ACAB..Really?

There are too many things to unpack these days. There should be nuance in everything instead of deadly broad strokes. The world was created in nuance…let’s follow that road.

ACAB- All cops are bad or all cops are xX^&*X&^. Whatever you fill in is wrong. Why because it’s just not true…..But it’s most definitely true at the same time. You see the issue is so severely nuanced that a sound bite like that does not hold the weight it carries and just further divides us as a people.

Try this instead..

All cops are bad..WHEN…They protect other cops who have histories of violence and malfeasance against citizens, especially citizens of color-since they are the brunt of the offenses. Bad or illegal behavior is not rewarded anywhere else but in military like institutions-(and corporate America, but that’s another blog).

I know a lot of great cops who would give their lives for you. It’s a fact.

Still….

All cops are bad WHO participate in coverups and do not let third party investigators do their jobs. An organization does not have the capacity to investigate itself honestly. But time and again we see internal police probes that just clear officers UNLESS there is some sort of outrage.

All cops are bad..WHEN they believe Qualified Immunity applies to them in all situations simply because they are the police. This leads to an institutional culture that believes itself above the law instead of being part of the due process of the law that serves the citizenry of it’s country.

This last one I just heard from someone whom I would have never pegged as a neoconservative.

“I saw cops kneeling in support of BLM therefore all cops are good..”

Taking a knee is only a statement. Yes it’s great when cops join in and support the rights of others. That’s a very powerful image…. but Derek Chauvin took a knee and look where that landed us.

We need to look beyond the obvious, beyond the first page of a book to find the real story.

Are ALL COPS BAD?

YES and NO

Should we defund the Police?

Yes and no.-Next time…….

 

Selah

the rev

Blood Anarchy!

Blood Anarchy is my new solo release

It is a story of pain in a myriad of forms, mental, physical, emotional. You get the drift. It’s not a happy album, but one who’s story most likely echos in most of our hearts and minds.

We live in a time of pain. Sometimes we don’t know or can’t express it. Sometimes we express it in dangerous ways, to ourselves or to others.

Pain-just like birth and death-is a singular event. Even though many can “Share” the experience, each person feels it alone and ultimately deals with it alone.

This album is for you, the ones in pain, for it is my story, my journey through and in pain. Never ending, all encompassing, merciless.

Everything is blood, and blood is everything.

Everything is pain and pain is everything.

Available wherever toys are sold…….

Selah, the rev

 

Cover art by William Salit Design

Winter-Summer

I love this time of year, here in my city. For about two weeks in the middle of winter, the weather changes and becomes calm, sunny, warm and lovely. Usually it’s the same time as the cherry blossoms bloom and the lost majik of my city once again asserts itself.
All of her denizens become happy, and generous of spirit, as if they had beef freed from the yoke of slavery. Slavery to the cold, the wet, to the indoors and each other.
It is also the month I have chosen for my birthday.
Since at the time of my first birth, calendars weren’t yet invented. People tracked time the old fashioned way, with the rising of the moon, the raising of crops or the passing of sons in war.
But about a thousand years ago I decided to celebrating the birthday of my current incarnation as my true birthday.

But I digress…
I love my city, but she’s having troubles. The gulf between rich and poor is no more apparent than here. Mocking all of us with a horrible reflection of our leaders ideas of our future.
I have never really believed in politics or ism’s
That was always my brothers job. I was content to stand by and watch, to be the commentary on life. But now that he passed, his mantle of activism has bled into my soul  and won’t go away. As much as I try it seems to assert itself when I least expect it.
Indeed. I get lost at times when I write. Deciding to move with the flow as opposed to the thought.

My city, my beautiful morally bankrupt city, is still the only place I call home. The only place that calls my name as I walk her streets at night, climb her hill during the day.
Whispering to me in the slightest of ways.
There’s hope.
As long as there is winter-spring, I’ll believe her.

Selah

The Rev

War-Fucking sick of it!

My original title for this sermon was “With us or Agin’ us”. (You need to put in a low life white trash accent on it to really get the vibe). But I need to put a forward on this one so you understand the context of it amid the last few days.

