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| Do You Feel The Fear?
David Pezzano
The United States of America is an Orwellian nightmare of proportions not seen since the height of the Soviet Union. I write this outcry today because I live in constant, government inspited, media fueled fear and as an American who has every right to exercise his free speech under the ground that it does not, and I assure will not, inspire violence, I am forced beyond any ignorable doubt to pen my emitions in hopes that there are others that see what I see and are grasping desperatly for some power in a largly paralalizing society. I am hoping that someone reading this knows of some person or people alredy acting against such terrifying conditions not as an act of defiance, but instead as an act with the singular hope of saving the American people from themselvs. I can find no such pre-existing group to serve my interests and I can no longer keep quiet; America is the single most imposing evil institution that we, as citizens of this abhorrent society, will have to face in our lifetimes.
It was commonly said after the now infamous 9-11 Attacks that, if American lifestyle changes the terrorists have won. Well friends, I assert that if a loss of constitutionally protected freedoms and basic human privacy coupled with a complete and total fear of both the Muslim and otherwise non-European world sounds status quo to you then the terrorists have in fact, not won. The sad truth is that American ideals are changed and our freedoms slowly being taken away from us in the name of our protection and it isn’t the terrorists who have done it to us, but instead it is our own government. The American government is a terrorist organization, using fear and mass media to paralyze the American public and take away our rights and freedoms instead yielding to complete physical and intellectual domination.
A catalyst, in a very simply, basic high school chemistry definition, is a substance which accelerates a reaction without being used up in the process. Put into metaphorical context, the catalyst of this article is an event in my town which, much like the definition suggests, will not be disappearing once this document has been written. This morning, the 17th of August, 2006, I awoke to my own father asking me if all of my 15-16 aged female friends were alright, because my town was under what I understand to be an Amber alert. News reporters are paid to say these things best so I am borrowing these words from a local news site: http://www.nbc10.com/news/9693541/detail.html.
“Ridley Township Police are searching for a white, non-Hispanic female age 15-16 years old, 5'8" tall, thin build, dark straight collar-length hair, with a bloodied face, wearing a white midriff shirt, short black leather skirt and flip-flops. She was abducted and forced into a white color late 70's or early 80's panel van, possibly Ford Econoline, with 12" letters "Hell Raider" spray painted in red on the driver side.”
Now I chastise the very same news organization because as I left my house on a completely unrelated errand, I looked into the sky to see helicopters. I saw no police or medical helicopters, but instead news helicopters which were prostituting my town over the airwaves for its juicy bit of daily entertainment. And it reminded me of what I have known in the long term, that our government wants this to happen. Now I in no way assert that this kidnapping is in any way related to the United States government or any smaller branch, nor do I even entertain the thought of this being perpetrated by some larger conspiracy, but I do believe that in a very general sense our government relishes in events like these because it makes us, the American people, scared. I am scared, and I know that my local town is in a nauseating mix of apathy and fear. When human beings are afraid they immediately look to shift the responsibility of action to someone else and it for the purpose of this article it often happens to be our government.
Our government is not all bad; it provides us with an abundance of reputable services in return for taxes and unquestioning obedience but it is the latter which is a cause for concern. Whenever agreeably horrid events occur, be they murder, kidnapping or a foiled sleeper cell poised to strike, the news media leaps at the chance to report it like hyenas to a freshly bloodied corpse. Every day my local news, the world news, and other larger news networks like CNN and MSNBC report on any topic of human misery spanning from the most recent casualties in our war overseas to very localized events like the aforementioned kidnapping. Every single day we are reminded that the world is dangerous and that humanity is out to harm us, kill us, and rob us, and this is a terrifying thought. Our government steps in to save us from the evils of humanity and takes the problem off our hands so that the news need not report on it anymore and the collective conscience may forget about it. Being as the news is entertainment, neither a constant nor reliable source of usable information, I intend to remind readers of certain issues which have slipped from the public consciousness.
