Juneteenth and Forward

Recent events and activism surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement call us to recommit our efforts as human beings on this planet to mitigate the damage we cause each other and our environment. Spinning out of control are our lives perpetuated by extreme wealth imbalance coupled with an imbalance of nature. Bringing our world back to balance should be the most immediate and urgent goal for all people. Some, however, maintain interests that are starkly contrasted with the survival of humanity on this planet. 

The government institutions in the United States, co-opted by corporate power, are working against the welfare and survival of the masses of citizens they supposedly represent. This truth is not something new, however, it's been exacerbated by hard-line officials who represent the elite stakeholders over the citizenry. We officially live in a fascist corporate police-state. This is not a democracy. This is an oligarchy. What shall we do as people of this type of a nation? What is it that we can do to remedy police violence against black people without changing the system that allowed for these atrocities to happen? The symptoms are starting to boil over and people are more clued into the true nature of this system. Every moment counts. 

Moving forward from Juneteenth day, we must all commit to standing against the hatred and bigotry that are designed to divide the populace and distract us away from the theft of our remaining democratic institutions. This fight could be the final chance to clutch onto what remains of our republic. A loss for the public would turn this country into the blatant version of what it has always been. No more hiding. No more games. Time to hit the streets and the tweets. Our lives and the lives of our children depend upon it. No pressure. 

Memorial Day Musings in the Pandemic Age

The pandemic age brings about pondering. To ponder and let the mind take control is a revolutionary thing when many exterior agencies are fighting to control the mind. To take away your ponder. This is why Artivism is so important in society today. Art creates visions, symbols, context in the mind. Those symbols carry messages and themes like the wind carries seedlings. There simply is no more powerful way to communicate crucial societal messages that allow self-determination in this age. 

Along with the power to unlock the individual mind to the grievous nature of life today, art brings about communal healing and brotherhood. We bond over art. We socialize over art. Conversations happen solely based on a piece of art and the provided context. People who may not have even contemplated a concept, leave with a full understanding of someone else's perspective. 

Art, simply put, not only gives life, but IS life. It is the breath and spirit that fills our lungs. How many times has a song made you cry? How many times has a scene in a show captivated you? Stopped you? How many times have you gasped at the confounding beauty of a painting? By allowing human beings to express themselves, art, also makes us express ourselves. It's a two-way street, a transaction, a multi-faceted ripple effect where artist and patron simultaneously transform. I becomes me. They becomes us. Here and now, there is no more important time in history for artistic expression. 

War, disease, corruption, prejudice, famine, the wealth gap, environmental and natural disasters, tear into the fabric of what it means to be human. It's time for us to support and/or become artists. It's time for us to use our art medium to bring about positive societal change for ALL humans on this planet. Don't be blind to the power structure and the exploitation of the middle and lower classes. Open up to the reality that DEMANDS your artistry. Artivism is the answer, as it always has been. 

by Kyle Roman, host of Artivism NOW! 

Thomas Paine in Tahrir

It has been 10 days of demonstration, celebration, and devastation in Cairo's Tahrir Square where the people are laying the ground work for a truly Jeffersonian revolution. Although these can only be considered the first steps in a long and possibly hostile transition, the people must be commended and supported in their courage to rise up against a true dictator.

Hosni Mubarak has destroyed the economy and the rights of the people in his country much like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush in this country. He ran his country with the iron fist of a police state turning his own people on one another countless times. Around election time, these mobs would turn out to frighten people into voting the "correct" way. These same mobs have turned out to threaten, beat, and murder the peaceful protesters involved with the Tahrir demonstrations. It should not come as a surprise that during his 30 year reign as dictator that Egypt has been the second largest recipient of US foreign aid next to Israel.

In true Washington fashion, this strong-armed dictator was favored due to his policies of autocratic rule which allowed US corporations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies to take hold in his country's economy. They drown the beast, prop up the military with foreign aid, and when the bill comes due the IMF will come in with structural adjustment programs that lay the cost at the feet of the people who didn't want those policies in the first place. This process of busting out countries much like the Mafia busting out the local bar, has been appearing repeatedly in the third-world and they have become wise to the ways of the western elites. It has already happened in Latin America and is now happening in the Middle East.

This is a historic and celebratory time in Egypt, however, it is also a frightening and trying time. It is that reason why I believe Egypt needs Thomas Paine now, more than ever. His famous quote when the American Revolution was near defeat must ring loudly, "These are the times that try men's souls." Paine tells us that we must hold onto that small amount of hope and desire in the darkest days of the revolution in order to move forward. Right now in Tahrir there are many men whose souls are being tried. Journalists are being jailed and beaten by Mubarak's police mobs, basic communication is being cut off and live rounds of gunfire are hailing towards the peaceful protesters. The dark days are here for Egyptians.

