alternative forms of media, which are anonymous in the mainstream, to inform myself on how the system truly works. I do however maintain an open mind and always question anything and everything I hear, conventional or unconventional.
Being of the leftist political affiliation, I have just a tad bit of cynicism for our system. I see America as two entities: the people and the government. In an ideal society these two are one and therefore no one has to obey orders from illegitimate authority. As denizens of this great country it is our duty today to push for this kind of government for tomorrow. Since, few politicians share this view of our nation, I don’t trust 99% of them. I believe they are merely corporate stooges in the Evil Empire. With that being said, there are a select few here and there that I like and/or endorse. These include Ralph Nader (above all), Cynthia McKinney, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, and Ron Paul, whom actually has a completely different ideology than myself, but I greatly admire for maintaining integrity in an arena where such a word is foreign. I side with him on ending the Military Industrial Complex, prohibition (the War on Drugs), the Patriot Act/FISA legislation, and the Federal Reserve.
So, to answer the title question: what does politics mean to me? I suppose it means a system in which some people win and some people lose. A system where the people in power are only concerned with their own interests and maintaining that power. But, based on my influences, there is a solid dose of resistance against this system that can never be curtailed.
Chris
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 