Leonard Cohen

2 great songs by Songwriter and Poet Leonard Cohen describe current events---written in 1992


Leonard Cohen Wikipedia     Leonard Cohen Files website

Songs Democracy  and The Future

Democracy Full Lyrics     The Future Full Lyrics

Analysis of The Future by David Whiteis

A Reading of the Future

The Future (Selected lyrics)  video

Give me back my broken night
my mirrored room, my secret life
it's lonely here,
there's no one left to torture
Give me absolute control
over every living soul

Give me back the Berlin wall
give me Stalin and St Paul
I've seen the future, brother: it is murder.

You don't know me from the wind
you never will, you never did
I'm the little jew
who wrote the Bible
I've seen the nations rise and fall
I've heard their stories, heard them all
but love's the only engine of survival

There'll be the breaking of the ancient western code
Your private life will suddenly explode

You'll see a woman
hanging upside down
her features covered by her fallen gown
and all the lousy little poets
coming round
tryin' to sound like Charlie Manson
and the white man dancin'






Democracy (is coming to the USA)   video   Occupy Wall St video of song

It's coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.

From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A. 

It's coming through a crack in the wall;
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don't pretend to understand at all.
It's coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:   (written in 1992---well before 2008 auto bailouts)
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin'
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming to America first,
the cradle of the best and of the worst.
It's here they got the range
and the machinery for change
and it's here they got the spiritual thirst.
It's here the family's broken
and it's here the lonely say
that the heart has got to open
in a fundamental way:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen. But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

____________________________
Unused verse:  link here
It ain't comin' to us European-style,
Concentration camp behind the smile;
It ain't comin' from the east
With its temporary feast
As Count Dracula comes strolling down the aisle.

______

Commentary
"Democracy" is one of Leonard's most ambitious songs, nothing less than an attempt at a new national anthem; Neil Diamond meets de Touqueville. Coming on the heels of a presidential campaign where the issues are astoundingly trivialized by the media, this is the real stuff, the CNN of the soul: "It's coming through a hole in the air; from those nights in Tiananmen Square: From the wars against disorder, from the sirens night and day; from the fires of the homeless, from the ashes of the gay: Democracy is coming to the U.S.A."

If Democracy is the New Covenant, it becomes possible here: "It's coming to America first/ the cradle of the best and of the worst... It's here the family's broken and it's here the lonely say that the heart has got to open in a fundamental way."


First we Take Manhattan Then we Take Berlin lyrics  Lyrics with German
                                                                                  video video with German
                                                                                                                                 discussion
                                                                                                                                    quotes

They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within 
I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them 
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin 
I'm guided by a signal in the heavens 
I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin 
I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons 
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin 

I'd really like to live beside you, baby 
I love your body and your spirit and your clothes 
But you see that line there moving through the station? 
I told you, I told you, told you, I was one of those 

Ah you loved me as a loser, but now you're worried that I just might win 
You know the way to stop me, but you don't have the discipline 
How many nights I prayed for this, to let my work begin 
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin 

I don't like your fashion business mister 
And I don't like these drugs that keep you thin 
I don't like what happened to my sister 
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin 

I'd really like to live beside you, baby ... 

And I thank you for those items that you sent me 
The monkey and the plywood violin 
I practiced every night, now I'm ready 
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin 

I am guided 

Ah remember me, I used to live for music 
Remember me, I brought your groceries in 
Well it's Father's Day and everybody's wounded 
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

Chelsea (Bradley) Manning

Chelsea (Bradley) Manning has been senteced to 35 years in prison for being a source to Wikileaks, a charge Manning plead guilty to and admitted. Manning was motivated by conscience---seeing war crimes being committed and after trying to get the Washington Post and other papers to report the story, Manning went to Wikileaks---publishing the Collateral Murder video, Iraq and Afghan war logs, and  State Department Diplomatic Cables.

The information helped start the Arab Spring, and showed the world the true story of the US government.  The information that the government kept secret from the American people hid the true cost of the wars, and Manning and Wikileaks showed the American people and the world the truth about what the government was doing in our name.  The release of the information caused no harm, and even the government admitted this during the 3 month trial---which  was also kept from the public!!! (except for a few DEDICATED journalists and the Freedom of the Press Foundation link here)


Learn more about Manning and Wikileaks PDF here

What Wikileaks revealed PDF here

Manning was held in pretrial confinement for over 3 years, in conditions defined as torture by the UN, and was given 112 days credit during sentencing by Judge Colonel Lind---but that is not enough.

Major General Jeffery Buchanan has the power to reduce Manning's sentence and YOU can help by writing a letter for leniency.




PLEASE take a minute to write a letter.  Write a letter for Chelsea Manning



The basics of the letter    Sample Letter PDF


Your Name (can be Anonymous)

To
Major General Jeffrey S. Buchanan
Commanding General, US Army Military District of Washington

 Today's Date

Dear Major General Buchanan

I write to urge you to use your authority as the Convening Authority in the case of US v. Bradley E. Manning to reduce Private Manning’s 35 year sentence to time served, and upgrade his “Dishonorable Discharge.”

