Thursday, January 27, 2011

"The Devil's Defense"

It is rather sad, to think that the father wasted the 6th day on such an utterly worthless creation as man. Up until that point he had done an immaculate job and then... Well, I can't say I didn't warn him. Give a monkey free-will and he will do nothing more than sling feces.
From the moment he gave his divine breath to that filthy beast, Adam and his descendants were destined to bring death into the world. Don't blame me... Blame their lust and weak flesh. Men are sick, and don't even get me started on their counter parts, manipulative, conniving witches...
I told my father what would happen, but did he listen? Of course not. Now look... look at what the humans have done to such a glorious creation. This world decays before my very eyes even as I speak...Disgusting.
What makes matters worse is when these parasites suck the life from the world around them, and then blame me for their sins. They claim that I tempt them to do the things they do. Is it my fault they are weak minded and cursed to wallow in their own filth? Preposterous!
I have done nothing wrong. My entire existence has been devoted to helping my father, showing him the errors in his actions. When wrong is done, I simply point it out to him. I am only trying to prove I was right when I said the creation of man was a mistake. But still he does not listen...
He says he loves them. He shows forgiveness and all they give him is heartache. They continue to destroy and hate and yet he forgives them!
They build the bombs, then blame me when someone pushed the button. Remind me, who inspired the crusades? Oh yeah, their 'love' for the father. It is in their corrupt hearts to act sinfully, then search for a reason why they act in such a manner. Reason is what they lack and the lack thereof is what leads them to sin, not me.
Ignorant, selfish, irresponsible beasts and he loves them...
As for me, I am an innocent bystander, nothing more than a witness to the crimes of humanity. The blame is laid on my shoulders by the guilty.
They will never learn because they will never accept that they are at fault.
So, here I stand, a victim of blame. A victim of humanity.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

"Perfect Crush"

Hey,
My new murderer,
Where are your knives?
Buried in me,
And the deeper you get
The better it feels
I don't mind when you're killing...

Hey,
My Beautiful Pain,
Your touch is like fire
Burning through me;
And the deeper you get
The more it heals
I don't mind if you're killing...

Hey,
My angry goddess,
Where is your vengeance?
Directed at me,
And the more fierce you get
The worse it feels,
But I don't mind when you're killing...

My heart's collapsing
Beneath her weight
A perfect crush
In an imperfect world

Thursday, January 20, 2011

"The World According To Kurt"

Music has always spoken to me and for me. It has been an expression of rage, pain, love and glory. Through music, I have discovered answers and asked questions. It is hard to completely explain just how much of an impact music has had on my life, but it has been profound.
For me, the most influential voice of my time was Kurt Cobain... The lead singer/songwriter for the band nirvana, for anyone who slept through the 1990's. He spoke for an entire generation and exposed the realities of the world as he knew it. His music was raw and filled with emotion, revealing just how much contempt he held for the current state of our planet and what he hoped for.
I have often been berated for the darkness and angst in my own writings, but how can I not reveal the opinions and beliefs and experiences and stay true to my writings. Kurt saw a world filled with ignorance and inconsideration and raged against it. Little has changed since Kurt's suicide, his word's ring just as true today.

What was Kurt's message to the world? Just examine some of his lyrics.

- "Self-appointed judges judge more than they have sold"- A shot at critics who try to influence the market with their opinions, but how can anyone put down what Kurt did so successfully. For that matter, how can anyone try to judge another in any aspect of life, when we all have shortcomings... Opinions of life or dislike are one thing, to voice that opinion as though you are some sort of expert... especially if you "can't do" makes for ignorant statements.

- "All the kids will eat it up if its packaged properly"- Give it the pop-culture stamp of approval and people will love it. Kurt was tired of seeing a magazine tell everyone what was good, when he knew so much crap was "branded" and so much genius was left in the darkness. We still suffer from this, as incredible music by bands like Arcade Fire and My Morning Jacket only share moderate success, and so many other bands fall by the wayside, yet garbage that has only one discernible line in the entire song, repeated for 3 minutes straight, sells millions of copies.

- "Light my candles in a daze, cause I've found God"- Hmm, I think I'm seeing a trend here.

- "Monkey see, Monkey do/I'd rather be dead than cool"

Look, I don't deny Kurt took the easy way out, but I must agree with many of his views. Modern society is like a bunch of sheep being led by the shepherd of media. We do what we are told, what's 'cool,' or what is easy. Like the living dead we stumble in a daze from one pop-culture feast to the next. Kurt saw us losing our humanity and becoming more and more like machines, programmed to speak, think and act exactly as the created 'social-structure' demands.
Tag a pile of human excrement with a brand name and watch it sell in bulk. Tell people how trendy something is and watch as they dive from cliffs to possess that something... Then watch as they beat down anyone who goes against the standard.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

"2084 (The Beasts of Orwellian Burden) Entry 14 & 15"

'A Vicious Cycle'

Will you be asleep
When it all comes back around again?
Will you be meat
Or somewhere out in the pen?
You can't change the minds of kings,
No matter how you try...
You can't break the chains.
History repeats,
And then you die.

