My Birthday Wish ;)

Greetings Brothers and Sisters,

It is with the deepest pleasure I write these words... I will be performing at the Oregon Country Faire! I hope you can come see me at the Spirit Tower at 3 PM, and at the Rabbit Hole at 1:30.

Just one year ago, I stood in the crowd at Oregon Country Faire and watched MC's perform on stage and I thought to myself, 'Next year I will be on stage.'

I had yet to perform in Eugene. I had no fans and was unknown to the community. And Oregon Country Faire is a one-of-a-kind freak flag flying, fire dancin, Ren Faire on acid listening to bands influenced by the Grateful Dead, hoola hoopin, whoopin, whootin, hollorin, vendors bringin dollars in, dancin, livin, lovin, laughin, affaire. An Institution. A Right of Passage. A classic festival in the tribal survival.
My chances were slim.

So I stayed up late practicing. I woke up early to practice. I worked for minimum wage and saved my tip money in a piggy bank to buy equipment. I went back to work, made plans on my lunch break. I had my plans fail.

Yet through the grace of God and good luck, I serendipitously slipped into a situation far more sweet than I could have ever imagined.

Part of this success is due to my hard work, but I would be lying if I didn't get credit to all these angels who invested time, money, and most importantly belief, into me. So I thank those people. I thank you who are reading this.

I think many people believe in me because I have based my career off of performing socially, politically, and spiritually uplifting speeches, poems, and songs for free in our community, mainly with Occupy but also with other activist organizations. It is my pleasure and my purpose to do this. Now an abundance of opportunities are being presented. Gigs are popping up in unexpected places, over the summer I will be performing with artist and helping teach workshops for youth around our community. And I feel  it is time to elevate my projects up a notch. To go to the next level.

So I'm going to keep practicing, keep improving. And I humbly ask you to help me. In order to succeed and to give back to the community more effectively, I need the right equipment. I need a PA system. A good one small enough to move around easily and large enough to do justice to the type of music I make, electronic tribal hop music.

Will you pretty please with sugar-on-top help me by donating, any amount, whatever you can. Click on the link below to be connected to my paypal account: https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=bOUdiHv2xdoIqd0pzFmbmKMYpmzeoIQjswvCVfmSDIpxcBuKEjswOQA7pwW&dispatch=50a222a57771920b6a3d7b606239e4d529b525e0b7e69bf0224adecfb0124e9b61f737ba21b08198e9983d83a3c97b9636fcf51157e8c7b2

Peace, Love, Joy, Wisdom...
-Plaedo

Occupy City Hall-Celebration of Democracy (Morale Speech)

Context: so this was a little speech I wrote on the fly to present before our Occupy Eugene General Assembly in front of the city hall. On this date, we practiced our form of direct democracy and horizontal organization in front of the city hall, and then during the city hall meeting we came in and let our voices be heard on local issues.)

Hello Beautiful People,
Now I know it's cold outside tonight so I thank you.
Your willingness to brave the cold weather is proof that you care
about this world we all share.
Your presence here is proof that you are dedicated
to contributing to the creation of a better society.
When I went to my first General Assembly
and I saw a large group of people practicing
direct democracy and horizontal organization,
I knew this was a movement I would be proud to be a part of.
Because at our purest moments
we are a group of people
who work more for each other than for ourselves.
In an age, when most people can't afford health care,
in which many of the people who can afford health care,
spend hundreds of dollars a month on health care that doesn't cover
the ordinary normal situations in which most people see a doctor;
we seek to offer free medical services.
In an age, of rising tuition and unmanageable student debt,
we seek to offer an occupation education
Where you can get a GSD, a get shit done, degree from the school of hard knocks.
In an age, where neighbors are strangers, we offer free food and free friendship.
In an age of the Patriot Act and the NDAA, we celebrate free speech.
So I say, lets celebrate democracy, lets celebrate dissent,
lets celebrate the power of the majority
listening to the wisdom of the minority
Lets celebrate working together!
We can call it a declaration of interdependence.
And even if you disagree
with everything I just said.
I still thank you for being here
to participate in this process we call history...