War cannot be won by violence. The battles maybe, but the underlying issues never, ever go away. They just fester and putrefy. War can only be won by changing our belief-our hearts and minds- that there is a difference between the warring parties. That “we are better than you”, is not real. I know that’s hard when you are given the choices by those in power of “With us or Agin’ us”, all of the time. It’s a mantra that is-at least in our country- pushed by the white rich ruling class, and is parroted down by those who crave to be them one day.

“Maybe if I sound like them, act like them, I could be them!”

But no, that’s not how it works. So this sermon is for all the Stupid white people who think that it’s possible to be a Parrot and an Eagle at the same time.

I read a Facebook post from some white couple calmly saying that if you don’t speak English, you shouldn’t live here. That if you are a Muslim and you want Sharia law here, you should go back to where you came from. That this country is a Christian country like it or not. Love it or leave it. That we tolerate the rest of you infidels living side by side with us, is about all we can take.

So my first thoughts after reading this were these…..I am totally sick of idiot white people! There I’ve said it. You guys are a bunch of…..let me put it this way. If parrots and lemmings were able to breed, you’d be their offspring!

“Lemmingrots” would be a good name.

“With us or agin’ us”. Fuck that. Are there only two choices in life for Americans now? So Il Duce has bombed a Iranian leader in Iraq and this is good? His poll numbers go up, his donations are pouring in and he is now the savior again. You’re all proud of him???

(Please use white trash voice here). “What impeachment? Impeachement, imsmeschment”!

“That was all a ruse by some unpatriotic Americans-probably some ferners like that AOC bitch over there and that radical towhead Talib”.

Well I only really have this to say about that…..Fuck you guys with your sanctimonious standing tall with Christ at your back. Saying this has ALWAYS been a christian nation and if we don’t like it, we should go back to where we came from. Christ would hate you mother fuckers for saying that. He’d be like….

“Just pimp slap these people until they start listening to me”.

So you feel more American and have more pride when our military is involved. The might of arms makes you feel your truth…..? Penis envy much???We bomb a leader of another nation and that’s OK. “He was going to bomb us, He already attacked us. He’s planning more things!”

Most likely all true but why….

I asked y’all a question…WHY the fuck would he do that?

Why the fuck should anyone in the region want to hate us so bad? Maybe the better question is Why the fuck are we in the region to begin with? I know the answer……Do you? Can you guess? It rhymes with Moil, Soil, Foil and toil…That’s right Money!

We are there to protect oil interests, not people. We give not one shit about anyone over there least of all our allies. Just look at the kurds. Beasties one day, disposable the next. We don’t intervene when the Saudis or the Turks commit mass murder. We basically do squat when Syria gasses their population. But fuck with our money and we are gonna come and get you! All under the guise of patriotism.

“With us or agin’ us”…..

The battle cry of the Braindead!

Selah

The rev

Facts Vs. Faith

This is the eternal battle. Not good and evil, not even right or wrong, but fact vs faith. And much to the world’s chagrin, it is both a losing and winning battle. Let me explain:

Faith always, always wins in the short term. That’s just fact! There is no arguing with someone who is bound by faith to believe in what they believe. The world is flat and afterwards there are monsters. But with enough time and peoples curiosity, that piece of faith goes away. People sail to the edge of the world and lo and behold, it isn’t there.

Poof!

There is no more flat world belief. (Although there are some folks who would still argue the point today. But they’re just crrrazy)! The beautiful thing about fact is that its empirical. Either it is or it isn’t, and there is proof to back up your claim. Verifiable and undeniable. The beautiful thing about faith is that it needs no proof, only the ability for someone to let go of all reason and believe that something is true. Completely  deniable and utterly unverifiable, and they both can exist side by side amicably…if not for ego. 

