From The Desk Of A Renegade Socialist... (Chapter 33)
morning breaks, that they have not taken
from us, for they do not know how.
and all the weary stripes of the night,
the marks of turmoil, the blood stained
sweat, the blow of grieving spirits, and
the weight of the anger, are for a moment
lifted. yet the scars remain.
coffee makes in small apartments, in trailer
parks, in welfare housing, in soon to be
foreclosed houses, in run down diners, in
farm houses, in alone, stinking alone, wanting,
needing, hoping against hope dwellings of the
common all across America.
teachers laid off, or underpaid, in book burning
banning ignorance.... firefighters who cant make
it on what they make. minimum wage cashiers,
nurse's aides, trash collectors..... without a chance.
angry lost kids who need education forced into
military service or prison.
human rights violated, or taken. free speech an
illusion. and the hatred, always the fearing,
discriminating, condemning hatred that they push,
on tv, in the news, propaganda, clothed often in religion
or morality... all to keep us divided, and so not a
threat to their kingdom.
the drug of distant success, keep your eyes on your wants,
what we tell you you should want... turn your face
from your neighbor, take care of yourself.
but our consciences know better. our hearts know
differently. our souls demand the truth. and the truth
is we are one!
one race, the human race. one family, humanity. equal
in the need for dignity, for respect. equal in sacredness.
men and women equal in value. all religions, all languages,
all colors of skin, equal!
and now begins the work of breaking down the barriers,
of extending hands, of breaking the glass of ignorance,
of getting involved.
of assuming the responsibility that is already ours. of
walking naked in the light. of being human. of listening,
and daring to learn from each other. of exploring doubt
in search of the truth. of admitting i dont understand,
the first step of understanding. of knowing the face of
god in every living being. for there is no deeper holiness.
again, of being human.
stand up, and walk! wake up, and live!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Related quotes
Gives A Damn!
the day i changed
my last name to 'gives a damn',
that's when the trouble began!
why does it make people so mad
when you speak the truth?
and why so uncomfortable
when you admit your mistakes,
take off your mask and stand naked,
revealing that you're human?
and why the anger
when you treat everyone the same?
no favorites, no elite, no righteous!
no political agenda, no religious fervor,
no attempts to convert....
no need to lead or follow,
always walking beside!
equal in suffering, equal in needs,
equal freedom, equal dignity!
anti-war, and anti any government
that abuses, neglects, or terrorizes...
believing that God lives within
every living being,
not in churches, temples, or mosques....
thus believing that all life is holy,
that all beings are sacred!
'gives a damn', and always will!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Equal Rights,2011
equal rights to live,
equal rights to love.
equal rights to believe,
to speak out, to stand up
and be counted.
equal rights to work,
equal rights to study.
equal rights to build.
equal rights to profess faith,
equal rights to pray.
equal rights to give...
equal rights to live,
equal rights to love!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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To The American People
common sense solutions:
tax the wealthy.
tax corporations and financial institutions.
put a tariff on imports.
go back to building things here.
get behind the American farmers.
grow as much of your own food as you can.
raise the minimum wage.
change from oil addiction to alternative fuels.
stop the damn wars.
feed every child!
give every child equal education opportunities.
stop prescribing narcotic pills like m & m's.
take money out of the courtrooms.
let anyone live here that works and contributes.
teach your children respect.
teach them to read.
teach them to work.
make health insurance a part of your taxes,
on a percentage basis where it's fair to all.
give everyone equal health care.
take care of the aged and the disabled.
but people that can work need to work!
fight for the environment for our children's sakes.
quit fighting over religion, politics, and sexual orientation.
restore human dignity by equal rights, equal justice.
stop judging, and start affirming.
pay politicians minimum wage!
clean up the street gangs and the prisons...
put prisoners to work, and educate them!
stop building bombs and armies,
and rebuild this country...
the roads, the cities, the factories...
put people back to work!
stop spraying crops with harmful chemicals
and feeding animals antibiotics
that are dangerous...
and pay teachers like they have the most
impotant job in the world...
they do!
teaching your children!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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I Am For
i am for...
justice, equality,
equal distribution of goods.
the right to work,
to speak out, to stand up...
i am for truth at all costs,
for freedom of religion...
i am for peace right now,
right here, and always.
i am for education for all,
for growing our own food.
for breaking the curse of oil...
i am for gay rights, and their right to marry.
i am for diversity, and unity,
and yes you can have both.
i am against...
war, bigotry, greed,
and anything that divides.
i am against the use of force,
the use of fear and manipulation.
i am against narrow minded thinking...