 Pvt. Manning has been punished enough for violating military regulations in the course of being true to his conscience.  I urge you to use your authority as Convening Authority to reduce Pvt. Manning’s sentence to time served.

He was denied a speedy trial in violation of Uniform Code of Military Justice, Article 10


Prosecutors changed the Charge Sheet to match the evidence presented, even after the prosecution and defense rested their cases.

Subjected to illegal pretrial confinement of approximately 9 months at Quantico Marine Base, Virginia, in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 13, facts confirmed by both the United Nation’s lead investigator on torture and military judge Col. Lind, as evidenced by the 112 days credit Col. Lind gave Manning in his sentence.



You can sign the letter using Adobe PDF and can reate a PDF online here

some of my ideas for Banks and the Economy

General rules and ideas

Banks have to give at least 1% interest to depositors in a savings account

Banks cannot charge more than 30% in interest for any loan, credit card, mortgage, etc

Banks cannot use depositor's money for themselves---the ""Volker rule"" ""the Volker Rule would restrict United States banks from making certain kinds of speculative investments that do not benefit their customers"" link here

banks cannot bet more than 10 to 1 and cannot bet for and against a loan, making money either way, as they did leading up to 2008---they bet 40 to 1 on mortgage backed securities, lied to ratings agencies, made securities they knew would fail, sold them as safe, then bet that they would fail, making money while their customers lost money

Canadian banking

 Daily Show report  

WSJ Article link here 

Since 1790, the United States has suffered 16 banking crises. Canada has experienced zero — not even during the Great Depression.

Report link here

Bank of Canada link here

Economy---

I'm for regulated Capitalism

I really only want Government to do a few things----safety and labor laws and regulations---so enforce overtime, minimum wage, consumer protection, safety standards in products,

and banking regulations---especially role STOPPING recessions---that is when Government stimulus should kick in---when private credit freezes because of risks, that is when government should borrow money and lend it to the economy----lender and borrower as last resort


with the 2008 crisis over housing i would have done things differently---let banks fail, AIG was different though, that was an insurance company which froze credit markets for GE which had no problems---

NO FORECLOSURES on primary houses---allmortgages should be paid off at some time, but have help during a recession or crisis ---i would have done anything else----a one year moratorium, no payments---paid for by FED---allow partial payments as a statement of faith and will---""i would like to pay but cant afford whole payment now""

any stimulus would have gone directly to people---those who lost jobs, those who missed a few payments on mortgages (not more than a year etc, cant just not pay forever)---right now even Obama is restricting help to homeowners who haven't missed a payment, and banks make you miss 3 payments, they don't accept partial payments,

so here are just a few examples

Jeremy Hammond

Jeremy Hammond political activist and computer programmer---gave Wikileaks emails from StratFor (Strategic Forecasting) a PRIVATE intelligence company, like the CIA or FBI but with NO Congessional oversight (not even the oversight theater that NSA gets!!) which worked with the US Government to attack political activists like Occupy, PETA, and others.

http://freejeremy.net/            WRITE A LETTER


WRITE AN ANONYMOUS LETTER


Peter Judlow's GREAT LETTER

email the letter to  jay@criminal-lawyer.me
                       
Basic text of letter to Judge Preska (add your own views as well)

I am aware that Jeremy Hammond has plead guilty to violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). I am writing you ask for leniency in his sentencing. He has already spent more than enough time behind bars.

The sentences associated with the CFAA are vastly disproportionate to the crime. Jeremy faces up to 10 years in prison for politically motivated acts of civil disobedience, from which he sought no financial gain.  Meanwhile, those of Jeremy's co-defendants convicted in Ireland and the UK will not spend more than 16 months in prison. Some have already been released.

Jeremy sought only to make the world a better place. I respectfully ask for leniency in his sentencing.

GOP versus Government

Government IS NOT THE PROBLEM-----EVERYTHING is Government!!! 

The GOP Shutdown, “”Govt is the problem”” and the Declaration of Independence and Constitution

We in America have a government OF BY AND FOR the people to protect our rights and protect our liberty---

That is what the Declaration of Independence and Constitution set up---an accountable government that follows the will of the people (majority rules), a Congress of Representatives and Senators by state to ensure equal representation in Congress, with a Bill of Rights of individual liberty that Government ENFORCES and lives by---

We have the First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, press, assembly and petition the government in order to make sure Congress listens to the people they represent

Why we have government

The Declaration of Independence

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

The Constitution

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The Constitution sets up a Congress of a House and Senate, Role of President and the Courts, sets guidelines for laws and prohibitions----there aren’t many actual laws in the Constitution, but mostly a guideline for Congress who is the Legislative branch that will be writing laws (you can do this but not this when writing laws, etc)

GOP on Govt “”being the problem, hindering the economy,”” BLAH BLAH BLAH

Our Government as set up by the Constitution

PRINTS MONEY and loans it out to banks

establishes Patents to protect inventions and protect the profits of inventors

created roads and post offices for trade and mail, regulate banks

gives licenses to businesses, entrepreneurs, inventors and workers,

regulates labor and safety laws.

THE PRIVATE SECTOR GOES THROUGH THE GOVERNMENT!!!

Without Government services THERE IS NO PRIVATE SECTOR!!!!