Occupy Eugene Is in Solidarity with Occupy L.A. (And all the Other Occupations)

Hello Good Brothers and Good Sisters,

As I settled into my chair after I long day at work I got a text from a comrade in Occupy L.A.

Enough relaxing. The text alerted me that Occupy L.A. is facing pressure to close from the 'authorities'.

So I got on the world wide web and read a little about what was going on
(here's a few pretty non-biased and good links for background info:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/28/us-usa-protests-westcoast-idUSTRE7AQ0PM20111128

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/1128/Occupy-LA-eviction-deadline-passes-and-protesters-file-suit-to-stay-put)

It turned out that another Occupation is facing pressure to disband and stop, a pressure we at Occupy Eugene feel as our December 15th deadline circles over our head like a vulture. So in LA, After a long night of protesters and police standing chest-out in an all night face-off; a night in which Occupy Los Angeles responded to their eviction with a party. I am very glad to read that the police have not pursued violence in their attempt to remove our brothers and sisters. Likewise, I'm very glad that our Occupy brothers and sisters have also chosen the path of non-violence (By the way, our Police officers are our 99 percenter brothers and sisters as well, let us not forget).

I would like to contribute to this national dialogue. I do not speak for Occupy Eugene as I leader. Rather, I humbly speak as a member of Occupy Eugene. And as a member of Occupy Eugene I STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH OCCUPY LOS ANGELES AND ALL THE OCCUPATION'S ACROSS THIS GLOBE. AND MY HEART IS WARMED KNOWING THAT SO MANY OF OUR OCCUPY BROTHERS AND SISTERS ALSO STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH EVERY OCCUPATION MOVEMENT ACROSS THE GLOBE.

For those of you that do not participate or understand the Occupy Movement. Allow me to simply state: WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY. Occupy is a state of mind, an idea whose time has come. To all the cynics out there, please understand: WE ARE OCCUPYING FOR YOU.

WE ARE OCCUPYING FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, FREEDOM AND LOVE. WE SIMPLY WANT TO CREATE A FAIR PLAYING FIELD FOR OUR CHILDREN TO GROW UP WITHIN AND TO REACH THIER FULL POTENTIAL. SO WE OCCUPY. THIS IS OUR MOVEMENT, WE MIGHT HAVE TO EVOLVE TO KEEP MOVING, BUT WE WILL KEEP MOVING. I BELIEVE IF DR. MLK JR WERE ALIVE HE WOULD OCCUPY WITH US AND CHANT "WE SHALL OVERCOME!"

Let us not forget that it is our first Amendment right to peaceably assembly. Therefore, we occupy public spaces to keep our protest visible, it is our way of making sure that we don't forget about the problems of our system. It is our way to find solutions to the problems of the system. By occupying public places across the globe our ideas have permeated the public consciousness. That is why we are in the news everyday, more and more dialogue is being focused on unreasonable and unnecessary Economic Inequality.

The mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa has stated "It is time for Occupy LA to move from focusing their efforts to hold a particular patch of park land to spreading the message of economic justice and restoration of balance to American society."

To which I reply: We are focusing on Economic Justice. By Occupying Wall Street, parks, Malls, foreclosed houses and Banks, we are bringing attention to those who have grossly distorted our system and profited of our pain and profited of the over-consumption of natural resources. May the Mayor of Los Angeles, and those who think like-minded everywhere realize that to truly restore balance to American society we need to address Economic Inequality on both the top and the bottom of the Economic Ladder.

The Occupy Movement has been attacked because our physical locations are filled with homeless people. Let us not forget, these are our brothers and sisters in the human family. These are good people, with bad habits. Yes they are prone to drug use and violence. These are people who have fallen through the cracks of our current broken system. These are the warriors of our tribe. Whether they understand it or not, their presence has the potential of improving the situations of our brothers and sisters who are one injury or illness away from being homeless themselves and/or our brothers and sisters who lost their 401K and worry about old age. They are the casualties of the outsourcing of labor and the erosion of our public school system. They are veterans, burned fuel of the military industrial complex. Their presence is bringing awareness to Economic inequality. Their existence speaks to the injustices of our current society. They can heal, they have potential, and talent to give. They are our brothers and sisters, they are US.

