|
| Switchblade & Thoughtcrime Present:
The Schools of the Americas
A Cabot N-44 d.i.y. production. Special thanks to La Zora, Genosse Kotze, and Malte on revleft.com, as well as Daniel Koll, for help with German translations (because I don’t actually speak German (nor Spanish), but I wanted 4 languages on the CD in the spirit of internationalism). Also, special thanks to several youtube users for providing some awesome beats: Aplickity, gunitdown, gunituploader, popimpin016, and any others I may have overlooked, as well as Hurricane Chris, Eminem, D12 & co., and Immortal Technique. Special thanks to Adam Haney and Lily from the Radish for all the awesome radical art that helped to inspire this CD. Special thanks to Heidi from the Radish for talking me out of the crazy East Wind Commune idea. A very special thanks to the Harvard dining hall workers, who prepare some damn good, tasty, nourishing eats. Finally, special thanks to all beings all over the Earth whose labor and biological/material functions are essential to my existence.
=======
Lyrics to “The Schools of the Americas”
The Schools of the Americas (Track #2 on most versions of the CD)
(To the tune of the Chuck-D version of Immortal Technique's Bin
Laden—thanks Immortal Technique!)
Me and Patterson Briggs are gonna set up a gig
An educational event for all of the kids
Who gotta sit through shit like the pledge of allegiance
Taught to say that shit with mindless adherence
4th of July, man, I’ve had enough of it!
“God Bless America”? Fuck that shit!
Gonna organize differently for me and my clan
We see the blood on America's poisonous hands
Have a radical picnic in the midday sun
But don't forget: this is still the Land of the Gun
The land of the oldest indigenous genocide
And the worst ongoing imperial homocide
So the rest of this rap'll be a partial dictionary
Of some U.S. interventions this past century
To give the kids an uncorrupted history
'Cause ya know, this shit is fuckin' elementary!
Regime overthrown in Iran in '53
Mossadegh tried to nationalize BP
Forget that it had been a secular democracy
And now we have a blowback of hateful theocracy
Guatemala, 1954
United Fruit didn't like Arbenz's land reform
So they called up their cronies in Washington, D.C.
And the U.S. overthrows yet another democracy
Chile, 1973
A socialist government elected democratically
Nixon was afraid that the model would spread
So he made sure that Victor and Allende were dead
Nixon said, “Make the economy scream,”
But the screams went far beyond his wildest dreams
Over 30,000 people tortured and killed
Nixon, Kissenger, and company must have been thrilled
There are so many more, such as El Salvador
And its fascist death squads killing the poor
Trained at Fort Benning in the U.S. of A.
'Cause if the U.S. does terrorism then it's okay!
You know, "We're just protecting our National Interest."
That's the bullshit they use to fuckin' justify this!
But tell me, how the fuck does this shit benefit me?!
To be financing these corporate kleptocracies?!
In the raped, pillaged, and plundered “Global South”
I can't believe the ignorance/bullshit flying outta their mouth
When they imply that I have the same exact interest
As some rich motherfucker lookin' after his business
This is what the textbooks implicitly teach us
And they wonder why their school system doesn't reach us
Why I honestly love learning but hate compulsory schooling
Why I flip on the news and find another school shooting
So, this is what I wanna say to all of the students
Who think school is a muthafuckin' prison that couldn't
Be any more useless or irrelevant, to some extent,
You can see that that's correct, but don't leave yet
Let me qualify my answer with a vision of education
In which self-direction leads to practical information
Like Fransisco Ferrer and the Modern School Movement
That's the key to real learning, alright, let's do it.
Yeah, I have a vision of education
In which self-direction leads to practical information
Like Fransisco Ferrer and the Modern School Movement
That's the key to real learning, alright, let's do it.
Psychotically Mental (Track #3 on most of the compilations)
(To the tune of “Rebels” from youtube user gunitdown—thanks
gunitdown!)
I'm not here to criticize my high school teachers
They never spouted bullshit like stupid-ass preachers
Fundamentally it's the entire schooling framework
All the social engineering conditioning for the daily grind of work
In a social system based on obedience
Called capitalism, and my experience
Is rife with all kinds of psychological strife
In high school, so common we think it's just a part of life
But no, don't you know
That's not at all how our youthful life has to go
That compulsory school shit is designed to reconstruct
Our brains, our behavior, to fuck us up
7 hours straight, trapped in a desk,
All the fake school spirit shit and all of the fuckin' MAP tests
I hated that shit, I knew I had to get the fuck outta there
I swear, I almost didn't care
I almost ran away to East Wind Commune, or some shit
Not many people know how close I came to actually doing it.
