Thanks for sharing. Hopefully, you won't mind me reposting this on my blog as to share it with my friends as well.
:) -Gabriela
 

This needs to be shared with all. Post it on your faceooks and myspaces. If you teach high school, share it with our youth.


And get out there to vote. Don't go alone. Find at least three people who might not have gone without you and take them with you.


Make sure people in your neighborhood are registered. Get folks out there to make a difference.


We can't afford to live in the shadow.

 

Honesty is what we all search for but something very few of us are ready to handle.

at least consciously we are.

but in our hearts honesty is what we thrive for....
to be honest with ourselves.

to be at true peace rather than in the bliss of an ignorant cycle.


..i hope people find the strength that they've allowed others to cover up..
..others who do so out of the unnecessary fear of inadequacy..
..to open up their hearts and to take back control..

their freedom.



t.
londons!
 

Word_
 

Thanks so much for posting this, people like Sarah Palin cannot be allowed to lead this nation. I'm a huge fan of your music.
LD
 

Saul, I absolutely love you and the clarity with which you express the underlying issues facing this country in this piece, this is genius, and absolute truth, when will we lift the veil from our eyes and see the TRUTH!!!!

Keep doing your thing brother, I love it, "The revolution will not be televised, it will be broadcast worldwide, from the mouths of POETS" (excerpt) from a piece I wrote..

Love you and all you do brother, keep it up... knowledge, wisdom and understanding, young solomon...

peace, one love n blessings to you and your family

"Strange Fruit" da Poet aka gotswagga?
 

at a conference called Mythic Journeys a couple of years ago, after a particular performance i did in the crowd while he was on stage...the question was floated thru the air "how much could could CJ do the world if he could just tech Deepak how to dance?"

i've been wanting to bring him some Sugar Hill Gang ever since...
 

great analysis. thanks for sharing.

 

OBAMA 2008!!!!!! I am not very political so i will not make a detailed statement but i would like to respond with my feelings toward this debate with my thoughts....

we need change disparately!!!!!! COME TOGETHER PEOPLE!!!!!!!!

Bury Your Essence
9-9-08

Files, flies
dogs, gods
satin, satan
board, bored, bard
there, they’re, their
come together now
who, what, where
whatever-discover
ancient-dust-looms,
limestone-antiquity,
turn to the wall
inscribe your teachings,
and read many more
before you must
bury your soul,
bury your essence
in the drifting sands
so you may live forever
in a sealed tomb
decorated with lavish paintings
fine jewelry and
contemporary furniture,
peace be with you
that you may remain intact
undisturbed-forgotten-unknown,
if you are found out
they will display you
the world over
in modern museums,
but you shall be forgiven my Sun,
Equality is what we
believe in, Unity-One
goodnight and Amen
All men, Wow sin, Woe men,
Woman, Omen, OM-ZEN
 

Wow ! Daed Si Dog: I like this, that's what I'm talking about poetry to mkae you sit up straight and walk with your eyes wide open.


Saul the blog is enlightening as your work alway's has been.

 

I don't mean to point this out but stated in this is "Patriotism — the usual fallback in a failed war" ....
We won the war, something the left wing cannot admit because they were invested in failure.


Frankly we are fucked six days from sunday with our "main" choices for who will run this country. Vote third party, fuck the left and the right, take the power back.

 

It doesnt say we lost the war. it says it was a failed war. and i think the statistics show that the majority of our country, and the world, think so.

 

what exactly did we win by destroying unaffiliated countries who were not involved in 9-11???
we didnt win shit...we just killed a bunch of people and lost our own...WHATEVER
 

pretty soon though we have to get over getting Presidents that are that crazy.
It's like I'm living a Star Wars Episode
 

YOU READ MY MIND!
 

In the face of change and innovation they market a message of change through a face of stubborn resistance and uncivilized conservative views. Who knows how that makes sense.


great post.

 

WOW!... I knew there was something going on underneath the surface.


Thank you.


V,
 

that obama thing is complicated.


supporting him to avoid another four years of republican presidency - yes.


supporting him and hoping for real change - no.


unfortunatly no president can change things and circumstances radically,
no matter if he would like to or not.


ääahäaaä.


props.


*listening to dead prez and saul williams and rage against the machine*

greets from munich-germany, L
 

Thanks, Saul, for sharing this! I posted it as a blog also (but gave credit where it's due) b/c I want to make sure all my friends read it as well. We mustn't be discouraged!!! May the shadow be brought to light and lessened in each of us.

