The American Mind

Getting bent out of shape when de la Rocha says something anti-government is like being shocked when Ted Nugent says, well, anything.

Still:

Is it okay to question his patriotism?

*shakes head* you never will get that whole “it’s possible to love your country and distrust your government” thing, will you? Oh, wait, you probably will when a Democrat’s back in office.

Is it okay to question his patriotism?

Has Zach De La Rocha ever styled himself a patriot? What’s there to question, exactly? Or are you under the impression that you’re required by law in America to be “patriotic”?

Oh blah blah blah. So poseur pseudo-radical Zacky blathers a bunch of anti-Bush nonsense on a big stage, does a concert, gets paid, signs another record deal with a corporate label, blathers some more. Yawn. Wittle Wacky Zacky is the same sniveling little dork that got put into trash cans in his high school in LA but with a bigger bank account now as an American rock star. The fine tradition of cashing in on packaged “rebellion.” Oh the bravery of talking smack on Bush. Wow what a freedom fighter! What a true dissident! Keep sucking it up children. The revolution has been corporatized. Free Mumia, man! Speak truth to power! Boring, predictable, and oh so comically safe. So so hilarious how safe and easy to be a Rager yet believing you are somehow f’n up the system. You ARE the system Zacky and Tommy. Sign another pay check.

Sounds like your run-of-the-mill intolerant, hateful thug or he’s mentally ill.

No doubt Rage Against the Machine is venting their rage about China and Russia undercutting the the entertainment industry’s profits through Global Piracy.

Hey speaking-truthiness-to-power-dudes you have been marketed to believe the entertainment profiteers.

“the fact that the White House is not ringed with pitchforks and torches means that people are not either paying enough attention or following through with how aghast they actually are.”

Notice these poseur, pseudo-radical jackoffs never say they plan to carry out any of these acts of subversion or rebellion, you know like actually have the balls to organize any serious attempt to take down these oppressors that they rail so so so hard against. That of course would actually require putting yourself on the line for your alleged principles and potentially take real risks. Better to just spend your CD royalties on Fender and Ibanez and hire roadies and studio production time, you know really hardcore subversive activity. That always brings fascist governments down. American wannabe radicals are such pathetic spineless jokes. None have the balls to actually put theirs on the line and start the “revolution” they pretend that they want. Pussies like Morello couldn’t hold the jocks of genuinely brave dissidents in places like Iran who actually risk their lives standing up against their governments. They don’t sit around and write bitchy songs and quote fascist-sympathizer, radical chic Chomsky books. Who the hell is actually impressed by this lame posturing?

The fact that what he sees and speaks about is not reality speaks for itself. Asking whether he or any of those bozos are patriots is like asking whether William Shakespear was a rocket scientist. They just don’t realize that they are being fed a bunch of B.S. by the REAL machine: The MSM. Thier “Rage” is based entirely on lies. Rage on, knuckleheads.
Oh, and pray to gaia or whoever that you don’t get your caliphate, because you’ll be the first to get your heads lopped off.

I never quite got the whole “questioning someone’s patriotism” schtick? Seems about as dumb as Freedom Fries. I fail to see what is patriotic about kowtowing on bended knee to a government that the people are supposed to be monitoring in the first place. But good point in comment #1. All these supposed “patriots” will be the first questioning everything a Democrat administration will be doing.

The comments by shockcorridor were totally correct. Morello and his fellow ranters talk a lot about “revolution”, but won’t do a thing to start one. He’s all talk and no guts.
Whatever happened to their “Free Mumia” campaign? Maybe it finally got through their thick skulls that Mumia Abu-Jamal is indeed a cop killer (who boasted of it!); all they did was give more aggravation to Dan Faulkner’s widow. Rage Against the Machine? More like Rage Against the Victims!

Hey shockcorridor, about your 2 posts’ HAMMER. NAIL. HEAD.

There’s a line, and it’s not as fine as some would believe it to be, between honest dissent and crap like this and the “Truther” movement. A healthy dose of skepticism is in keeping with the intent of the founding fathers. An overdose of paranoia is not.

This guy would be broke if he didn’t have someone to hate. Guys like Bush MADE HIM RICH. Oops, capitalism at work.

