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I just read this on the Anti-Flag website, and must say I found it extremely interesting. PLease read it, and discuss it... I think this warrants more attention than the latest football signing...
Anti-Flag in the New York Times!
Anti-Flag is mentioned in an article that ran in The New York Times on November 26, 2001.
Article headline: “On College Campuses, Students See Military With New Set of Eyes”.
Excerpt where Anti-Flag is noted: “Mr. Carpe said he used to worship anti-establishment punk-rock groups like Anti-Flag, ‘but I feel totally weird listening to that now.’ A fan of Neil Young, Bob Dylan and other singer-song writer icons of the 60’s, he suddenly finds the lyrics of protest to be off-key.”
After seeing the article we wrote a response and sent it to the New York Times Editorial Section. Here it is:
To the Editor:
Re: "On College Campuses, Students See Military With New Set of Eyes" (November 26, 2001)
We, the members of Anti-Flag, are very disturbed and concerned by the suggestion that many young people have a new found interest in the military and that some people such as Mr. Carpe, now find it difficult to find relevance in the messages of artists such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Anti-Flag. In this time of great national crisis, the voices of our culture's activist artists - specifically those who dare to question the motives and actions of our country's public servants - are more important than ever!
The events of 9/11 were horrific and deeply affected us, along with the rest of America, and the world. However, those events do not automatically erase past injustices or deem every current action taken by our elected and military officials just. Free speech and dissent are the backbone of democracy. In modern times, it has been the unofficial role of the artist to encourage alternative discourse and ideas.
At this time, when the average person's mind is focused on anthrax and the events of 9/11, activist artists are the voice reminding America of important issues that existed before 9/11 and that have presented themselves since. For many years we have been arguing that our government's involvement and dealings with thugs, warlords, and dictators undermines our moral responsibility as Leader of the Free World, and threatens the future security of the United States. For example, the US government provided Iraq with military components and infrastructure that Saddam Hussein later used to invade Kuwait. Ronald Reagan once called Osama Bin Laden a "freedom fighter." The Clinton Administration welcomed the Taliban to the United States to negotiate the building of an oil pipeline through Afghanistan. (At that time the U.S. government showed no concern for human-rights abuses perpetrated against the Afghan people by the Taliban. Only pressure by American feminists forced the Clinton Administration to end the negotiations.) Messages from activist artists that were ignored in the past now seem to tell a chilling and eerie tale, but even more frightening is the fact that our government has not learned its lesson. The United States now embraces the likes of the Northern Alliance, a group of thugs that many human rights advocates characterize as being no better than the Taliban, whom George Bush refers to as, the "Evil Ones." These examples are just a small taste of U.S. foreign policy that activist artists have questioned in the past.
Current domestic policy issues that may have slipped from the public's radar but not lawmakers' minds include;
1. Tax cuts and corporate bailouts disguised as economic stimulus packages that benefit the largest corporations and the wealthiest Americans disproportionately.
2. The Bush administration's energy policy that benefits corporate interests to the detriment of the environment and consumers.
3. An election process that is disproportionately paid for and thus influenced by corporate interests.
4. A presidential cabinet drawn from nearly every major industry it is supposed to regulate.
5. The failure of the United States government to support human rights above commercial, political, and military interests.
These examples illustrate why Americans need to tune into artists who question not the quality of their country's character, but instead the policies of their country's public servants.
The suggestion that many young people have a newfound interest in the military concerns us. We believe that encouraging young people to see military action as a justified means of problem solving is an out dated and shortsighted approach to ending global conflicts. History has shown that military engagement and build-up does not guarantee peace, nor does it keep us safe from terrorism. (The US military budget before 9/11 was already more than 300 billion dollars!) The emergence of a "new war" against a "new enemy" does not negate the lessons of the past, which illustrate that violence does not end violence.
In order to encourage dialogue our music offers alternatives to militarization. New Ideas: De-militarizing the world. The U.S. is the world's foremost weapons manufacturer and exporter, however weapons manufacturing and exporting only serve the interest of the corporate state, not the American people. Start by banning U.S. weapons exports. After all, it is logical to assume that the U.S. will be in less danger from military dictators, and "rogue states," if we do not furnish them with the weaponry required to harm us. (The U.S. is responsible for weapons sales to Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, just to name a few.) Second, the United States government must call for the United Nations to ban all international weapons sales. This would be an important first step in reaching the ultimate goal of one-day outlawing all countries from housing a standing army. (It is reasonable to assume that some form of international humanitarian and peace keeping force would have to be maintained.) To the less imaginative this goal may sound preposterous. But we believe the United States has the resources and the leadership necessary to make such a dream a reality.
