I want my country back

When words fail me I turn to art or, many times, the words of others. In attempting to express my profound sadness and anger about the pathetic state of our nation and our disastrously immoral role on the global stage, I pieced together the following visual images that inspire me to keep on keepin' on. I traveled through a wide range of songs trying to find just the right sentiment for this montage. Scanning through my iTunes I ranged from blistering indictments by Ani DiFranco to Pete Seeger wondering where the flowers have gone. I settled on this Alice Peacock song because it is, in the end, hopeful.

Acknowledging all that is wrong with our political state of affairs, Alice still chooses the conviction: "I'll start with me." I respect that. It's the attitude I strive to maintain. Everyone spews the tired excuse that they are only one person and they'll never make a significant impact. Often times it seems progressive community activists are attempting to steer the Titanic, I know I can feel that way, but if every person who said "I'm just one person..." would do something, we could turn this around. I want my country back because so much is being done in my name, your name, our name, that is beyond ethical comprehension. We are capable of so much good and we are capable of so much more than this.

The song is "I'll Start With Me" by Alice Peacock. Some photos are from the Syracuse Cultural Workers (incredibly inspirational change-the-world resources) and some photos are from Raphaella Vaisseau (one of my favorite Bay Area artists).