 

I went to a McCain rally just to see what it was about last tuesday. I do not think it is being brought to light. People at the rally were ignorant, conceited, and close-minded. Let me also say that- I actually counted- there were about three black people per every twenty white persons. This election will split between two sides: one side being the side that has not been very much affected by the problems in America; the other is the side that has had enough with those same problems.
I am not saying which side either Obama or McCain is on, but we will see, won't we?
 

Soooooo..... you spoke with all those people there, correct? They were ALL ignorant, conceit, and close minded?!!! Well if being open minded is speaking this way of people you don't know, then I'll stay the way I am.

I don't think the Republicans offered much of a choice in McCain. Palin may have been only slightly more experienced then Obama, but her ideas are not faulty.

They Democrats have been in power for most of my life and I have yet to see any real change. I hope to see some.
 

Sorry for misspells. Typed this on my phone.
 

Brilliant. Thanks, Saul.

 

.
. . well written. in regards to my perspective (of course) in essence Palin's stand on: core family values,- reminds of a Norman Rockwell painting, projecting dialouge of the corner malt shop.


with her reform reminds me of Mc Carthism. Do i really want to "progress" this way? In actuality, this would not be progression.


-fajr
 

I am going to repost this as well (and will say as much in my blog entry). This is just too genius of an explanation to not share.


Jason.

 

Pretty interesting... Thanks for posting it and making such knowledge available to those with their "eyes" open. I will definitely pass it along.

 

Mr. Williams, thank you for posting this piece by Mr. Chopra. I admire both of you for your wisdom, intelligence, wit, and talent in communicating your ideas.


I do agree with Mr. Chopra on his analysis of the Palin phenomenon; she allows those who secretly harbor negative feelings towards what Obama claims to represent - change and hope - to safely support a candidate who verbalizes and validates those feelings of "fear, rejection, hostlitiy to change, and narrow-mindedness.
"

Of course, in my view, the Democrats, forever playing good cop to the Republicans' bad cop, also win support by appealing to a narrow-minded viewpoint, one that is certain that Obama and the Dems are the best way and the only way to truly create the type of change that will obliterate the status-quo, the very status quo that they too have been enjoying along with the Republicans as the "other half" of the one party, ...er, sorry... "two-party" political power structure.


I laughed when I read Mr. Chopra's comment that "The shadow is a metaphor widely in use before his arrival on the scene." True, anyone who is a student of psychology, or a fan of Star Wars for that matter, can understand that any emotions that are not brought to the light, or the forefront of our conscious, but are instead buried or repressed in our subconscious, become our shadow, which eventually comes out (as everything must), but in its twisted form, a la the dark side of the Force as illustrated in the Star Wars epic saga by Anakin Skywalkers conversion from the light side of the force to the Dark side after he completely succumbs to his fear, hatred, and anger, becoming Darth Vader. In listening to Palin, one can almost hear Sen. Palpatine, aka the Emperor's voice, encouraging Anakin (and later his son Luke) to "Release your anger. Give in to the hate.
"

However, I do not believe that this will bring about "honest debate." I am not being cynical when I say that I believe Obama and Palin are two sides of a carefully scripted dialogue, creating the illusion of choice. W ithin that context, no honesty will ever see the light of day.


I admire Obama the way I admired President Clinton. He has poise, charm, charisma, and intelligence. He instills warm, fuzzy feelings in people that many have decided to call "hope for change," so inspiring them that they have yet to actually sit down and think of what exactly that word 'change" would mean with an Obama presidency.


I have stated before in one of my blogs on Huffington Post that Obama is not a revolutionary. Shirley Chisholm was more of a revolutionary when she ran for president in 1972 and faced several attempts on her life. Obama may never have to deal with this, save for the asassination attempts made by "lone psychos" who will never get close enough him to do any harm, such is the effectiveness of the president's security team... when the directive is to actually protect the Commander-in-Chief. But as the deaths of MLK, JFK, and RFK show, when you, as a public figure, start to truly challenge the status quo- in this case when you speak out against a war (in this case, Vietnam, which all the aforementioned asissainated leaders did), that is making many people within the power structure very wealthy (as war has always done), and when you essentially f*ck with people's money, to use a vernacular, you will get capped/popped/got... even if you are the President of the U.S.