Other alternatives to militarization;
1. Ending foreign policy that props up oppressive anti-democratic regimes simply because they pander to the interests of U.S. multinational corporations.
2. Ending our country's dependency on Middle Eastern oil by creating policy that focuses on renewable forms of energy.
3. Spending some of the 300 billion plus military budget on humanitarian aid to send over seas!
The alternatives are countless. The crucial point is that we must be creative and willing to think outside of the box that is traditional U.S. policy and implementation. As a nation, we may find it helpful to look at the budgets of countries who do not spend hundreds of billions of dollars annually on their military. What do they spend their tax monies on? What effect has their national and foreign policy spending had on their international standing? Are they hated around the world? If not, there is a good chance we could learn something from them.
In short, we do not think the problem is the message of artists like Anti-Flag (Bob Dylan and Neil Young); the problem is that not enough people are listening to what we have to say! Instead, the masses buy the status-quo line fed to them via "for-profit media" by corrupt elected officials who wrap themselves in the flag and call us radicals or traitors any time we question their policies. John Ashcroft remarked that those who are crying for the protection of civil liberties are aiding the terrorists. Benjamin Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Personally, we stand with Ben Franklin on this one.
If you read all that good on you. Hope you found it interesting, I know I did.
Anti-Flag in the New York Times!
Anti-Flag is mentioned in an article that ran in The New York Times on November 26, 2001.
Article headline: “On College Campuses, Students See Military With New Set of Eyes”.
Excerpt where Anti-Flag is noted: “Mr. Carpe said he used to worship anti-establishment punk-rock groups like Anti-Flag, ‘but I feel totally weird listening to that now.’ A fan of Neil Young, Bob Dylan and other singer-song writer icons of the 60’s, he suddenly finds the lyrics of protest to be off-key.”
After seeing the article we wrote a response and sent it to the New York Times Editorial Section. Here it is:
To the Editor:
Re: "On College Campuses, Students See Military With New Set of Eyes" (November 26, 2001)
We, the members of Anti-Flag, are very disturbed and concerned by the suggestion that many young people have a new found interest in the military and that some people such as Mr. Carpe, now find it difficult to find relevance in the messages of artists such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Anti-Flag. In this time of great national crisis, the voices of our culture's activist artists - specifically those who dare to question the motives and actions of our country's public servants - are more important than ever!
The events of 9/11 were horrific and deeply affected us, along with the rest of America, and the world. However, those events do not automatically erase past injustices or deem every current action taken by our elected and military officials just. Free speech and dissent are the backbone of democracy. In modern times, it has been the unofficial role of the artist to encourage alternative discourse and ideas.
At this time, when the average person's mind is focused on anthrax and the events of 9/11, activist artists are the voice reminding America of important issues that existed before 9/11 and that have presented themselves since. For many years we have been arguing that our government's involvement and dealings with thugs, warlords, and dictators undermines our moral responsibility as Leader of the Free World, and threatens the future security of the United States. For example, the US government provided Iraq with military components and infrastructure that Saddam Hussein later used to invade Kuwait. Ronald Reagan once called Osama Bin Laden a "freedom fighter." The Clinton Administration welcomed the Taliban to the United States to negotiate the building of an oil pipeline through Afghanistan. (At that time the U.S. government showed no concern for human-rights abuses perpetrated against the Afghan people by the Taliban. Only pressure by American feminists forced the Clinton Administration to end the negotiations.) Messages from activist artists that were ignored in the past now seem to tell a chilling and eerie tale, but even more frightening is the fact that our government has not learned its lesson. The United States now embraces the likes of the Northern Alliance, a group of thugs that many human rights advocates characterize as being no better than the Taliban, whom George Bush refers to as, the "Evil Ones." These examples are just a small taste of U.S. foreign policy that activist artists have questioned in the past.
