Destroy power, not people.
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I came home from almost two months away and my dog lost her mind. It's a special sort of homecoming when a small animal gets zoomies at the very sight of you. I moved to Los Angeles so I would enjoy coming home from tour. I think it worked.
Home has been a lot of different places over the years, some more temporary than others, often with much of my things in storage or otherwise far away from me. I can travel for long stretches without blinking an eye, sublet somewhere for a few months, or visit a friend for a while. Getting homesick has never had a huge influence on me, maybe other than the decision to leave New York.
It's a very privileged feeling, not to say that moving and traveling has necessarily been easy or affordable. But obviously, especially today, freedom of movement is not to be taken for granted.
The value placed on home and land and family governs most people's decision to stay or go. Removing the ability to make the decision to stay is such a cruel act. War is such a cruel act. I believe in a diversity of tactics, but there is a level of violence and deprivation that I can never celebrate under any circumstances. In no uncertain terms: Free Palestine.
I have been lucky enough to find people and music that have shaped my politics my entire adult life – people and music that have given me the tools to see things and form opinions for myself. To see exploitation, state-sanctioned violence, and oppression for what it is. Whether that's standing in opposition to colonialism or anti-semitism or animal cruelty, the common thread in my education has been music or the community that surrounds it. Dare I say, The Punks.
If these were liner notes, I'd say thank you to Propagandhi, Billy Bragg, bell hooks, The Clash, Rage Against The Machine, Angela Davis, Dropdead, Strike Anywhere, Crass, David Graeber, John Perkins, Shotgun Seamstress, Cindy Crabb, and the list goes on.
It is so easy to feel helpless in the current world order, but I can't speak highly enough about finding your people. Even if they're only with you through song or in writing. It reminds me why I feel so strongly about the things that I do, the expectations I set for myself and other people in my life.
When things start to feel wobbly, I can be reminded by friends and music and books that I'm not alone in the core truths of what I want for the world.
Fight war, not wars.
Destroy power, not people.
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