Um, “Distrust”? He’s saying to literally murder everyone in the government. For real. To hang them and shoot them. And you equate that with distrust or healthy skepticism?

I’m astonished that his goals are actually being defended, but it does demonstrate the left’s intentions. I’m going to repeat that as evidence of liberal’s goals.

I’m skeptical of you.

Ol’ Zack and Tom have been doing this for years. First it was Peltier, then Mumia, now this. Watching them latch on to the latest far left cause is humorous.

DJ – actually I would question whether either of these rokkers loves this country (except when they get paid). I questioned it when they were actually more popular, which was during the Clinton years.

My blockquote didn’t go. It was a response to DJ’s comment.

That’s quite the evidence you have….comments from a musician and someone on a blog. I’m sure your “evidence” is representative of the Left……

Zach is a self-proclaimed “Communist”.
But in reality, he’s a contract employee for a multi-national corporation. Don’t worry though, he’s got an answer for that too, like.

Everyone counts. That’s why you have to police your own. The world would be a better place if we just listened to each other. And I’m listening to Zach and DJ. Nice try with the Tactical Use of Quotes, however I didn’t tamper with that video. There is no reason to assume that Zach’s video was a hoax.

Everyone counts.

Unless you can make a tenuous case that George Soros gave you a dollar, once. In that case, “listening to what you say” is tantamount to being put up against a wall and shot. Just ask Billo!

A lot of people in this thread don’t seem familiar with the “can we question their patriotism now?” running joke, so someone needs to explain it explicitly.

I’d do it, but I don’t know precisely where it started. The short explanation is that it’s a sardonic response to the left’s 2004 trend of making outrageous Chomskyesque rants against Americans, always followed with “how dare they question my patriotism!” In the context of discussing actual American Taliban fighters, for example, “can we question their patriotism now?” always earns many lolz.

Brando,

My comment was in response to Sean’s “can we question is patriotism now?” remark, and did not specifically address Zachy boy’s comments. It seems as though you’re projecting you view of “the left” onto my statements and putting words into my mouth. So let me clarify.

It is just, right, and proper to call Zach and Rage Against the Machine’s “revolutionary” speech and opinions into question. They operate on a major label, and are owned and funded by corporations who likely funnel money toward the very things they rail against. It’s disingenuous. I’m sure the band has some way of rationalizing how they’re fighting things from “within” the system, but the evidence that they truly believe everything they espouse through Zach’s words is stacked against them.

Exhibit 1: Audioslave.

Sure, Zach’s not in that band, but the other band members stand behind Zach’s comments by virtue of sharing the stage with him and not disagreeing with him publicly. So, if you ask me, their forming a half-ass terrible vanilla “modern rock” band with Chris Cornell is evidence enough that they’re just out making a buck.

All that said, so he suggested someone shoot the president. So what? Maybe he seriously thinks that, maybe he doesn’t. If it’s not hyperbole, the Secret Service will keep him at bay. *shrug*

If you are the type of person that believes the radical left-wing conspiracies that one usually hears RATM pay lip service to, you also believe that government is a hydra. Cut off the president’s head, someone else from the military-industrial complex will take his place. Killing Bush or Cheney would solve nothing and probably make them martyrs for the neocons or whatever. I’m guessing Zach and the boys realize that and are just spouting off to get the trust-fund revolutionaries in their audience riled up. If not, they’re just morons. I’m willing to buy either explanation.

Thanks for the clarification, Typewriter King. Good to know conservatives still have a pretty poor sense of what’s funny.

Dude you had to bring up ‘industrial-military complex’ man a whopping 5% of GNP compared to three times this amount for the ‘Entitlement-Plantation complex’ Dude gots to keep the peoples stupid, poor and hapless so they buy into corporate-controlled Rage Against the Machine.

It’s crap like this that alleviates the guilt I feel for downloading their music illegally.

DJ, I like most of what you said. I’m not projecting anything on you. What I disagree with is your use of the word “Distrust”.

Distrust and healthy scepticism is good.

When people advocate (not suggest) the murder of everyone in the government and the whole system, that goes a bit beyond double checking facts. There is no doubt what Zach said. I’m not saying it’s internally consistent, or a good idea, but it’s certainly a liberal view.

