Sleepless In Silverlake

This cold weather has me stuck indoors and fighting a weird cold/anxiety spell. I am feeling unusually keyed into my surroundings to the point where it's getting uncomfortable. In the past a term like "Seeing the Matrix" would have seemed appropriate but now that sounds quaint. What about being a fully-conscious member of the "reality-based community?" With all the recent setbacks for the neo-cons you would think that we progressive-minded types would be more cheerful but unfortunately the struggle continues as we seek to re-define a vision of a more equitable, just and healthy society. I believe that many of the generalized, entrenched conditions widespread today in the U.S. - from a mental health epidemic, affordable housing crisis, dysfunctional health care system, violence in the cities and rural areas - have their roots in the 1980s rollback under Reagan. It's almost as if America itself has experienced a long-term Structural Adjustment Program which is typically enforced by the IMF/WTO on developing nations to dismantle civic society protections to bring in foreign investment (let's call it what it is - corporatized rape or good old fashioned imperialism)...Who profits? The usual suspects - wealthy, elites, corporations, reactionaries...Who suffers? Those most at risk - mentally ill, elderly, poor, ethnic minorities, immigrants...as well as an ever-shrinking middle class "public" expected to pay for it all. In the meantime continue to distract the masses while they are being pickpocketed with ravenous headlines about a Never-Ending War On Various Foriegn Undesirables and you have the makings of a techno-cratic, religious fundamentalist authoritarian state. PEOPLE- WE ARE BEING LIED TO!! Excuse the rant, but WHAT is it going to take to turn the tide? How much bare-faced corruption are we expected to tolerate passively? How many body bags? How much pollution? Is this the future we want to bequeath to future generations?

Here's a picture from last Saturday's event down in the hood, I don't know where the rest of y'all were hiding but I'm gonna be harrasin suckas in the New Year to make it out to one of our shows before we bolt L.A.-