But some friends of mine talked me out of that crazy plan
They said, “Stay away, that place is kinda creepy, man.
“It's some sorta cult of weird-ass hippies
And, you got a good thing going, man, don't go tripping.”
Besides, I was so close to getting' my degree
I thought, what the hell, I'll go to college and see
Now it's been two years, and now I know
That college is for the most part the same old show
More freedom to re-arrange your daily alienation
But you still got a quota, like you're on probation
And that's how it's gonna be forever and ever
Even when I'm 60 years old with grey hair, or whatever
I'll still be mentally and psychologically unsatisfied
As long as I'm towing someone else's line
Even if I seem to be doing just fine
On the surface appearing to be keepin' in time
Taking care of business and just rolling along
But I still won't feel psychologically strong
You ever wonder why some sad people buy so much
Big house, big car, don't you know it's a crutch
An opium to compensate, to help them escape
From their daily slavery and psychological rape
Demeaned and bullied by their bosses
Always worried about potential financial losses
In the back of their mind, never secure
Always restless, always living in fear
As long as we don't control our own work
And the productive forces of our daily life in general
We're always gonna have those feelings lurk
Always gonna feel psychotically mental
As long as we don't control our own work
And the productive forces of society in general
We're always gonna have those feelings lurk
Always gonna feel psychotically mental
As long as we don't control our own work
And the means to our survival in general
We're always gonna have those feelings lurk
Always gonna feel psychotically mental
Imperium Amerika (Track #5)
(To the tune of “You Don’t Know” by Eminem—thanks Eminem!)
Imperium Amerika: Scheiß drauf!
Imperium Amerika: Scheiß drauf!
Fickt ihr diese Scheiße
Ich weiß wohin ich gehen muß, ja!
Imperium Amerika! Scheiß drauf!
Imperium Amerika! Scheiß drauf!
Fickt ihr diese Scheiße
Ich weiß wohin ich gehen muß, ja!
Nach Barcelona am neunzehnten Juli!
Neunzehnhundertsechsunddreißig, mit der CNT!
Das ist mein Wunsch, mein Weg
Das ist mein Wunsch, mein Weg, ja!
Mein Herz brennt! Rebellion! Ein Aufstand!
Die treiben mich an, ja! Treiben mich an!
Wir werden uns vereinigen!
Dann unsere Fäuste werden unsere Feinde schlagen!
Gegen die Kirche! Gegen die Schule!
Bildung muss wahr und frei sein, fuck school!
Gegen die Bosse und alle selbstherrlichen Leiter!
Genug von diesem Arbeitslager!
Das ist der moderne Arbeitsplatz!
Eine kapitalistische Kommandowirtschaft!
Mit Gastarbeiternn ohne Recht!
Praktisch unter Kriegsrecht.
(Refrain)
(John McCain clip on his hundred-year Reich in Iraq)
Das heutige Amerika hat mit dem Deutschland
Von neunzehnhunderzehn sehr viel gemeinsam
Also, Revolution für alle Nationen!
Wir müssen die direkte Demokratie beginnen!
Ja, das heutige Amerika hat mit dem Deutschland
Von neunzehnhundertzehn sehr viel gemeinsam
Also, Revolution für alle Nationen!
Wir müssen die direkte Demokratie beginnen!
Yeah...I gotta get the fuck outta this country,
Gotta get the fuck outta this entire world...
Gotta get the fuck outta this Platz
Or I'm gonna go nuts, 'cause I'm stuck in this fuckin’...
(Refrain)
====
English version:
Imperial America: fuck off!
Imperial America: fuck off!
Fuck that shit! Fuck that shit!
Gotta get the fuck outta here, yeah!
Imperial America: fuck off!
Imperial America: fuck off!
Fuck that shit! Fuck that shit!
Gotta get the fuck outta here, yeah!
Barcelona, July 19th
1936, with the CNT!
That’s my desire, my dream
That’s my desire, my dream, yeah.
My heart burns! Rebellion! An uprising!
They drive me on, drive me on.
We will unite!
Then our fists will strike our enemies!
Against Church! Against School!
Learning must be true and free, fuck school!
Against the boss and all self-lording leaders!
Enough of this labor-camp!
That is the modern workplace
A capitalist command economy
With immigrant workers who have no rights
Practically under martial law
(Refrain)
(John McCain clip on his hundred-year Reich in Iraq)
Today’s America has a lot in common
With the Germany of 1910
So, revolution for all nations!
We must establish direct democracy!
Yeah, today’s America has a lot in common
With the Germany of 1910
So, revolution for all nations!
We must establish direct democracy!
Yeah...I gotta get the fuck outta this country,
Gotta get the fuck outta this entire world...