I think that eradicating the entire government would be counterproductive. I question Zach’s patriotism.

I think that eradicating the entire government would be counterproductive.

Today, probably. I don’t think it’s gotten as bad as that…yet. And hopefully it won’t.

But there’s a reason the founding fathers put stuff like the 2nd Amendment in the constitution, and part of that reason was making sure that the citizens could defend themselves against a Government ready to bring the hammer down on them. I understand if, as a pro-Bush guy (i’m guessing; feel free to correct me) you don’t see our current government in that light. In light of NSA spying and the constant “you are not a patriot if you question us” rhetoric this administration (not you personally) spouts, i can see things inching that way.

I question Zach’s sincerity, but i’m not inclined to dismiss the arguments behind the platitudes he spouts off, because i recognize that he’s just co-opted the philosophies of much smarter thinkers in order to make a buck. That’s a good reason to question his patriotism, if there is one.

[...] Really my first reaction to this was who the heck is surprised by what these dingbat moonbats have to say because after all as the front man has a history of supporting far left ideas and causes and one of those is extremist hatred of the President to the point of wanting him dead. Truthful it is like looking a psychiatric patient, when we look at the modern left today who have lost all track of reality and what is really happening on the world. Anyway I have to thank Michelle Malkin and Sean Hackbarth for the story and Transcript . Now for the video: [...]

I’m not Pro-Bush or Pro-liberal, or Pro-democrat. I reserve the right to hand-pick my opinion on all issues. Everything’s ala-carte.

I also feel that all adults can be held to the same standard. Questioning data, and using scientific method to understand our world is how it’s done. Disbelief and unbelief aren’t the same thing. You keep using words like “Questioning” or “Distrust”, about Zach’s position. We all know that he is not questioning anything. He’s making claims and imperatives. Forcefully too. What he said cannot be softened. What he said was pretty crazy, and I’m sure you heard the crowd. Yikes. They’re dead serious. I read some of the comments on YouTube. Holy smokes. It sort of makes me lose faith in humanity, but it does give me an accurate picture of what liberals intend. They’re goals are clear. They spell it out, plain as day.

This is where I disagree with liberals on this topic. I feel that the violent overthrow of our country replacing it with anarchy is a poor idea.

Um…if i were you, and while we’re making baseless blanket statements about large groups of people, i wouldn’t judge “liberals” on A) the idiots who post comments on YouTube, or B) the drugged-out music fans who go to Coachella.

I’m a liberal, and i don’t believe in anarchy. So how does that fit into your picture of “liberals?”

Rage Against the Machine ought to Rage Against Themselves as a bunch of anti-capitalist poseurs who sold out to Epic and Sony for the big paycheck.

“Baseless”? Again. It’s not a hoax.

Liberals share a world view. If other liberals are representing you poorly, then talk to them.

And don’t kill everyone in the government.

This is where I disagree with liberals on this topic. I feel that the violent overthrow of our country replacing it with anarchy is a poor idea.

“Liberal” isn’t a synonym for “reprehensible”, friend. Nor is it a synonym for “everything that isn’t conservative.”

De La Rocha isn’t a liberal, and he’s not on the left – he’s an anarchist. And indeed, it’s quite surprising to see you entirely repudiate his views. Isn’t the reduction of government a conservative ideal? He just wants to reduce it a little further than you do.

I think it’s unfair to lump Zach de la Rocha in with liberals. He’s a self proclaimed communist, and there’s a huge gulf between communists and liberals, kind of like the gulf between conservatives and fascists. Liberals “policing their own” has nothing to do with his statements.

Brando, i think you’d be better served bitching about “idiots” and not “liberals.” There are enough idiots on both sides to keep the smart people busy trying to talk to them.

Heh, i was gonna point out the “don’t conservatives want to drown government in a bathtub?” thing too, but Chet beat me to it.