Current domestic policy issues that may have slipped from the public's radar but not lawmakers' minds include;
1. Tax cuts and corporate bailouts disguised as economic stimulus packages that benefit the largest corporations and the wealthiest Americans disproportionately.
2. The Bush administration's energy policy that benefits corporate interests to the detriment of the environment and consumers.
3. An election process that is disproportionately paid for and thus influenced by corporate interests.
4. A presidential cabinet drawn from nearly every major industry it is supposed to regulate.
5. The failure of the United States government to support human rights above commercial, political, and military interests.
These examples illustrate why Americans need to tune into artists who question not the quality of their country's character, but instead the policies of their country's public servants.
The suggestion that many young people have a newfound interest in the military concerns us. We believe that encouraging young people to see military action as a justified means of problem solving is an out dated and shortsighted approach to ending global conflicts. History has shown that military engagement and build-up does not guarantee peace, nor does it keep us safe from terrorism. (The US military budget before 9/11 was already more than 300 billion dollars!) The emergence of a "new war" against a "new enemy" does not negate the lessons of the past, which illustrate that violence does not end violence.
In order to encourage dialogue our music offers alternatives to militarization. New Ideas: De-militarizing the world. The U.S. is the world's foremost weapons manufacturer and exporter, however weapons manufacturing and exporting only serve the interest of the corporate state, not the American people. Start by banning U.S. weapons exports. After all, it is logical to assume that the U.S. will be in less danger from military dictators, and "rogue states," if we do not furnish them with the weaponry required to harm us. (The U.S. is responsible for weapons sales to Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, just to name a few.) Second, the United States government must call for the United Nations to ban all international weapons sales. This would be an important first step in reaching the ultimate goal of one-day outlawing all countries from housing a standing army. (It is reasonable to assume that some form of international humanitarian and peace keeping force would have to be maintained.) To the less imaginative this goal may sound preposterous. But we believe the United States has the resources and the leadership necessary to make such a dream a reality.
Other alternatives to militarization;
1. Ending foreign policy that props up oppressive anti-democratic regimes simply because they pander to the interests of U.S. multinational corporations.
2. Ending our country's dependency on Middle Eastern oil by creating policy that focuses on renewable forms of energy.
3. Spending some of the 300 billion plus military budget on humanitarian aid to send over seas!
The alternatives are countless. The crucial point is that we must be creative and willing to think outside of the box that is traditional U.S. policy and implementation. As a nation, we may find it helpful to look at the budgets of countries who do not spend hundreds of billions of dollars annually on their military. What do they spend their tax monies on? What effect has their national and foreign policy spending had on their international standing? Are they hated around the world? If not, there is a good chance we could learn something from them.
In short, we do not think the problem is the message of artists like Anti-Flag (Bob Dylan and Neil Young); the problem is that not enough people are listening to what we have to say! Instead, the masses buy the status-quo line fed to them via "for-profit media" by corrupt elected officials who wrap themselves in the flag and call us radicals or traitors any time we question their policies. John Ashcroft remarked that those who are crying for the protection of civil liberties are aiding the terrorists. Benjamin Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Personally, we stand with Ben Franklin on this one.
If you read all that good on you. Hope you found it interesting, I know I did.
Goatboy wrote:
> Excellent article and excellent poem to follow up.
Cheers for these.
No Problem... hope some people found it interesting and (dare I say it?) learned something.
> Excellent article and excellent poem to follow up.
Cheers for these.
No Problem... hope some people found it interesting and (dare I say it?) learned something.
Excellent article and excellent poem to follow up.
Cheers for these.
Cheers for these.
Anyone not easily offended should also check out http://downloads.warprecords.com/morris/bushwhacked.mp3 for a Chris Morris cut-n-paste of George Bush talking about terrorists. Very funny, very true. And only 300K ; )
Excellent article. I agree with those points.
