IS AMERICA REALLY HEALTHY? IS GEORGE BUSH A FASCIST? What are you going to do about it?
Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union there has been a lack of a balance of power. This lacking has created an environment whereas any American president - or “two” presidents with the same name - could impose their will globally and unilaterally, for a number of reasons: anti-terror (defense spending), democracy (oil). Democracy, democracy, oil, oil, oil – “All we need is oil / da, da, da, da, da”.
The initial argument for war in Iraq was to rid the region of weapons of mass destruction and remove Saddam from power, making the region and the world safe from a maniacal dictator. Somehow the motive has blurred into something completely different altogether: “A free and democratic society for the people of Iraq”, most of whom don’t want what we’re selling them, and never will.
And then there’s the Patriot Act whose name couldn’t be more misleading or closer to the antithesis, and would never have been passed had it not been for the fall-out factor of 9/11, and the fact that the Bush administration was playing off every American’s fears of one another. They didn’t take away our civil liberties, we allowed them to be taken away! But what are we going to do about it now!!What does this election all mean to us? To you? To me?
I believe this goes back to the foundation of ideals that this country was founded on - those God-given inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And brothers and sisters: with civil liberties under attack and censorship abound, I implore you to make a choice for freedom. A freedom for youth. Freedom of youth is the freedom of the future.
Twelve years ago, as an artist I felt a freedom to express my ideals, thoughts, and hopes, even those that were not consistent with what was considered politically correct or deemed in line with current patriotic values. But all that has changed. Censorship has reared its ugly head. Not since the days of “McCarthyism” in the 50’s has their been an actual public fear of persecution that was based in reality. Since I started this last album - the creative process, press, video, lyrics, album art, website art – I have been up against an unseen enemy that has been put in place by this current “fascist-like” regime: censorship, and the persecution that comes with it.
Ever since our media blitz in Hollywood (we did a free show in front of 3,000 kids), I have been speaking out candidly about these issues. Now, in the middle of an American tour, the frequency of which I’m selected for “Special Security Screening” at airports has jumped from about 30% to 80-90%. Once again I say to you; it’s not whether we’re moving in the direction of a fascist state, it’s whether or not you want it that way. Do you?
I remember the weeks following 9/11. The tragedy, the sadness, and that overwhelming feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop… then something else happened. America came together and rose out of the ashes like a Phoenix for the first time in my life. The ideals, hopes, and common bonds that once were the bedrock of this nation rose again to the surface and we let the world see what we were made of - our unity, brotherly love, and honor, even if brought together by tragedy.
I feel that George Bush took advantage of us. Took advantage of our loss. Took advantage of our pain. Took advantage of our grief, and used it for his own selfish designs. The question is not whether or not this happened, but if we’re going to do something to change it. Please make a vote that shows America does not belong to George Bush. That the White House is not an heirloom of the Bush Dynasty. Place a vote to restore honor and pride back to America and the presidency. Vote for John Kerry.
If you’re asking, “why did you post this now? The day of?” It’s because I want it to be the last thing on your mind before you hit that booth!
- Scott R. Weiland (singer for Velvet Revolver)
Now, this guy… actually. I must clap him for this. All that he’s been through. Drug problems, alcohol problems, trouble with the law. Years of abuse, and he still manages to pull something like this out of his hat. Maybe I’m giving him too much credit - things are not hard to see the last few days, stuff has been visible even to people that live outside of the U.S. Because all of this has been out to the entire planet. But there still seems to be some people inside that country that hasn’t been bought out for all that religious & nationalistic cheap-handed propaganda.
I mean.. I can’t understand how fascism is gaining control over us all over again. Just in a time when we think it’s all over, that the time for freedom, democracy, faith… a time when we thought these words would mean something more than propaganda. Where we could explore the true depth of those concepts.