The problem is that a majority of people can’t allow both systems of belief to exist simultaneously, because it breaks the covenant that they have entered into with their own belief system. “Thou shalt have no god before me”!! It cracks the shell of their ego. A man who believes in the “word of god”  with all of his breath, will not believe in evolution. Not matter how much proof exists. A man who believes in evolution and has spent his life exploring it, will never accept the “word of god” as fact, because there is no proof.-just fairly tales to tell the kids, so they are not afraid of the unknown. This is the way it is and the way it’s always been. 
Of course there is a middle ground, but very few folk live there and there lies the rub. We live in a world which requires both. We need fact and science and the ability to admit we were wrong about something when proof is presented to us. In the same breath, we need to believe so hard in things that are never manifest because it soothes our soul. It makes us better. It makes us strive to be and do things that are brave and new.

AND that is the problem today. 

I have long running arguments about politics and faith with different folks from around the globe. Topics that span Brexit to Saudi Arabian aggression, to apartheid in Israel. But my favorite are ones come out of a particular part of the country that is on the Atlantic coast and sounds like New Jerky. They believe that what is going on right now is a sham, a witch hunt (to quote Il Duce) and none of the charges nor indictments and convictions are with merit. Everyone is innocent except the accusers.

J’accuse!!

There is no empirical facts for their position and no supportive evidence except for imaginary groups of deep state manipulators who are reprogramming voters, hijacking the media and have only one purpose in mind. The overthrow of this president.

OK- I accept their position…mostly because I can’t change it, but also because it’s their right to be as stupid as they want to be. (I never claimed this was a PC sermon). So when they ask me about my faith, my positions. my philosophical bent.  I tell them my truth. 

I am a reincarnated soul who was cursed/blessed with the memory of most of my lives. I was born the son of Gomer on the decks of the ark. I was anointed by Elijah to be a holy man and to do gods bidding and have failed miserably since then. I am 4781 years old.

When they hear this they all have the same response, “Rev- you are so full of shit, it’s sad. That’s impossible”! . But I always reply with-“how can you be so hypocritical to believe one thing without proof while vehemently denying another thing without proof. Where is the bar, the standard by which you measure truth?  They inevitably reply with the same exact thing.

I know what’s in my heart, that I’m right and you’re wrong.

Kablamoo- and there it is. The reason this moment in politics is going to get uglier. Because it will be a battle of hearts and being 4781 years old I’ve never seen that battle go well…..for anybody! Just blood and guts everywhere, until enough time has passed for faith to leave and fact to breeze in…….

Flowing freely amongst the dead.

People Say……

People often ask me: rev how can you put a shit covered  American flag on your new album cover? Isn’t that ungrateful, unpatriotic, obscene and filthy? Do you not love your country? Doesn’t that limit your market appeal? Do you not love your record label?
I always have the same three replies..

The first is always…. Fuck that!! The second is also always, market appeal??? What the fuck is that? I have been on the outside of “pop market appeal” since the dawn of time. In this lifetime, my hero’s were Zappa, Copland, Beefhart, The Who, Varez,,, Some of whom were not so famous in their time. I like it odd and weird, non conforming to social norms. That’s where my soul lives. Lastly I have always been an ardent supporter of all things anti fascist (Antifa if you will) -I’m sure that will get picked up by some government bot and filed away….So my answer would always be a resounding Fuck That.

But I digress……..

If It’s OK to want to raise the confederate flag for pride and heritage regardless of the fact that is stood for a treasonous secession and slavery. If it’s OK to put the American flag on bating suits, towels, head scarfs and underwear-where actual shit has a good probability of touching it, instead of my metaphorical version… If it’s OK to allow the ramblings of white supremacists on the web and in the white house, then guess what? Fuck you!! It’s political art. It’s freedom of speech. It’s anything but unpatriotic

A Symbol is nothing more that a rallying cry for a thought. The physical manifestation of that thought put to ego.. and the meaning of symbols can be changed by those that control them.
Let’s take our lady of liberty. A fine symbol for what’s truly great about this country, but her meaning has changed into What will you do for me today? How will you benefit me today, tomorrow and all of your indentured life.
Granted, I am someone who enjoys a good bit of hyperbole every now and then for story telling purposes…but the underlying truth about it is right there in front of you. Fuck the immigrants put them in cages. Separate the families and call it liberty.
Let’s go for the cross….Touchy stuff here, but we have many many christian pastors who are calling for an American Jihad  against all that they deem unholy! Do you hear that? Are you able to parse that wholly Un-American idea. If you’re a member of the LBGTQ community, If you’re a woman who wants a choice about her reproductive rights, If you are an immigrant seeking a better life. These self same preacher are going after you. How high is the child molestation count among the clergy. The fucking clergy!