From the “Classical” era; 15th Century, I’d imagine:

You say you want a revolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it’s evolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don’t you know that you can count me out
Don’t you know it’s going to be all right,
all right,all right
You say you got a real solution
Well you know
We’d all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well you know we’re doing what we can
But if you want money for people
with minds that hate
All I can tell you is brother you have to wait
Don’t you know it’s going to be all right,
all right,all right
You say you’ll change a constitution
Well you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it’s an institution
Well you know
You’ll better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don’t you know it’s going to be all right,
all right,all right

Chet and DJ, I’m not a conservative. Nice try. I told you that my views are ala carte. Slander is an integrity violation. Don’t slander me just because I denounce calls to murder every single person in the government and frown on demands for a literal violent overthrow of our entire country. I’ll forgive you this once, but seriously, don’t further sully your honor because my forgiveness isn’t infinite.

Anarchy and murder are bad things to advocate. Zach was wrong to say it, and you’re wrong to defend it.

So I waited almost two months (“industry standard”, I was told) for my new subscription to Guitar World Acoustic to kick in. Yesterday I pull up to the mailbox, opened the little door and catch a glimpse of “Acou”.. buried beneath other junk mail. Giddy with excitement, like Ralphie finding his long-awaited Orphan Annie decoder pin package, I scooped the pile of mail from the box and zipped up the driveway.

~sigh~

I have just e-mailed Futures US Inc to cancel said subscription.

On the cover is RAM’s Tom Merello, giving a salute, proudly wearing a Worker’s World cap, heralded by GWA as one who “Fights against the power as… THE NIGHTWATCHMAN!”. Two of the transcriptions offered in this edition are the Dicksy Chicks’ “Not Ready To Make Nice” and Nickleback’s naive “If Everyone Cared”.

Then today I hear of this la Cucaracha fella, and I made the (easy) decision. One can only take so much propaganda.

FWIW, it seems silly and a waste of time to question the American patriotism of avowed socialists and/or communists and/or Harry Reid.

They simply haven’t any.

I told you that my views are ala carte.

Based on what? The whim of the moment?

You must think we’re extraordinarily retarded if you think we’ll believe that. What, it’s just coincidence that you describe the things you oppose as “liberal”?

Zach was wrong to say it, and you’re wrong to defend it.

I don’t see that either of us have. I wouldn’t levy accusations of slander at the same time that you’re slandering others. It was your characterization of De La Rocha as “liberal” that was demonstratively incorrect, a point you continue to evade.

Why are you arguing with me? Murder is wrong and DJ even admitted to being a liberal. I’m commanding you to refrain from committing mass murder.

But the real kicker, Chet, is that you’ve now just accused me of slander and that’s a no-no. The fact is that I don’t lie. And now that you’ve sacrificed your integrity a second time, I won’t forgive you even if you repent. I’m not Jesus. You’ve shown yourself to be a bad person. I suspect that you’re a liberal too. From this point forward everything you claim is deemed to be a suspected lie. You have no honor.

But the real kicker, Chet, is that you’ve now just accused me of slander and that’s a no-no. The fact is that I don’t lie.

So prove me wrong. Show me where I defended the murder of public officials, as you said. Maybe you’ve got me confused with Thomas Sowell? (The fact is, you do lie, as anyone can see; indeed, nobody but the most dishonest people feel the need to proclaim their own honesty.)

When I see the worsening degeneracy in our politicians, our media, our educators, and our intelligentsia, I can’t help wondering if the day may yet come when the only thing that can save this country is a military coup.

I won’t forgive you even if you repent.

You radically overestimate my interest in your opinion of me.

You have no honor.

You’re pretty long on personal insults, but short on facts. Why is that? I’ll just assume from your tirade of ad hominems that you have no substantive response to my arguments.

Rage Against the Machine is music industry’s form of a toddler having a temper tantrum: a lot of noise which gets a lot of attention, but ultimately void of any reason or maturity.

At least toddlers don’t know any better.

De La Rocha and his Comrades have accumulated much wealth while spewing views critical of wealth accumulation. They have traveled the world, have utilized all kinds of technology available to create their music, but have glamorized political views that would forbid anyone to travel or have enough to sustain themselves, let alone develop any technology. In short, they have done little else outside of condemning the very system that is the foundation of their careers. At the same time, they have glorified a bankrupt ideology which has proven to be the greatest tragedy and failure of modern history.

If RAT_M truly had its way, their music and speech would be silenced, and they’d be a footnote in the history of music.

The fact is that I don’t lie. And now that you’ve sacrificed your integrity a second time, I won’t forgive you even if you repent. I’m not Jesus. You’ve shown yourself to be a bad person. I suspect that you’re a liberal too. From this point forward everything you claim is deemed to be a suspected lie. You have no honor.