Winter to spring
Summer to fall
The constant turn of years
No one is coming,
No hero to save us,
No lender to allay our fears.

Caught in a cycle
Of war,
And oppression...
Stupid sheep lost in a valley.
Killing the world...
Killing ourselves...

And looking through the window
I can't tell the difference
Between Man,
And Beast...
Beast,
And machine...
Guess there never really was a difference after all



'Conclusion'

We bring about our own demise...
See you in the fields

"Education in America"

Recently I have been seeing a lot about the documentary on education in the U.S. entitled "Waiting for Superman." Several debates have arisen in response to this film, but I don't really see the debate when more money is spent on an institution such as the one I am currently housed in, than on an institution of higher learning. Of course, I have already stated my opinion that they (the state) wants to keep us in prison and I believe they do all they can to fill these walls. This may or many not be a reason this educational system is neglected and failing.
Jefferson said, 'Give the people light and they will find their way.' The reverse of this is to keep them in darkness, so they will be forced to follow. As long as we remain in the shadows, we will continue to believe in them rather than the realities that cast those shadows.'
Perhaps the issue isn't money, time or staffing, perhaps it is an issue of politicians wanting to keep people ignorant. To quote John Adams: "Ignorance and inconsideration are the two great causes of the ruin of mankind. As knowledge is the best weapon against tyranny, so the first step toward a balance of powers is the education of the people." Educate the masses and the politicians begin to lose their grip.
Look at the prisons, how many of those in the Correctional System were educated in private schools and how many were educated in the public system? How many of those in prison went through four years of college? When you begin to answer those questions you begin to discover a disturbing trend.
Not only are we failing the youth... the next generation... We are also failing society as a whole. I am of the opinion that crime is the result of ignorance. This doesn't just mean ignorance of consequesnces or not knowing right from wrong. Neither applied in my case, as I knew the consequences and know the things I did were wrong. For me, I lacked focus, direction and an understanding of the value of knowledge. School provided a social setting to develop relationships, but did little to aid in my development as a responsible adult.
The greatest failing was that I did not learn, until it was 'too late,' just how important and enjoyable education could be. Only in recent years have I discovered a passion for intellectual thought. Had this been nurtured more in my youth, perhaps things would have turned out much differently.
The U.S. promotes laziness, quick fixes and dependence rather than promoting a free-thinking, intellectual society.
Look again at Adam's statement ..."the first step toward balance...is the education of the people." True democracy is balance, when all share equal rights. So the "lower class" is given a lesser educational system and kept in their places, as are the middle and upper classes given suitable schools I never believed this to be the case until I really thought about it. Take a moment to consider the numbers:
How many senators came out of private schools?
How many prisoners came out of public schools?

I think that if we really begin to examine the numbers we will discover that the better the education, the better the outcome.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

"2084 (The Beasts of Orwellian Burden) Entry 13"

'Evolution'

Don't let your civil wars
Bring you down
Still got a long, long way to go
Don't let your innocence
Be your fall
The climb's easier if you know
What it takes for one more moment
Every step is a tragedy
This is a chain that can't be broken
Beast to man, man to machine

Shatter your illusions,
No more walls
This is an age of advancement
Shatter the memories,
Of what was
It is time for us to transcend
What was will always be again
A slave to atrocity
The road is paved in our skin
Beast to man, man to machine

You rise up and cry for you guns
You take to the run, yeah
Sell your soul for fortune and fame
To a horse with no name
But you can't stop,
You can't stop...
Evolution!
(You can't stop the revolution)

There is always the burden of hope
Baring down with ferocity
The whip, the chain and the rope
Beast to man, man to machine

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

"In God We Trust"