Although I hesitate to use labels, I believe Mr. Obama is presenting himself as more of a political reformist, one who believes change can come from within a system. But of course, if you were to ask Obama why those three men died all those years ago, he would subscribe to the lone psycho theory, not realizing that if he just watched a few episodes of The Sopranos or any of the Godfather films, he would see that if powerful people want someone killed, they never do it themselves; They hire someone who hires someone who hires someone... and the last few people in that chain always take the rap.


In examining Palin's viewpoints, one can assume by implication what Obama's counter-views are assumed to be: for excample, her "denial of America's global role" countered by the Obama's call for the U.S. to re-assume a leadership role in the global community. But when has the U.S. not had a major hand in the shaping of global events, especially within the last 100 years? And there are many countries and individuals within those countries who may argue that the influence that the U.S. bears on the global community is actually a more negative one, what with all the weapons sold by the U.S. to countless nations and militia groups, many times intentionally arming both sides of a conflict (as any good conquering nation hell-bent .. via manipulation would smartly do), as well as all of the wars instigated by the U.S. since WW II, resulting in the deaths of countless numbers of people, including the "deaths by fiery plane crashes" of the Central/ South American political leaders who dared to oppose U.S. plans to set up shop in their country, building infrastructure that would see profits benefitting U.S. factions instead of their indiginous populations . Indeed, many have had an issue with US lead/influenced global events for most of the last century and are not exactly gung-ho for that to contonue into the next.


By hi-lighting Palin's "ignorance of world affairs," Mr. Chopra is assuming it is "a repudiation of the need to repair America's image abroad," which he may assume Obama will try to do. But again, in whose eyes are Obama trying to reapir the U.S.' image? Certainly not in the eyes of all the coutries that have suffered from the warfare, death, misery, and devestation that have been visited upon them as the direct or indirect result of U.S. influence. I believe it would be more accurate to say that Obama's job is tto try and restore America's image in the eyes of all the American liberals/progressives who believe that a Democrat in the White House will mean that wars will now be fought the "right" way. Al lof the tortoring and killing will once again be covert and ou of sight of Americans, so we can once again repeat with convition our self-made mythology about us being the most free nation on the planet with a duty to help those misfortunate nations reah our level and so forth...

With Palin's "rigid stands on guns and abortion" the assumption is that Obama will appear reasonable, someone who understands that there needs to be a compromise in dealing with these issues and those on both sides of them. But didn't Obama himself say that the wedge issues were a disctraction from the real pressing issues of the econmomy and foreign relations? And yet, here we are, once again talking about guns and abortion. Here comes the smoke screen...

Palin's version of patriotism, that we all unconditionally support the Presdent's policies, whatever thay may be, makes Obama's patriotism seem as if it were based on truly questioning U.S. government policies, slipping past people the premise that there are "failed" wars and "successful" wars. But the meaning of those terms hinges entirely upon what you deam "failed" and "successful." If one were to never question the present administration's motives for the Iraq war ("we honestly thought Saddam was a threat and we honestly are there for the sole purpose of giving those people democracy,") then yes, this has clrealy been a failed war. No WMD's found, no real semblance of democracy.


However, if you question the administration's stated goals and intentions and instead view their actions within the context of an imperialist nation using one of the oldest empire-building tricks in the book, the "build 'em up and knoch 'em down" strategy, a strategy they did not invent, but have instead nearly perfected as evidenced by so many suppossedly intelligent people that have been fooled by it, then this war, like all the others fought in the last 100 years, has been hugely successful.


Are the government contractors and their counterpart politicians making money hand over fist (including all the millions that have "disappeared")? Yes! A success! Remember that scene in Farenheit 911 when all the contractors were moving throughout a room like sharks smelling blood after the first few months of the war?

Have they successfully created enough chaos to play on the divisions between the different Muslim groups in order to do whatever it is they intend (set up permanent military bases, eventually gain control of that oil so they can lock it up to create demand... and, oh, continue to make oodles and oodles of money?)Yes! Afterall, as Jon Stewart onced proved on his show, the pre-Iraq war Cheny knew damn well that Saddam in power meant the centuries old animosity between the three Muslim groups was at least kept under control, but as soon as he was gotten rid of (and the Iraq army was allowed to keep their U.S. manifactured weapons to be later used as they wer then labeld insurgents) violence and blooshed ensued.
The post-Iraq invasion Cheny expresses surprise that this happened (while US troops installed wall barriors in Bahgdad, which only serve pschologically in making people more estranged from each other, enabling more potenial animosity and violence)

Sure, Bush didn't know the difference between the three groups. Hell, he didn't even know there were three groups, having as much knowledge of other countries/religions/cultures as Palin. But do you really believe that it was Bush behind this war, what with Cheny being a part of the policital scene since Nixon and being the most "active" vice-president in U.S.
history to boot?