In this moment Paine is also speaking to Americans and those around the world. Paine informs us, "He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." This spells out to all that anywhere on the planet we must seek out oppression, challenge it and overthrow it. People in power will always try to maintain power at all costs but the masses have the power when united together. We have to recognize that we are Egyptians and Tunisians as much as we are Americans. Every country has an element of power which dominates the economic and political sectors and distributes wealth upwards. We must stand with the third world to ensure them standing with us when our time arrives. And when that time comes, like the Egyptians, peaceful disobedience will be the key to demanding a truly democratic state where the people play a meaningful role in the process.

Propaganda and the 2010 Midterm Elections

by Kyle Roman

The midterm elections are upon us this year and the campaigning, once again, started too early. The republican party has been campaigning ever since the Presidential election by grinding this country's legislative and executive branches to a halt. In the legislative branch the Senate republicans have been using the filibuster to torpedo meaningful reform and to water down already meaningless measures aimed at attempting to correct the era of the Bush regime. They have also blocked numerous important political appointees who are in charge of key governmental agencies. These republicans have been essentially waging a war on the American People by blocking the essential functions of our government. And now the real fight is taking place in front of our eyes.

Elections are currently being run by the Public Relations industry in this country. And just like a dog that licks itself, the PR industry deceives you, because it can. These people make a luxurious living off of manufacturing the consent of average American consumers. During election season they are not selling you toothpaste, or your child a Disney toy, they are selling a candidate. They are selling you or reselling you a political party that has ballooned the deficit, waged two illegal wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, allowed corporations to ignore regulators and pollute our food water and air, and corrupted the justice department and other federal agencies with loyal political actors in violation of federal law. To do this they are using a simple game of misdirection.

Instead of talking about the paralysis of the government caused by the Senate republicans, we are talking about a mosque in lower manhattan. Now ordinarily that statement would not have any connotative meaning. But since the 9/11 attacks and the fear and deceit campaign that followed, conservatives have been looking to bring back that air of hatred to use for political power. The public relations industry is following nicely along by concocting another Us vs. Them scenario in order to return their conservative oligarch partners into high office. The season has just started but the big guns are being reserved for later. Even if there are minimal victories in this election for conservatives, the campaign has planted seeds of doubt and fear in the population. These will provide momentum towards the 2012 elections when it will be the President who is targeted.

Once again the republicans and their PR partners are waging a war on the minds of the domestic population. They want us to be obedient, consenting workers in their ideal world run by corporate power. They want us to be divided against one another and discuss a mosque in lower manhattan instead of the terrorist hostage-taking of our government by republicans. We must not be intimidated by their forceful rhetoric nor convinced by their fancy PR language. We made this country great for everyone once, and we shall do it again without the consent from our self-imposed master. We are the people that the Constitution was written for, not those who make their money from dividends or lay away in country clubs. We apathetically allowed this creeping fascism into our lives. We must confront this beast and force it back into the past where it belongs.

Lets Celebrate Corporate Independence Day

July 4th: Corporate Independence Day

by Kyle Roman

Sometimes it seems as though whenever there is an apparent truth or fact in our society, it is met with outright rage and disbelief within the echo chamber of the political right wing. The obvious example is the denial of the facts surrounding the man-made catastrophe of climate change. It is as if there are people out there who are trying to create there own reality by manipulating the minds of the masses. These people are clearly the corporate class and benefit immensely from the miseducation of the American people. They create a culture of fear within the society which encourages cynicism in the face of facts and evidence.

This frame of mind, in my opinion is rooted in fear and propaganda aimed at those who are submissive to authority figures. It is perpetuated by industry giants who have a strangle hold on our legislators, who sit on corporate boards that own media outlets, and who fund scientific research that supports their corporate necessity for profit over people. Corporate lobbyists and their pet politicians are at the root of this colossal conspiracy against everyday people. The very nature of their work is to exploit the masses for their own personal gain and profit. They exist to destroy the institutions that protect the middle class and the poor. The corporation must be given the death penalty if it will not cease its destruction of our environment and our people.

Although some were caught by surprise, power and control were not won overnight. Since 1981 and the Inauguration of Ronald Reagan, there has been a fear and propaganda campaign waged by corporate America on the citizens. It taught you and your children to hate government. It taught you to think of government as something separate from yourself. It taught you to distrust unions and think of them as a burden on the working class as opposed to a benefit. These claims are completely false and were constructed to disarm the strengths of the working class. The campaign took over the minds of a generation and allowed these corporate interests to gain back their control of our government.

Independence Day is upon us and we must remind ourselves what we won independence from. It was not primarily religious persecution, or colonial rule. It was the WalMart of its day, British East India company that was destroying the local economies by dumping cheap foreign products at our shores. This country was thrust into revolution by the acts of a greedy corporation which led to our revolution against Britain. We must use the latest acts of greed and economic terrorism by corporations like Goldman Sachs, AIG, Halliburton, BP, and Blackwater to use as stern reminders of our history of fighting corporate power.

