Art and Politics

I wonder how many people have listened to songs before without really listening. For instance what is the popular group Guns and Roses saying about Civil War. 

My first thoughts were about race. 

Because the United States has been in a civil war before, and having being raised in a individualistic society, I assume it is about the United States civil conflict. 

 It is involved but I believe the song is not about race so much as humanity. If you watch the video you will notice flags of other countries that have had civil war. There is even a communist flag. 

Axl Rose the lead singer sports red, white and blue with the word rebel screaming across his jacket. Again, a reference to Americas civil war. But maybe he is stating America is rebel or oppressor and our involvement in foreign affairs is a infridgement on human rights, instead of just racial rights, he encompasses both. I believe he is speaking to us on a global scale not just in American scale.   

At the beginning of the song, there is a clip from Cool Hand Luke, the movie, with the late great Paul Newman. In this movie Newman, played Luke a stubborn prisoner, who would not stand down to the prison guards or other prisoners while maintaining his dignity through his wits. In the clip, the man speaking is the prison warden who tries to repeatedly break Luke. No matter what horrendous treatment Luke endures, his spirit is not broken. What Axl says by using this in his song is that people treated unfair by the government can maintain their spirit through fighting back and not giving up. The government can tell us what to do but they really can't control our thoughts. Only we can.

The lyrics are interesting.  It seems politics spurn artist to create. And artists  lead people to rebel and see the truths of humanity.

While we 'shift from side to side' like zombies, people die in war.  

The Cure for EVERYTHING is Renewable Energy

So our country is in peril. One could say the country and all its inhabitants are sick. We can place the blame on ourselves, and our ancestors. But we could also just blame government. Not just our government but all governments have contributed to the declining health of our world. This is U.S. Government class though, so I will refrain from commenting on other governments. Ours is the government that is decomposing and sick, while others are growing, our markets are failing. 

Sounds harsh and depressive but there is a simple answer for everything that ails us. Our economy, the war, and our health can be cured with renewable energy. 

Some may scoff and think, how can renewable energy fix our government? For one, our economy would be boosted with a shift in the stock exchange moving towards renewable energy and away from fossil fuels. Our troops could be brought home to build and design new ways to energize the world. And also build and create new forms of transportation such as railway systems, which could make coal and oil an obsolete and undesirable investment. If you notice where the U.S. has holdings in the world, they are always near oil fields. We would not have to be wanting as a nation, but could again be leaders and heros for the world, in helping all its' inhabitants health by ending the pollution.  

I know this is very dreamy of me to make the problems seem so simple. In life and death situations, the answer is always simple. Invest in life, and disregard the fossil fuels. You may get richer with oil and coal, but rich doesn't keep you from your death when you've been poisoned with an environmental pollutant. Be in it for the long term investment and a long life, and make your stock choices in renewable energy. In 40 years, you who invest in renewable energy are going to be loaded.

Canada is leading us. I hope our government can lead us to renewable energy. So we can be independent from Canada in the future. 

RES Americas Inc.