Dubya`s War on Youth in America
As the Downing Street Memo proves, and recent comments by Trent Lott have further reinforced,Trent Lott had private conversations with Bush about Iraq "going back to just after 9/11" , there can be no doubt in any rational mind that Dubya was preparing to fight his illegal war in 2001
As Herbert Hoover said "Older men declare war", but it is the youth that must fight and die," and without doubt the Bush junta was fully aware of this in their plans for Iraq.
"I have no pleasure in any man who despises music. It is no invention of ours: it is a gift of God. I place it next to theology. Satan hates music: he knows how it drives the evil spirit out of us." Martin Luther
Not a lot has been made of this point, but on April 16 2003, under a month after the illegal invasion of Iraq commenced, the House and Senate almost unanimously passed the National AMBER Alert Network Act of 2003, a popular bill that created a nationwide kidnapping alert system. Two days prior to the bills passing however, Senator Joe Biden, a Democrat, supported exclusively by Republican senators attached the Anti-Drug Proliferation Act, which was a virtual copy of his failed legislation from the year previously, called "Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act" (R.A.V.E Act) that had proved so controversial in 2002 that it failed to pass a single congressional committee. In essence, Bidens legislation was the single most damaging attack on civil liberties in America after the Patriot Act.
Bidens legislation was an expansion of the crack-house statute of 1986, club owners and partyers alike are effectively being subjected to a loosely worded and heavy-handed law that authorities are able to indiscriminately use to shut down music events at any time they please, assuming they find evidence of drug use. Thanks to Biden's surreptitious efforts, a few glow sticks and a customer or two on Ecstasy could be all it takes to throw a party promoter in jail for 20 years. It also expanded the crack-house statute in two significant ways
1) The law could be applied to one-night events -- concerts, raves, parties, festivals -- as well as permanent locales like nightclubs,
2) It added civil penalties for violations, lowering the burden of proof from "beyond reasonable doubt" to a "preponderance of evidence."
The impact this had on the then burgeoning US dance scene was dramatic to say the least. Once the envy of the rest of the world, with artists from Detroit and Chigago developing and pushing the genre , US dance events virtually disappeared overnight, as promoters and club owners, rightly fearing for their businesses and freedom, shunned electronic dance music. Clubbers, who could now get arrested purely for carrying "glow sticks" or being in the vicinity where drug use was carried out, even if they were completely unaware and innocent of any crime, as proven by recent events in Flint, Michigan and in Utah, turned their backs on electronic music. DJs and Artists migrated en masse to Europe drawing the very lifeblood out of the US electronic music scene, and their European counterparts stopped performing in the USA. The influx of American artists permanently into European electronic music seen has seen an explosion of dance music culture as shown by the pictures above, the music has even beeng embraced by BBC Radio 1. Compare this to the USA, where radio stations deny the existence of electronic dance music to the point where the US scene has declined to a charicature of its former self.
"I remember being young in the 1960s... we had a great sense of the future, a great big hope. This is what is missing in the youth today. This being able to dream and to change the world."- Bernardo Bertolucci
The Dubya junta had learned the lessons of the 60s, where music had given the youth of America a platform to oppose the draft, the Vietnam War and support many other social causes such as the civil rights movement of Martin Luther King. They would not make the same mistake that had been made by the Johnson and Nixon administrations of the middle to late 60s. They had a war to fight in Afghanistan, with plans for Iraq, Iran and Syria to follow. Reinstituting the draft would be a public relations disaster for them, but they needed young bodies to die for their lies. Electronic dance music was the single most threatening social movement that could interfere with their plans.
In September 2002, the world respected Buzz parties at Nation in DC were forced to close down as a result of ""increased pressure from the D.C. Government, the United States Military and the United States Federal Government " according to a statement issued on September 18 2002 by Buzzlife Productions.A month earlier, on August 22, the Joint Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board issued an order that military personnel were barred from Nation due to "illegal drug activity ". The attack by Dubya`s junta had well and truly started on electronic music events in America.
