Why This Song Matters Now More Than Ever

This is a song built around the words of Bishop Mariann Budde—a voice of conscience who, at a critical moment in American history, stood against the misuse of faith for political power. Her plea, once spoken in defiance of injustice, now finds new urgency in the face of the United States’ current trajectory. This is more than a song; it is a moral reckoning, a call to action, and a reminder of the responsibility we all bear to defend truth, justice, and human dignity.

The United States is at a crossroads. Democracy, long upheld as the nation’s defining principle, faces unprecedented threats. From voter suppression to efforts to dismantle essential civil rights, the country is shifting toward a reality where power is consolidated in the hands of the few. Project 2025—a radical blueprint for authoritarian governance—looms over the nation, threatening to reshape institutions to serve ideological extremism. It seeks to erode democratic norms, silence dissent, and redefine the role of government in ways that prioritize control over freedom.

At the same time, the world watches as America’s influence extends beyond its borders. Policies on immigration, climate action, military engagement, and global diplomacy send ripples across the planet. When the U.S. turns inward, embracing nationalism over cooperation, the consequences are not confined to its own citizens. The rise of authoritarian movements worldwide mirrors the shifts happening in Washington, where faith is increasingly weaponized to justify oppression rather than liberation.

Bishop Budde’s words first gained prominence when she condemned the use of a sacred space—the grounds of St. John’s Episcopal Church—for a political stunt. Her voice rose against the exploitation of faith as a tool of power. That moment resonated because it laid bare a dangerous truth: when religious symbols are co-opted for political gain, justice suffers. Today, that same warning must be heeded, as faith communities again find themselves at the center of political battles over human rights, freedom of thought, and the very meaning of moral leadership.

By turning these words into music, this song serves as both a tribute and a challenge. Music has always been a force of resistance, from spirituals sung in defiance of slavery to anthems of the civil rights movement. In a time of increasing division, this song offers a unifying message, reminding people of the power of conscience and the necessity of standing up for what is right.

The urgency of this release cannot be overstated. As laws are rewritten, as voices of opposition are silenced, as fear is leveraged to justify the loss of fundamental freedoms, the need for moral clarity grows. This song is not just about the past—it is about now. It is about ensuring that faith, hope, and justice are not manipulated, but instead used as forces for liberation.

In three days, the world will hear this message. The question is: will we listen?

One Final Plea

Beatport

Thought we would be alright
But it just wasn’t true 
Ain’t true
Hard to see the side that's bright
When they're killing you	 
Me and you

Tried to make the future  bright 		
But they couldn't take it
And it's looking like 				
Now we may have to break it

They own the stations and the papers and the sites	 
 - not telling you what’s true
Making money hand over fist on our decline
 - what’s stopping me and you?	
They’ll never wear our shoes

The Claims Adjuster didn’t act alone, 
He was reppin’ me and you
 - it’s true!
Moss grows green  on the	family 	stones, 
don’t get confused 
 - by the fake news

Tried to make the future bright	
But we couldn't take it
And it's looking like			
Now we may have to break it
We are the source of power	 in all our lives 	    
We just can’t lose
Together we’re the source of power 	
In all our lives
We just can’t lose

Thought that we would have a voice
They got me 	fighting you
it’s true
Rowing together in a sinking choice
United we stand
We just can’t lose

Fake News

TRIBE

The wealth of billionaires worldwide increased by $2.2 trillion in 2024, with the ten most richest increasing their wealth by greater than $100 million/day. Chuck Collins, Director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies, says that "it's not about the money, it's about the power" -- specifically, the power over elections and policies. That power steals the voices and votes of the population, and blocks policies that could be helping people. More in Collins' article about the Davos Economic Forum, in his article "World leaders at Davos need to tax millionaires like me. The fate of our planet and democracy depends on it."

buzz-2-12-25-Chuck-Collins

Thomas Fazi joins Steve once again, this time to explore the current geopolitical landscape under Trump 2.0 and the absurdity of an American empire that creates enemies out of thin air to justify its ongoing military and economic interventions.