I have a friend that just left to fight in America’s war; chances are that most readers know someone or are related to someone who is boldly going to fight in the war which they may or may not support. I am not going to put out a list of anti-war propaganda, but in the interest of refreshing the common memory I will ask a simple question. Why is it that the United States of America entered into this war with Iraq in the first place? It was the fear that Iraq and its leader Saddam Hussein were in possession of “weapons of mass destruction” and had both the means and intent to use them on the world or worse, the American public. No such weapons have ever been procured and the term, in fact the U.N. Security Council found that there was no credible evidence that such weapons ever existed, and suddenly the term WMD, which was sensationally popular, has faded from existence. The next logical question is why are we still fighting? Well the answer to that is neither concrete nor easily found but it generally tends to center around fostering democracy and upholding stability in an otherwise volatile and undemocratic region. Furthermore, who are we fighting? The news demonized Saddam Hussein as our great enemy, but on May 21st 2003 George Bush declared that the major and sever fighting in Iraq had ended and on December 13 2003 Saddam Hussein himself was captured. So to draw the conclusions for you, we are now fighting a different enemy for a different cause than originally stated, and not only does the American public not realize this but our fighting men and women will willingly risk their lives for this perversion of information! How did this happen?
The television media kept us in fear that somehow the Iraqis having democracy was imperative to the preservation of our freedoms and we willingly burnt billions of dollars at the sacrificial altar of congress so that George W. Bush would save us from the evils of the terrorist (a word which is used increasing more frequently in place of the term middle east) society. Billions of dollars, so much money that a government which was coming off of a surplus at the exit of the Clinton administration is now fully into recession. Billions of dollars, money needed so very desperately for America’s internal problems like the rebuilding of New Orleans, a process that never pretended to begin, even while the news and America had its tunnel vision square on the disaster. Billions of dollars that could have been spent on other pursuits like developing an automobile that runs on a fuel aside from gasoline. Why is that so imperative? Well the scariest event is the one the news media is not telling you directly about, and the one that our government is doing shockingly little about.
Easily worthy of volumes, the concept of global peak oil is that within the foreseeable future, anywhere in the range of five to fifteen years, global oil production will have peaked, meaning that we will officially have run out of oil. This is one of the reasons, coupled with a receding economy reeling from an ineffective war, for gas prices being so high, a fact most Americans only gripe about for price and forgo researching the cause. I bring this up because change is needed, the government needs to realize very, very soon that this change needs to come, and the only way it will realize that is though the masses.
Well, you and I, American citizens, we are the masses. We are the raging hordes of people who take an active role in our government and affect change, but wait; something has gone horribly, horribly wrong. We aren’t the raging masses, nor is the average American even marginally involved in the system which governs his or her life. In reality, we are paralyzed by fear and sensationalism to even help ourselves. Many people claim that we have it good here and America, and to an extent I do agree, but we cannot be content with a decline of society. We have reasons to be angry, reasons like the shifting of ideals for the unjustified Iraq war, the city of New Orleans, a huge American former-metropolis, still is largely damaged, our gasoline is running out and therefore our lifestyles are about to become radically different, and there are plethora of abuses not cited here. Events equally worthy of research like the Patriot act, an open abuse of the American freedoms we so ideally hold, or the fact that the government willingly acknowledges spying and keeping records of cellular phone conversations, to name two events, and all of the above occurred during this president’s administration. It is time for the American people to wake up and galvanize, to realize that the freedoms we so often hear about are actually being stripped from us and that we have no one to blame but our inactive selves. Our government isn’t going to realize there is a problem unless we make them realize it so I demand that if you aren’t a coward, if you believe that you have been shortchanged your rights and you would like them back, if you believe that you deserve an active role in determining what governs your own life that you make yourself recognized herein. Suggest a solution to the problem, and for god sake write your congressmen! If enough of us are committed to making a change than a change will happen but it wont happen by being passive. You gave me your time in reading this now give me just a moment more and make the change. It’s not enough to be afraid; fear is a tool and I am tired of being afraid. If you are tired of being afraid by your government and its media, put down right here right now the phrase “I am not going to be afraid any longer!”
My name is David Michael Pezzano, I am going to take my government back into my hands and I am not going to be afraid any longer!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-invasion_Iraq%2C_2003%E2%80%932006#Fall_of_Saddam_Hussein.27s_Regime
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_w_bush
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil#Peak_prediction
http://www.nbc10.com/news/9693541/detail.html.
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| I don't intend to start breaking promises now so here is a xanga entry!
So let me see the last time I left off on this cyber-blogg.
Looks like spring break. So there is probably a lot to tell.