Gotta get the fuck outta this place
Or I'm gonna go nuts, 'cause I'm stuck in this fuckin’...
(Refrain)
Move Pigs (Track #6)
(to the tune of “Move Bitch” by Ludacris—thanks Ludacris!)
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
OH NO! A fight's out!
I'm 'bout ta punch yo' lights out!
Get the FUCK back, off Capitol Hill!
We're growin' strong, we cain't stay still
I know all about the shit ya do
And I been thinkin' of bustin' you
Upside yo' muthafuckin' fo'head
And if yo' friends jump in, "Ohhhh gurrrlll!!" They'll be mo' dead!
You cain't keep us on a leash, no!
The revolution is runnin' the streets, yo!
So bye-bye to all yo' groupies and rich fuckers!
You gonna dominate the world?! NO, fuckers!
This party's marchin' on the highway
So if you guardin' the street, GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY WAY!
I'm D.I.Y., so that means, moreover
That you about to get RAN THE FUCK OVER!
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
Here I come, here I go
UH OH! Don't jump pigs, move!
You see them red flags? You hear this fuckin' crowd?
Let's start this goddamn show, I'm comin' through!
We hit the streets and knock the cops down
We shut the war down - that's what we do
Young and motivated – pissed off
The pigs fear our stuff - true true
Hold up, shortie, yeah, you know you need us
We don't run America (yet), but still we make it run
Go ahead and try it yourself, you stupid fuck
Isn't it fun, being a tool?! No, you parasitic dumbfuck.
We built that truck, we gonna take it back!
Who made all these fuckin' T.V.'s, tell me that?!
I wanna be thoroughly satisfied!
In ways physical, intellectual, and sexual, so...
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
Move pigs, get out the way!
Get out the way, pigs, get out the way!
We build up the world every single fuckin' day
Now we takin' it back, GET THE FUCK OUT THE WAY!
Everywhere we gonna have a democratic way,
In the workplace, bosses, GET THE FUCK OUT THE WAY!
We want happiness our own way
If you can't deal with that, GET THE FUCK OUT THE WAY!
We want progress our own way
Enough bullshit, GET THE FUCK OUT THE WAY!
Creaction (Track #7)
(To the tune of the Cypher beat from youtube—thanks to whoever
originally composed that!)
You fucked up, let us on the street
All of y'all pigs gonna be catchin' the heat
Of my sickle slicin' you on the side of yo' face
You don't gotta press charges, I just settle the case
Right here with the smack of my hammer/club in yo' face
There be rich fuckers dyin' all over the place.
That's right, Thoughtcrime—back from the dead
Just read what the fuck George Orwell said
About teachin' the truth, it's a revolutionary act
In these times, when most people haven't got a fuckin' clue of the
facts
That's why I smack these cursed verses out at you
So to bring about something radically new
So to ignite the most wickedly militant crew
This side of the Mason-Dixon line
This time, way better than the Paris Commune
I spring into action at the full moon
Like Teen Wolf, that's how I'll be dancin' it up
Rappin' it up, and muthafuckin' jackin' it up
Like July 19th in Barcelona
1936, that's how I'll show ya
How to make revolution like the CNT
How to run society without private property
How to overcome the bullshit theocratic shit
How to fight as an army while staying democratic
......
I'm'a bring with me a constructive attitude
Punctuated by destructive and pissed off moods
But even in destruction there can be creation
Like Bakunin said, yeah, anarchist liberation
I'm'a bring with me a constructive attitude
Punctuated by destructive and pissed off moods
But even in destruction there can be creation
Like Bakunin said, anarchist liberation
La poésie du présent (Track #8)
(To the beat of “City of Danger part 1” from youtube user gunitdown
—thanks gunitdown!)
C'est la poésie du présent.
Ce sont les mots que je m'entends dans la tête
Chaque jour, et je les répète simplement—
Et maintenant, je pense “À bas le gouvernement!”
C'est la poésie du présent.
Ce sont les actions que j'envisage ardemment
Chaque jour. Et j'essaie d'expliquer nos intérêts de classe
Pour augmenter le mouvement à renverser le gouvernement.
Paris est construite pour révolution
J'attends avec l'intérêt la prochaine
Car il est certain qu'il y aura “Une Situation”
De révolution contemporaine
“Quand?” C'est la question, (bien sur)
Et aura-t-elle succès? Ça dépend...
Je ne peux pas lire l'écriture sur le mur
Mais je peux voir qu'elle est écrite en sang
C'est pourquoi une bouteille de vin rouge fin
Servirait d'une bonne arme contre les flics
Elle montre symboliquement le sang sur leurs main
Lorsqu'ils maintiennent cette misère systémique
Honnêtement, je ne pourrais pas formuler
Moi-même cette idée magnifique
Vous savez, seulement les Français penseraient
Jeter des bouteilles de vin aux flics
C'est la poésie du présent.