A student of history may rightly claim that all wars are fought over acquisition of resources and power. "God/religion" and "Deomcracy" have merely been the propaganda tools that powerful kings, presidents have used for thousands of years to convince poor people to fight for them, losing life and limb. This war in Iraq is no different.


In this viewpoint, the war is going swimmingly well. Orwell would be proud to see yet another example of an endless war that seems to saying "war = peace" with every day it continues. Obama is not going to change any of that because it is not for him to change. He's even said he will have at least some number of U.S. troops stationed in Iraq indefintely at those permanent military bases, again raising the U.S. record for most military bases around the world in the most countries, more than all others combined.


Palin's use of the word reform makes the implicit assumption that if you think her idea of reform (throwing "out anyone who doesn't fit your ideology") as wrong , then you may think Obama's idea of reform is right. And yet, if you look at his energy policy on his web site, you can see that his idea of reform and change is actually no change at all. In essence he would allow the industrial polluting giants to basically pay to pollute (he calls them pollution credits) to continue to pollute for the next 42 years, until 1990 when we will suppossedly lowered over all emissions to 1990 levels. Meanwhile all that money will go to further "research" code for doing nothing that will bring about tangable results, but will instead embolden people to pay to get research skewered in their favor, depending on what "side" of the debate they are on.


What kind of chage is that? And no, I am not being rhotorical here. I am truly asking what kind of change is that? Some people have responded to one of my blogs on Huff Post telling me that I am not a realist and Obama must play the game if he is to get anything done, oblivious to their own negation of their belief in change. In other words, he must essentially keep the staus quo, the "don't rock the boat too much" philospohy in oder to change said stauts quo, which would surely entail some measure of "rocking the boat.
" What a magician he is!

When Obama tells people to believe in themselves, I think," But why is that synonymous with believing in him and the Democratic Party?" I prefer the Hopi statement," We are who we have been waiting for." Not another feel good policitian, who is really not asking us to challenge the "reality," the Matrix, if you will, that the powers that be have been dishing out to US citizens all their lives. A Morpheus calling on Neo to truly wake up, Obama is not.


Obama is asking us to elect the good cop into office who will make the messiness of the bad cop's actions go away (but who cannot really veer too far from the bad cop's policies.. if he wants to keep breathing) Setting up Palin against Obama, although illustrating beautifully the shadow concept, is just another false dichotomy. And if you can slip a false dichotomy and a false premise past people, you got 'em, no matter what else you say, because whether or not they agree with you, what they are debating about is not really the issue, merely the magician's distration while the real trick is being carried out elsewhere.


Are there some differences between Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin? Sure. But I believe those differences are superficial at the very least and a near perfect subterfuge at best, a way for the show to keep on rolling along like always, as those who continue to benefit from business as usual laugh all the way to their bank... now located in Dubai.


P.S. And yes, it does hurt me a bit to see some of my personal heroes (Mr, Chopra, Mr. Stewart, and Mr. Maher) continually validating the "other half of the script" as they sometimes do. Do all of them swallow whosesale the lies behind 9/11. and no, not the scriped lies about the "earnest" search for WMD's and the supposed gross incompetence of the adminisration in handling the war, but the possible lies surrounding that alleged attack itself. Do they not study history andknow that Hitler used the "terrorist attack" on the government buildings (the Reichstagg fire) as an excuse to instill the Enabling act and eventually get rid of all political enemies (Social Democrats in Parliament in his day) on his way to a complete fascist dictatorship? Do they know Geobbells, his PR guy knew just how to get the popluations support, which was by sacring the shot out of them and then giving them a scapegoat, which in this case was the Communists?) Given al lof this, why then is that the mere possibility that the US government and this present administration id something off-limits to the debate, they are so certain that they would never do soemthing so horrible. Don't we criticize Bush for being so certain? So then why have you all adopted the side of the other script that knows for sure that it's all a case of gross incompetence instead of the possibility (which makesa hell of a lot more sense by the way) that this could all be intentioanal? and no, I am not wearing tin foil hat. That joke is tired and would insult my intelligence if I were not secure about allowing the idea that many things are in fact possible other than what we have been told.