I'd like to augment it with a poem by the American artist Ani Difranco:
(download an mp3 of it here: http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/danah/WTCpoem.bloomington.mp3)
yes, yes, yes, us people are just poems
we're 90% metaphor
with a leanness of meaning
approaching hyper distillation
and once upon a time
we were moonshine
rushing down the throat of a giraffe
yes, rushing down the long hallway despite what the PA announcement said
yes, rushing down the long stairs
with the whiskey of eternity fermented and distilled to eighteen minutes
burning on our tongues
down our throats
down the hall
down the stairs
in a building so tall
that it will always be there
yes it's part of a pair there
on the bow of Noah's Ark
the most prestigious couple
just kicking back parked
against a perfectly blue sky
on a morning beatific
in its Indian Summer breeze
on the day that America
fell to its knees
after strutting around for a century
without saying thank you or please
and the shock was subsonic
and the smoke was deafening
between the setup and the punch line
because we were all on time
for work that day
we all boarded that plane for to fly
and then when the fires were raging
we all climbed up on the windowsill
and then we all held hands
and jumped into the sky
every borough looked up when it heard the first blast
and then every dumb action movie was summarily surpassed
and the exodus uptown by foot and motorcar
looked more like war than anything I've seen so far
yes it looked more like war than anything I've seen so far
so fierce and ingenious,
a poetic specter so far gone
that every jackass newscaster was struck dumb and stumbling
over 'oh my god' and 'this is unbelievable' and on and on
and i'll tell you what, while we're at it,
you can keep the pentagon,
you can keep the propaganda
and each and every tv
that's been trying to convince me
to participate in some prep school punk's plan
to perpetuate retribution
perpetuate retribution
even as the blue toxic smoke of our lesson in retribution
is still hanging in the air
and there's ash on our shoes
and there's ash in our hair
and there's a fine silt on every mantle
from hell's kitchen to brooklyn
and the streets are full of stories sudden twists and near misses
and soon every open bar is crammed to the rafters
with tales of narrowly averted disasters
and the whiskey is flowing like never before
as all over the country folks just shake their heads, and pour
so...
here's a toast to all the folks who live in Palestine, and Iraq, and El Salvador.
here's a toast to the folks living on the Pine Ridge Reservation with GI Joe still coming back for more
here's a toast to all those nurses and doctors who daily provide women with a choice
who stand down a threat the size of Oklahoma City just to listen to a young woman's voice
here's a toast to all the folks on death row right now awaiting hot oil or guillotine
who are shackled there with dread and can only escape into their heads to
find peace in the form of a dream
cause take away our Playstations
and we are a 3rd world nation
under the thumb
of some blue blood royal son
who bought the Oval Office in that phony election
while we're at it, let me state unequivocally,
he is not President of Me, he is not President of me
'cause i, i am a poem heeding hyper distillation
i've got no room for a lie so verbose
i'm looking out over my whole human family
and i'm raising my glass in a toast
here's to our last drink of fossil fuels,
let us vow to get off of this sauce
shoo away the swarms of commuter planes
and find that train ticket we lost
'cause once upon a time the line followed the river
and peeked into all the backyards
where the laundry was waving out on the line
and the graffiti was teasing us from brick walls and bridges
we were rolling over ridges
through valleys under stars
i dream of touring like Duke Ellington in my own railroad car
i dream of waiting on the big wooden benches
in the grand station aglow with grace
and then standing out on the platform and feeling the air on my face
give back the night its distant whistle
give back the night its distant whistle
give the darkness back its soul
give the big oil companies the finger finally
and relearn how to rock and roll
yes, the lessons are all around us
and the truth is waiting there
so it's time to pick through the rubble
clean the streets
and clear the air
tell our government to pull its big dick out of the sand of someone else's desert
and put it back in its pants
and quit the hypocritical chants of 'freedom forever'
cause when one lone phone rang in two thousand and one
at ten after nine on nine one one, which is the number we all called
when that lone phone rang right off the wall right off our desk
and down the long hall down the long stairs
in the building so tall
that the whole world stopped
just to watch it fall
and while we're at it
remember the first time around
the bomb
the Ryder Truck
the Parking Garage
the Princess that didn't even feel pity
remember joking around in our apartment on avenue d?
"can you imagine how many paper coffee cups would have to change their design
following a fantastical reversal of the new york skyline?"
it was a joke
of course it was a joke at the time
it was just a few years ago
so let the record show
that the fbi was all over that case
the plot was obvious and in everybody^Òs face
and scoping the scene religiously
was the cia or is it kgb?
committing countless crimes against humanity
with this kind of eventuality
as its excuse for abuse
after expensive abuse
and they didn't have a clue
look another window to see through
way up here on the 104th floor
look another key another door
10% literal and 90% metaphor
5000 some poems disguised as people
on an almost too perfect day
they must be more than just poems
in some a******'s passion play
so now it's your job
and it's my job
to make it that way
to make sure they didn't die in vain
shhh listen baby hear the train?
