Land Of the Free, Home of The Slave

(photo courtesy: Natalia Joanna)

“It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, “Always do what you are afraid to do.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Raise your right hand. Swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but truth.; so help yourself. This is a court in which your life is on trial. 

     It seems that we are but few degrees away from a state of dystopia. Social and political revolutions across the globe are taking place. A rage against the machine has started, with restraint removed from the heart of the dissident. We hear of the riots erupting in Athens, the journalists who hunger strike in Egypt's prisons, and of the students who clash with police in Kosovo. There is a volatile imbalance between  the global upper and lower class; playing fuse to the powderkeg of civil unrest standing in center of the worlds stage.
 

    "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, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." - Declatation of Independece

To what degree do the American people truly feel they can excercise their rights against government? Would citizens within our domestic borders be willing to answer a call to arms if the powers in place took radical measures against the people? What business does the American government have in purchasing more than a billion rounds of ammunition?

Look at feminist punk protest group Pussy Riot, who had some of their members jailed in their native country of Russia for actions deemed as "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred". Back in February of 2012, five of the group members staged a performance protest at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. The stunt sparked a media frenzy and led to the arrest of three of the participants. Nadzhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Tekaterina Samulsevich were all denied bond and forced to sit in jail to await trial. While Samulsevich served little time due to a succeful appeal, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were remanded to custody for 21 months.

 

Watch the Pussy Riot Performance:

 

(courtesy of: Mike Feigin, youtube:timurnechaev77)



To what level does the collective "common" class of society allow the restraint of rights and freedoms? The social systems in which we live and function serve to coerce and contain our thoughts, feelings and behavior. To become a "member" of society requires one to relinquish many of the organic aspects of self.

It is generally accepted that there is a need for men to be governed. We must exist and function as individuals, while at the same time showing awareness to the interdependent nature of what is the human experience.  

 

 

 

(Photo Courtesy of: David Monniaux/Wikipedia Commons)

 

The country of Kiev is literally in a state of chaos. Government authorities have expressed concern for its ability to maintain control in certain areas. Uprest arose around the end of 2013, incited by President Viktor Yakunovych's decision to walk away from a propsed EU trade agreement between Ukraine and Europe. The deal would have given Ukraine closer ties with the west, but Russia, the countries number one trading partner threatened to impose sanctions on the former soviet republic. Yakunovych decided against the EU offer, sparking outrage from Ukrainians across the coutnry.

 

 

(Photo Courtesy of: Ivan Bandura / Wikipedia Commons)

 

Kiev's independence square has been the central location for demonstrations, drawing crowds of more than 100,000 protestors. Economic troubles have led to political instability, the major oppositional influences coming from groups such as UDAR, the Svoboda party and the Fartherland parrty.  Most opposition is centralized within the western region; comprised of mostly Ukrainian speaking citizens, while Yanukovych draws most support from the Russian speaking citizens in the East and south.

 

 

(video Courtesy of: International News Channel / Creative Commons Licsense)

 

Tuesday, February 18th served as the most violent day of protest in the country. At least 25 people were announced dead with an estimated 200 injured.  President Yakunovych met with oppositional leaders wednesday, and according to press reports a truce-agreement has been reached. In certain areas, clashes between demonstrators and police continue none-the-less.