America: the Land Of The Free?

i've been watching closely all the events happening in Egypt lately, and one thing thathas really gotten under my skin is the government blocking access to social networking sites to prevent people from expressing their opinions. freedom of speech, to me, is the most important human right. without it, each and every human being is left without a voice, opinion, and influence to change their world. freedom of information, too is extremely near and dear to my heart. for without the access to new information [or the correction of false information], humanity will remain ignorant. by remaining ignorant,we will be unable to rise to a higher plane of consciousness,and, by extension, will be unable to get itself out of the dangerous rut we have found ourselves in.
this act of censorship got me thinking, though. it got me thinking about how America itself blocks information from its citizens. the government does this out of fear, as it does most things. fear of the population becoming enlightened. fear of being challenged. fear of being overthrown. fear of humanity realizing that there is a different, and better way of living that the current government cannot provide.
i came to realize that America indeed has become its own worse enemy. it preaches freedom and liberty. it gives its citizens freedom of speech and information, freedom to express their opinions...or so we think. don't get me wrong, i am NOT complaining. i am aware that most of the world doesn't even have half of therights that Americans so foolishly take for granted. i realize that in somecountries, one can [and will] be killed for expressing an opinion that is contradictory to the status quo. my goal with this note is just to bring to light that Americans don't realize how much information is being hidden from them. censorship. this is the dirty word that America has always stood firmly against. but my question is: does the government indeed know that it's keeping its population ignorant, or are they truly that ignorant themselves? most people would agree with the former, that the government has been withholding information from Americans for years, even since the country was first founded.
the values that America was supposedly founded on [life, liberty, justice, freedom] do not, and have never existed in this country. the government has cast the illusion that we can say and do whatever we feel is right. this, of course, is a lie. there is a faint line separating what the government is telling us and what it is not. this line is so faint that many times, Americans have crossed it without even realizing it. next thing they know, they are being threatened, questioned, arrested, etc.
all i want [and i'm sure many people concur] is for the government of this country to shed light on all the secrets it has withheld from us for generations. they say they withhold information from us for our own safety and security. but is it not more dangerous for the masses to be ignorant than for them to have a false sense of security? look back on history and tell me that that statement isn't true. censorship and domination eventually leads to unrest, protesting, uprising, and, in more severe cases, revolution. if this government [and, indeed, governments around the world] wishes to instill peace, prosperity, and true security, it must come clean and be truthful with the population it presides over. i just don't understand why humanity STILL hasn't learned this lesson. it's as if we're still in the Dark Ages. when will the glorious rays of Enlightenment finally break through the black clouds of Ignorance?

"I CAN TAKE THE TROUBLE" by Bebe Zeva on LOOKBOOK.nu

this look is making me rethink my position on goth/industrial platforms...hm...





"I CAN TAKE THE TROUBLE" by Bebe Zeva on LOOKBOOK.nu: "... cuz I'm 60 feet tall.

These hefty boots weigh in at 2.2 lbs each which means my calves are getting quite the workout every time I slip them on! They feature laces underneath the jungle of silver buckles and straps. Fortunately, I don't have to tie myself into these statement death traps- a convenient zipper gives me easy access in and out. The platforms are 6 inches at highest, but since I'm so unbelievably short, I only stand 5 foot 8 when I've got them on!"

o5

Falling down. Falling down. Falling down. Fall falling down. Down down down. Down to the underground, far under ground. No water, no sun, no wind, no stars. Only ghosts. A ghost world of phantoms and demons. Spirits haunt everywhere. Every space is occupied. White mist contrasts with black velvet walls. White diamonds replace burning stars. Chilled air replaces warm summer breezes. Only echoes. Only shadows. Nothing phantasmagoric or extraordinary. Extraterrestrial beings have never set foot here.
They took the trees and they poisoned the seas. They burned through the dome of enlightenment and truth. They wasted away under too-hot suns. They starved from lack of the bounty of earth. Gaia is almost dead. Persephone is now a queen. Zombies walk on waterless charred grass. Concrete is cracked and buildings destroyed. No birds sing. No fish swim. No life is anywhere to be seen. The horizon, once so full of potential and wonder, is now empty and dull, no ships sail there. Heat rises from grasses no longer green. Waves crash upon shores where footprints are now washed away.

Through the caverns and desolation of the subterranean world, a dim light glides above the rough cold floor. These walls are home. These stalactites replace a once blue sky. No footsteps echo here, but life there is still. Small, insignificant, dying life. Life. Forever trapped under ground. Still, living. There is but a fool’s hope. The future is in the hands of a small crying child with no one to hug. Just a ghost. Falling down.

i don't speak German, but i can if you like

obsessed with the song Scheiße by Lady Gaga, which is a remix of a song from her new album 'Born This Way'. who else is stoked for this album to drop?! i'm on pins and needles. i adore Gaga. the first song i ever heard by her was Lovegame. at first, i thought it was stupid and absurd. but, as i listened to it more and peeled back the layers, i can to absolutely love it. then i came to idolize Gaga herself. i think she epitomizes everything my life revolves around: love, fashion, music, beauty, freedom, and liberation. she's so outrageous, and i love it. i shall always be her little monster. seriously, i don't understand how somebody couldn't like Lady Gaga. a lot of people say she's just another pop star whose 15 minutes of fame is running out. but i disagree. every great artist has been labeled as such throughout history: Leonardo Da Vinci, Pytor Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Raphael, David Bowie, Elton John, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson...yet, all of these artists live on infamously in the psyche of humanity. why should Gaga be an exception? she shrouds the true meanings of her music in vulgar obnoxious lyrics to make it more appealing to the masses. but once you unravel the threads of the music, you begin to discover deep personal hearthache and longing. you see her passion, ingenuity, and love. i personally think she will live on forever because out her outrageous style, powerful voice, and controversial music. she is the pop goddess of our generation.