I don't go to CNN for news like I don't go to Burger King for a meal -Henry Rollins

Henry Rollins interview by Maximus D. Estevez and Jonathan Toth:


Max:
Ever since your last album, there has been a lot of change in the direction the music industry has been heading. How do you feel about the music thats coming out today within what was/is your genre?

Henry:
I don’t know what my genre is and I have not made a record for about ten years. One thing I notice with some hard rock music is that some of it sounds processed and compressed so when you turn it up, it doesn’t really get louder but more confused in the mid-range. There are a lot of stoner and doom bands that I pay a lot of attention to and some really great labels. TeePee, Southern Lord, Meteor City all put out sold records. The new Boris albums coming out later this month are excellent. I think music is just fine, you have to know where to look.


Max:
You've had a lot of influence on what has made spoken word performances popular in many people's eyes. What was the spark that ignited the flame on what has become a very successful avenue for you and those who have followed suite?

Henry:
I started doing talking shows in 1983. There were poetry readings in Los Angeles happening in local clubs and I got asked to be in one and I went from there. I liked being onstage on my own as I have a few stories to tell. My first national tour was in 1985 and it drew from 15 to 50 people and then went up over the years. At this point, it’s the best way for me to get across the information to my audience. I don’t think in lyrical terms any more, I think more journalistically at this point.


Max:
You were a big part of the punk rock scene in it's early stages, stateside. You've even been called the father of punk rock music in America. Can you explain how it all started and when you knew you really had something that people were eager to follow and why they were so eager to follow it?

Henry:
I was in bands that were a small part of a large picture. There can’t be any one band or person who started anything and I can think of other people and bands who were far more influential than I could have possibly been. Ian MacKaye and his bands Minor Threat and Fugazi and his label Dischord, those a very influential entities. I think there will always be a desire for music and other expressions that push back, there’s nothing new about any of this, only the delivery systems have gotten more efficient. When I was young, there was no internet. It was all phone calls and waiting on the mail. Now things are moving much faster. I think when you assign too much credit to one person or to one band, you miss out on the bigger picture. The picture is always bigger than you think.


Max:
As an avid reader and being an author, what writers influenced you in becoming an author and what authors currently pull you in intellectually?

Henry:
It was reading Henry Miller that mistakenly made me think I could write. I was on the road and seeing many things for the first time, so I started writing it all down. It was Miller who made me think it was possible. Miller makes it appear easy because he was so good but writing isn’t easy. It’s very hard. I enjoy reading Chris Hedges. I thought his new book Death Of The Liberal class was very interesting. At the moment, I am reading a book of articles written by Robert Fisk. He has covered almost every major conflict in the last few decades. I think he’s very sharp. I read a lot of history, biography, political and social studies books at this point. There are a lot of great writers out there.


Max:
While you've put aside music to work on many of your other projects, is music still amazing to you? If so, why?

Henry:
I like to listen to music. I don’t want to make any at this point. I don’t know what else I could do with it besides live in the past. I have not the time for that luxury.


Max:
You've done a lot of work with The Partnership For A Drug Free America and I understand that you are also affiliated with an orphanage. What was it that spurred these interests and do you any other work in a similar vein?

Henry:
I work with Drop In The Bucket, West Memphis Three, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Holly Grove Children Services Center. I started doing this as soon as I started making enough money to pay my bills and get some stability. I think it’s a good thing to help others but you have to get yourself into a stable environment first.


Max:
In America's search for transparency, new organizations have been formed, such as Wikileaks. America is torn on that specific issue. Some view it as treason. Others view it as patriotism. What is your take on the subject?

Henry:
If WikiLeaks is treason, then so was the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame [VP Dick Cheney called her and her husband "Fair Game" after they proved and announced to the media that Bush was lying about Saddam Hussein's WMD's] and let's get everyone into court and get it going. If America has so many things that we are not supposed to know about, perhaps it's time to change the way we do things. The way America conducts itself at this point only seems to lead to new conflicts. If America didn't go to Iraq, there would be no deficit. Since the American media has been bought and paid for, some people need alternate sources to get their information.

I don't go to CNN for news like I don't go to Burger King for a meal.