Ce sont les mots que je m'entends dans la tête
Chaque jour, et je les répète simplement—
Et maintenant, je pense “À bas le gouvernement!”
C'est la poésie du présent.
Ce sont les actions que j'envisage ardemment
Chaque semaine, j'essaie ajouter au mouvement
Parce que bientôt, j'ai l'intention de terminer le gouvernement.
J'apprends des meilleures
Ou, okay, au moins je peux dire que j'essaie
Par example, lisez “Les villes et les insurrections”
Par Eric Hobsbawm, et faites attention
Parce qu'il explique ce qui fait cette ville sur la Seine
Si révolutionnaire parmi les centres urbaines
Si révolutionnaire que les autorités
Ont continuallement essayé de la redéssiner
Les rois français ont essayé d'éviter
Une révolution en se cachant au loin à Versailles
Haussmann a commandé les boulevards “renovés”
Pour prévenir les barricades et faciliter le mouvement de l'armée.
Ha! Regardez le “succès”:
Révolutions en 1871
Et Mai 1968
C'est pourquoi j'ai dit que Paris est construite
Pour révolution, vous voyez?
Mais tu aimes les Champs-Élysées?
You like military parades? Fuck that shit!
I'll take the Mai '68 Latin Quarter any day
Or les banlieues where the people don't get no respect
Le seul “racaille” is that fucker Sarkozy, en fait!
Le seul “racaille” is that fucker Sarkozy, en fait!
C'est la poésie du présent.
Ce sont les mots que je m'entends dans la tête
Chaque jour, et je les répète simplement—
Et maintenant, je pense “À bas le gouvernement!”
C'est la poésie du présent.
Ce sont les actions que j'envisage ardemment
Chaque semaine, j'essaie ajouter au mouvement
Parce que bientôt, j'ai l'intention de terminer le gouvernement.
C'est la poésie du présent.
Ce sont les actions que j'envisage ardemment
Chaque jour. Et j'essaie d'expliquer nos intérêts de classe
Pour augmenter le mouvement à renverser le gouvernement.
=====
English version of La poésie du présent:
This is the poetry of the present.
These are the words that I hear in my head
Every day, and I’m simply repeating them
And now I’m thinking, “Down with the government!”
This is the poetry of the present
These are the actions that I ardently envision
Each day. And I try to explain our class interests
In order to build the movement to overthrow the government
Paris is built for revolution
I await the next one with interest
For it is certain that there will be
a contemporary revolutionary situation
When? That’s the question, of course
And will it be successful? That depends…
I cannot read the writing on the wall
But I can see that it is written in blood
That’s why a bottle of fine red wine
Would serve as a good anti-cop weapon
It would show symbolically the blood on their hands
As long as they maintain this systemic misery
Honestly, I could not formulate
This idea by myself
You see, only the French would think
To throw bottles of wine at the cops, lolz
This is the poetry of the present.
These are the words that I hear in my head
Every day, and I’m simply repeating them
And now I’m thinking, “Down with the government!”
This is the poetry of the present
These are the actions that I ardently envision
Each week I try to add to the movement
Because soon I intend to abolish the government
I learn from the best
Or, okay, I can say that I try
For example, read “Cities and Insurrections”
By Eric Hobsbawm, and pay attention
Because he explains why this city on the Seine
Is so revolutionary among cities
So revolutionary that the authorities
Have continually tried to redesign it
The French kings tried to avoid revolution
By hiding themselves away in Versailles
Haussmann commanded the boulevards “renovated”
In order to prevent barricades and facilitate the movement of the
army
Look at the “success”:
Revolutions in 1871
And May 1968
That’s why I say that Paris is built
For revolution, you see?
But you like the Champs-Elysées?
You like military parades? Fuck that shit!
I’ll take the May ’68 Latin Quarter any day
Or the suburbs, where the people don’t get no respect
The only “scum” is that fucker Sarkozy, in fact!
The only “scum” is that fucker Sarkozy, in fact!
This is the poetry of the present.
These are the words that I hear in my head
Every day, and I’m simply repeating them
And now I’m thinking, “Down with the government!”
This is the poetry of the present
These are the actions that I ardently envision
Each week I try to add to the movement
Because soon I intend to abolish the government
This is the poetry of the present
These are the actions that I ardently envision
Each day. And I try to explain our class interests
In order to build the movement to overthrow the government
Systemic Change (Track #9)
(To the tune of the Skeleton beat from youtube—thanks to whoever
originally wrote this!)