Thank you for allowing me to respond to your blog, Mr. Williams.
May you be blessed in al lthat you do!

Peace and love,

Donn Swaby
 

Yo Donn Swaby, your post was right on. For real. It is frightening to see the anti-war movement die out like this for Obama. And to see all of these people thinking Obama is going to bring peace. It brings me deep, deep shame. But its good to see atleast some one didnt fall.


My only critique is that while you pointed out that Obama is just more of the same, you offered no solution. Most people don't know the name Cynthia McKinney. So why not say it? That woman is the mother of this whole game, and unfortunately Saul Williams missed out on that hard.


Its not just him. You got Nas, Talib Kweli, Jay z/50 Cent (ofcourse), Smith n Wesson, Chopra, and even KRS One supporting Obama. KRS a week before he made the announcement was saying that Cheney and Obama are related! It is safe to say KRS One sold out in one week.
Something happened there, and I want to find out! Why did KRS change his mind?

On Cynthia McKinney's behalf you have the Dali Lama himself, Dead Prez, Public Enemy, and scores of underground artists like La Bruja, NYOIL, 5 Fifths, RAS, Rebel Diaz praising her and calling for an end to the killings.


Obama divided us. He divided the underground Hip Hop movement and he divided the anti-war movement. He's like Cheney's dream come true. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Georgia, Colombia, Palestine, Somalia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Iraq ... Obama is no friend to these people.


This division will lead directly to the result of massive death.


So brother, I ask you if your going to spread and speak truth, please give our brothers and sisters a solution.


If the Green Party gets only 5% of the vote they will be able to debate the other two parties in 2012. They will be seen by the whole country. If your state has gone to the democrats, it is safe for you to invest your vote for Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente.





This is a solution.


Not only that, it has been happening all over the world in particular Latin America where democracy is being taken to its limits as never before seen. In Venezuela they in essence gave the People congressional powers! 9 countries are now free of US dominance in South America, not including Cuba.


There are lessons to be learned to there. We can have our own democratic revolution too.


Just tell people about the solution that Obama corporate supporters have invested billions so that our country never hears the name Cynthia McKinney.


Sorry Obama, I am not joining you in the killings.


Im going GREEN.


Cynthia McKinney + Rosa Clemente NOV.2008.
2012
 

Thanks Saul. I'm definitely going to spread the word.

Peace.

 

Thanks for the link to part two!
I posted the same essay on my blog, plus one I wrote on Nader,
you might be interested in it...
I'd love to hear the thoughts of others....
In solidarity, H
 

kudos upon kudos my friend and brother! to all my family here in America and on earth .....you know in your souls what is good for the unity and solidarity of us all....Saul you are a beautiful sentient being! Thank you for bringing this to light for all that are in the dark...in that shadow...we must overcome and make our choices matter for our salvation. Much love and blessings to all...all one...
 

I'm going to re-post this on my blog. I've already posted a nice piece by Eve Ensler at http://blog. myspace. com/index. cfm?fuseaction=blog. view&friendID=158142465&blogID=434072936

Also:
Depressed? You need some Sarah Palin video funtime:
http://www. 236. com/video/2008/get_your_war_on_8919.
php
http://www. 236. com/video/2008/palins_daughters_babys_baby_1_8958.
php
http://www. 236. com/video/2008/sarah_palin_to_the_nth_power_9002.
php
http://www. 236. com/video/2008/get_your_war_on_the_watch_list_1_8056.
php

http://www. thedailyshow. com/video/index.
jhtml?videoId=185184&title=Gov-at-First-Sight
http://www. thedailyshow. com/video/index.

jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card
 

thank you for sharing this
 

“Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent. Last night I sought to end that silence. Last night I destroyed the Old Bailey, to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives.
”

V for Vendetta
 

You have not seen oppression or cruelty or injustice to the extent that those under regimes like Saddam had. Hundreds of thousands of his OWN PEOPLE were murdered by him!!! Oh Yes, be self-righteous.