OK, now you’re just being a weirdo.

DJ, the concept if integrity is weird to a lot of people, until they get used to it. Some people were raised to be liars. Chet sacrificed his, but you and I can still have a conversation.

I think that you tried to soften what Zach said by saying that he’s merely “suggesting” that people commit mass murder. Trying to focus on distrust or healthy scepticism or questioning, instead of what Zach was actually saying, which was pretty horrendous.

Zach is so completely liberal that moderates that only lean left are embarrassed by him, and try rephrase what he said. But there is just no rephrasing it. If I read between the lines I’d guess that you were embarrassed by what Zach said, and just made up that part about questioning.

Questioning is good. Zach wasn’t questioning. He was demanding something that’s borderline demonic. I think it’s valid to question his patriotism. I was sort of hoping that you’d admit that questioning his patriotism was a valid thing too by recanting on your first comment.

Questioning the patriotism of someone that advocates mass murder is in bounds, right?

RATm, in reality, is about as revolutionary as MacDonald’s. Unpatriotic? Not the real question? Pathetic wankers or opportunistic scoundrels? That would be more like it. Revolting all the way to bank.

I think that you tried to soften what Zach said by saying that he’s merely “suggesting” that people commit mass murder.

No, i just pointed out that he’s shouting platitudes to the audience in order to put on a show. As Ducktrapper says, RATM is about as revolutionary as McDonald’s, so i wouldn’t take anything they say too seriously. If you’re one of those “murder is just something you don’t joke about and i will always take any passign mention of it seriously” types, then go ahead and flaunt your “moral superiority” over me, whatever. At that point we’ve come to our impasse and there’s not much more i have to say.

Chet sacrificed his

When you point a finger there’s three more that point back at yourself. I think we can all see who lacks integrity here.

We’ve certainly come to an impasse. I was sort of hoping that you were reasonable enough to admit that mass murder was wrong. I understand your position. I got it. Set in stone. We definitely have some different views on good and evil. I’ll no longer try to persuade you.

Jesus Christ. OF COURSE mass murder is wrong. That has no bearing to my point whatsoever.

Fuck this, we’re done.

These dudes will be back over at the polo lounge lapping up drinks and hanging with the Beautiful People just as soon as the Festival is over.

I find it fascinating they rant and rave against the very thing that made them rich. Just another bunch of young, rich hypocrites.

The thing I didnt like was how Ann Coulter said that all RATM fans are losers. Thats alittle over the top I think. She seems like an evil women, I can imagine her killing puppies. Another thing, Rage has always been political in their lyrics, it isnt like this is something new that he decided to pull out of his ass to make money.

Ann Coulter? Over the top? It couldn’t be!

Are you kidding me? Question his patriotism? Cleary he has none whatsoever to question. He called for the President of the United States to be shot along with the administration. That is flat out domestic terrorism coming from RATM. Look up the legal definition sometime people. You can’t go around saying you want people shot, someone is going to be stupid enough to take you seriously. That ofcourse is assuming Zach wasn’t being serious, which if you know anything about RATM isn’t true. RATM doesn’t question authority, making that arguement is ludicris. RATM flat out rejects authority, they are anarchists. O and by the way, whoever wrote this article, they’re not the far left, for once I think everyone agrees with Anne Coutler on that.

I just want to reiterate my point since no one seemd to adress it. Zach De La Rocha is a communist who will tell you himself he is not patriotic. He is not a liberal, he is a communist. If you can’t understand the difference then you have trouble with basic thinking skills.