Yeah, systemic change, that's the name of the game
All these raps are gonna sorta sound the same,
But that's okay, because I gotta focus this like a laser beam
I'm not some stupid idealist with some far away dream
I'm a sober realist who's gotta know what it takes
Who's gotta understand history and what a Situation creates
Who's gotta understand anthropology
Who's gotta be well-versed in sociology
So thanks to all who have come before me
And tried to logically deconstruct it all metaphorically
As well as literally and materially
In terms that we can all understand entirely
Lookin' for some scientific revolutionary theory?
Try Marx's Critique of the The German Ideology
Read it for free at www.marxists.org
(The “org” stands for “orgasm,” you fake little dork)
That's because real revolution is orgasmically
A catharsis of pure desire ecstatically and emphatically
Realized through our daily conscious self-direction
Damn, just talking about it is starting to give me an erection
But this time we're gonna make sure we get the real thing
None of this Stalinist, state-capitalist, fake-ass bling
If you can't dance to it then you know that it's crap
If you can't have sex to its rap, then you know that it's whiggity
whack
As a matter of fact, I'll have to smack whoever tries to keep us back
On the same old track, the same old muthafuckin' Leninist trap
We can't depend on leaders if we wanna free
It's gotta come straight from the likes of you and you and you and
you and me.
We will overthrow all authority this time
The fire is growing in my mind, even as I rhyme
Fire can burn down their muthafuckin' military towers
Or it can be the genesis for constructive steam power
I can't wait to start the new construction
While being conscious to avoid the old environmental destruction
We can finally make our “free-time” fully free and constructive
When we take total control of the forces of production
What comes next is a conscious transcendence
When we combine “work” and “leisure” in a beautiful elegance
When work is self-directed to address practical desires
It will feel like “leisure,” but even better and higher
It'll feel like just “life,” once again well and whole
That's why I harp on this muthafuckin' imperative goal
No more split existence of alienation and strife
Just the start of real human history and a better life.
We're living in the fuckin' Twilight Zone
Where ignorance is strength and freedom is slavery
I say, No More Stupid Reruns.
I want something NEW.
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer! (Track #10)
Yeah, I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I think I'm free
And I'm proud to serve the men who try
To take my rights from me
And I proudly stand up to be slave
Gonna go enlist today!
'Cause Jesus would drive a Chevrolet
God Bless the USA!!!
Alternate version #1:
Yeah, I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I think I'm free
And I'm proud to serve the men who try
To take my rights from me
And I proudly stand up to be slave
Gonna go enlist today!
Come join me brothers! (Unless you’re gay.)
God Bless the USA!!!
Alternate version #2:
Yeah, I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I think I'm free
And I'm proud to serve the men who try
To take my rights from me
And I proudly stand up to be slave
Gonna go enlist today!
Gonna get my gun and shoot some Braves [Native Americans]
God Bless the USA!!!
Daily Effort (Track #11)
(To the tune of the Reggaeton beat from youtube—thanks to the
original author!)
You know, I used to play the French horn
Some sports too, so I know what it is to perform
You gotta be prepared to roll, you and your crew
No matter what you do, the same rule holds true
If you're an athlete, you gotta compete
If you play percussion you gotta hack the beat
Revolutionaries: you gotta hit the streets
Ready to struggle in the summer heat
So while I'm writing my lines and spilling my mind
I'm drinking some water with lemon and lime
Need no air-conditioning, just natural sweat
And don't you know about the pheromones in your scent
When you sweat? It drives the guys and girls insane
They might not realize it, but somewhere deep in their brains
Their instinctual drive is pickin' up the signal
Of a warrior who's not afraid to get physical
Who's got no fear of gettin' hands dirty
In more ways than one, such as when you gettin' flirty
Or when it's time to implement a hands-on plan
You and your clan, standing up to The muthafuckin' Man
“The Man” could be an obstacle or project
Or some fuckin' government thief plundering your pockets.
“Your clan” could be just you and your friend
Or a huge mass movement the size of Ireland
Yeah, “The Man” could be an obstacle or project
Or some fuckin' government thief plundering your pockets.
“Your clan” could be just you and your friend
Or a huge mass movement the size of Ireland.
(R)Evolutiona (Track #12)
(To the tune of the Hurricane Chris beat—thanks to the author!)
Music can be accessed here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QMNreUiWGaA
(And thanks to Adam Haney for the idea for the title and the art that fits nicely wit it!)
At the Radish one day I heard it, got hooked on Immortal
It was like I stepped through an other-dimensional musical portal
And found myself craving more and more of that crazy shit
That razor-sharp intelligent conscious political wit.