I'd like to augment it with a poem by the American artist Ani Difranco:
(download an mp3 of it here: http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/danah/WTCpoem.bloomington.mp3)
yes, yes, yes, us people are just poems
we're 90% metaphor
with a leanness of meaning
approaching hyper distillation
and once upon a time
we were moonshine
rushing down the throat of a giraffe
yes, rushing down the long hallway despite what the PA announcement said
yes, rushing down the long stairs
with the whiskey of eternity fermented and distilled to eighteen minutes
burning on our tongues
down our throats
down the hall
down the stairs
in a building so tall
that it will always be there
yes it's part of a pair there
on the bow of Noah's Ark
the most prestigious couple
just kicking back parked
against a perfectly blue sky
on a morning beatific
in its Indian Summer breeze
on the day that America
fell to its knees
after strutting around for a century
without saying thank you or please
and the shock was subsonic
and the smoke was deafening
between the setup and the punch line
because we were all on time
for work that day
we all boarded that plane for to fly
and then when the fires were raging
we all climbed up on the windowsill
and then we all held hands
and jumped into the sky
every borough looked up when it heard the first blast
and then every dumb action movie was summarily surpassed
and the exodus uptown by foot and motorcar
looked more like war than anything I've seen so far
yes it looked more like war than anything I've seen so far
so fierce and ingenious,
a poetic specter so far gone
that every jackass newscaster was struck dumb and stumbling
over 'oh my god' and 'this is unbelievable' and on and on
and i'll tell you what, while we're at it,
you can keep the pentagon,
you can keep the propaganda
and each and every tv
that's been trying to convince me
to participate in some prep school punk's plan
to perpetuate retribution
perpetuate retribution
even as the blue toxic smoke of our lesson in retribution
is still hanging in the air
and there's ash on our shoes
and there's ash in our hair
and there's a fine silt on every mantle
from hell's kitchen to brooklyn
and the streets are full of stories sudden twists and near misses
and soon every open bar is crammed to the rafters
with tales of narrowly averted disasters
and the whiskey is flowing like never before
as all over the country folks just shake their heads, and pour
so...
here's a toast to all the folks who live in Palestine, and Iraq, and El Salvador.
here's a toast to the folks living on the Pine Ridge Reservation with GI Joe still coming back for more
here's a toast to all those nurses and doctors who daily provide women with a choice
who stand down a threat the size of Oklahoma City just to listen to a young woman's voice
here's a toast to all the folks on death row right now awaiting hot oil or guillotine
who are shackled there with dread and can only escape into their heads to
find peace in the form of a dream
cause take away our Playstations
and we are a 3rd world nation
under the thumb
of some blue blood royal son
who bought the Oval Office in that phony election
while we're at it, let me state unequivocally,
he is not President of Me, he is not President of me
'cause i, i am a poem heeding hyper distillation
i've got no room for a lie so verbose
i'm looking out over my whole human family
and i'm raising my glass in a toast
here's to our last drink of fossil fuels,
let us vow to get off of this sauce
shoo away the swarms of commuter planes
and find that train ticket we lost
'cause once upon a time the line followed the river
and peeked into all the backyards
where the laundry was waving out on the line
and the graffiti was teasing us from brick walls and bridges
we were rolling over ridges
through valleys under stars
i dream of touring like Duke Ellington in my own railroad car
i dream of waiting on the big wooden benches
in the grand station aglow with grace
and then standing out on the platform and feeling the air on my face
give back the night its distant whistle
give back the night its distant whistle
give the darkness back its soul
give the big oil companies the finger finally
and relearn how to rock and roll
yes, the lessons are all around us
and the truth is waiting there
so it's time to pick through the rubble
clean the streets
and clear the air
tell our government to pull its big dick out of the sand of someone else's desert
and put it back in its pants
and quit the hypocritical chants of 'freedom forever'
cause when one lone phone rang in two thousand and one
at ten after nine on nine one one, which is the number we all called
when that lone phone rang right off the wall right off our desk
and down the long hall down the long stairs
in the building so tall
that the whole world stopped
just to watch it fall
and while we're at it
remember the first time around
the bomb
the Ryder Truck
the Parking Garage
the Princess that didn't even feel pity
remember joking around in our apartment on avenue d?