In many way the electronic music scene was effectively a repeat of the late 60s psychedelic music movement. A recent government study states that Sixteen psychosomatically healthy subjects (18- to 19-year-olds, eight males and eight females) were exposed, in random order, to techno-music or to classical music (30 min each). Techno-music was associated with a significant increase in heart rate, systolic blood pressure and significant changes in self-rated emotional states. Classical music induced an improvement in emotional state, but no significant changes in hormonal concentrations. No differences between male and female subjects' responses to music have been found. Listening to techno-music induces changes in neurotransmitters, peptides and hormonal reactions, related to mental state and emotional involvement: personality traits and temperament may influence the wide inter-individual variability in response to.music
The appeal of dance music was universal. People of all social classes and more importantly, colour, were getting together and overcoming sociological control mechanisms by dancing. Ecstacy usage was a bi-product of going to parties, but not a central ingredient. For people reading my blogs regularily, you will notice I have never condoned or encouraged the use of artificial stimulants. Most professional djs and artists will take a similar stance to me. The ones that don`t have no place in dance music.
"The youth have hope because it's their future they're hopeful about and if they're depressed about their own future, well, then we are in a bad state" John Lennon
By eliminating a true positive unifying musical experience the Dubya junta also removed all danger of rebellion and dissention. Consider what was allowed to flourish in dance music`s place and you will see the basis for my beliefs. Music in America is dominated by three types, Country and Western, Rap and Grunge, another critical point is that ONLY in America do these three types of music dominate. May I also add, that I listen to a lot of Rap, but the artists I listen to tend not to be main stream charlatans like 50 Cent. C& W tends to be focused on the mid west and promotes jingoistic patriotism. It is also noticeable, that most Red States are dominated by Country and Western music. Rap music glorifies not only violence, but also the hopelessness of ghetto life. Grunge encourages violent anti-social behaviour and a general feeling of secular isolation from society. Each one of the above genres is a recruiters dream. To get kids to die for Dubya`s lies, they have to feel so hopelessly lost and alone, that the military seems like their only way out. To breed a culture of violence, that fighting in a war needs, the violence espoused by people like 50 Cent does 90% of the recruiters work for them. Compare this to the emotions and message of dance music, one of peace, respect, love and unity, if you were a war mongering government who had no respect for human life, which would you want your youth to be listening to?
When you listen to music, neurological changes happen. Most people embark upon careers, and like everyone, we get caught up in those careers, dismissing the follies of youth. Noone ever asks the question, what if my beliefs as a 21 year old weren`t delusional? What if there is a better way?, and this applies to the 60s generation more than any other generation.The 60s were a time of profound social turbulence in America, an incredible time of social progression. As we get older, the desire to change the world gets overwritten by the desire to survive, to pay our bills, raise our families etc. Somehow, we forget to dream, to aspire to change what is wrong. We forget we are not powerless, we can change things, we can make this world a better place, but with so many people asleep who were once awake, people who have forgotten what they once knew to be true, the spell of apathy and lack of love has to be broken. To deprive people the opportunity to experience clarity, to make the world a better place, is exactly what the demons want. The demons thrive on hate, they thrive on anger. Bill Hicks stated " The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one." Psychedelic music comes from the eyes of love and it challenges the eyes of fear, that is why it is under attack, that is why it is being undermined, diluted and desecrated.
