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Artist Interrupted
S.B. Reda
I am an artist … or at least I think I am.
When I lie down just before I go to sleep, I think about the things that I
was working on and look forward to what I will be working on the next day.
In fact, whenever I have a moment, I think about things that I am
currently working on, things that I can be working on, or things that I
will be working on soon. And once I have finished working on something, I
don’t spend a lot of time admiring it because I am already on to the next
thing.
Of course I am an artist! What other kind of person could I be describing
here but an artist? Not only has this been my personal approach to work,
but it has also been the approach of Discord Aggregate over the course of
its 8 year history. In the past, when we would write bulletins such as
these, the topics were always about art, whether it was about a specific
work, our artistic approach, or the philosophy behind it. Though nothing
else was really worth talking about, when non-art related topics did enter
our discourse, they certainly would never have to do with politics.
Oh how things have changed!
Never did I think I would become – forced to, really – politically active,
despite having earned a degree in Political Science. Never did the
election of a public official mean so much to me; never has its outcome
been so important. Heck, the last time I voted was the only time I voted,
and it was right after I turned 18 (and I did it only because I was
finally allowed to).
But this time it is different – very, very different. This bulletin
reaches a crowd of like-minded people, so the intended audience of this
text may not necessarily be you, but instead someone you know or are
thinking about right now. Maybe your cousin Fritz from Sheboygan could use
a little talking to, or your neighbor down the way … the point is that we
are in the home stretch and cannot take anything for granted! My
girlfriend and I have been targeting friends and family (as well as the
families of friends) with our “weapons of mass education” – various books,
articles, movies and other bits of info that we have compiled and been
sending out across the country, hoping to have a last-minute effect on
those who may be uncertain (or certain in the wrong direction!) for whom
they are going to vote.
Goodness knows that I’d rather be working on my CD and films than
educating people about the Sinclair Broadcasting, a media conglomerate who
has been illegally using their control over the airwaves to campaign for
the Bush Regime and spread anti-Kerry propaganda (should be with a capital
“P”). Well, I guess it is illegal if there is someone who will recognize
that as a crime, but when the commissioner of the FCC also happens to be
the son of the Secretary of State, you can see how these “crimes” get
overlooked.
Instead of sharing this bit of info, I’d rather focus exclusively on
completing the editing of “A. Molotkov and S.B. Reda Meet Zabda Rect in
The Hierarchy of Evil.” But instead of that, I am sending out more stuff
about Cheney’s involvement with Halliburton (he still draws an income from
them – conflict of interest, anyone?), ChoicePoint’s global indexing of
everyone’s DNA (and stealing the election for Bush in 2000), and how
Diebold may be the next lucky chooser of our President (taking over for
the Supreme Court here with their hacker-friendly voting machines). So
please help prevent me and Discord Aggregate from becoming too
knowledgeable about these and other evil topics! Help free us from this
debacle and let us and other conscientious people return to doing whatever
it was we were doing when the Bush Regime invaded the White House 4 years
go. Get out and vote, and make sure everyone you know is too!
Now I remember what I was doing 4 years ago: I am an artist. I was working
on art.
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Awash, Afloat, Aware
Pamela
Zero
I have
spent days, months, years awash in despair over the relentless removal of
support for the arts in this country. Financial, cultural, and social
maintenance for art has diminished to the point where it is not only
laughable, but self destructive to encourage any expectation of funding or
assistance for the creation of independent art. Now I find myself in the
midst of despair as I watch another basic component of society being
eroded. There is no support in this great United States of America for
independent thought, especially on the political front. Mandatory loyalty
oaths must be signed if you want to attend a rally for Bush or Cheney.
Newscasters are spoon fed opinions neither fair nor balanced. Protestors
against the war in Iraq are declared unpatriotic. Information about our
library books and bookstore purchases are now legally open to the
government and Ashcroft tried his best to get women’s medical records
opened. The list of lost freedoms grows and grows.
And so I’ve slipped into simply floating these last few years, relying on
instinct and the relentless rhythm of art to guide me through my days.
I’ve allowed countless battles to bob on by, certain that any time or
energy spent on fighting apathy, misinformation, religious fanaticism,
and/or blatant corporate greed is far better spent on art.
I have changed my mind. I’m aware now that the gruelling uphill quest for
funding and support for art is miniscule compared to the relentless
invasion of our privacy and the deprivation of our civil rights. If Bush
wins, we face 4 years of devastating blows to our ability to discuss,
publish, create, or debate ideas that are not administration approved. The
loss of assistance for art was staggering, but the loss of freedom of
expression is deadly.
Please vote for John Kerry.
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The Right Thing To Do
A. Molotkov
As you have noticed,
our Bulletins have turned political in the recent year or two. This is,
hopefully, our last political Bulletin. Its message is simple. On November
2, you must go out and vote for John Kerry.
Why not vote for George W. Bush?
Chances are that most of our subscribers already have an answer to this
question. But just in case, let’s go over what Bush has accomplished, in
no particular order:
1. The first pre-emptive war in US history
2. Torture and indefinite detention without charge
3. Alienation of international allies
4. No-bid contracts for Halliburton
5. Loss of jobs for the first time in 70 years
6. Record budget deficit
7. Tax cuts for the rich
8. Assault on the environment
9. Medicare reform for the benefit of the insurance companies.
10. End of the ban on assault weapons
11. Curtailment of liberties under the guise of the Patriot Act
12. Manipulation of public opinions and fears for political gain
13. Limitations to the woman’s right of choice
This list could take a few pages. And if Bush is elected, we will see more
of the same. Another war or two, further erosion of liberties, military
draft, growth of terrorism…And maybe most ominously, the possibility of a
Supreme Court nomination intended to advance the ultra-conservative agenda
for the next decade or two.
Why do I feel confident that Kerry will win? Well, several reasons come to
mind:
1. Bush got just under 50% of votes in 2000. Everyone who voted for Al
Gore in 2000 will vote for Kerry in 2004. Yet, many who voted for Bush in
2000 will vote for Kerry in 2004. This is a simplified model, but a
statistically correct one.
2. There are more registered democrats than republicans. So, if every
registered democrat were to vote, Kerry would win automatically.
3. Among the recently registered voters, a significant majority are
democrats.
4. The majority of voters currently identified as undecided are expected
to vote for Kerry.
But if Kerry is to win, we all must go out and vote. We cannot be so
confident as to assume that he will win without us. And we cannot give in
to the Big Brother’s message that Bush will win no matter what, so we
might as well not try.
But what if you disagree with most of these statements? Maybe you are
Republican? If so, I have a different suggestion for you. Tell your
friends and family you are voting for Bush. But when you get to the polls,
look inside your heart to check whether this president is on the right
track. And then do the right thing.
Last election proved that every vote counts. This time, let’s not let the
Supreme Court select our President down the party line. We already know
what that party line is.
On November 2, you must go out and vote for John Kerry.
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