Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Drug n Decibel

Eklektro Blogger entry (!) The first in 4 months (!)
Oh yeah, we've been pretty busy: from that particular point A this past summer, to this particular point B upon the verge of LA winter, a strange twisty route, especially the past 6 months of the journey, marked from Moontribe to Moontribe, and at every broken down point in between (those latest blogger entries) and dedicated to those of you i've had infrequent yet ever-intense dialog with when pertaining to WHAT its all about, what we have in common, music/media manifestos, art vs. entertainment in both the underground and public arena, vs. promotions and marketing, and exactly what do you put on a DVD? Digital Nomadic elements: to each their own is the beauty, and establishing definitions of all modular formats in between is the crux. relative to audience/consumers/considerations of earning income to eat while keeping at bay the energy-suckers, tax collectors and bills-payable that most often precipitate the sell-out, historically speaking, fuck that. rather we perfect our stock and trade, of which the definition is every bit as important as the output: and the mission: legitimizing the gypsy... via accountability, ie) meeting halfway the authorities and standing one's ground, HOW and WHEN to spring into action, political discussions along all the fences and nuances (not to the point of side-track discourse or coffeeshop chat/inaction please, nor the vice of over-editing before transmitting, we're perhaps mid-way upon the quest for real-time), the appeal of a free media stream and WHO has it (everybody), and what its to be used for: in these tech-crazy days of the $100 net-ready beater laptop, or loaded $2000 laptop (could-be a "radio station" via $50/month cellphone mid-speed internet CONNECTION), and so we painstakingly put together our own instruction booklet, written daily and rarely edited: commentary from the trenches: keep working at it and to everyone so inclined: please create and perfect your own mobile living systems... more RVs ASAP: be fruitful, multiply, share and time-share. upload and outspeak upon multiple platforms, and to each their own portal, linked. And Eklektro? instigation network first and foremost, hopefully serves to be inspirational (and point in fact demonstrative of the rigors of technology... TRY this at home... TRY this on the road... simultaneously, and perhaps we can soon solve society's blatant techno-cultural problems one mile-marker at a time) the concept of information distribution (protecting of truths), in regards to life/liberty/free speech/sustainability: we present the karavan project, performance (tour) and/or merchandising of media product itself, umm... ethically; all these are secondary with respect to our main and all-encompassing issue: as freshly landed upon our lap again today: protecting our constitutional rights... in the proving ground. and most lately, the california desert:

moontribe 11/9/03
the tally and the cleaning up...
(an aside on the subject of 11-9, the inversion of 9-11, came and went almost without incident...
completely forgot to commemorate the 11-9 eklektro party we threw as a 2-day desert event 2 years ago... losing track of time. post 9-11: how free ARE we?)
11-9: the day after....

11/10/03 tragic constitution-breaching comedy and a waste of taxpayer money...
the hassle continues: the issues:
right to assemble, the policy of the bureau of land management, the politics of the san bernadino police, squandered man-power/resources and invasion of our "privacy" on public land...
helicopters at moontribe, a 6 hour / dozen squad car, k-9 cout d'etat of free land rights...
as some attendees of the gathering became detainees, approached, questioned and temporarily taken into custody on any of several (trumped up) issues: the usual suspects: drug and decibel... permit? charging for the event? intoxicated and/or missing persons?
the means: searches and roadblocks and
the wholesale trouncing of 1st (assembly), 14th (due process) and possibly 4th amendment (?) rights (if you were there and have factual data to account, please write back, albeit anonymous if you'd like)... many WELCOMED the police... cooperated when questioned...
the missing person? a possible spin rumor perhaps generated by the police themselves
as there is no public record presented yet in the public forum for someone having called the authorities to report someone missing. an undercover off-duty police officer could have made that call for that matter. we want a public record of WHO called, from which phone or cellphone at what hour... and if any of these wrongful detentions come to court, we would demand proof of or access to the recording...
an aside: (interesting imagery) the peaceful protest: the 100 person strong circle formed upon turning-off of the soundsystem (almost looked like a helicopter landing pad)
We were all ears, with sound system OFF, wanting to know one good reason WHY this disruption, this show of force in contrast to what was being created and experienced by so many responsible individuals...
sonic decibel levels.. disturbance? polluting of the environment?
public record...as far as we know at this time, nobody got a ticket
BIAS
busts: based on the bad rep of "raves"... perhaps incorrect statistics?
what about drug use between desert "ravers" vs. your common urban nightclubbers.. or the LA "gang" issue? could make an interesting research project... and pie graph...
discrimination of those pushing the limits of freedom out in the desert... where we can cause no harm to others. decriminalization is of course the main issue
...meanwhile, the transgression pattern continues: harassing a non-commercial, non-denominational venture, a mobile camp-out group, connoisseurs and curators of experimental electronic beats and new techno group-consumptional directions in music... social gathering and cooperation...
BUSTED!
re-examination of the infrastructure of land-use
the "crack-house law" as it DOES NOT APPLY to noncommercial gatherings in the wilderness. the constitutionality of road-blocks, as compared to warehouse rave-busts of the 90's. we are a non-commercial venture, and what if we WERE commercial, in regards to exchange of tangible taxable goods?
is this the unspoken view? gov't gotta make money on us?
How to best present the case:
possible solution: all eyes on deck: web-cams and satellite connection, publicized.
supported by paid-for ($1 per view perhaps, as donation, nationwide) streaming broadcasts of these events, in tandem with the protection of our constitutional rights.
(audience-fueled, as hands-on dynamic, open to ideas and feedback, involvement, sharing of info-assets: the funding of lawyers (to protect us all): The EMDEF (Electronic Music Defense Fund)
and to keep rolling, and the ability to fan-out...
the mobile media vehicle(s) and the interface(s) and the performing artists, crew, support production and public speakers... a learning party.
with an important caveat, as to not alienate, drift from main issue or confuse:
no left/right politics issues, no particular party affiliations nor endorsing of candidates
this is an issue of simple public land-rights, discrimination, innocent until proven guilty vs. probable cause (it is probable at ANY urban nightclub that you will find illegal substances if you forcefully surprise search ALL of the clientele... is this an age of prohibition? "thought police"...? We must keep in check The Patriot Act. We mustn't allow ANY abuse of our civil rights. And as data streams in after this latest incident... stay alert, stay tuned, stay free.
E>K>G