The conversation touches on the implications of austerity measures on the working class and the irony of billionaires like Elon Musk advocating for cuts to government spending while enjoying the benefits of public funding via massive subsidies.

With a touch of sarcasm, Thomas & Steve critique how the political elite manipulate narratives to maintain control and distract from the real issues facing ordinary citizens. They remind us of the need to critically examine the intricate relationship between power, propaganda, and the everyday lives of people.

Thomas Fazi is a “journalist/writer/translator/socialist.” who lives in Italy. He is the co-director of Standing Army (2010), an award-winning feature-length documentary on US military bases featuring Gore Vidal and Noam Chomsky; and the author of The Battle for Europe: How an Elite Hijacked a Continent – and How We Can Take It Back (2014) and Reclaiming the State: A Progressive Vision of Sovereignty for a Post-Neoliberal World (co-authored with Bill Mitchell, 2017). His articles have appeared in numerous online and printed publications. Find links to his articles on his Substack.

Lions & Lambs with Thomas Fazi

Suit Up

You can watch this performance on video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYO3rDHkDYc

Viridescent Fog

I made this track October 27th 2024 a few days before the election. I sat on it because it felt like some anti American hater shit but now that we're all where we're at presently... I feel comfortable dropping it. 

Lyrics:

[Noam Chomsky]
Societies differ, but in ours ... the major ... decisions over what happens in the society... decisions over investment and production, and distribution, and so on... are in the hands of a relatively concentrated network of... major corporations and conglomerates and investment firms and so on...they are also the ones who staff the major executive positions in the government, and they are the ones who run the media... 

[Me]

American dream not as close as it seems
Wall to wall morons, opportunist's scheme 
A man in a land designed by elite
A man with a vision who came from humble means.

I'll miss the sticks, but we escaped
My origins lookin' way more hostile everyday
I'm feelin' pretty strange I know you relate 
We'll scapegoat the other to pass off the blame. 

Anger is an understatement, 
These algorithms got me 
Wound up, and agitated...
I'm aggravated. 

Walkin' round the park giving toddlers dirty looks...
Aura's pretty hot got the joggers lookin' shook

American dream not as close as it seems
Content locked, without a pot to hold my steam
Too proud for hand outs, too proud to steal
Wake me up when opportunity is real. 

[Guitar solo] 

Consider this a true 90's kid with 
Nightmares of suicide bombs and terrorists 
Make it make sense? ...
Yeah never mind, I figured out the math like manufactured consent.

The narrative was told to you, was sold to you
You questioned it they scolded you, you know it's true
I never stopped to think about the lives we lost, 
Lila Lipscomb's screams haunt my thoughts.

15 years old eternally scrolling
Clicked on a thread, Travon was dead 
( Directors note* with pics of the corpse leaked by broward contry sherrifs office.. thanks reddit... )

The first thing that popped, in my teen-aged head 
He looked just like my younger brother lifeless and red. 
And that was the day my pride went away
Every scandal since cemented hate
The land of the great...
This backwards FUCKING place...

[Noam Compsky]

And their the ones who have to be in the positions to make the decisions...
They have an overwhelmingly dominate role in the way life happens...
Within the economic system, by law, and by principle, they dominate.
The control over resources and the need to satisfy their interests imposes very sharp constraints on the political system and the ideological system. 

When we talk about manufacturing consent who's consent is being manufactured?

(Directors Note* For our daft/foolish listeners, the public... the public's consent is being manufactured. It's brainwashing via corporate propaganda)

THANKS FOR LISTENING CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILDREN!

Cooked Dreams

Sound collage DJ set of Bernie Sander's Oligarchy Tour juxtaposed with tyrants.

Authoritarianism DJ Set

Communism & Oligarchy; Dreams, Control, and What Power Really Looks Like in 2025

ElevenLabs_Part_2b(i)_Communism_&_Oligarchy

Written in 1908, long before modern dystopian classics, Jack London unleashed The Iron Heel, a startlingly prescient novel that resonates with unnerving power today. Immerse yourself in an America where wealth consolidates into an unchecked, authoritarian oligarchy, systematically dismantling democratic norms and crushing dissent.
If you're grappling with the shifting landscape of power, the erosion of liberties, and the battle for truth, The Iron Heel is not just a classic—it's a critical lens for understanding our present.