first of all.. does anyone know that true meaning of a “patriot”.. from reading your posts.. i say no..”a person who regards himself or herself as a defender, esp. of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government”.. you are all caught up in the Bill O’reilly meaning of the word.. if you ask questions your are unpatriotic.. when in actuality that is the meaning of a patriot… second of all.. Zach said that they should be tried first.. and im guessing you Neo-Cons aren’t against the death penalty if they are found guilty of mass murder and genocide. But its ok if its against the Iraqi people right?. Suddam killed millions but since it was his own country. America IS NOT the worlds police.. We had NO right to invade.. Im sorry I mean liberate.(HA) a sovereign country… What the hell do you think would happen if someone tryed to invade us cause they had a wild hair up their ass? “We’d put a boot in their ass.. It’s the American way!! YEEHAW!!) And don’t give me shit that Iraq was involved in 9/11.. Cause your own “infallible” leader Bushie, said they had no tie.. So unless HE is lying (which I know none of you could possible thing so) there was no tie.. You are all caught up in this Left/Right paradigm. Zach is not a far left extremist. He doesn’t side with either. You could say he is a TRUE republican is the TRUE since of the word.., GASP! Like Lincoln. Little to no Govt involvement in your life. I know you O’Reilly loving, masturbating over Ann Coulter FAR-RIGHT extremists don’t want to hear that. Oh and for the record. Ann Coulter used to be a DeadHead and followed the dead in her younger days.. So I don’t think she is in any position to take the moral high ground over anyone.

And for the record again, the full tour rage did, they donated all of the profits to a charity. None of them drive around in Lambos or Ferraris… they don’t live in multimillion dollar houses… Yes they get paid… yes they make more than most people… but they do a lot more with that money than most… When was the last time YOU played a free show in Mexico City to 100,000 people then donated money afterwards?

That’s what I thought…

Amen adam… the entire bush administration are war criminals…and incase you didn’t hear what he said earlier…if the same laws were applied to US presidents as were applied to the nazi’s after WWII, they’d be hung, tried and shot for war crimes. He knows whats going on in this world, and understands there is a need for change. And saying they don’t do anything and are;nt revolutionists, Zack and Tom are commonly found at prostests and orginaztions. And they do donate most of their money. And lastly, they are on a major record company and label, but like Morello said, their not looking to just be heard by people with the same beliefs, they need to be heard through capolitalitic channels, and get to ignorant people like you.

Hey, other Dan. You are right about one thing Zack has said that he is a communist. Now the thing your ignorant ass doesn’t know is the type of communist he refers himself as is by the definition the Karl Marx said. You know the guy who thought up the idea. A perfect society. Everyone equal. People don’t realize that. They think how it has been played out by countries who call them self that. Every country that is “communist” actually isn’t. The fact that people have said they shouldn’t be questioning their government
makes me wonder how many times the founding fathers of this country have rolled over in their
graves. Case and point Zack has donated more time energy and millions, yes I said millions to others who are any of you to question his conception of how our, key word our, government should be. Damn.

Indeed, Zack was not calling for the murder of Bush, he said he should be brought to trial, and then hung. Paraphrasing a point that if the post-war Presidents of the USA were subject to the standards set at the Nuremberg trials, they would have been found guilty of crimes against humanity, and then hung. When Saddam got hung, you said what, “Justice,” right? Can you imagine that this is a similar argument he’s making here?

Furthermore, do you tolerate any criticism of Amerika or Capitalism by anyone ever? Other than your taxes being too high? My God, did you know that the people in Rage Against the Machine make money? That they have jobs, and they buy things! How dare they! They can’t have jobs and then criticize the system! Then when the homeless squatter revolutionary indicts the system, they yell, “You leech, get a job you stupid hippie!” And if he doesn’t even participate in the system, use currency or participate in division of labor, then he must move out to the hills and become a hermit, like the unibomber. Then they say he’s a crazy weirdo. Then if you leave Amerika entirely, then you are just some foreign anti-amerikan terrorist-sympathizer.

A typical right wing tactic, Ann Coulter is the best at it. remember when she whined how she couldn’t go out and make fun of the 9/11 widows. Why? Because they aren’t interested in talking about the critique, or the message, they just want to throw much at the messenger. It’s easier that way to call some one an “anarchist,” “Hippie,” “Liberal,” “terrorist,” or “loser,” than it is to engage them in conversation.

Unlike, say during slavery, there were people who were against the system, the status quo and exploitation, and it was simple to not be a hypocrite: don’t own slaves. However, what if a person has serious moral objections to Amerikan foreign policy, government, society and capitalism? What do you suggest they do? I hear a lot of, if you don’t like it leave. Can one, other than becoming a hermit, escape capitalism in this world? Would you have told the abolitionists to leave? Would you have said to Martin Luther King, “if you don’t like it leave”? Running away from problems doesn’t solve them and make them go away.