We must declare our Independence from corporate power within our institutions of government. The government is "We the people" not "we the corporation". Until we recognize our true power in this country and put it to work to take back our country, the corporations will continue to corrupt and exploit this once grand society until there is nothing left to devour. It is up to us to take charge in our community to build our own society and create our own reality absent any authoritarian influence from corporate power.

Simple Steps Forward: Earth Day and Beyond

Simple Steps Forward: Earth Day and Beyond

by Kyle Roman

With the arrival of Earth Day and its 40th anniversary today, one must contemplate how much more abuse our beautiful and abundant Mother Earth can withstand? War rages on in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine. Multinational corporations continue to pillage natural resources from the third-world, destroying the natives and polluting the environment. Politicians in the United States continue to inch us towards a corporatocracy which corrupts our democracy and is destroying families and communities. Capitalism continues to fail while delivering a wealth gap that is startling even when compared with history. And yet, today is Earth Day.

40 years in, after the consciousness raising of the 60's leading to the Earth Day legislation in 1970, there have been marginal changes in policy towards sustainability in our world. In the United States we have done nothing but accelerate the effects of Climate Change with our culture of consumption and greed which of course was designed for us, not by us. We continue to stall out on meaningful Climate Change legislation in our congress due to the unimpeded influence of the oil industry on our representatives. We continue to support nuclear power and "clean coal" as alternatives to oil although both are significantly dangerous to our well being. We continue to ignore sustainable solutions for power such as solar, hydro power, wind, and bio fuels. And yet, today is Earth Day.

The environmental movement is clicking on all cylinders nowadays. And who would have thought that going "green" would become trendy. Even with all of this support from the public as well as a substantial portion of the private sector, interference is rampant. We have long depended on ancient ways of solving problems in society. We have let governments and corporations do for us what is necessary for survival. What we must acknowledge is that these power systems are doing that which they are designed to do: corrupt, steal, blame, lie, kill, repeat. Over and over we have watched the systematic deconstruction of our democratic values in the name of "free-market" economics and "free-will". This must end if we have any chance at survival as a species on this great planet.

We should start thinking in a new way about our problems and their solutions. Now that we have gone green, we must go "local". The strength of the American people has always been a sense of community and loyalty to their neighborhood. Well lets start in our own community, each one of us. Local programs, even those with minimal time and money, can make a difference. There is already so many local programs established in your own community right now to join, you would not have to start one yourself. The key is to get up out of the house and get involved.

I myself am guilty of going home and retreating within. This is not the way to live in a country or on a planet that has serious problems. In fact, it is that retreating mentality that the corporatocracy depends upon. You have to be at home in front of the TV to watch the commercials to tell you what toothpaste to buy, what clothes to wear, how overweight you are and how much money you don't have.

These strategies are specifically designed to make you feel insecure about yourself and subservient to companies and products. They manufacture your consent and make you irrationally submit to authority. After all, you can't keep your own teeth white, you must use Crest to do so. These corporations want people to be confined to their own box so they can construct a view of the world for you. It is time to break out of this prison of the mind.

Everybody should look at Earth Day like New Years Day. Make a resolution for the new year... again! Every Earth Day we should all pledge to be involved in some way to make our own community sustainable.

Whether it is growing organic food in your garden, or buying from the local farmers market, every bit helps.

Whether it is installing solar panels on your home or business, or caulking your windows to reduce energy consumption, every bit helps.

Lobby your local government officials to use abandoned properties as public gardens to feed the hungry, homeless and unemployed.

Present a strategic plan at a city council meeting for any ideas for sustainable projects. You will be surprised how quick an official will steal your idea and make it happen!

Just leaving your house during sunlight and using minimal light at night will reduce your energy usage significantly. Enjoy the night, enjoy the darkness. Recreating the daytime with lights at night is irresponsible to the environment and wasteful. It will also create more time for you to be active both physically, and in your community. Think about that for a second. The interdependence of a simple change in your life can be a lasting solution.

Going outside during the daytime will save energy while all lights and appliances are turned off in your house. You will be outside burning calories and becoming healthier, thinking healthier, making healthier food choices, and becoming confident in yourself again. You will take that confidence into your community and get involved in a project that will help others sustain their lives. Building up others makes your community safer, more desirable.

All of this can happen starting this Earth Day if we simply decide as a people to put down the remote control, leave our homes, and start rebuilding the communities that we love. After all, it is love that will triumph in the end. We still have that love in our hearts for each other as human beings. Lets start sharing that love with each other and recreate our communities in a sustainable, caring way that is respectful to Mother Earth.