Our country is far from perfect, until compared to the others. We have work to do for sure, but try opening a Bible in the Middle-East and see how free your are there.
 

hey,

i'd like to add one more thing to your list of what palin stands for:

STUPIDITY !!

probably you read about the "hacker" who took over palin's yahoo mail accounts, which she obviously used to avoid data retention like so many members of the bush administration - an administration that establishes measures of surveillance of public and private areas not only in the US, but in the whole world (i.e. ACTA) in the name of a so called "war on terror".


what is really annoying about this is the sheer incompetence mrs palin displayed by choosing public yahoo as mail provider and using security questions for password retrieving that could be answered by a swift search on google.


while i normally would laugh my ass off because of such idiocy, i find it rather annoying that this fundamentalist conservative bimbo is quite likely to succeed a possible president mc cain in case of his sudden death (hey, that guy is quite old ...) and suddenly be in control of the world's most overpowered nuclear and conventional military arsenal ...

so, dear americans, do me a favor and vote for obama. here in europe, there always have been one big reason for optimism: we thought that after bush it couldn't get any worse.
please do not prove us wrong !
 

OMG you are obtuse.

 

got any arguments too or are you just trolling around in an outdated thread ?
 

This article saddens me deeply.


Here are some points Chopra missed out on ... about shadows.


Obama has been and is the biggest recipient of corporate campaign financing. Which is no wonder why ...

(he beat all the competition)

Obama has been the leading voice in sending more troops into Afghanistan ... and Bush obeyed. Since Bush restarted the invasion over there over 200 innocent children have been killed by US military forces. BUSH WOULD HAVE NOT GOTTEN AWAY WITH THIS had it not been for Obama. If Obama was not around, the country would be moved to impeach Bush. Shadows ... NO CHANGE FOR AFGHANIS.


Obama has been the leading voice in saying we need to occupy Pakistan ... and Bush obeyed. Since Bush invaded Pakistan, the country is in turmoil and the President who used to be an ally swore two days ago that any occupation by any country to fight terrorism will no longer be tolerated, and the whole country went on an uproar of anti US sentiment. There are hug protests there every single day and Obama is feared and hated over there for talking so much crap about military force and occupation to their people. NO CHANGE FOR PAKISTANIS.


Obama gave a speech to Israeli zionists assuring them that they have the full military support of the United States no matter what problem they get into. That same week, Israel flew over 600 F-16's over Iran. Bush made a speech saying he does not wish to invade Iran ... and Israel stopped its picking ... but best believe they are patiently waiting for Obama to win. NO CHANGE FOR PALESTINE. NO CHANGE FOR IRAN.


Obama is also supporting the ongoing daily bombings in Somalia. NO CHANGE FOR AFRICA.


The news is downplaying this Obama supported world wide murder and gun barrel oppression on a massive scale ... because the same people who own the news own Obama and are there for owning you. NO CHANGE ON WAR.


How can anyone in their right mind believe Obama is going to end the war in Iraq? When has a democrat ever come through on their word??!?!?!?! Why is Obama going to be different? Where's the track record? Its all lies, ALL OF IT!

Obama didnt even stand up for the Sean Bell family! Instead he agreed with the verdict and he gave a speech on how we should have "faith" in our democratic court system ... the same system he lies every day about that he wishes to change!

So yeah Deepak Chopra thanks for all that "love" you be talking about. Its kind of blind these days. Jesus! man, wtf, did he really write a pro-Obama article? I was shocked enough seeing him supporting the corporate grip on computers that microsoft has had since the 80's. But this, this is just awful. You are either for peace or your not, and if you support a pro-war candidate, you are faaaaar from being pro-peace.


And Saul Williams ... you used to conjure up feelings of youth and state of the art revolution, consciousness and awareness in me. That was a decade ago. This is the change Obama has brought ... death to the dreams of Saul Williams and Deepak Chopra of a better world, death to an antiwar movement, censoring of all the anti-war candidates, and death to hundreds and hundreds of people in two countries.
And he's not even president yet!

TooOOO many progressives are conforming into some kind of liberal/conservative hybrid just so the war can keep going and they dont even realize it.


There is no change with Obama. There is only mass death with him.


Why are we not talking about our real leaders? Did you really give up? Let me know.


I'm voting for the womyn who represents everything I stand for and everything the people I look up today and used to look up to (ex. Saul Williams, Deepak Chopra) ever dreamed about. I will in no way support the shooting or explosion of another kid. That is my word and word is bond.


Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente GREEN!!! NOV 2008/2012

hurt,
SlabTzu
 

Thank you my brother for writing your response. Hopefully you read mine above. I too am not "in love" with Obama. I admire him for being what he is - a very charming, charismatic, seemingly sincere, good cop just like Clinton. But he is what he is because of what he represents, which is the present power structure at that particular level. He was picked and groomed to be where he is now.
Do people thin khe truly came out of nowhere several years ago at the DNC convention? Come on now! He did not, like Aphrodite, come from the sea on a shell, you know what I'm saying?

