i read a portion of this on the show; here is the full version.
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i come to you with love, albeit with a heavy heart. i am addressing this open letter to you in a mode of remembrance of the activist spirit which led me to consider you my favourite artist of all time. you made no qualms about utilizing your art as a means to honour your ancestors and teachers who displayed the same or similar spirit. i also came to appreciate your sense of humour regarding your physical inability to see as well as an ability to take us all to a place which transcend the material or physical- that access to the pineal gland is crucial to reach a place of creative enlightenment, if you will. of course it's been said, due to the lack of your sense of sight you have more of an ability to see the things the rest of us who have this sense tend to ignore.
i must be honest with you; where i see you currently going is worrying me. the same fervour you displayed in your art to bring light to political injustice around the world has now been diverted to openly encourage people to vote for a man who is the face of an administration which supports the very values you have spoken and acted against.
we are currently living in a time where a surveillance unquestioningly exists; where those who critique 'big brother' are deemed conspiracy theorists. the 'president of your soul' you succinctly spoke to in 1972 still exists- this time he's signed the national defence authorization act into law as people were out partying. he's winning the hearts and minds of the performance class, simultaneously not speaking in depth to issues of police terrorism on poor or working class folks and non-europeans. he gains sympathy by evoking the possibility that his-or our american- children could be attacked by an unseen force, without giving a second thought that the u.s. drone attacks around the world kill innocent children.
the 'man with a plan' who is currently the face of the nation's government has re-appointed the head of an organization representing private banks; and this organization continues to print 'counterfeit dollars' in order to 'stimulate an economy' and stave off an ever-increasing debt. the person supposed to make decisions on drug policy was also re-appointed and refuses to do proper research on that which she is supposed to be making decisions on.
you have written about the effects of a soldier coming back from a brutal war; a war some say was based on lies. the effects of PTSD are just as real for soldiers today than it was back then and still troops are being told to protect a philosophy based on lies. these soldiers have little protection, and the people who make decisions are not going to go out in the front lines and experience the same effects.
the observations you made regarding the value of plant life are ignored as lobbyists from organizations like monsanto influence decisions on environmental policy.
you are correct: we have to 'stop giving just enough' and put in actual work to create the change we actually envision. it's not going to happen if people continue to openly endorse politicians who are owned by destructive entities.
each of us enters this earth with proper tools, enabling us to make distinctions between right and wrong. if these tools have not been blunted, we will be steadfast in our abilities to make those distinctions; and we will be able to back things up with evidence, and an assertive calmness. those who are able to make those distinctions will not need to utilize talking points. there will be a realization of freedom in knowing you have truth on your side.
you once said, "i think there are very few people on this earth that are totally free. i'm not totally free, but i am working on it." in order to begin to achieve freedom, you've got to work on freeing yourself from mental slavery. this would require a cessation of the belief that the two major parties are different from one another. in order to maintain the illusion that they are, it is imperative they hold different policies on wedge issues. these wedge issues are the basis of emotional voting. if people were to go beyond emotion and actually study the policies, they would most likely see the vast similarities. if you have seen or heard the recent 'debates' between obama and romney i am sure you saw no true variety of issues debated on, and that they both agreed on major policy issues.
you also once sang that "you can't free the slaves to enslave them differently." ultimately, if you have a birth certificate, a social security card or any sort of government-issued identification, you are a slave. if you look at any information on the cards, it directly says they own them, and you must return them upon request. your social security number has been established for you. despite all of this, once you know that those are symbols of the matrix, and once you know that all of those methods to define you are not real- this is where you begin your emancipation. this is the same with the election (or as i like to call it, 'selection') process.
once you begin to realize that you are being used as a tool to divert attention from the higher consciousness of a people by encouraging them to remain in tune with their emotional selves- remember, this is how many people vote- then you too will begin to see the process of emancipation. i still consider you to be my favourite artist of all time- and most likely will for a very long time, despite whatever political dis-agreements we may have. i just felt that as a person who does appreciate your art and the purpose it serves, i had to say something. i have seen you support candidates whose policies i've not supported in the past; however, the policies have gotten even more extreme. the every same people who have screamed and protested over bush's destructive administration have remained silent over the current one's perpetuation (and worse) of the same tactics.
it's been said that we should not take stock in whatever a celebrity says or endorses. i am of the belief that as public people, celebrities should be held accountable as well, for what they publicly do... especially in these times when politicians are also treated like celebrities. we have to realize that celebrities are employed to sell the products of their employers- not just products, but ideas. clearly, there is some illusion of choice regarding what projects a celebrity takes on; however, anyone who takes on a project which is deemed too controversial is going to have their chances reduced of being a part of the main society. or, they get rejected altogether.
my question to you, my dear elder is: have you sat down and seriously studied the policies of the candidate you are supporting? if indeed you have and you still insist on supporting him, then i respect that, even if i don't agree one bit, because at least you've made what you felt was an informed decision. however, i don't think you agreeing with all of those destructive policies is the case. with all of the concerns you've displayed in your art over the years, if you actually feel that voting is going to effect change i am curious if you've considered voting for a 3rd party candidate- one who recognizes the values of environmental justice and human rights.... at least more than the candidate you are currently supporting.
it would be wonderful if this message travelled to you somehow. i doubt if this will be the case, but i can only.... hope. it doesn't hurt to speak out in favour of justice, even if only one person is listening. my hope is that we are ALL working towards freedom- step by step, second by second, moment by moment.