So I said, what the fuck, I can make my own shit
And perform it for myself whenever I feel like it
Perhaps you've had these same electrical signals flash in your own
mind
And you've thought about composing some of your own designs.
Awesome! We can cross-pollinate intellectually
And sprout some new synthesis in praxis consciously
While swapping our lyrical logic completely for free
Whaddaya say, let's start a new industry in the gift economy
And if I'm just a “one-hit” wonder, that's just fine with me
'Cause that's honestly all the material I'll ever need
That's all it'll take to start spreading these seditious seeds
Pretty soon we'll have this revolution shit growing like weeds
And it's essential to be ecologically-friendly and all that
So I make sure to recycle the beats from all this shitty crap
All this cliché bougeois-bling-bling misogynistic rap
I take the beats and add lyrics to make your mind go splat
Because spreading revolution is all about subversion
Violence is only a small part of the total immersion/equation
It's more about substituting the crap with pertinent facts
That'll help you act in our own interest and pursue what you lack
And everywhere nowadays, thanks to teh internetz
You can download this shit, this is as ripe as the situation gets
All over the whole capitalist world market
All I gotta do to reach people is learn their language and swap it
So lately I've been trying to pick up a little Deutsche Sprache And
occasionally I'll brush up on my français avec mes camarades
I would get a revolutionary vocabulary
In all languages if I could, to spread this shit internationally
Listen to me, this is how I would do things
I'd be skippin' over the sea faster than internet data pings
If France seemed like it was erupting undoubtedly
Into a real proletarian revolution permanently
I'd drink with more laughter than ever before
I'd think and problem-solve with focus, always ready for more
I'd work with more delight and energy and brilliance
I'd stay committed to constructive goals with diligence
Knowing that it would really be benefitting me
Systematically, not just tangentially
Or unwillingly, like I'm some sorta machine or sheep
That deserves nothing else except the crudest daily upkeep
I mean, c'mon, even reactionaries gotta see
The appeal of what I keep advocating emphatically
You see, I don't have a problem if they honestly agree
To our offer of a world in which they can also be free
Equal partners, with equal say over our society
We're already so interdependent, so why not have democracy?
You say this sounds like collectivism? Then why do you like
capitalism?
This is exactly what your system has wrought already and
irreversibly.
Get used to the idea of this new society
Because it's here to stay and make itself felt entirely
You already started this material evolution
So prepare yourself for social revolution.
Get used to the idea of this new society
Because it's here to stay and make itself felt entirely
You already started this material evolution
So prepare yourself for social revolution.
The Methodology (Track #13)
(To the tune of the 40 Oz beat—thanks to D12, Eminem, and co.!)
Music can be accessed here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vH474OdLHYg
Yeah, I've done a fair amount of trash talking already
Sometimes a jedi mind trick to keep the rhyming steady
But, you know, it's also essential semantically
Such as when I must assign due culpability
To some sick motherfucker who gets his jollies
From turning innocent people into decomposing bodies
Dick Cheney, and all other things imperialistic
And I try to address what I can, but let's be realistic
I don't know what it's like to be Black
So you're not gonna hear me rap about that
I don't pretend to know every single fact
Or every single perspective, but cut me some slack
I'm a work in progress, just trying to hack this
This is how I get my practice
I write it all down, send it around
If I sound like a clown, I turn it around,
Mix it, mix it up again, between me and my friends
These are just conversations mixed with vibrations
Comin' outta the speakers, just simple creations
Flippin' like a flip-book animation
Just lettin' one articulation lead to another
Yeah, throwin' it down with my sisters and brothers
'Cause hip-hop's the music of the poor,
Don't need to rent time on a fuckin' studio floor
Just mix yer ideas with some sounds and beats
Don't even need a stereo to play it in the streets
Just a beatboxer and rapper
And if you want, a muthafuckin' wooden clapper
I don't care, whatever shit works for you
Whatever lights up the style of you and your crew
Whatever strategies help you communicate
But I know some a-y'all are gonna playa-hate
'Cause, whoop-dity-fuck, I haven't made my own rap beats
I'm incredibly sorry if that doesn't meet
Your criteria for a real musician or gangsta
If you think I'm some little fuckin' wanksta
Then whatever man, I honestly don't give a damn
I'm just trying to talk about what I can
And it's a remix culture we live in today
So just stop the hating and consider what I have to say
Okay? Here, let's get it all out of the way
Right away, 'cause I know exactly what you're gonna to say
White male, Ivy-league, middle-class,
Ignorant hypocrite, egotistic fake-ass
Yeah, you see, that's how I make it easy
I fulfill every stereotype completely,
You don't even have to meet me
You can just start hating on me immediately
Is that what you want to hear? Well, fuck you.