The results of the vote are not out yet. It’s about six thirty in the afternoon, the whole process ends at three AM. But it feels like if Bush won, things would be pretty forward from now on, pretty simple, very clear. Truly bad, too. At least for Argentinians, our political leader slash president, has routed too damn much for Kerry. We should dread now, because diplomacy means not getting our feet ’stuck in the mud’. Diplomacy is a word that is missing everywhere. It is the action of being polite without being too much polite. To know when to give in and not to give in. Not to let our passions rule over us, but not to forget them either. Things haven’t been that way for a while: everyone is getting more frontal and aggressive with one another. It seems like the only ones that practice it- the oriental countries- are the ones that are much better off than everyone else. I don’t see anyone messing with Japan and China. They could do so if they wanted… but they are too intelligent for that kind of chitchat and macho power games. Possibly they are the most advanced and civilized communities in this planet. But I’m not truly sure of this.
I can’t trust Kerry much either. Foreign policies concerning immigration are supposedly going to loosen up. But that is a worn up lie that heats up in the microwave every time a candidate reaches a hispanic, asian or eastern european community (such as polish communities living without papers in the States). And as it’s a re-heat lie, it tastes like it: worn out. It’s like a trojan horse, ready to open up itself as soon as things have already happened. An unfinished promise to things that are not going to happen due to internal contradictions - for an e.g. everyone opposing immigration and naturalization (rednecks) against the poorest and more beatup sectors that have done all the work northamericans have refused to do themselves. And the policy on Iraq could even be tighter than now. In the meantime, Kerry smiles. So does Bush. Is it all really a set-up? Are we all being fooled? I can’t help this feeling.
Some say, “what do you care? it’s their business, you don’t have a clue”. The movie “six degrees of separation” explained it all to you clearly: let’s say Kerry tightens control over Iraq, Iraqi guerrilla reacts with even more violence, the army attacks Iraq all over again, killing civilians (for those unfamiliar with the term, deaths are treated as “collateral damage”, yeah, that’s right… what your life is worth.. dick) and seizing control of oil wells for oil corporations (say Halliburton, Texaco, Chevron, etc etc). So every oil producer jacks up greedily oil prices just because they can’t produce as much with the constant threats of blowing up the wells… sometimes this happens. When they raise the prices, you must pay more if you want to export or import products that need transportations in boats, planes, trains, whathaveyous. Even if you want to get some gas for your car, for electricity production. The bread you eat, the sheets you buy, even this computer and the interney connection it uses are drastically modified their costs. So, prices rise up once again. And it all comes out of your pocket. You must pay for someone elses’ mistakes. But you don’t get a piece of the cake in oil production, not even a raise in your paycheck. Things are hard itself… and it gets even more complicated to cope with. So there you go, that’s a simple way to see how you are influenced by choices in the world. I wouldn’t even consider what effect it would have on the life of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of human beings living in Iraq, what effect will this struggle will have to give them, except for sorrow and death. The movie itself told us how random actions could be always associated amongst themselves into some kind of unknown order.
A friend of mine told me she would vote for Nader, an independent, the third candidate. Maybe she’s right. I don’t know. Things couldn’t be for worse all around the world. We can’t discourage the consideration that an evil empire was raised in front of our faces… and this empire roots deeper than a moron like Bush. Empires, that could even root deeper than oil interests. Maybe some mason group is behind this, we don’t know either, because if we had to ‘clear all the bushes’ to see the other end of the jungles, we would be still stranded clearing. Things couldn’t be more complicated. Even in Argentina itself all this investigation would lead to layers and layers of pure and untouched evil, to lack of justice, hundreds, thousands of deaths and dissapearances. And all of this has happened without all of this search we talk about. Absolutely unnecessary.
Despite everything that shall happen here and there, please, G-d, have mercy on our souls. There seems to be no one else holding the power I could believe in. For all of the people that hold the power in this earth, I should ask you if you really know where all this greedy fight for power, resources, money, everything is leading to. Do you even have an idea?
ps. notes apart:
- I haven’t covered Uruguay’s election. I haven’t been fair and square on this issue. So.. sue me. I don’t even know anything about the guy that got elected. Only that he broke a tradition of 174 years of choosing presidents between the two most powerful political parties in Uruguay: that’s good.
- Scott Weiland has again emerged as the spirit of rock’n'roll himself. Freedom, thinking, expresion, art, free will, life itself. The essence of democracy (not this cheap version we are being sold everywhere from the government and the parties), the true spirit of rock. Each time I hear their songs it’s like breaking loose of everything that keeps you tied up to what’s bad for you. His band kicks ass too. Good luck guys.
