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Imagine No Censorship
Chas Andres
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
There. You've heard it. And thanks to Clear Channel Entertainment, the company that owns the vast majority of radio stations nationwide, you won't hear it again anytime soon. Yes, John Lennon's 'Imagine' along with 157 other songs have been deemed inappropriate for the American people to listen to during the wake of the tragedy of September 11th.
You see, American Corporations don't want us to think about what's really happening in life, because that might bring about change, and they like it just fine as it is. They just want us to sit back and listen to more 'pop sensations' spew mindless crap, buy the fast cars and new improved bleach they advertise, and support the good old red white and blue. Take a look at one of the songs they banned, 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds'. Does that have anything to do with the attack on the World Trade Center? Absolutely not. But the recording industry has been waiting for a chance to ban that song ever since they finally realized it was about drugs, and they took their chance.
Is it really important that they ban 'American Pie' and 'We gotta get out of this place' for a week or two? On a basic level, not really. However, it really is a big achievement for them if they succeed to get away with this without a lot of protest. It proves they can do it, that they can take away our right to listen to music. Next time it might be another song they don't like, say, a song that is anti-religion. Maybe this time they can squash it out of existence completely. Pretty soon, major bands won't write the songs that can't be played on the radio, so an entire creative process will be wiped out.
And once a freedom is gone, getting it back is almost impossible.
Of course, the company won't admit to having banned these songs. They wrote a press release stating that the songs aren't banned really. Just made 'optional' for all their radio stations. Of course, this is just to appease the masses. I would bet that none of you will hear these songs on the Clear Channel stations this week.
The thing that gets me is that if the government posted this list, the ACLU would be all over them. But the government isn't that stupid. They can have the large Monopolies in the music industry do it discreetly for them. Don't believe me? Than why aren't such songs as 'Killing an Arab' By the cure on that list? Ahem, government support. After all, we're at war with Afghanistan. We've always been at war with Afghanistan, and we always will be at war with Afghanistan, right Big Brother?
So, of course since we're going to fight 'the enemy', songs like 'Imagine' that preach unity and peace must go.
Morning Has Broken? Well, we can't have people too happy with nature, can we?
What a wonderful world? Apparently it's not.
New York, New York? Can't talk about NYC, can we now?
Obla-di Obla-da? Well, life doesn't go on, ba-la-la any more.
Ruby Tuesday? I guess this one is sad, and sadness is a sin
And soon it won't be only music. Movies are being changed to cut out the scenes of the World Trade Center. Soon, we'll go back and edit our documentaries and photos, and take the trade centers out of those, too. Trade Towers? What are you talking about, there never was such a thing.
The United States is going to use this horrible tragedy to inflict a worse one of the American People the removal of our basic rights. We cannot let this happen. We must stay informed, we must fight back, and we must keep preaching the message in 'Imagine', even if it's 'not appropriate'
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
There. I said it. Come and get me.
Preaching Right to Keep Free Speech,
Chas Andres
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