I don't have to justify myself to you
And it's not about me in the first place
It's about justifying revolution to the human race.
Yeah, I don't have to justify myself to you
All through life that mentality got me screwed
And it's not about me in the first place
It's about justifying revolution to the human race.
Yeah, I don't have to justify myself to you
All through life that mentality got me screwed
And it's not about me in the first place
It's about justifying revolution to the human race.
International Students (Track #14)
(To the tune of "The Internationale"—a traditional workers' song. )
Music here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXKr4HSPHT8
U.S. Imperialist domination
Your end is near at hand! (You're through!)
No more of your brutal devastation
Perpetrated by your bloody hands (Fuck you!)
Over 700 military bases
And half a trillion dollars per year (Screw that!)
So you're military machine can ravage our lands
But we refuse to live in fear (Fuck that!)
Your reign has been nothing but a blight on our Earth
All across the world for ourselves (Damn straight!)
Your capitalist warfare for profit
Only benefits yourselves (Damn straight!)
You won't get away with your oppression
We'll crush you if you bomb Iran (Damn right!)
As international workers/women/students/x
We stand together hand in hand (Ready to fight!)
A las Barricadas! (Track #16) – A workers’ song from the 1936 Spanish Civil War / Spanish Revolution. I have slightly modified it
from the original text. Here is the version Rebecca and I performed:
Negras tormentas agitan los aires
nubes oscuras nos impiden ver.
Aunque nos espere el dolor y la muerte
contra el enemigo nos llama el deber.
El bien más preciado
es la libertad
hay que defenderla
con valor.
Alza la bandera revolucionaria
que llevara al pueblo a la revolución
En pie obrero a la batalla
hay que derrocar a la reacción
El bien más preciado
es la libertad
hay que defenderla
con valor.
¡A las Barricadas!
¡A las Barricadas!
¡Por el triunfo
de la revolución!
====
English:
Black storms shake the sky
Black clouds blind us
Although death and pain await us
Against the enemy we must go
The most precious good
is freedom
And we have to defend it
With valor
Raise the revolutionary flag
Moving us forward with unstoppable triumph
Working people march onwards to the battle
We have to smash the Reaction
The most precious good
is freedom
And we have to defend it
With valor
To the Barricades!
To the Barricades!
For the triumph
of the revolution!
| | |
| I think I've figured out that the mornings are always the worst. Getting out of bed is always tough, even if I get like 11 hours of sleep like I did last night. The light-headedness and lethargy I've felt the last two mornings is probably due to dehydration during the night (when I'm not drinking water). But after I start drinking again, things start to feel better. Also, I've started adding little amounts of gatorade to my water (maybe 1/8 of a glass per every glass of water). That makes such a big difference! It's not so much the calories (I'm getting maybe 100 calories per day from that), but the electrolytes probably help a lot, and above all, the slight taste makes it SO MUCH EASIER to get the enormous amounts of water down into your stomach without making you feel nauseous (and I do mean ENORMOUS amounts of water--we're supposed to drink about 160 ounces (10 lbs.) of water per day--that's twenty 8-ounce glasses!!! According to the doctors, food is 80% water, so we have to make up for that, in addition to drinking our usual amount, plus a little more to keep our bodies' filtering systems running as fat cells start being broken down and start releasing ketones and other nasty stuff). I suppose the increased water intake probably explains the fact that I GAINED 2.5 pounds between yesterday and today (from 169.5 to 172). These sorts of fluctuations will probably be a persistent day-to-day trend, with the overall trend sliding lower over time. It still baffles me, though, that I could weigh 172 lbs. I weighed 185 lbs. the last time I checked (5 months ago), and I didn't think that I had lost very much weight since then, if any. I could have been no lower than 175 lbs. at the beginning of the hunger strike, I'm almost sure. That means a loss of about 1 lb. per day, on average, which is a rather startling trend. I suppose that makes sense if you figure that roughly 3,500 calories translates into 1 lb., and that our calorie shortfall per day is roughly that amount (assuming a 3,600 calorie diet (a definite possibility here at Harvard) and 100 calories of gatorade per day ameliorating that shortfall). Anyways, I still feel pretty good right now, and contrary to what most people would assume, I don't really feel hungry. I've heard from people who have done hunger strikes in the past that one is apt to fall into a nice little groove from about day 3 to day 7 (at which point you start feeling a lot weaker). So we'll see. Or maybe we won't, if the Harvard administration would stop sitting on its ass and accept our demands that it take responsibility for its workers and pressure its subcontractor, AlliedBarton, to implement the basic minimum standard of wages and working conditions that students and security guards have called for.