I am producing this audiobook in serial fashion. Stay tuned for the next installments.

TheIronHeel-Forward

This discussion presents a discussion about the bookoligarchy "Foundations: Their Power and Influence" by Rene A. Wormser (https://amzn.to/3ZEaI45), originally published in 1958. The book, written by the general counsel for the Reece Committee, details the committee's investigation into large, tax-exempt foundations like those created by Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Ford. Wormser argues that these foundations, particularly through their "social science" endeavors and intermediary organizations like the Social Science Research Council and Institute of Pacific Relations, exerted undue influence on education, foreign policy, and social thought, often promoting a "collectivist" or "liberal" agenda. The text also highlights the intense opposition faced by the Reece Committee during its investigation, suggesting a concerted effort by these powerful entities to resist scrutiny and maintain their influence. Wormser contends that while foundations can do good, their unchecked power and lack of accountability, particularly in politically sensitive areas, pose a significant threat to American society and its traditions.

Foundations - Their Power and Influence

Oligarchy by Patrick Levien KI Projekt
Dive into a powerful anthem that exposes the raw truth of a world ruled by greed and corruption. "Oligarchy" is a bold, unapologetic call to action, blending hard-hitting lyrics with a passionate cry for justice. From the shadows of elite power to the struggles of the oppressed, this song rages against corrupt systems, war profiteers, and media lies. With an electrifying chorus chanting for democracy, it’s a wake-up call for humanity to rise, resist, and reclaim hope.  Will you stand against the oligarchy? Listen now and join the fight for a better future!

Oligarchy - Patrick Levien Projekt

This discussion covers Webster Griffin Tarpley's evidence that Venice, originating as an oligarchic maritime power, engaged in piracy and controlled global trade through strategic ports, developing an Aristotelian philosophical network to influence European thought. This Venetian "Party" is depicted as manipulating events like the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War, later transferring its influence to Britain. The British oligarchy, through figures like Lord Palmerston and Edward VII, is accused of orchestrating global conflicts, including World War I, and destabilizing nations through agents like Mazzini and economic warfare tactics, exemplified by the 1931 sterling default. The texts also contend that British intelligence actively undermined American interests, notably during the Korean War, to maintain its global dominance.

Against Oligarchy

We are living in a tumultuous time.  Art should reflect this.  This track starts melancholy, as what we are witnessing and experiencing is quite sad and nonsensical.  It moves into action, as I believe, at some point, all will have to fight for what is right and just.  The reflection at the end was again, melancholic, mourning the fact that the fight needed to happen at all.   “No price to pay…..the bill comes due.”

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

The Bill Comes Due

This song laments the rise of neoliberalism and neofascism in America, and how the avarice and greed of oligarchs enables and perpetuates the military-industrial complex and destruction of the planet by climate change under the guise of patriotism. Originally written in July 2016 on the eve of Trump's first presidency, the song seems more relevant now than before. 'Glass' refers to trinitite that was found at Trinity, the site where the Manhattan Project tested the nuclear bomb; the nuclear explosion turned the sand to glass. 'Sand' also refers to climate change inevitably turning the planet into an uninhabitable dust bowl, evoking an image of the greed and arrogance of the military industrial complex continuing to bomb a dying world into oblivion. Trump is the angry orange sun, his greed casting a shadow across the country, the MIC and oligarchs are the beasts who thirst for fire and ash. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Glass and Sand

An angry orange sun slowly rises behind black smoke in the east
A long dark shadow creeps across the land
The world can't help but stare; they stare in disbelief 
With eyes fixated on them, captivated by the beasts
Who thirst for fire and ash, hellbent on glass and sand

We're far from where we need to be
I'm afraid that we're much too far
Now that the smoke snuffed out
The light of the North Star 

Here we are

How could we let it come to this?
Choose between neoliberal or neofascist
All these corporate stuffed-suit politicians
Run amok waving flags of blind ambition
Boast the bombing of peasants for paltry profit
Sending innocents to lie in early coffins
When you lay your head down at the end of the day
Can you tell me, where will the children play?