As it says on the Statue of Liberty, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless tempest to me. I lift my lamp beside thy golden door."

And if given the chance, we will work with the downtrodden and addicted, with our tents and buckets of water. We will work with this humble reality to realize a more just, compassionate, and sustainable system.

SO LET ME ONCE AGAIN CLEAR UP CONFUSION: THE OCCUPATION MOVEMENT IS NOT ENDING UNTIL THE SYSTEM IS FIXED. THE SOLUTIONS TO FIX THIS SYSTEM ARE ARISING ORGANICALLY AS WE HAVE NATIONAL DIALOGUES ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF OUR CONTEMPORARY SYSTEM. BY OCCUPYING PHYSICAL LOCATIONS WE ARE EMBODYING THE BEST OF THE AMERICAN SPIRIT.

Peace, Love, Joy, Wisdom...
-Plaedo

Occupy Eugene-Watching Democracy in Action

Hello Comrades,

Like many of you, as of late, I have been pre-occupied with revolution, protest, and rebellion. The movement that began on Wall Street (or should we say it began in The Arab Spring?, or even with the World Social Forum?, Latin America?, Seattle WTO protest?) Whatever, wherever, this movement began, at this point it's hard to deny that something exciting is happening globally. People from diverse backgrounds are uniting through a shared feeling that something isn't right. The people are tired of feeling powerless and are beginning to exert their influence.

Currently, there have been 972 Occupy (insert city name) protest in the United States over the past few weeks. I have been participating in the Occupy Eugene movement. And I must say, it is quite a beautiful thing to watch a large group of people learn to debate and come to a consensus with each other. Part of the fun is the challenge of learning to think collectively while respecting the diversity that exist within the group. And also to avoid falling into a group think mentality. In this process we have to have patience and extreme focus, for example at a recent Occupy Eugene general assembly it took our group almost an hour to come to a consensus decision that we would make decisions using a consensus model. That means that for a decision to be made, we have decided that we need at least 90 percent of the room on board. And how do we conduct this debate? Through a moderately elaborate system of hand gestures. (It becomes even more fun if you dance while doing the gestures.)

Now I don't know what will come out of this wave of protest that has spread across our country (and the globe). I could tell you my hopes: I hope that this protest leads to a transfer of power, that it breaks up the global oligarchy to allow for more people and ideas to play a role in creating a more ethical and sustainable society. I would like to believe that this is the case, and that maybe it even is the enactment of ancient Mayan prophesies. I would like to think this is the case, but I don't know.

ONe thing I can tell you though, is after experiencing the Occupy Movement. I know that a lot of people are learning how to be more empowered, and how to collaborate and become more democratic in their ways of being.

And that, if nothing else, is a reason to cheer the movement on.

In Solidarity,
-Plaedo

I was supposed to go to work today...

But, I had a strange feeling. A little voice was calling me to abandon my responsibilities as a bill paying consumer so that I could explore my day and interact with my community. Outside it was sunny and I heard a little voice below the humdrum purr of car engines outside. Below the tv newscaster's drone and beyond the cell phone ringing, I heard a voice. Saying come and play. Live your revolution.

Maybe it was the echo's resounding from the WALL STREET PROTEST that are going on. As Revolution ripples across the globe, I feel like doing more than observing the great struggle from the comfort of my laptop, sweatpants and house.