| | |
|
Well, it's day 2 of the hunger strike. I've noticed that I can no longer taste my last meal when I burp. That's kinda sad. On a scale of 1-10, I feel like a...7, I guess. Anyways, Harvard still hasn't responded to our demands or even invited us to talk, even after we delivered ANOTHER letter and had ANOTHER rally in front of Massachusetts Hall. Over the Harvard-Dems e-mail list there was apparently a lot of controversy over the hunger strike (at least people are talking about it!) While some totally supported the hunger strike, others thought it was too drastic, that we needed to be engaging in "rational discourse" instead. Well, we've been trying...for several months now. For those who have just recently heard of the campaign, this may not be immediately apparent...but that's part of the reason for doing something like a hunger strike in the first place! Otherwise, many of these students would probably still be completely oblivious to the campaign. I hope people realize these sorts of things. I hope people realize that this campaign is not about us students, it's not about grandstanding. It's about convincing Harvard of the necessity of being accountable to its students, workers, and community and guaranteeing these basic standards of existence.
In case you haven't already, PLEASE support this campaign by signing the petition, calling in and complaining (see below), and spreading it around to everyone that you know. The more pressure we can put on Harvard and AlliedBarton, the sooner we can bring this campaign to a favorable conclusion and end the hunger strike. For more information, check out www.stand4security.org.
And check back here for daily updates!
---Matthew
-------------------------------------------
SUPPORT THE HARVARD HUNGER STRIKE
Tell Harvard: Respect Your Workers! Respect Your Students!
Today, 11 students at Harvard University begin an indefinite hunger strike in
support of hundreds of newly unionized security guards at Harvard, in their
fight to win a first contract with fair wages, steady employment, fair
procedures, and the right to organize.
The strike coincides with yesterday's decision by AlliedBarton, a private
security firm contracted by Harvard, to walk away from the bargaining table.
The strike will last until Harvard takes responsibility for the conditions of
workers on its campus and makes a public statement supporting the basic
standards demanded by guards and students.
Outsourced security officers at Harvard make $2-8 less than other service
workers on campus, and $5-6 less than guards at comparable area universities.
They have the lowest wages on campus, and until this year, they did not have a
union. Harvard's response? "Not our problem."
Last semester, after being outsourced for years and losing union representation,
officers joined with students to win the right to organize and, ultimately,
elected a union! Now, AlliedBarton is even denying them that - misclassifying
32 guards as "managers" just to keep them out of the union. Harvard's response?
Again: "Not our problem."
Students, workers, and community members are standing up for security, which we
believe begins with justice. We believe that it IS Harvard's responsibility to
ensure decent working conditions on our campus. So far, 23 student
organizations and 1200 students, faculty, alumni and community members have
said they agree with us. And there are more of us every day.
Security guards have gone without for too long - now students will go without
until workers have what they need. Now is the time to STAND FOR SECURITY!
For more information about the campaign and the latest press coverage:
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/u7zw44K1XPyR/
Here's two things you can do to help:
Sign the petition! http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/u7zw44K1XPyR/
Call Harvard President Derek Bok, 617-495-1502
Call Director of Labor Relations Bill Murphy, 617-496-9193
Call AlliedBarton Security: 610-239-1100
Sample Script:
Hello. My name is ______ and I am a student at _______. I am
writing to express my support for Harvard security officers as
they bargain for a better contract. They are members of the
Harvard community and they should be rewarded fairly for the
hard work they do. Security officers deserve wages as high as
any other service workers on campus, safe and sanitary working
conditions, full-time employment, fair procedures, and the right
to organize! I am appalled that a university that purports to
hold so much wisdom could be so ignorant of the basic needs and
rights of people. It's time to stop denying your responsibility
and start standing for security!
Sample Letter:
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I am writing to express my support for Harvard security officers
as they bargain for a better contract. They are members of this
community, they are fathers and mothers, they are friends and
neighbors, and they should expect to be rewarded fairly for the
hard work they do. $12.68/hour is not nearly enough; paying
basic bills should not be a daily struggle. Security officers
deserve wages as high as any other service workers on campus,
safe and sanitary working conditions, full-time employment, fair
procedures, and the right to organize! Would you accept anything
less for yourselves?
I am appalled that a university that purports to hold so much
wisdom could be so ignorant of the basic needs and rights of
people. I am appalled that a university that believes all
students should be trained in "moral reasoning" could reason so
immorally. Stop denying your responsibility and start standing
for security!
Send Letter to:
President Derek Bok
derek_bok@harvard.edu
Directory of Labor Relations William Murphy
bmurphy@camail.harvard.edu
AlliedBarton CEO William Whitmore
http://www.alliedbarton.com/contact-us-general.aspx?form=Clients
----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----
| | |
|