Hypocrites and money changers lead our nation. 

No..icons are meant to convey the thoughts and ideals that we all strive to be and share and because of that they can be used to point out contrarian behavior, just as much as undying love. Because even though I put a shit covered flag on my cover, I still love my country. But I do believe that the ruthless thugs running it, need to be removed.

We have become the SHITHOLE NATION.

Be the revolution

Selah

the rev

Sick of it!!!

That’s right, sick of it!

Sick of sycophantic myopic businessmen that parade around as public servants. Sick of villainous white men who lurk in the shadows waiting for any chance to put down anything they hate. Sick of sheep mascarading as people following leaders that actually hate them and have non compunction about using them. Sick of the media rhetoric. Sick of nepotism. Sick of the White house and all the grifters who live in there. Sick of the GOP who have turned into a bunch of mealy mouthed Woosies who won’t breathe a word of dissent for fear of retribution.

FUCK YOU ALL!!

Your time is coming. Your tricks are no longer working. Your compatriots are falling and going to jail. Your time is coming and nothing will stop it. Because we-the VOTERS are not as stupid as you pray we are. Your double speak and obfuscation of the truth, your outright lies and slander will no longer work. We understand. WE understand. WE UNDERSTAND!!

              (Sturm und Drang-Sneak peak of off the new album SHITHOLE NATION)

SHITHOLE NATION is a story about a country, any country-OUR country- in the midst of a revolution, in the midst of a gut wrenching, soul searching battle for an identity.

Who are we? What do we stand for? How have we gotten here? Do the icons of truth and honor still hold up today? Brother against brother, mothers against daughters. Facts have become vague, truth becomes rare and bitter old hatreds have arrived. Much like the civil war of the 1800’s, the belief that some are better than others, has come back to haunt us.

Maybe bury us….The only way to stop it…..is to BE THE REVOLUTION.​

SHITHOLE NATION-A voice in the revolution.

Selah,

The Rev

Happy New Year…Bitches!!!!

Seriously, Happy New Year. I hope all of your wishes and dreams can be fulfilled this year. Last year was a tough one all around and the fight this year will be harder……But what of that…We must always combat the forces of racism and bigotry that this administration is trying to foist on us. We must always fight the constantly growing devide between the haves and have-nots, between colors, religions, and our brothers and sisters, because there is only one path and that is the path of equality, freedom and love.

So in the Spirit of in with the new and out with the old, we (LordRifa) decided to team up The Trouble with Monkeys and Marylin Mitchell to put on a New Years alternative show a few days later that doesn’t contain all of the hype, faux glitz and cash requirements, but all of the joy, fun and hope that New Years should bring!!

Let’s have some fun!!

Selah

the rev

Marching to the Sound of War

I will not let up about this.

I will not stop in my belief that our current wanna be dictator would re-make our amazing country into his own image.

I will not bend to the terrible truth that even though there was a massive voter rebellion against this tyrant, he still pursues the ways of a fascist.

Proof you say?………Fine, but understand that proof is truth and truth needs to be believed otherwise it’s just words on a page. Like the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, the Magna Carta.

Words on a page.

The Tyrant says he does not believe the intelligence placed before him about the murder of Jammal Khashoggi. Maybe yes, maybe no…but either way he is not going to ruin the economy of the world because of it. The world economy! Forget the millions of dollars his personal businesses have received from the Saudi royal family over the years. Forget the fundamental rights of a human. Something that America has fought many wars for. Not even a single word of protest. Forget the truth of one of the worlds biggest intelligence networks in creation. It does not even come to bear. He-the Tyrant- Does not believe. That’s all that matters.