i am against the banning of books.
i am against progress
at the cost of nature.
i am against the wealthy
ruling the poor.
i am against anyone
who wants me to follow,
to change or adapt to
his or her standards.
i am against judgements
made by self righteous people...
i am against ignorance, most of all!
i am for...
people being people,
humans being human.
i am for you!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Our Level Of Responsibility!
our level of responsibility
far deeper than our occasional
stabs at compassion, and truth...
when we sit down to eat, and eat
far more than we need, and throw
the leftovers out... we are
responsible fot the hungry!
when we go to sleep at night, in
houses too big and too plush, we
are responsible for the homeless...
when we drive our SUV's around for
no reason at all, burning excess
gas, we are responsible for the
oil spills...
when we vote people in office,
whose agenda is profit at all costs,
we are responsible for countries
invaded...
when we turn our backs and walk away,
or stick our heads in the sand, we are
responsible for the loss of human rights...
when we allow the banning of books, and
legislation against free speech, we are
responsible for ignorance, and allow
ourselves to be enslaved!
responsible, every thought, every intent,
every action!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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The Truth And The Lie
the truth is
that the lie has worn thin
and tastes like vomit
in the mouths of the hungry,
the homeless, and the hopeless.
'make them hate each other,
because of color or creed,
make them afraid of each other,
tell them they're different
and that anyone different is dangerous'
keep them fighting each other
while you steal them blind
so easy, so easy
wake up, dammit!
we are all human beings
more alike than different
maybe if we tried fighting
and standing together
for world peace, for equal opportunity
for the right of all to eat and work
to raise our families, and to live
to think and speak our thoughts
freely with respect for all
and maybe if we stood up to the elite
and demanded a more equal distribution
of all things needed
and learned to work together
with the forces of nature and spirit
then, and only then
will we find the truth
together as one
and be set free!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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I Believe.... (Chant One)
i believe...
that all men and women
are created equal...
equal in worth, dignity,
authority, and sacredness.
that wars, for any reason,
are wrong...
that they constitute murder.
that any government
that oppresses the many
for the good of the few,
should be overthrown!
in nonviolent protest,
and the way of the peacemakers.
that the earth,
and all living beings,
are sacred.
that prejudice is murder,
that the faces of god are many...
and that many,
from various traditions,
have felt the presence of god.
that the path we're called
to walk is individual.
that all true paths are based in compassion.
that the way to truth
begins within...
that we are called to listen,
to get involved, to care,
to offer a helping hand.
that we have an inherent need to love,
and to be loved.
and that whom we love
is our own choice!
that every day we evolve...
that death is a beginning...
that hunger is a sin
against the face of humanity.
that justice should be the same for all.
and that love has a body!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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They Are Our Future!
when a child is born
in a slum area, whether
it be assisted apartments,
trailer parks, low income
housing, or homelessness...
and he grows up amid hunger,
poverty, need, gunfire, drugs,
and street crime...
and the world he becomes an
adult in offers him little
chance for employment, or
education...
what do we expect?
what we often get is an angry
young man just looking for a way
to survive!
our young people most often become
the opportunity we leave for them.
we are responsible for their future.
for they are our future!
there are those who make their way
out of these abject conditions, and
go on to make the world a better place.
these should be our heroes!
but every child should have food,
shelter, a loving environment, an
equal opportunity for education, and
hope for employment! every child
should have an equal opportunity
to live his/or her, dream!
again, these children, are our future!
we are responsible!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Racism And Rank
Racism and Rank are humanity's shame
All people should be equal and the same
But in my lifetime this will never be
In the Human World of inequality
The person born into a so called royal family
Should be no more equal than the likes of you and me
But human society is not structured in this way
And such is life as some are known to say
The facts tell us so and facts do never lie
That human beings are mortals and all born to die
The billionaire like the pauper to the Reaper's scythe must fall
Eventually death comes to one and all
In the Human World inequality of Rank and Race
Seems sad to say will always have a place.
poem by Francis Duggan
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New Way To Be Human
Every day it's the same thing
Another trend has begun
Hey kids, this might be the one
It's a race to be noticed
And it's leaving us numb
Hey kids, we can't be the ones
With all of our fashion, we're still incomplete
The God of redemption can break our routine
There's a new way to be human
It's nothing we've ever been
There's a new way to be human, new way to be human
And where is our inspiration
When all the heroes are gone
Hey kids, could we be the ones?