In a survey 100 people over the age of 90 were asked a simple question "if you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?". A number of answers were given, but one answer was given by 95% of the respondents, "I would risk more". You are 90 years old, the bills all got paid, the sky didn`t fall, your kids all grew up. It was the lack of making a difference that people regretted. People are under assault 365 days a year to be a "good citizen". Noone ever asks the question, "what is a good citizen?". Is a good member of society someone that closes their door every night, after working 12 hours, cuts himself off from the world and ignores the evil that dominates every minute of our lives, controls our thoughts, our loved one`s thoughts and our collective actions. Bill Hicks said it best " It's just a ride. But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok. Jesus murdered; Martin Luther King murdered; Malcolm X murdered; Gandhi murdered; John Lennon murdered; Reagan ... wounded. But it doesn't matter because: It's just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money. A choice, right now, between fear and love". The world needs this music today more than it has ever done. Look around you, we are living our lives in constant fear. Hatred, death and destruction prevail, the demons are in control and something needs to break the fear that enslaves the world. Martin Luther King once said "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people". Society is controlled by division, alienation and lack of communication. On January 14,1983, President Reagan signed "National Security Decision Directive No. 77," and this formally began the process of our government taking control of the news media. Their program of "perception management" was designed to shape the opinions of Americans on all issues, and I personally believe they did an excellent job.Television is critical to hypnotising the masses so they don`t question authority. The Bush administration have followed Reagan`s example, and surpressed all music that challenges the status quo. We need the 60s generation to not only wake up from their sleep but to also pass that spirit of rebellion onto their kids. We need people to remember, our very future is at stake.
There were problems with electronic music events in the USA, that I am not arguing with. All ages events should never have been allowed to happen. It is not someone`s constitutional right to get f***ed up at 13 years old. Society has a responsibility to protect minors. The troubles that electronic music experienced in the USA were not the the fault of the music, but more a consequence of poor parenting. I don`t know many European kids who could have told their parents that at 13, they were going to an all night rave, however in America, not only was it allowed, but parents, desperate to be trendy, encouraged it. Irresponsible promoters turned a blind eye. When kids started dying, this "we`re not responsible" society blamed the music rather than accept responsibility for their own failures. Most people involved with dance music in Europe would be horrified to know that 13 year olds were going to all night events. Not only would it be condemned, promoters and events that encouraged this kind of social irresponsibility would soon be put out of business through bad publicity and boycotts, were it legal in the first place, which it isn`t.
However, at 18, when you are old enough to die in a war built on lies, you should be able to listen to what you want, to dance to what you want and where you want. Dance music brought people together in a way unseen since Woodstock. It allowed the exchange of ideas and opinions between people who, in today`s segregated climate, never even get a chance to speak with each other any more. The most powerful thing for me when I was a clubber, was being able to go to a British club and actually dance alongside black people. In America, through Biden`s legislation, segregation was reintroduced. If you think I am being dramatic, go to any club area in the vast majority of cities throughout America, and see just how segregated club culture is. Furthermore, this was not just a segregation of class, but also a segregation of intelligence. In a nutshell, Biden`s leglislation resulted in the youth of America being divided into fractions, and as the adage goes, divide and conquer.
"You can fill this table up with people who are racist, homophobic, Satanist worshippers, sexist and we can be arguing but if you put on a song, I guarantee that people will stop and listen and that's what I love about music, it can bring people together."- Charles King
I have asked the question over and over again in my writings, where is the protest? It has staggered me as to why the youth of America are silent as they see people of their age group die horribly in the desert of death in Iraq. What has finally shed some light on the subject for me has been Cindy Sheehan`s Protest at Crawford. For the last 2 years, many of us in Europe have asked the question, why aren`t Americans speaking out? As an outsider so to speak, I have asked many of my American friends the same question. I have no doubt Bush stole the election, and whilst this belief is not based on any factual evidence, though the following article would seem to back up my suspicions - VOTE FRAUD AND THE BANKRUPTCY OF THE UNITED STATES, my travels throughout the country and listening to people`s opinions which tend to be overtly anti-Dubya have drawn me to this conclusion. America is a huge country, most people rarely travel outside their state and as such, tend to believe what they hear on the TV, but the reality is, that anti-Bush sentiment has been the dominant belief in 85% of the people I have encountered for at least the last 3 years, irrespective of their social standing. However, the final statement from most people has always been, but what can I do, I am just one voice. Cindy Sheehan was just one voice, but when she stood up and said "enough", she gave other people the courage to stand up, and now, like some scene in a movie, parents around the USA are standing up and speaking out against Dubya`s illegal war and the shadow of death it is bringing into US households.