School ended and I graduated, senior week plans BLOWN but not totally ruined, couldn't stay for all of bonoroo but stayed long enough to watch Oysterhead(Insert really girly smiley here-> ) so it was still worth it. Beach excursions with the wonderful Jacky, special guests Charlette, Kristen, Joe and ... that kid that was Joe's friend. Movies with te wonderful Jacky (also special guest stars Charlette, Joe, Bob, Gabe, Ian, Brittany, Ally, Jesse, Brendon, Maddie, Kelly P., more...) including The Empire Strikes Back, otherwise known is Pirates of the Carribean, otherwise known as really cool. Barn parties including the best of barn party in which I was the only one wearing an outrageous amount of face paint (that happens to me a lot). There has also been a plethora of jamming with varioous people and styles. Hell I'm building a bass and even threw a grad party somewhere in there, which had amazing success.
:::BIG BREATH IN:::
What else? Odd dreams involving zombies, horror movies, and a figment of my own dreams who continues to haunt me know as Dr. Kellers (my dreams are scary dude), plenty of in home movies with Jacky and occasionally Ari, oh and that whole zombie movie thing.
I am in a zombie movie written/directed by Dan Centrone (hope I spelled that right) which will be rocking your socks by the end of summer. Mama's strap in you's babies because this one is going to be the best thing to hit Ridley since ... I don't know... Inerborro blew...up?
Also, got intruded upon by blue wearing folks doing a couple of things that may or may not have happened. If you're asking, you weren't there.
Bob's been gone at keswick all week and I miss his antics.
Anthony's antics are also sorely missed.
Gabe and Dom chose this week to leave too.
Damn.
There has to be plenty more to my life...
College? Going to Boston soon? Boston rocks. Correction, Boston will rock once I get in there.
Ya know what else rocks? That Jacky girl I know. Yeah the one that lives down the block from me, demanded I write this and will be one of my few loyal readers who gets through to the end for any other reason than to see her own name.
:::keep breathing while typing:::
We go to that cove thing every so often, every so often I find a way to hurt myself...that I haven't before. No I'm not an emo, I mean physcially. But that just tends to mean fun... or at least an awesome story for afterward. But as I was distracted, Jacky is fun and a great girlfriend and that is as all sappy as I will become on this digital-rant-machine of mine!
So.
If I forgot to mention you I suppose I don't love you.
Or do I?
I know I didn't mention plenty, but I have to save SOME stories for when you people corner me in party-type discussions.
Rock.On. | | |
| Where did I leave off...?
THURSDAY
On Thursday there was plenty of being lazy, followed by practice with Westdale. The practice was then followed by a recording session. To all local bands: RECORD YOUR STUFF WITH BAETY, HE IS AWESOME AND PROFESSIONAL AND CHEAP!!!The record is now being duplicated so everyone buy it (talk to any of the members of Westdale for the info). After that I think I met up with Bob for a tiny bit. Yeah, I did. Got it. Then Sleep.
FRIDAY
I woke up fairly early (we're talking 7AM Bullshit here!) and 'packed' for Boston. By 9 I was on a plane and by 10 I was in Logan. I called Jacky, for once she was asleep and I woke her up. Whoops. Anyway it was my mom and me who went to Boston, and I very quickly learned to navigate Boston's subway. First stop was B.U. which is freaking huge. I walked from B.U. to Camberage where my hotel was. My hotel was the sweetest looking thing in the world. Once the other computer cooperates a bit more I'll post a few pictures. From Camberage we went to the backbay (my future home for a minimum of 4 years). We shopped around Newberry street, hung around Berklee and had a generally good time. We went to the observation floor of the prudential tower (floor 50) and I got bored so I pulled a Ferris Bueller (stood on top of a platform and leaner against the glass). Then we went a floor higher (maybe it was 2 but the other one was a phantom in that case) and ate a desert in an uber upscale resteraunt called the Top of the Hub. Our waiter was a French teenager, he was cool. Later on that night i got directions fromt the cutestst (actual) asian girl ever then hung around Fenial hall, which is a big outdoor market. In case you couldn't tell by this time, Boston is the shit. We found a comedy club but it was sold out by the time we got there (thanks for being popular Tracy Morgan and Lewis Black!!!) so I finally went back to the hotel rather tired and a bit wet from the light rain.
SATURDAY
The Berklee open house which was my actual reason for being in Boston. The band Pop Filter opened up the day (look 'em up) and then a long presentation on admissions and stuff. I didn't care, that was for people who MIGHT apply, not sukkas who is in. During the tour the lead singer of Pop Filter led us around, and this dude monopolized the tour. He was clearly digging on her, but he didn't have to ruin the tour to get her digits. Word. I spent the rest of the day back in Fenial hall then walking around the warf, which is very Penns landing like. Everyone should visit me in Boston, it's sweet. By 7 I was on a plane, 8 I was home, 9 I was with Jacky, and 9 and change I was with Ally, Jesse, and Kelly P. The rest of the night followed suite.