Max:
In a time when many American's are wanting more transparency in government and to get their voices heard, what do you see as the most honorable and expedient way to get the government to listen to the will of the people?

Henry:
Campaign finance reform would help. Thanks to the Citizens United case, politicians can be wholly own by corporations and really don't have to listen to the people. If the government really listened to the people, do you think we would be in Iraq now? Do you think we would have the healthcare system we do? I think for at least the last three decades, politicians have been distancing themselves from the citizens they serve. I don't know if that will change in our life time. I think both the left and right are part of the problem.


Toth:
Aside from Campaign finance reform, how can the US public get our government to realize the importance of transparency?

Henry:
I don't think it can. I think that big business, multi-national corps. have had every administration's ear from at least post-FDR to now. At the end of the day, your vote is somewhat meaningless, rioting is useless, destruction is pointless. When the SCOTUS gave corporations First Amendment rights, the writing that has been on the wall for years was set in neon. I think what needs to happen is more things like wikileaks. The curtain that protects the wizard has to be assaulted. You might not like what you get but in the end, I think we will all be the better for it.


Toth:
In your opinion, what is the best means of networking for like-minded people who want change?

Henry:
Internet, twitter, things like that. They are cheap, hard to stop and easy to start.


Toth:
Do you boycott certain businesses, if so which ones?

Henry:
I don't eat at fast food places. I don't base any opinion I have on things I learned on any network news outlets, even if it turns out to be true. I have to cross reference the information. Past that, I rely on myself to make the right decision at the time. I don't have kind of list though.


Toth:
For all the rumors about "secret societies" do you believe that most of the major decisions are made by "shadow governments" and if so, how do the People out them?

Henry:
I think business runs the world. Always follow the money. From all that hearts and minds crap in any country the America is "spreading Democracy" in to anywhere else. Dig down into the ground. If there's oil there, chances are, that country needs some Democracy and we're the country to drone strike them into freedom.


Toth:
Do you think WikiLeaks as a whistle blower outlet and activist for "free press" is a good idea? Why?

Henry:
Ultimately, yes. The America has to change its policy. It won't unless it's outed. Why should it? Corps in the America loved Mubarak, he bought their shit with your tax dollars. Great deal. Transparency means transparency. Ripples in the water upset those who are used to navigating in placidity. That is to say, there will be some lawyers involved.


Max:
Do you ever miss the beginning of your career? When things were fresh and new experiences or has the ride become better as it's progressed?

Henry:
I don’t miss anything really. I think about the past now and then but when I really drill down into it, I remember the parts that were not all that great. Since I have not stayed in any one thing and keep my line of work diversified, things feel new all the time. I am in the middle of shooting three documentaries for National Geographic. I am out of here for Vietnam and India in a few days. Boredom is proofreading. Everything else is quite interesting at present.


Max:
What is next for Henry Rollins? You've been a success with music, being an author, an actor, and hosting your own show on IFC. What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Henry:
I have a lot of tour dates for next year. My first photo book is out in a few months and I am working on a few new books.

If you could get on the mainstream media, what would you say?

If you could get on the mainstream media (all channels at once) what would you use the opportunity to say?




Before we talk current news, we have to get our history straight for the American public:

-John F. Kennedy was assassinated by the CIA, organized by Allen Dulles and paid for by Nelson Rockefeller because JFK was eliminating the CIA and about to begin printing money without the FED.

-9-11 was a false flag operation that killed 2,000 people and was initiated by the Rockefellers and the CIA who used the public fear to manipulate the stock market to their benefit, while securing the nation thru the Patriot Act, enabling the military industrial complex unprecedented money and power.

-People who are blowing the whistle on governments, military and big businesses like Bradley Manning, Rudolf Elmer, Adam Winfield and Julian Assange are in jail because those people in power (that haven't been caught yet) don't like the public finding out how they have abused their power.




WikiLeaks publishes the whistle blowers...pure and simple. When the mainstream media is controlled by money, the money will always win until the will of the people is sparked and inspired toward finding out the truth about what's really going on.

Whistle blowers are people "in the know" who have witnessed corruption or human rights violations and don't want any part of it (let alone being an accomplice to hiding it) so they report it to journalists who will out those violations. Until the mainstream media cannot be bribed, the truth won't be found on regular TV news.