Cuz nobody's famous, and nobody's fine
We all need forgiveness, we're longing inside
There's a new way to be human
It's nothing we've ever been
There's a new way to be human
Spreading under my skin
There's a new way to be human
Where divinity bends
It's a new way to be human, new way to be human
I'll find your love across my impossible space
You've created me, take me out of me into
A new way to be human, to a new way to be human
You're a new way to be human
Where my humanity bends
To a new way to be human
Redemption begins
You're a new way to be human
You're a new way to be human
You're the only way to be human
You're a new way to be human
song performed by by Switchfoot
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Occupy... (Citizen Of The World)
occupy...
Wall Street, banks, financial institutions.
the Congress, the White House, the Pentagon.
the court system, the prisons...
empty factory buildings, small businesses,
the coal mines, the oil fields,
the docks....
vacant foreclosed houses,
homeless shelters, soup lines...
the lines of the unemployed.
the fields ready to be picked.
the illegal immigrants bent backs...
the big trucks shut down...
minimum wage slave jobs...
cheap imports made by child labor,
the oil industry, the automobile industry...
occupy...
big farms, those who would spray harmful
chemicals on the crops...
family farms, threatened foreclosure by the banks.
the education system,
the medical profession...
hospitals, clinics, and insurance.
nursing homes, social security, Medicare
and Medicaid...
occupy...
welfare housing, tenemants and trailers...
section eight housing...
law enforcement, emergency services...
occupy....
the military, all national acts of aggression,
the war industry!
voting rights, voter registration, the political process....
occupy...
human rights, equality, dignity and respect.
freedom of speech, freedom of information,
the truth!
occupy...
your neighbors' needs, the suffering of others...
hunger, despair, the human family.
occupy...
your own body, your sense of social consciousness,
your words, actions, and intents...
occupy...
a shared freedom as a citizen of the world!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Moral Fiber!
true moral fiber...
is grounded in respect!
respect yourself!
respect the earth!
respect your neighbor!
(everyone is your neighbor)
respect the search for truth.
respect justice!
respect the rights of human beings
to be human beings!
respect the need of each and all!
living thus...
will not allow you to respect,
acts of injustice,
acts of ignorance,
acts of prejudice,
acts of greed!
be respect!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Those We Encounter!
there is only one race
of people, the human race!
the leaf that's green
in the springtime,
that turns to red and gold,
then to brown, and falls...
is always a leaf!
the human heart,
regardless of skin color,
language, or faith,
is the same in each of us.
when we fight and kill each other,
we are killing ourselves.
what we take from those less fortunate,
we take from ourselves.
what we hate, and fear,
and dont understand,
is the darkness inside of us all.
all life holy, all life of equal value.
any system that judges
and seperates by color or beliefs,
by economic conditions,
is corrupt!
the emptiness inside
is the suffering shared.
the final responsibility,
to each and to all!
the search for the self
begins and ends,
in the eyes of those we encounter!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Truth And Justice.... (Part Six)
i'm not trying to make people angry
this morning... an intelligent person
know anger is but a symptom of the
disease...
i do state this firmly:
you are a human being.
i dont care about your skin color,
your religious views, whether
you're male or female...
whether you're gay or straight...
you deserve the right to be who
you are, to your own dignity,
to work, to be fed and sheltered,
to raise your families,
to believe in your dreams.
and all of the people around
this old world deserve the same...
you deserve to be free...
inequality, greed, and apathy
wont cut it.
the truth is, we're all human!
and this is the truth that sets us free!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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If 1 And 2 Were Equal
If 1 and 2 were equal
we'd have as many hearts as fists
If 1 and 2 were equal
we'd have confused shopping lists
If 1 and 2 were equal
there'd be less phone numbers to dial
If 1 and 2 were equal
noon would surely last a while
If 1 and 2 were equal
there'd be a nose under each eye
If 1 and 2 were equal
you couldn't say no to 'you and I? '
If 1 and 2 were equal
I think I'd be much more happy
'cause if 1 and 2 were equal
I would not be so lonely
poem by John W. McEwers
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Ancestral domain my quest
history tells on people, geography, race, culture and
events, is a wonderful topic for, the process gives
meaningful aspect of human sphere
great civilization started in common principle, an
inherent idea, that all men are created equal, above
other living animal who lives in this wonderful earth
a unquestionable notion that all species are free to
procreate, free to exist, free to subdue of what is
given and has all the opportunity to live in any given
time
the land is the only living testimony that witness the
existence of our races in many ages, for it is the race
who own the land, any dishonor of the human race is
worse than death
not need to go, beyond cultural languages and principle
but only we need to know the basic principle that before
the culture comes to existence the human lives, owns
the land
defination of terminology, even indigenous people as
defind has nothing to say on the real meaning of race,
words definition, hutchs the essence of human race
it is now the quest of every race, to praxis and achieve
our meaningful existence, for only our race lives forever,
and zeal by time in the history of ancestral domain,
a quest of our human race.......