"can you imagine how many paper coffee cups would have to change their design
following a fantastical reversal of the new york skyline?"
it was a joke
of course it was a joke at the time
it was just a few years ago
so let the record show
that the fbi was all over that case
the plot was obvious and in everybody^Òs face
and scoping the scene religiously
was the cia or is it kgb?
committing countless crimes against humanity
with this kind of eventuality
as its excuse for abuse
after expensive abuse
and they didn't have a clue
look another window to see through
way up here on the 104th floor
look another key another door
10% literal and 90% metaphor
5000 some poems disguised as people
on an almost too perfect day
they must be more than just poems
in some a******'s passion play
so now it's your job
and it's my job
to make it that way
to make sure they didn't die in vain
shhh listen baby hear the train?
I just read this on the Anti-Flag website, and must say I found it extremely interesting. PLease read it, and discuss it... I think this warrants more attention than the latest football signing...
Anti-Flag in the New York Times!
Anti-Flag is mentioned in an article that ran in The New York Times on November 26, 2001.
Article headline: “On College Campuses, Students See Military With New Set of Eyes”.
Excerpt where Anti-Flag is noted: “Mr. Carpe said he used to worship anti-establishment punk-rock groups like Anti-Flag, ‘but I feel totally weird listening to that now.’ A fan of Neil Young, Bob Dylan and other singer-song writer icons of the 60’s, he suddenly finds the lyrics of protest to be off-key.”
After seeing the article we wrote a response and sent it to the New York Times Editorial Section. Here it is:
To the Editor:
Re: "On College Campuses, Students See Military With New Set of Eyes" (November 26, 2001)
We, the members of Anti-Flag, are very disturbed and concerned by the suggestion that many young people have a new found interest in the military and that some people such as Mr. Carpe, now find it difficult to find relevance in the messages of artists such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Anti-Flag. In this time of great national crisis, the voices of our culture's activist artists - specifically those who dare to question the motives and actions of our country's public servants - are more important than ever!
The events of 9/11 were horrific and deeply affected us, along with the rest of America, and the world. However, those events do not automatically erase past injustices or deem every current action taken by our elected and military officials just. Free speech and dissent are the backbone of democracy. In modern times, it has been the unofficial role of the artist to encourage alternative discourse and ideas.
At this time, when the average person's mind is focused on anthrax and the events of 9/11, activist artists are the voice reminding America of important issues that existed before 9/11 and that have presented themselves since. For many years we have been arguing that our government's involvement and dealings with thugs, warlords, and dictators undermines our moral responsibility as Leader of the Free World, and threatens the future security of the United States. For example, the US government provided Iraq with military components and infrastructure that Saddam Hussein later used to invade Kuwait. Ronald Reagan once called Osama Bin Laden a "freedom fighter." The Clinton Administration welcomed the Taliban to the United States to negotiate the building of an oil pipeline through Afghanistan. (At that time the U.S. government showed no concern for human-rights abuses perpetrated against the Afghan people by the Taliban. Only pressure by American feminists forced the Clinton Administration to end the negotiations.) Messages from activist artists that were ignored in the past now seem to tell a chilling and eerie tale, but even more frightening is the fact that our government has not learned its lesson. The United States now embraces the likes of the Northern Alliance, a group of thugs that many human rights advocates characterize as being no better than the Taliban, whom George Bush refers to as, the "Evil Ones." These examples are just a small taste of U.S. foreign policy that activist artists have questioned in the past.
Current domestic policy issues that may have slipped from the public's radar but not lawmakers' minds include;
1. Tax cuts and corporate bailouts disguised as economic stimulus packages that benefit the largest corporations and the wealthiest Americans disproportionately.
2. The Bush administration's energy policy that benefits corporate interests to the detriment of the environment and consumers.
3. An election process that is disproportionately paid for and thus influenced by corporate interests.
4. A presidential cabinet drawn from nearly every major industry it is supposed to regulate.
5. The failure of the United States government to support human rights above commercial, political, and military interests.