If we want our leaders to be held accountable for their actions, let's have "Amnesty for Transparency." ANYONE who wants to be free of unethical and immoral culture within government, military or business, may come forward and testify about what they witnessed (or enabled) and be freed for their honesty. The power of the People is dependent upon the honor of their leaders. Let's keep them clean.




Come forward and tell us what's wrong, and you will be received as a hero.

Latest collective theory on worldwide Animal deaths

[In three parts]

1. Wik-Bee Leaks Uncovers Government Bee Killing Conspiracy
http://animals.change.org/blog/view/wikileaks_uncovers_government_bee_killing_conspiracy

The November 2nd memo, leaked to a Colorado beekeeper, indicates that the EPA was well-aware that the pesticide Clothianidin posed some serious risks to honey bees. There have been concerns about this chemical from as far back as 2003, and it's already been banned in Germany, France, Italy and Slovenia because of its toxicity. But the EPA chose to sweep all that under the rug to keep the pesticide on the market.

Clothianidin, marketed as "Poncho" by Bayer, is widely used on corn, as well as canola, soy, sugar beets, sunflowers and wheat. As if the $262 million cash crop from last year wasn't enough, Bayer wants to keep expanding the pesticide's use. And the company's original registration was based on some seriously flawed science: they evaluated the wrong crop, with the wrong controls to assess the impact on bees.

This all adds up to some serious questions about the government contributing to Colony Collapse Disorder as they knowingly allowed Bayer to poison bees. And this is about a lot more than honey production ... native habitats, and as much as one-third of America's food supply, rely on the pollination provided by bees.

In light of the leaked memo, the National Honey Bee Advisory Board, American Beekeeping Federation, American Honey Producers Association, Beyond Pesticides, Pesticide Action Network North America, and Center for Biological Diversity sent a letter to the EPA requesting that the agency "take urgent action to stop the use of this toxic chemical."

The letter goes on to point out that this new information indicates an overuse of the Office of Pesticide Program's conditional registration program. This bee boondoggle "represents a failure that could and should have been avoided." As a result, the coalition is calling for an immediate moratorium on these types of registration until the program is evaluated.

There's still a lot we don't know about Colony Collapse Disorder and the massive bee die-offs it's been causing. One thing we do know is that bees are in trouble, and that's not good news for all the animals (and humans) who rely on the plants these important insects sustain.

Join the call for the EPA to stop the sale of Poncho and conduct a thorough study into the pesticide's impact on wildlife.




2. Bye Bye Blackbird: USDA Admits Responsibility for Mass Bird Death; 4,000,000 Birds Killed in ’09
http://morallowground.com/2011/01/20/bye-bye-blackbird-usda-admits-responsibility-for-mass-bird-death-4000000-birds-killed-in-09/

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had admitted responsibility for the poisoning of thousands of birds, many of which were found dead on the ground and frozen in trees in Yankton, South Dakota on Monday. According to Truthout, the USDA’s Wildlife Services Program works with farmers to cull birds which often eat large quantities of agricultural feed and defecate on livestock and farm equipment. There’s even a name for this little-known government bird control program: Bye Bye Blackbird. In 2009 alone, the USDA killed more than 4,000,000 red-winged blackbirds, starlings, cowbirds and grackles. Pesticides are the weapon of choice; an avian poison called DRC-1339 was used in the Yankton case. Up to 5,000 birds were sprayed in neighboring Nebraska and somehow managed to make it to South Dakota before dying. The USDA stresses that this incident is in no way related to the mass bird deaths that have made headlines this year, most notably in Arkansas and Louisiana.

Under the Bye Bye Blackbird program, farmers are allowed to kill any blackbirds, grackles and starlings deemed to be a health risk or damaging to the economy. Farmers often hire private contractors to do the dirty work. “Every winter, there’s massive and purposeful kills of these blackbirds,” Greg Butcher, director of bird conservation at the National Audubon Society told Truthout. Carol Bannerman, a spokeswoman for USDA Wildlife Services, dismisses the obvious animal cruelty implications of such killings. “It’s not that we have anything against starlings, but our charge is to help protect agriculture… and protect property and human health or safety,” she said. “And the fact is, in a lot of rural settings, people say, ‘It’s just birds, what’s the problem?’”