The people who love him- and some of those people are my friends and other seemingly intelligent artists who support him - just don't want to see the trutth that if elected to office, he cannot f*ck with the plans of the power structure... and he won't. The Iraq war will be raging on well after he is out of office, as will any other wars the US starts. If he were to try to stop them, he would get capped like JFK and MLK.


But you know why none of our Obama-happy friends will not think of this? Because they refuse to wake up to the fact that there are factions within our government that are puposely creating warfare as part of a plan to gain more power, more control, more money, and more resources.


Our so-called intelliegnt friends need to read Orwell's 1984. I just did for the first time this past summer and I was so blown away by how prophetic Orwell was! And if our so-called friends have read it, they need to read it again until it sinks in.


OBAMA IS THE NEW, KINDER, GENTLER FACE OF BIG BROTHER! YOU BEST BELIEVE!

The Obama-supporters want to believe the 1950's propaganda films where we learned that the president is the most powerful man on the planet and gosh darn it, if a president wants to just stop all US wars and say "enough!" then that's what will happen... with no unforseen consequences. They believe that JFK was killed by a lone psycho gunmen who had a magic bullet able to turn corners. It means nothing to them that he wanted to get the US out of Vietnam and there were other people in the government (and possibly other people outside of the US government) who did not want that to happen because it was making them money and nobody- not even the f*cking US president, was going to stop that. They just don't want to believe that people in this country could actually have plans like that. Perhaps they think its only in foreign nations that you have poeple like that. Only "terrorists" You know, those swarthy-complexioned people with skin color and middle names like our possibly-soon-to-be-president.


So who are we to take this Obama-mania away from them? I could never take away someone's religious beliefs any more than they could take away mine. I cannot change another's mind. Only they can do that. Yes, you and I think its quite tragic that otherwise intelligent people are looking at him as some kind of messiah, but that's because they don't want to recognize that the Dark Side of the Force has had its minions plotting their sht all this time and whatever they are truly doing will never be made public knowledge; they are simply operating on another level where sadly, the rest of the world population is merely one giant pawn.


For example, wouldn't it be funny if the US was already drilling in Alaska? But the debate goes on here as if we are still considering it, because it is serving the purpose of being yet another distraction in the circus... and we watch it while the real trick is being carried out elsewhere and those masters of manipulation do what they want to do while the majority have no clue.


Like Michael Franti and Spearhead were singing last night at the Hollwood Bowl:

"They're never gonna tell you why, no, they're only gonna tell you lies, no..."
 

I don't think it's fair to assume that your "intelligent artist friends" and others do not realize any of what you are discussing here. Perhaps, as it is with every election year, we are strongly siding with what we see as the lesser of two evils...but this year, one candidate actually seems like an intelligent man with good judgement (Obama).


I agree with everything you are writing and I am still voting for Obama on Nov. 2. So what does that make me? Unintelligent? Naive? Evil? If C. McKinney had as much support as Obama, wouldn't that just make her a third option as the kinder gentler big brother? She'd have to shift to fit the system as well, or be assassinated. Is this defeatist thought? Maybe.


I don't expect Obama to make things tremendously better, but I would feel better...yes, feel better...if he were President instead of McCain with Sarah Palin in tow. And even if Obama were some kind of messiah, he's only in one branch of the government...there are two others.
Without starting new wars and vetoing everything, how much leverage does the president REALLY have?

I say we can only wait and see what happens (after voting, of course). Who REALLY knows? My opinion of the harbingers of doom is that they are obsessed with being right.
*wink*
 