So yeah, if I use money, live in society and have a job and then complain about the people being exploited and oppressed, I am a hypocrite. But at least I’m a hypocrite with a conscious who knows and admits to the wrong doing, instead of being an apologizer for the evil in the world, and defending the evil that exists, just because I want to pretend I’m morally righteous to benefit from it, whether it be oil coming out of the dictatorship of Saudi Arabia that fuels my FUV or Hybrid, or whether it is from the exploitation of child and sweatshop labor from the clothes I wear coming out of Malaysia.

If you are so ready to defend that system of exploitation and oppression, then you stand with hate, and you shouldn’t then act surprised when others start holding you responsible for the actions of that system. And you shouldn’t cry victim when they come knocking down you towers.

Not saying I agree with the violence of terrorism against non-military or government targets. I don’t condone that at all, but it’s like when I guy decides to walk through Central Park at two in the morning with bags full of money, yelling “Hey I got money,” and then he gets mugged. Am I condoning the mugging? No. Am I surprised? No.

Fact is that while Zack may be a fringe minority of Amerikans, his views are far more popular world-wide, which is far more universal and less parochial view than just one nation. In other words, you shouldn’t dismiss him that easily. Furthermore, I know of only one band that had in their contract that the vast majority of their profits sent directly to charities as a stipulation. That was Rage Against the Machine. Can you name me another one? sure, they wanted to be visible, because they wanted to crash the air waves and eMpTyV with things other than feel good messages. Noam Chomsky sells his books at Barnes and Noble too. Because if they didn’t, they’d be the squatters and underground movements that the average person never sees, hears of, or thinks is completely weird. But if some one is talking revolution and not looking like a homeless guy, but like a Rock Star, they are subverting that medium, and making it look cool to be revolutionary. Sure they are making corporations a lot of money, the cost of doing business. But they are also getting average kids to hear about causes they wouldn’t have otherwise, like Free Mumia. Honestly, I don’t give a shit if he’s guilty, we need revolutionaries like him out of jail anyway possible. Why? Because there was no justice when they shot Fred Hampton in his bed next to his pregnant mate, or when they shot Filiberto Ojeda Rios and then let him drown to death in his own blood rather than calling paramedics, because, oops! They forgot to bring a bomb squad, not from Puerto Rico but form Virginia. Oh, and there were no bombs after all. Assassins. They’ve been murdering us for years, so if we can get one up on them for a change, don’t expect me to cry, because they sure as hell didn’t. Another widow-pig parrot.

You know Zack said they should be tried, not assassinated, but considering how they own the courts, I don’t see how that’s going to happen. I mean, they didn’t even send Nixon to jail, and even then he was in trouble because of stupid papers, not because he gave the order to kill Fred Hampton. So saying we SHOULD try them, isn’t the same as we will, or we are going to. But maybe what some people suggest as an assassination is actually more appropriate. Maybe it’s time to say, this is what you do, so this is what we’ll do. We’ll learn all our tactics from you. You assassinate our leaders, we’ll assassinate yours. You get a gun, we’ll get a gun. You get a vest, we’ll get armor-piercing hollow point bullets. Again, merely a suggestion. Saying I should was my car, isn’t saying I’m going to. It’s food for thought, and unless they want to outlaw my thought and speak instead of just actions, then let that be an Orwellian wake up call to you all. Go ahead, call the Gestapo to knock on my door, I have badthink and talk badspeak.

So the real question is, if Capitalism is the overwhelming evil of our day, where do you stand? If Capitalism is analogous to Slavery, who are you? Are you a slave-master or a slave? Are you advocating gradual change while benefiting from that very labor or are you a radical abolitionist demanding it end this minute? Maybe it would be nice to get some John Browns and Nat Turners here. Sure history has tried to paint them as crazy, but there was never any evidence of dementia, they were just people of deep convictions… Or maybe you are a Lincoln or a Fredrick Douglas. All the same, I see a lot of Uncle Toms and Jim Crows…

[...] of American history and ideals. Shane, in contradistinction, wore the shirts of this band with full knowledge of and support for this class warfare idea found only in Marx and Engels manifesto. I say this only after reading Irresistible [...]