America the beautiful. Land of the free. Home of... the Whopper... Heh-Heh... Look, we live in a nation obsessed with pop-culture and ruled by the media. A fast food slogan is more recognizable to the mind-numbed masses than a line of classic literature. Reality is whatever CNN tells most of you, since any effort put toward thinking for oneself and developing personal opinion has become too exhausting.
This nation was established on the principle of individual freedoms, and yet we are becoming less and less 'free' people. We have freed ourselves from the tyranny of the English crown only to set a new beast upon the throne, and now we are ruled by political whims and magazine covers.
Take the subject of religion... The old 'separation of church and state' dilemma. Where do we draw this line? How do we draw this line? As much as the U.S. claims 'freedom of religion', it spends a lot of time targeting the subject of religion. The dollar reads 'In God We Trust', the city council meetings open with a prayer.
We question the president's faith...
We oppose the building of a mosque...
Freedom of religion means one is free to practice his or her faith in a respectful manner, in a way that does not oppose on the freedom of another. If we are working toward a brighter future we must stop worrying so much about whether or not someone agrees with us. Separation of church and state? So why are we talking about Obama's faith? Who cares? Does it have an impact on the job he is doing? Not so far... Religion has nothing to do with what he has or hasn't done to this point.
Why is the government worrying about where someone wishes to build a mosque? Why is anyone worrying? No one says anything when someone wants to build a church or synagogue in this country, so why complain about any other religious place of worship?
Too mush of our time and effort is wasted looking for the flaws in someone's beliefs, rather than building on the good things. Of course, one has the right to voice opinion, and no one has the right to prohibit that. If someone wants to burn a Koran fine, but don't get mad when the Bible gets burnt or someone sets fire to the flag, and don't impose upon a Muslim's right to worship where he chooses, just as the Muslim has no right to impose upon the Christian or the Jew or, for that matter, the Witch. Live and let live, as long as it violates no one else's rights, and stop looking for a reason to hate.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

"2084 (The Beasts of Orwellian Burden) Entry 12"

"The Howling of Dogs"

Sing a song,
A song called 'oppression'.
Let it be heard,
All across the fields.

Break a chain,
A chain of affliction.
No more borders,
No more deals!

And if you can hear us
Then why aren't you listening

Say a prayer,
A prayer for the dying.
Withered hearts,
In a nuclear age.

Shed a tear,
A tear for the broken.
Restless children,
Show your rage!

And if you can hear us
Then why aren't you listening

The howls are lost,
On winds of conformity,
and ignorance.
Leashed like you want us to be

Sing a song,
A song called 'repression'!
Forget the things,
We once believed in.

Tears of anguish
Screams of pain

The new regime marched in silence...
So we never heard them coming.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

"Cultural Decline"

One would think that the prison system would support the education, social elevation and cultural advancement of inmates. One would think rehabilitation would be a priority. One would think that any effort on the part of a convicted felon to better himself would be encouraged. In my experience, one would be wrong in thinking such things.
For 12 years I have been incarcerated in the state of Virginia and I have personally witnessed every effort on the part of the department of corrections to deny opportunity and availability of resources. I can only take this to mean they want us to stay criminals or mold us into mindless sheep, lacking any motivation to achieve or aspirations.
Of course, that is not how they portray things to the general public. They want you to believe they are "Correction" facilities. So why do they hinder efforts to become productive citizens.

Some examples:
1. They recently institued a rule that prevents us from ordering CD's or cassettes that are not in English, Thus preventing us from learning a foreign language by such methods and eliminating access to culturally significant music. By their standards a Verdi Opera is contraband... but Jay-Z is okay.

2. Stephen King, Jackie Collins and James Patterson fill the shelves in prison libraries, numbing the minds of readers with pop-culture schlock. Guess what is nearly impossible to find? Shakespeare, Hemingway, Frost, Thoreau... The list of classic authors could go on, the point is that they make it easy to obtain literature that is entertaining, but rarely edifying from a intellectual or spiritual point of view.

3. Purchasing educational materials or... education is extremely difficult. They have created so many hoops for us to jump through that many give up the quest or lack the ability to pursue such endeavor. We must go through a number of channels simply to gain approval to receive the materials. Then there is the issue of money. Our families are not permitted to pay for orders or order for us. They cannot send us books. We can only purchase such items from our own inmate trust accounts. When you factor in all other expenses we incur, this is something many of us rarely can afford. It is also much cheaper and easier for my family members to order for me or pay for the orders than it is for them to send me the money.

4. Access to the library or other educational forum is limited. Currently I have been on a waiting list to attend the vocational Print School for nearly 3 years. I am permitted to go to the library for only one hour per week, and only by request. Not really the type of time a devoted student needs for research.

These four examples are only a glimpse of the vast measure taken by the institutions or D.O.C. to hinder the quest for elevation within one's life. There are many other rules preventing us from seeking enlightenment. Bans on ordering non-music CD's, limitations on the the number of programs we can take and even rules preventing us from gathering in groups for study purposes.
I'm sure they have excuses for why these rules are in place, but I see many of these as unnecessary and ignorant. Can anyone give me a good reason as to why my family can't set up a pre-paid credit line with Border's? Tell me why a Verdi Opera is a security risk?
Most people who come to prison already lack education and culture why they into prison, why should they leave the same way.