Every other day anywhere from 8 to over 30 civilians are being killed in Pakistan, not in the news. The story of the Somalian Pirates actually being the Somali Coast Guard defending their coastline from illegal fishing and nuclear waste dumping from the US and European trade ships is another story not being told. Obama had the Navy Seals murder three kids who had already agreed to deliver Captain Phillips and had already agreed to be towed by the US Navy Ship were simply executed in the head ... another story not being told - (they are now national heroes by the way). Biden, Hillary and Obama have all been about militarily funding Ethiopia and supporting their soldiers with bombers to bomb Somalia - another story not being told. Or how about the 1500 farmers in India who committed mass suicide against GM and Monsanto a few days ago in the 16th of April is another story not being told - how much did GM and Monsanto contribute to Obama? The soldiers are never going to leave Iraq as no one is respecting the time line and Obama probably wont make a big deal about it and just extend it again. He's of course sending 10's of thousands more troops into Afghanistan and by September of this year he will have more soldiers in action than Bush ever did in his 8 years in office. He voted to keep wiretapping us, he voted against impeaching Bush?!?, he wants to have 20,000 soldiers at the ready here at home incase we eventually wake up too fast, before they give the next killer with the fascist solution or the next lying lesser of two evils. After 10 latin American countries (big shout out to El Salvador for joining) have liberated themselves and started practicing direct-participant-democracy (another story being hidden from us) all of the sudden there is a "war on drugs" again?!?!?!?! A wall being built between Mexico and us??!?!?!! And death squads are running around Peru killing pregnant women again, he wants to increase the military aid in the countries Obama still controls, like Mexico, Colombia, and Peru where state violence is still massacring the innocent - all the ones who freed themselves have no such problems. I already knew how cold blooded this man was by 2006 way before he ran for President, when he signed the genocide resolutions with Biden and Hillary allowing Israel to continue its bombing killing spree campaign over Lebanon as massive amounts of reports on war crimes and human rights violations were coming in - no figure Obama was in Hawaii playing golf sucking on ice cream as all of his pro-Israel bullshit took shape in a genocide invasion over Gaza right before he officially took office, saying something so pathetic along the lines, there can only be one president (devil) at a time - as if it was some secret society code or some shit - just wtf was that supposed to mean? "Im deeply concerned" he say's, but i'm not saying anything. And his followers who sold out the anti-war movement - because there is barely one today apologized for him saying "its political suicide for him to say anything right now". That is the type of sad apathetic bougie mentality that breaks my heart, the least you an do for all of those children that got disintegrated is to have some dignity. What a sad way not to take responcibility for all the tax money we as the People contribute in this imperial massive destruction ... not being televised. Misery, misery, misery is what we are offering to the world.


Obama is the new Reagan sister, follow our actual leaders like Cynthia McKinney and stay away from that lesser of two evils curse. Start your own Green Party chapter and let's follow the momentum of democratic revolutions of Latin America. The Green party is the biggest People's Party of our country.
It is the real solution and for the first time in history we have actual victories to learn from!

"I am asking you to believe" ... in something real.


p.s. Saul Williams ... KRS came back, perhaps you too should join Rebel Diaz, M1, Professor Griff, Kuttin Kandi, La Tere, NYOIL, La Bruja, Suheir Hammad, and countless other artists who do not support Obama and have kept loyal to our beautiful revolutionary sisters. Even Talib Kweli came back to the cause when he sneaked in his support for Rosa Clemente in a pro-Obama song in Busta's new album ... I dont think Busta was aware, lol. Make a stand brother, and be that inspiration that you were for me, for the next generations they need the you again, not a conformed Saul Williams, but the raw uncut one. I never did that blog on the political divide in Hip Hop between liberals and progressives as I noticed some started coming back on their own, which saved the rest from ridicule. Divided we are absolutely nothing.



"I am asking you to believe" ... in something real.

 
 

Very insightful and brilliantly put! Canadians seem to suffer from this type of political psyche as well, however on a much less dramatic and passionate scale. We have our own portion of voter apathy and political malaise however, the same psychological formula applies. Many are hoping for “change” up here as well and are watching and being hopeful for our American brothers and sisters.

 

politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national psyche!
thats awakening, thank you.

 

Hey, I was looking for this to share with my love.

Glad I know where to find it now...
 

How can geocentricism run amok like this in times like these?
 

Good point to bring up but, Obama is no savior. He proves this by not screaming bloody murder with the passing of the "bailout bill" written by Senators Chris Dodd and Barney Frank and of the ensuing bailout of the rich elite in this country. Fannie Mae gets a "golden parachute" and the other 85% get a doubled national debt and declining currency. Obama nor Mccain can take us out of this. Obama talks a good game but, what will he really do? If I may quote Mr. Willams.... "I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!"
 

thanks for the insight!
 

Saul,

I have never been one to post the musings of other bloggers. Even those that I agree with, i tend to simply leave kudos and comments about my thoughts in regards to theirs however, this is something that must be shared. I will repost with a link back to you.


Nyki
 

Read this in its entirety a few days ago on another website and was equally moved.


Chopra pounds the nail squarely on its proverbial head to hammer home the truth of the nominee's platforms as clearly and lucid as I've seen.


Kudo's to Chopra for writing it and to you for re-posting it.


Bless up...always.