SUNDAY
Haven't you stopped reading yet?
Happy Easter
Hung around and played guitar awhile, then easter dinner, then Jacky and me went to Curcio's to see Brittany, Ally, Jesse, Chris Lu, Zappa, Pat and of course the master of the house, Mike Curcio himself. I got Jacky back early, but then we decided to just watch the Aqua Teens. Metal.
MONDAY
Poker tournie with Dom and 20 other fellows over D$$T's house. I love tournaments, this time it was a hand I barley lost against Richie B. that crippled me and that was my day (2 pair Jacks + 4's against Queens + 4's). I tied for 8th place in the day, and it was a lot of fun even if I didn't win any cash this time. I then killed my couch (to get it out of my room I had to hand-saw the top off, ugh) and went shopping to replace it. I got an inflatable but it SUCKS and an Octopus lamp. Finally I hung with Jacky a little bit by walking around because it was so damn nice out. | | |
| Let's do a play by play of Spring Break so far
Friday
I didn't go to school Friday but didn't really do much of interest. Afterward Jacky, Bob, Ant, Dom, Matteu and me got together, and split up, everyone went to Sam's and Jacky and I went to the mall. Saw Charlette and Holly then drove around awhile before eventually going to Nifties. Afterward I went to Ant's to hang out with those who valliently escaped the massacre at Sam Adam's (aka his parents came home and found a party). Hillarity ensued, and Spring Break has begun.
Saturday
Saturday, Saturday, what happened Saturday...? Ok so the day revolved mostly around Westdale and practicing. After the practicing there was my first show with them at Collenbrook. We rocked. The 3rd band bailed so we got the closing set. Let me say it again. We Rocked. The barn crew showed up in bathrobes the second that we finished (alas! timing!). After that was a barn party, which was very low key. We watched the Big Lebowski in bath robes (well not me I don't own one) and had a generally good time. I took Jackie home and MISSED THE COFFEE CUP SCENE, but eventually the movie puttered out and Bob and Maria showed up, fresh off of a prom. We went to Tom Jones (actually bumped into Holly & Charlette), talked about awkard things and eventually dropped Maria off before Bob and I wandered the earth a bit. Then I went home.
Sunday
Going to bed at 4ish SUCKS when you have to teach Sunday school. I taught Sunday school (had a very good class this time, narrated the events of Holy Week play by play) and then it was time to take Jacky to the art museum. We drove in, parked at 30th and walked to the museum only to find it isn't free on Sunday mornings anymore. WTF?! Well, we walked back to the car, drove to get egrolls at the mall, drove to get my uncle's key for the shore, got stuck in traffic, got some form of dinner and watched Kill Bill 2. Then Matteu and Anthony came over awhile and that was that.
Monday
Interview at Ft. Mifflin. I will officially be a tour guide there starting in May. Officially. Then Charlette, Raffi, Jacky and me went to OC NJ. The water in the ocean was ice cold but that didn't stop us damnit! So we dried off, put the whole of Charlette in a dryer, and walked the boards a bit. We found and arcade, and at this point I have no clue what the girls did because Raffi and I played House of the Dead 4 (so sweet) while they took quarters and ran about like little imps...bad analogy but whatever, you'll keep reading. So after that I dueled Jacky in air hocky, then we played that electric chair game, which is a bit intense. We got food and went back to hang out on the beach. We returned to the boardwalk after Raffi and I dune dove and found we were the ONLY ONES on the boards. Sweet. Everything was closed. Less Sweet. We went back to the condo, watched Pulp Fiction, attempted to watch Lebowski again but were all too tired and slepd. End of Monday.
Tuesday
Woke up still in Ocean City (what a cool thing to do) and cleaned up the place a bit. Then we went to get a McDonalds breakfast (I can't tell you the last time I could wake up for a McDonald's breakfast on a non-school day...) And played on the playplace for little kids. Awesome. Then I epicly battled the seagulls whom had decended upon the carcass of our collective breakfast. We drove home (thanks to Raff for driving) and went our seperate ways (I feel like I should include another parenthetical statement here but I don't really have one). Later on I went again to Anthony's, this time with Matteu, Sam, Raffi, Dan, Tony (who the hell is Tony?!), and maybe some others...maybe not. I ate a LOT of s'mores (eyewitness accounts range from 9-14 with 14 looking accurate....gurbargh) and the night progressed from there. Bob and Jim showed up, eventually I went home. Good night.