These examples illustrate why Americans need to tune into artists who question not the quality of their country's character, but instead the policies of their country's public servants.
The suggestion that many young people have a newfound interest in the military concerns us. We believe that encouraging young people to see military action as a justified means of problem solving is an out dated and shortsighted approach to ending global conflicts. History has shown that military engagement and build-up does not guarantee peace, nor does it keep us safe from terrorism. (The US military budget before 9/11 was already more than 300 billion dollars!) The emergence of a "new war" against a "new enemy" does not negate the lessons of the past, which illustrate that violence does not end violence.
In order to encourage dialogue our music offers alternatives to militarization. New Ideas: De-militarizing the world. The U.S. is the world's foremost weapons manufacturer and exporter, however weapons manufacturing and exporting only serve the interest of the corporate state, not the American people. Start by banning U.S. weapons exports. After all, it is logical to assume that the U.S. will be in less danger from military dictators, and "rogue states," if we do not furnish them with the weaponry required to harm us. (The U.S. is responsible for weapons sales to Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, just to name a few.) Second, the United States government must call for the United Nations to ban all international weapons sales. This would be an important first step in reaching the ultimate goal of one-day outlawing all countries from housing a standing army. (It is reasonable to assume that some form of international humanitarian and peace keeping force would have to be maintained.) To the less imaginative this goal may sound preposterous. But we believe the United States has the resources and the leadership necessary to make such a dream a reality.
Other alternatives to militarization;
1. Ending foreign policy that props up oppressive anti-democratic regimes simply because they pander to the interests of U.S. multinational corporations.
2. Ending our country's dependency on Middle Eastern oil by creating policy that focuses on renewable forms of energy.
3. Spending some of the 300 billion plus military budget on humanitarian aid to send over seas!
The alternatives are countless. The crucial point is that we must be creative and willing to think outside of the box that is traditional U.S. policy and implementation. As a nation, we may find it helpful to look at the budgets of countries who do not spend hundreds of billions of dollars annually on their military. What do they spend their tax monies on? What effect has their national and foreign policy spending had on their international standing? Are they hated around the world? If not, there is a good chance we could learn something from them.
In short, we do not think the problem is the message of artists like Anti-Flag (Bob Dylan and Neil Young); the problem is that not enough people are listening to what we have to say! Instead, the masses buy the status-quo line fed to them via "for-profit media" by corrupt elected officials who wrap themselves in the flag and call us radicals or traitors any time we question their policies. John Ashcroft remarked that those who are crying for the protection of civil liberties are aiding the terrorists. Benjamin Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Personally, we stand with Ben Franklin on this one.
If you read all that good on you. Hope you found it interesting, I know I did.
Anti-Flag in the New York Times!
Anti-Flag is mentioned in an article that ran in The New York Times on November 26, 2001.
Article headline: “On College Campuses, Students See Military With New Set of Eyes”.
Excerpt where Anti-Flag is noted: “Mr. Carpe said he used to worship anti-establishment punk-rock groups like Anti-Flag, ‘but I feel totally weird listening to that now.’ A fan of Neil Young, Bob Dylan and other singer-song writer icons of the 60’s, he suddenly finds the lyrics of protest to be off-key.”
After seeing the article we wrote a response and sent it to the New York Times Editorial Section. Here it is:
To the Editor:
Re: "On College Campuses, Students See Military With New Set of Eyes" (November 26, 2001)
We, the members of Anti-Flag, are very disturbed and concerned by the suggestion that many young people have a new found interest in the military and that some people such as Mr. Carpe, now find it difficult to find relevance in the messages of artists such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Anti-Flag. In this time of great national crisis, the voices of our culture's activist artists - specifically those who dare to question the motives and actions of our country's public servants - are more important than ever!
The events of 9/11 were horrific and deeply affected us, along with the rest of America, and the world. However, those events do not automatically erase past injustices or deem every current action taken by our elected and military officials just. Free speech and dissent are the backbone of democracy. In modern times, it has been the unofficial role of the artist to encourage alternative discourse and ideas.