poem by Antonio Liao
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Just Because....
just because...
your skin is dark,
and mine is light...
does that demand fear and hate?
are our dreams not the same color?
do both of our hearts not pump red?
just because...
you speak a different language,
and your god has a different name...
does that demand fear and wars?
are our needs not the same?
are our families not tired of the deaths?
just because...
you have money,
and i dont...
does that demand fear and oppression?
is our hunger not one and the same?
do we not both have faces and names?
just because...
i am human, you are human!
equal in value, dependent on each other!
and none are free, until all are free!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Race
Lie down, [fair 1//pheromone], and come away
Till the rain is over and gone
G-g-gimme the beat now (face the music)
Lead line (face the music)
If the air is a little thick in this room 2nite
I reckon its the result of an onslaught of separatist rookies
Overcome by this colorful sight
Talkin so fast that even they
Talkin so fast that even they
Dont know what they mean
Of all the things that base a rhyme
How is it that u everytime
Regurgitate the racist lines that keep us apart?
Thank God this aint monopoly
Ud make us all go back 2 start
Race
In the space I mark human (face the music)
Race
Face the music
We all bones when we dead
Race
In the space I mark human (face the music)
Cut me, cut u
Both the blood is red
I gotcha
Race
Race
Check it
Three seats over theres a lady black
Entrusted 2 her care is a little white girl
And the fact of the matter is
Before her momma or another kid at school
Tells her about the fallacy that 1 race rules over the other
Shed be a much-better-off-left fool (face the music)
If we never heard about the evils that those before us committed
Then how my dear, tell me now how my dear, tell me now how now would we know
And then the band say
Race
In the space I mark human (face the music)
Race
Face the music
We all bones when we dead
Race
In the space I mark human (face the music)
Cut me, cut u
Both the blood is red
I gotcha
Race
Race
(face the music)
D-d-down with h-i-s-t-o-r-y and all this bs propagandi
Keepin u from me and me from u as we grow
I dont wanna know (I dont wanna know)
Why those before us hated each other
Id rather believe they never did
Id rather believe (Id rather, Id rather believe)
That theres hope 4 a kid
And if he imitates the best
I guess thats what Ill try 2 be
And I will let the rest dissolve with my guitar underneath the sea
Race
(face face face face face)
Face the music (face the music)
Face the music
Race
In the space I mark human (face the music)
Race
Face the music
We all bones when we dead
Race
In the space I mark human (face the music)
Cut me, cut u
Both the blood is red
Get it?
Race
Got it
Race
Face the music
Race race
(face face face the music)
Race race
(face face face the music)
Race race
Race race
(face-f-face the music)
Race
song performed by by Prince
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Class Warfare,2011
class warfare?
you've hidden this one
well for years!
black and white,
red and brown,
northern, southern,
immigrants, prisoners....
male and female,
Baptist or Muslim,
old and young....
all human!
all hearts beating!
all have red blood.
there are only two
classes of people!
the 10 per cent
that own everything,
that own us...
and the 90 per cent
of us that are in bondage.
guess what! we've opened
our eyes! we're gonna
quit fighting each other!
now we're gonna turn our
anger on you!
every human being,
every single one,
should have equal rights
to work and eat and take
care of his/her family.
there shouldnt be hungry
children in the 21st century!
we shouldnt have to settle
for handouts and homeless shelters.
there is no reason to invade
other countries, to bomb them
and 'liberate' them at gunpoint!
war is a lie, and we're not
buying it anymore.
it is time for the human family
to be a family.... we wont accept less!
share the wealth, share responsibility!
NOW!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Human Beings
Human being beings are strange in being human,
Strange in love and art and vice,
Strange in being nice
Human beings are strangers in the night
Lights shining on a starry night
No sooner blinked out they are gone
A stranger in the human race
Keeping up keeping face,
Moving on
In crowds and queues and buses
Walking alone at ten
Human beings in being human
Make the strangest men
Not easy to be read,
Or clothed or fed
Or put to bed
Each thought entwined
Lives over signed overlapped
Smaller beings kept but not as 'pets'
Sometimes feel 'trapped'
For human beings are best when left at sea
Frantic firey disordered unchained set free
Their limpet souls make rocks their strange security
For love for life for space,
Human beings are strangest in 'The Human Race'
poem by Yvette Smith
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