So I talked with my partner. We talked about revolution, exciting and intensifying each others beliefs with each affirmation. Our talk bloomed into a short little manifesto. (Read Below)

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Why are there people standing on the corner begging for change when they could be on Wall Street Demanding Change. There are protests happening on Wall Street In New York City RIGHT NOW! They are protesting the greed that has lead to social inequality and the profiteering that is corrupting societies all over the globe. From the young informed revolutionaries in the Middle East to the Farming Families reclaiming their rights in Latin American countries, to the workers who have been claiming control of factories and their lives abroad and in our very own country; protests are spreading across the globe like wildfire. This is history happening. The people are demanding a transfer of power. They are saying NO MORE! No more will we let our schools go to ruin as the military spends billions on weapons of destruction. No More will we send our sons and daughters to do the killing for people who seek to proffit from pain. No more will we allow our brothers and sisters to be incarcerated because it pays to fill a jail. No More will we allow the planet and our environment to be exploited and destroyed for a quick $. NO MORE! WE are tired of working harder and getting paid less. Now is not the time to come to the government with our hands out, Now is the time to put the tools in our hands to build a better society. Our current economical and environmental crises is an opportunity to sustainably and morally redesign the world we live in. It is time to let our voices be heard, do not be afraid to say "REVOLUTION". Stand up for something or your downfall will be for nothing. WE ARE THE PEOPLE! It is time to wake up and realize we are the overwhelming majority. We have the power and the right to shut down corrupt systems, and more importantly, we have the power to create more fair, compassionate, and productive systems.

So we printed this little inspired manifesto out on pieces of paper and went down town. We tacked it to benches and placed it in front of the Wall Street Journal at newstands. We talked to the homeless and disenfranchised traveling street kids and handed them the manifesto to pass on. As we did this work, it was very empowering and healing in that we had to embrace and overcome our own fear to approach strangers and engage with them in political, revolutionary dialogues. Also, we did not inspire any outrageous or glorious moments of protest. Much work needs to be down to make this revolution omnipresent. However, it was a step in the right direction.

Thank your for reading this blog comrades. May the revolution grow from your heart and flourish all over this great globe we call home.

Peace, Love, Joy, Wisdom,
-Plaedo

September 11th: unforgettable memories and progressive movements

On this Sunny Sunday morning, the 10th anniversary of the "Terrorist" attacks on September 11th, 2001 May we dedicate a moment to ALL of the lives lost, on both sides of the fight, in the 10 years  since that unforgettable day. The day that burned into our collective consciousness like those towers, dropping the vials of our trust. I can still see the television replaying the incident ad infinitum in my mind's eye. I still remember that morning, I was on my way to school, a naive 10th grader who although sad over the loss of life was hopeful that this attack would change our foreign policy. (Where were you?)

And change our foreign policy, it did. Unfortunately the change from the top down was worse. We did not quite middling in other countries affairs, instead we started "the War on Terror". Our foreign policy in the middle east, if anything became more aggressive. And look at where that has gotten us. 2 un-winnable wars, thousands of lives lost, millions of dollars spent. Is the world any safer? Who has profited? 10 years we have been engaged in this war on terror. For 10 years I have had to take off my shoes at the airport (although on a minor note, I have heard that airport security is getting a little less extreme while still emphasizing safety.)

Like a shinning white dot in a blanket of blackness, like yin to the yang, it hasn't all been bad since that day. Those towers falling were like alarm clocks awaking many of us out of our unconscious consumerism. Many of us remembered our voice, many of us found our voice (myself included) in our attempt to react to that sublime and major cultural milestone of an event. We started asking questions and looking for answers. Sometimes we didn't like the answers we were given and we had to learn to create our own truths. I am inspired to think about the Youth over in the middle east, who connected by a cause and the internet have been able to start, lead, and sometimes overthrow tyrannical rulers in the middle east. Yes, Revolution is spreading like Wildfire.

So as we dedicate a moment to the lives lost on the "war on terror" let us not forget to dedicate another moment to finding a solution. And after our meditative moments, may we dedicate many moments to turning these thoughts into actions.

Peace, Love, Joy, Wisdom,
-Plaedo

P.S. Here is a link to a Song I created on the five year anniversary of September 11th. It was written at a time in which I was a philosophy student digging deep into religion and society trying to understand such concepts as: Holy Wars, The Collective Conscious, Georg Hegel's historical dialectic, and conspiracy theories.

http://soundcloud.com/jasun-plaedo-wellman/the-beginning-and-the-end-are