It’s “just birds”… including some endangered ones. Ornithologists believe the mass killings may be reducing the number of the rare rusty blackbird, which roosts with more common varieties of blackbirds. With private contract killers not required to keep tabs of how many birds they kill, the rusty blackbird could be in serious danger.



3. Dead Birds, Bees & Fish Explained By EPA Document? VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CeR8tV1iss

This video is the Young Turks breaking down the simple logic of, "Hello?" If you kill the honey bees with poison (albeit unintentionally), then you admit to feeding the birds poison (after the US government stated on record, that they did not poison the birds) you don't think there could be exponential effects on the rest of our ecosystem?

Any poison infected bird that dies and falls into streams, rivers and oceans will be eaten by fish (sound familiar?) and any birds that fall on land around carnivores can be possibly eaten as well. Also, poisonous bird droppings will land all over crops, grains, and food for us and other animals.

It obviously wasn't well thought out, but GOD DAMN. Einstein said, "If the bees die, the human race will be dead within four years," (no pollinators, no plants) and now we're finding out the only other pollinators are dying as well. It doesn't sound very bright. It sounds like greed and opportunism, similar to what we've been experiencing with many big business decisions as of late.



Thanks to all my fellow WikiLeakers for collecting these links and sharing them freely.



Transparency is the Apocalypse...literally...now what shall we do about it?

"The Pentagon Papers" Supreme Court ruling applies to WikiLeaks

I'm reading "Obama's War" by Bob Woodward ©2010, and on page 179 he says:



"On June 30, 1971, Supreme Court decision on the Pentagon Papers case, nearly four decades earlier and just three months before I joined the Post, opened the door for such conversations with the government. In its 6 to3 ruling, the court essentially said THE GOVERNMENT COULD NOT RESTRAIN THE PRESS BEFORE PUBLICATION OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS, which permitted The New York Times and The Washington Post to CONTINUE PUBLISHING the top secret 47-volume Vietnam War study, which showed that the government had repeatedly lied to the public about the war.

Because the government COULD NOT LEGALLY STOP US FROM PUBLISHING the McChrystal assessment, we had the upper hand in listening to arguments for deleting passages from the report. For the Pentagon Papers, the Times and Post did not consult the government in advance. To do so would have alerted the government and likely resulted in a court action to stop publication, which is exactly what the government did in federal court after the initial articles ran.

The beauty of the Supreme Court's Pentagon Paper ruling--WHICH FORBIDS RESTRAINT--is that IT ENCOURAGES US TO ASK THE GOVERNMENT FOR THEIR SPECIFIC OBJECTIONS TO THE PUBLICATION OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS."
[my CAPS...but interesting timing on Woodward's part to bring this up now]



Since this IS the case, the US government CANNOT seek any kind of "espionage" charge against Julian Assange. They know this.

My questions are:

-If our government would take this again to the supreme court, do they have enough pull to change the ruling or alter it to depict WikiLeaks as something other than "The Press"?

-Do any of these political assassinations that happened in the last two weeks have anything to do with WikiLeaks?
1. John Wheeler III-bio/chemical warfare expert for both Bush's, found in land fill after the birds and the fish started dying (1/4/2011)
2. John Roll-federal judge placed in office by Bush Sr. in 1991, who in 2009, faced death threats after presiding over a $32 million civil-rights lawsuit in Arizona, killed by Jared Loughner (1/8/2011)
3. Ashley Turton (married to Daniel A. Turton, 43, the White House's deputy director of legislative affairs for the House of Representatives)-lobbyist for Progress Energy, that Duke Energy bought for $13 billion in stock the day after her death, found in her burned car, in her garage (1/10/2011)

-Now that these people are dead, what new options does the government have in regards to WikiLeaks (meaning: did any of them have any damaging info or power that some in the government might have felt was a threat)?

-Were these assassinations simple vendettas performed by the CIA to intimidate anyone who might think of snitching to WikiLeaks?



Just questions...but transparency will sort it all out...
Transparency is the Apocalypse.