I have seen calls for a draft, Charles Rangel, a man, who, actually served, unlike most of the war mongering Republican party who used priviledge to get out of doing service in Vietnam, and as such has earned the right to pass comment on war, has sponsored legislation to reinstate the draft. I have no doubt that Charles Rangel is an honourable man, and I believe his draft legislation is driven out of frustration at the silence of American parents and the youth. I do not believe, however, it is the right way to go. Sacrificing the youth of America so that a point of principle can be made is a dangerous course of action, and, as has been proven by the Patriot Act, once a law has been passed, it is very difficult to get it repealed. Cindy Sheehan has started a movement amongst the parents of America that negates one element of the proposed effects of reintroducing the draft.
"Music has a power of forming the character, and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young."Aristotle
However, the youth of America need to unite once again. It is astounding that anyone under the age of 25 supports this illegal war. In America, the the Republicans have a strong following amongst under 25s. Quite what this following is based on I can`t seem to work out. In essence, a visit to www.freerepublic.com shows a blind allegiance to a criminal regime that quite frankly, the Hitler Youth would have been proud of. Hitler from the beginning saw the Hitler Youth movement as a tool to hardening boys for their future role of soldiers. He wanted a generation of "victorious active, daring youth, immune to pain." There was to be no "intelectual" training for the boys of the New Order, he saw intelectual pursuits as damaging to German youth. They had, however, to accept NAZI principles without question. Hitler Youth leaders did not represent an autonomous youth culture, but were in effect functionaries of the NAZI Party bureaucracy. They were tightly regimented by rules and regulations.The slogan of the Hitler Youth was "Equality, Freedom and Brotherhood", which is strikingly similar to the Dubya mantra of "Freedom and Democracy".
The jingoistic hatred that pours out of the young Republicans on that board is seriously disturbing. The dominant characteristic that dominates is one of uneducated ignorance. The philosophys espoused by Country and Western, Rap and Grunge dominate, namely violence, hatred, isolation, bigotry, homophobia and zenophobia. Slogans such as Freedom and Democracy abound in the numerous posts, and anyone who even attempts to disagree with the dominant mindset is either 1) a traitor 2) a "fag" 3) a fag traitor. If anyone doubts what I am saying, I would seriously recommend you visit the Freeper site just to see how much bigotry and hatred exists there.
"For the introduction of a new kind of music must be shunned as imperilling the whole state; since styles of music are never disturbed without affecting the most important political institutions." Plato
This culture of hatred needs to be countered with music that encourages peace, love, unity and respect. In America today, there is no balance, Joe Biden has seen to that. Joe Biden`s legislation is directly reponsible for facilitating Dubya`s illegal war and whilst not to the same extent as Dubya or his war criminal regime, Joe Biden has the blood of American youth on his hands.
The vilification of electronic music and electronic music events in the USA through anti-constitutional legislation that overrode a large number of American`s basic civil rights, has resulted in this divided culture that has allowed Dubya to push forward with his PNAC ideals. The division of the youth of America has resulted in the deaths of many former clubbers in the desert of death in Iraq. I am not a conspiracy theorist, far from it, however, as Franklin D Roosevelt said "In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way".
34 years ago last week, 1.5 million kids united and rose up against the War in Vietnam in upstate New York at Woodstock, united by music and provided a pivotal turing point in the anti-vietnam war protests. Until the issue of Joe Bidens legislation is addressed with the same kind of fervour and passion that has surrounded the support for Cindy Sheehan, Dubya wins and kids will continue to die for his lies, because there will be no unity and there will be no protest.
Related links
Electronic Music Defense Foundation
Police Raid Outdoor Music Event
Peace
Please take time to visit We Will Not Be Silenced
http://www.djpauledge.com/blog.php?id=106