We're far from where we need to be
I'm afraid that we're much too far
Now that the smoke snuffed out
The light of the North Star 

Here we are

Glass and Sand

What if corporations aren’t greedy—they’re just unregulated animals in the ecosystem? Not evil. Not broken. Just doing what they were designed to do. A lion isn’t morally bad for hunting prey. It’s doing what it’s built to do. Same with corporations. They’re built to pursue growth. Profit. Survival. They will extract, expand, and devour until something stops them—not because they’re evil, but because they’re functioning exactly as designed. So the question isn’t why are corporations so greedy? The question is: Why did we build a system with no balancing force, no accountability, and no consequences when harm is done?


It’s Not About Greed. It’s About Design.

Trevayne is from Melbourne Australia and is an electronic music composer and producer devoted to creating and manipulating original electronic sounds in the pursuit of the essence of true deep tech house.

His work spans more than two decades, includes international stage performance, live TV, studio session work and has been recently translated into a growing number of recorded works - EPs, Studio Albums and other collaborative efforts.

These recordings capture a devotion to experimental, melodic deeper beats that are facilitated through the unique combination of organic sounds, distinctive samples and warm analogue synths that are interwoven throughout.

Got songs to record this week. (7/24) Been dealing with my depression but I have been writing songs still.  Hoping to record this week.  I have started working on my third album, Trial and TError.  

Diary of the Damned is now on SoundCloud (one skit need to be added still), hoping to have it ready soon for Spotify and others!

Underground rapper from Ontario.  I like to tell stories with my music a lot of which are true stories unfortunately.  I’m a lyricist first and foremost so you won’t find any mumble rap here, sorry if that’s the trend.  I’m too old for that haha.

Hier findest du Musik von Patrick Levien KI ProjektJesus Christus KI Generation , KI Komplott und Ki Sunclub Mallorca. Dieses Projekt wurde am 9 April 2025 von Uwe Joswig gestartet . 

Here you'll find music by Patrick Levien KI Projekt, Jesus Christus KI Generation, KI Komplott, and Ki Sunclub Mallorca. This project was started on April 9, 2025 by Uwe Joswig.

Listener-sponsored, volunteer-powered, noncommercial community radio broadcasting to south-central Wisconsin at 89.9 FM and online at wortfm.org via our studios in Madison. 

We provide an outlet for communication, education, free expression, entertainment, training and access for the purpose of sharing music, information, news, and cultural experiences, and strive to give people underrepresented elsewhere in traditional media a voice. 

NOTE: Most of the content posted at this time are news stories or talk shows. 

MUSICIANS:  We NEVER look on our SoundCloud for music submissions, so it's not a very efficient way to contact us. Please go to www.wortfm.org and click on Music --> Music Submissions for our submission info and guidelines. Thanks and we look forward to hearing your music!

Sometimes solo, sometimes with a band, I try to approach rock and roll with a jazz mentality where each show is different.

Also do recording and live bass sessions for others, paint and design album covers and other rock merch and paraphernalia. 

I used to play bass for Toshio; guitar and sing for wavegaze trio Dolphins Don't Love; play synth and bass in Brian Bonz & The Major Crimes. 
Co-founder bass/synth/vocals of now-defunct post-apocalyptic rock band The Sky Captains of Industry

Macroeconomics has never been so ... delish!  Macro and Cheese explores the progressive movement through the lens of Modern Monetary Theory, with hot and irreverent political takes, spotlights in activism, and the razor sharp musings of Real Progressives Founder and host Steve Grumbine.  The cheese will flow as experts come in for a full, four course deep dive into the hot queso. 

Comfort Food for Thought!

https://soundcloud.com/wunderlogik/lebensmude

УБИЙТЕ ОЛИГАРХИЯТА

Dubul' ibhunu

отричам защитавам депонирам


Jouw identiteit gaat niet over wie je bent. Deze wordt bepaald door de manier waarop de maatschappij jouw afhankelijkheid van gemak en comfort heeft gecreëerd.

Podcaster, music lover, recovering DJ extraordinaire...

New tracks tagged #oligarchy