Wednesday
Did I spell Wednesday right? I don't even have a clue. Bob and Matteu and obviously me went goodwilling (shopping at goodwills not spreading cheer and happiness) to little avail. Bumped into Jacky (how funny that I never see her) and called Amar to see if he could get us into the costume shop. He, alas, could not. Then it was time to work for Howard. I don't really think I'm legally aloud to say what I saw that day, but I can say it was grimy and I went into a crawlspace and recovered some items which might as well have been relics. After that it was time to get all gussied up, and I made the transformation into Frank Sinatra. Once I was suited up Jacky showed up, the Luke (whom I dressed on the spot because he was unaware the party was 1940's themed) then Bob, Ant, Matteu, then Megan and we were OFF. Well after a brief stop at 711 because Bob can't live without his crippling addiction to energy drinks, but THEN we were off! After a drive with some really slow traffic we ended up at Amanda's and immediatly heard the band playing. It didn't take long before dancing began (and to the best of my recollection never stopped) and the party was amazing. I sang out a few Frankie favorites and danced pretty much the whole night. Oh, and we went on that awesome rope swing. Rock.On.
Now it's Thursday, but Thursday hasn't happened yet so we'll leave this fairly all-encompassing post as-is for now.
Rock On as always. | | |
| I feel awkard posting something that moves away the Eulogy, but the good things in life should wash away the bad so here is recently.
I'll go back as far as Tuesday. Going out with Jacky as of then, which is way cooler than anything you probably thought that Tuesday involved. Or anything else for that matter.
Wednesday I hung out with Charlette, Thursday went to a show with jackybobcharlettejessholly ect and saw one band over the course of 2 hours. I want my $5 back Inerborro! Then watched Mystery Men. Word.
Friday, guitar class officially sucks because someone must have done something bad, it just pisses me off that I'm going to fail because I'm sure as hell not doing busy work. Then I got my finger of death fixed. The doctor claimed the infection was more intense than any textbook photo she ever saw. That didn't stop her from slicing it open. Delicious. And by delicious I mean Ow.
Then class night. I wore the blue suit, there were some interesting costumes (poor poor Savage). There were fish. Neat. There was dancing, also neat. The thing was kinda like a pre-prom. Bus 70 Forever. And here's to yelling stuff in a massive yellow schoolbus in Camden. And to Donna. Went to Big Joe's for awhile afterward. Rock on 2006. I plan to use my mug like I'm a king and I will "bequeathe" anyone who dares to use that mug. Test me on that, make my day, punk.
Saturday I facepainted little kids, then went to Swarthmore with Jacky. We saw a tribe of pagans which grew progressivley larger the longer we spied on them. Not like the biker kind of pagan, but more the godless-eats-newborn-babies kind of pagan. Or fat hairy dude with no shirt and facepaint and a cape sort of pagan. I don't know. Swathmore is a cool place to spend a day, more so when you don't have to constantly worry about pagan assualts. They would have put us in a stew . . . or something.
Bob and I tried to go to Nicole's party later on. The house numbers went 923, 927 and we were looking for 925. Crap. We tried walking into the yard between the two houses in hopes of finding an invisible house, ala Harry Potter, but to no avail. Then a guy with an NRA bumper sticker decided he'd try to kill us. So we abandoned all hope (half an hour of looking mind you. HALF AN HOUR) and met up with Matteu and Jacky, got funnel cake dinner, then went to spy on the Pagans. After the deciscion was made to NOT bother the pagans (their numbers dwindled from about 50 to 15 and they were swaying around a campfire drunkenly singing "Yesterday" ) we had a rousing round of zombie tag (aka I chase Bob around while Jacky and jess played the more conventional wander-around-aimlessly zombies) and then Jess died laughing like twice. More adventures which eventually culminated in seeing Gabe and Chris Lu, then all dispersing when we realized about daylight savings. CRAPPY. That was the only crappy part though, the rest of that day was neat.
Finally on Sunday I had one kid for Sunday school so I gave him a ride home, watched Groundhog Day, read a bit, and did generally nothing. My old man and me then went to see V for Vendetta (which he loved because how can you not) and then we went to dinner. Hanging with my dad is fun. Lastly I saw Meg, Charlette, Raffi and Andy, we hung out, tried Swarthmore again (how much of this can one man TAKE?!) and then tried watching constantine. Except that movie is long and I was tired and Charlette hates the devil so none of the above, thanks. Now I'm here. Whoah dude. | | |
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