At this time, when the average person's mind is focused on anthrax and the events of 9/11, activist artists are the voice reminding America of important issues that existed before 9/11 and that have presented themselves since. For many years we have been arguing that our government's involvement and dealings with thugs, warlords, and dictators undermines our moral responsibility as Leader of the Free World, and threatens the future security of the United States. For example, the US government provided Iraq with military components and infrastructure that Saddam Hussein later used to invade Kuwait. Ronald Reagan once called Osama Bin Laden a "freedom fighter." The Clinton Administration welcomed the Taliban to the United States to negotiate the building of an oil pipeline through Afghanistan. (At that time the U.S. government showed no concern for human-rights abuses perpetrated against the Afghan people by the Taliban. Only pressure by American feminists forced the Clinton Administration to end the negotiations.) Messages from activist artists that were ignored in the past now seem to tell a chilling and eerie tale, but even more frightening is the fact that our government has not learned its lesson. The United States now embraces the likes of the Northern Alliance, a group of thugs that many human rights advocates characterize as being no better than the Taliban, whom George Bush refers to as, the "Evil Ones." These examples are just a small taste of U.S. foreign policy that activist artists have questioned in the past.
Current domestic policy issues that may have slipped from the public's radar but not lawmakers' minds include;
1. Tax cuts and corporate bailouts disguised as economic stimulus packages that benefit the largest corporations and the wealthiest Americans disproportionately.
2. The Bush administration's energy policy that benefits corporate interests to the detriment of the environment and consumers.
3. An election process that is disproportionately paid for and thus influenced by corporate interests.
4. A presidential cabinet drawn from nearly every major industry it is supposed to regulate.
5. The failure of the United States government to support human rights above commercial, political, and military interests.
These examples illustrate why Americans need to tune into artists who question not the quality of their country's character, but instead the policies of their country's public servants.
The suggestion that many young people have a newfound interest in the military concerns us. We believe that encouraging young people to see military action as a justified means of problem solving is an out dated and shortsighted approach to ending global conflicts. History has shown that military engagement and build-up does not guarantee peace, nor does it keep us safe from terrorism. (The US military budget before 9/11 was already more than 300 billion dollars!) The emergence of a "new war" against a "new enemy" does not negate the lessons of the past, which illustrate that violence does not end violence.
In order to encourage dialogue our music offers alternatives to militarization. New Ideas: De-militarizing the world. The U.S. is the world's foremost weapons manufacturer and exporter, however weapons manufacturing and exporting only serve the interest of the corporate state, not the American people. Start by banning U.S. weapons exports. After all, it is logical to assume that the U.S. will be in less danger from military dictators, and "rogue states," if we do not furnish them with the weaponry required to harm us. (The U.S. is responsible for weapons sales to Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, just to name a few.) Second, the United States government must call for the United Nations to ban all international weapons sales. This would be an important first step in reaching the ultimate goal of one-day outlawing all countries from housing a standing army. (It is reasonable to assume that some form of international humanitarian and peace keeping force would have to be maintained.) To the less imaginative this goal may sound preposterous. But we believe the United States has the resources and the leadership necessary to make such a dream a reality.
Other alternatives to militarization;
1. Ending foreign policy that props up oppressive anti-democratic regimes simply because they pander to the interests of U.S. multinational corporations.
2. Ending our country's dependency on Middle Eastern oil by creating policy that focuses on renewable forms of energy.
3. Spending some of the 300 billion plus military budget on humanitarian aid to send over seas!
The alternatives are countless. The crucial point is that we must be creative and willing to think outside of the box that is traditional U.S. policy and implementation. As a nation, we may find it helpful to look at the budgets of countries who do not spend hundreds of billions of dollars annually on their military. What do they spend their tax monies on? What effect has their national and foreign policy spending had on their international standing? Are they hated around the world? If not, there is a good chance we could learn something from them.
In short, we do not think the problem is the message of artists like Anti-Flag (Bob Dylan and Neil Young); the problem is that not enough people are listening to what we have to say! Instead, the masses buy the status-quo line fed to them via "for-profit media" by corrupt elected officials who wrap themselves in the flag and call us radicals or traitors any time we question their policies. John Ashcroft remarked that those who are crying for the protection of civil liberties are aiding the terrorists. Benjamin Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Personally, we stand with Ben Franklin on this one.
If you read all that good on you. Hope you found it interesting, I know I did.