The Tyrant says our judicial system can no longer be trusted to adjudicate fairly-In his favor-so he wants to change that. He is now going to a court-the supreme court of the land- which he has appointed 2 of the 9 members for a verdict. The Tyrant has been trying to discredit every part of the system of checks and balances we have built-into this great nation. Now he is taking on our justice system. Even John Roberts-Chief Justice John Roberts, a very conservative justice is at odds with him.

The Tyrant as given the military the option to use force against the migrant caravan. People fleeing terrible regimes only to find a worse one waiting for them across a border with armed guards and swastikas.

They Tyrant says there is no correlation between the rise in hate crimes all over this country and his words, because his words remain above reproach.

We MUST depose this Tyrant before he becomes too powerful to contain. History demands it, Freedom Demands it. We must impeach, we must press charges where charges are warranted. We must give no quarter to this tin pot Tyrant because they grow up all too fast.

Selah

the rev

Faith and War

We are in a civil war- just the beginnings mind you- but in it we are.
I wasn’t sure about this “fact” until I ventured back to this life’s homeland, ( cough, cough, hack, fur ball stuck in throat…….) New Jersey. Where the red flag of patriotism sits on the pole next to the cross. Things that are real don’t matter any longer.

Facts are of no use and figures are only good on women.

Most buffoons that sit on one side on the isle in the Senate and House can’t grasp this single idea and the ones that can, are leading our American jihad all the way into a fundamentalist regime.

The Confirmation hearing on Butthead has revealed the true inner thoughts of our fearless white male leaders. Women’s lives don’t matter. Black lives don’t matter, Brown, Yellow and especially Red Lives don’t matter.

All that matters is the financial and emotional health of the white man.

We are so FUCKED!!!!
This civil war is not based on politics but on faith. On belief. My god is better than your god. My savior is better than yours. And guess who is considered a savior??
I am reminded that it only takes a single man to be the face of a movement. King, Hitler, Gandhi, Lincoln, Kahn. They were polar opposites in belief, but were the same in function. They motivated mass amounts of people to do what they believed was correct.
Faith…
I know it well.

I have mostly stayed silent on the politics of the current time because to be honest, I don’t know enough to make an educated argument for my position. Especially in light of the fact that government is an imperfect beast.
But who is perfect?
I really don’t have that great a grasp of finance or macro economics, to understand why folks are so happy about an economy that favors a single class of people. They parade around “facts and figures” that substantiate their claim, but they seem wispy to me. Much like and old spider web.
The folks I see and know on the lower end of the financial spectrum are terrified about a runaway economy. They don’t understand that our great stock surge is mostly fueled by five or six companies.
They fear the plunge. Much like the big earthquake they know is coming, but not when.
And for the life of me I could not understand the lack of desire for a real national health care system.

Until now.

Sure it’s money, lobbies and differences of opinion. But at the root of it is a faith based concept that god will take care of his own and fuck the rest.
“God took care of me and made me wealthy, so I can afford any health care I want, so….
Fuck the rest of you! God wants it that way”.

Fuck the rest….

It should be the new battle cry of the New American Jihad.

Things don’t phase believers.
The most corrupt American government in modern history, with more indictments and plea deals than a mob bust, and people just don’t care.
Because they believe in HIM.
A second rate TV host/businessman/huckster.
“Come see the naked girls on the tight rope”.
“Excuse me sir, there are no naked girls in there and there is no rope, only a line drawn in chalk on the floor”.
“Kid, those fine girls are naked under their clothes and that “line”is a two dimensional version of a rope”. You just gotta change the way you look at things.
Now get outta here you bother me”.

I can battle faith because I have faith. Faith enough to share. But much to my consternation is there is no real winner in the short term of this war and we won’t know what we have wrought for years to come.
But I will fight,  because I believe.
Not in gods or icons. Not in charismatic figures or religion. But in the greatness of who we are as a people- no…better than that- who we are as individual people. Left alone out of the mob mentality we are different. When not carried along by the river of hate and authoritarianism. The flow of bigotry and violence. We are a peaceful species. Just trying to live a life worth living in world that’s sometimes much too harsh for words.
In our hearts we are Jesus, Buddha , Muhammad, Moshiach and all of the rest.
We just need to believe…..

And act.

Selah

the rev