No one really seems to believe in anything anymore. Everything has been tried, they say, and everything has failed. There's nothing anyone can do -- people that try are mocked by the so-called "liberal media", who called protesters dirty and freakish. "Yeah, life sucks for some people, even most people, but there ya have it -- life deals ya a hand, and you play it." I renounce this attitude.
We live in a country that is envied and idolized around the world. We live in America. The United Freakin States of America. The country of John Wayne, monster truck rallies, the home of the brave and the haven of the wealthy. We're fuckin number one -- in crime, in drug addiction... in education? No. Not number one. More like... what? 23 or something? Our fellow citizens are taxed heavily, but in return recieve no health insurance, heavy welfare reform, and no free pre-school in the country, and crumbling schools.
And the fucked up thing is, I mean the really fucked up thing is, that the world can't wait to be JUST LIKE US. Wal*Mart? Step right up. Starbucks? Please, take anything you want. Europe and the rest of the world is just dying to give up its culture and heritage, for what? The ability to get nachos at four in the morning? Who gives a fuck?!? The world's governments are literally lining up and begging us to have our way with them. "Destroy our land, who cares? Pollute our drinking water, please. Enslave our populace working for pennies making clothing for fucking yuppies, please!"
Democracy cannot truly exist in a capitalist society. The only way a candidate could get to the point where he can truly influence the world around him is to be so in debt to corporate interest that he's pretty much a puppet on a string -- a souless marionette dancing to the rhythms of industry and corruption.
Now, democracy in and of itself is a good thing, of course we're not against pure democracy. Take this band for example. an issue comes up, we vote on it, and it usually works out for the best. So, in this example it works. But -- and stay with me on this -- if an oil company lobbyist wanted us to sing about how awesome all-terrain vehicles are and took Chad and Josh out for dinner and bought them new guitars and promised Rob a significant donation to help his re-election campaign, then the democracy is no longer "pure", and becomes corrupt, and we end up compromising ourselves and singing a new version of Vehicle, "...wheels turn crush me / I drive a hummer..."
In America, you have the right to protest, as long as your protest is done within whatever confines the ruling class deems necessary. "Here is where you protest, in this little square, and no one's gonna listen to you." It is really like being led to a sound-proof room and being told "Here ya go, say anything you want. Here's your freedom of speech." Protest has got to find a way to combat this, to literally force the world to listen to what we have to say. I'm not totally sure that we've done that yet, but I know we will.
People ask me, "You hate America so much, so can you think of any countries that are actually better?" and I answer them, "Sure, maybe I cant think of any countires that have quite the assortment and plethora of BOMBS that we have, but I can think of plenty of countries that have governments that actually realize, in some small way or the other, that maybe at least a small aspect and function of government is to take its citizens seriously." Well... at least they have universal health care... something the U.S. refuses to even investigate.