Taking Down The Empire

[TheMercilessEye]

@FeministWhore Your taste is, as ever, excellent, miladye...

[jwtbarry]

Well, I like the song. And the Iraq war? We're lucky it turned out well. But... I'm not sure I agree with the uploader's interpretation. To me, Williams isn't arguing that the United States (or any empire, but I think particularly the United States) is some kind of obvious evil, even at its most imperialistic moments. I think her argument is that an empire has the capacity for great good, and that people will miss the order it enforces when it falls. But it also has the capacity for great evil.

[onegreenday]

usa government is 200 years old.

we have computers now.

we don't need them like the old days.

we must reform the constitution

to give people direct control of the government

through the internet. We will make the final decisions;

not politicians.

They may formulate plans but we will say yeh or neh

through collective vote.

We vote NO too war.

[Chamtechie]

just enjoy the *$*#&% music

[mrnich04]

And how can so many people be wrong? ... They can't be. Really, we elected bush twice and then obama, I'm terrified of the American electorate. By the way both our current wars had popular support at there out set. We are so screwed we have republican small government, in theory, and people taking care of themselves; or liberal big government controlling every aspect of our lives because they don't trust us to make the right decisions for our selves. WE HVAE TOO MANY LAWS.

[wvprogressive1933]

I think we should have a law, at the very least, that keeps us from having an emperor-who- would be-war criminal as president.

[mrnich04]

Lovely song thou...

[alwaysthedreamer]

bush was bad but obama has done something extremely wrong. He has convinced people that everything is ok..

[mrnich04]

Dissidence is a luxury of the righteously indignant, paid for in the lives of the very patriots they tare down.

[Octoberfurst]

What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying we should never criticize our leaders? You would have made a good Nazi. Just follow orders right? Be a sheep. Sorry pal, that is not the way it works. Dissent IS the highest form of patriotism!

[mrnich04]

I believe that Bush was bad and Obama has the potential to be anything, sadly its looking like he will be worse. Anyways, the points was that if you can't see the ability to freely criticize is a luxury of the system we have created, or inherited, could be destroyed by senseless criticism masquerading as fools patriotism. Look at Obama shutting down Gatmo so as to not compromise own laws and moral but blatantly disregarding our laws to screw secured bond holds of GM in favorer of the UAW.

[Alpha4Centauri]

After 9/11 the whole world was in shock, and there was great sympathy for the US. If we had handled it correctly, we would have nurtured that support and had eyes and ears all over the world looking for bin Laden. But once we ignored the opinion of our allies their support became lukewarm. And once we invaded Iraq, it was easy for al Qaeda to make us look like we were equally evil.

Bush screwed our foreign policy because he's incapable of seeing issues from any point of view but his own.

[482c]

Good reaponse Amelia! However, I got news for you Bush Cheney Kissinger and the rest of those thugs will get rich and die in their beds at ripe old ages--in part because we sit here on the internet and do nothing. Check out Arthur Scargill

[03bash]

1.08 was too funny

[WHY7721]

i dunno, i think 1:28 was funnier

[capergirl1976]

Amazing video! 5stars! :)

[angel28607]

AWESOME VIDEO!!!!5***** and featured on my channel.Good Job Great message

[AskRufus]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hippiefied1]

I'll try this again. Last comment didn't show up.

I found this video last night and pimped it out in a video I made.(just incase your wondering where all the new views are coming from) if you would rather I take the link down directing them to this please let me know.

I just thought as many people should see it as possible.

Peace,

Lisa~

Excellent five star video!

[bornalittlelate]

thanks so much, i really appreciate it. and by all means, keep the link up.

[Hippiefied1]

thank you so much :) Again excellent video!

[REVDUFF74]

@Hippiefied1 EVERYBODY IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE PRESSED FOR THE WAR! DONT BLAME ANYONE EXCEPT HUMAN NATURE! WHEN ARE BIGGEST ALLIE IS OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM! CHECK OUT KOSHER KILLS! I BOYCOTT KOSHER PRODUCTS BECAUSE THERES A RELIGIOUS WAR WE HAVE NO SAY IN!

[Serramist]

great video!!!!! 5 *'s

[AmeliaWatson]

So... when will Bush be put to justice?

Only the americans can bring him to court, right?

[PrincessDiana161]

BRAVO!

[Fringe111]

Awesome vid. I agree with all of it.

5 stars

[GroovyStretch]

Lisa sent me by to say hi....

[achampag]

great vid

lol i would get that cupcake

[CarlBewley]

Brilliant. Heart warming to see so much opposition and common sense but sad that Bush is in power at all. Appalled every day by the man's actions and illegal governance. Dismayed that he will 'get away with it' too.

[taylorbaybee123]

go vinnie=)

[BirdFlewOver]

There is no way Bin Laden could have planted those bombs, no way...and no way could he make our trillion$/yr defense forces stand down either, only Cheney had that power, (which he used!) , this country is not in our control we need to take it back! Don't trust any authority until Obama becomes President though if he does watch for another Lincoln/JFK/MLK/ Bobby Kennedy type assassination! Israel and big Oil had everything to gain, think about it who runs our country under Bush! Israel and Oil!

[BirdFlewOver]

Terrorism exists, always has always will, IRA, our founding fathers (considered terrorists by the British)Terrorism is the new Communism, however Saudi terrorists did not attack us on 9/11, Israeli terrorists did, in collusion with Bush, Cheney, Perle, Silverstein, JP Morgan, the fascist side of the FBI/CIA/DOD...Jeb Bush's company was in charge of security, who planted the thermite bombs, Mossad (posing as art students) were given a whole floor of the tower for a year???

[themovinghand]

Isaracing,

The war in Afghanistan does not equal war in Iraq does not equal war in Iran.

Keep democracy alive.

[BirdFlewOver]

This is a great song request it from your local radio stations

[arekusandru]

very very nice video...but the argument u used at the end wasn't very good...popular doesn't necessarily mean right...but in this case it is:)

[JeremyI7]

Bush sux. Fuck him.

[PirateSerenity]

there is war to protect and then there is war to dominate Bush started one then moved on to another.

[thatpalechick]

I respect the opinions expressed in this video, but I have to say that I support our president. Remember after 9/11, the whole country was ready to fight back against terrorism. What happened? I think a lot of Americans are simply bored with the war and want something new to argue about. Wars take time, people. War is not a fast food restauraunt, it's WAR.

[Isaracing]

War in Afghanistan does not equal war in Iraq.

[fastcats3]

After 9/11-Americans were afraid and angry...wanting revenge. The Bush administration used this to advance their agenda. The agenda was written by PNAC in 2000. PNAC members include Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush, William Kristol and many other "neo-cons". What has happened is that the fog has lifted from the minds of the American people and they see the truth.

[tHatSxLiFe33]

how can you say that? the whole country was NOT ready to fight back against terrorism!! BUSH was!!!!! hes the one who started the whole war!!! i hate how ignorant people are.

[boomac62]

Lets not blame this on president Carter. he did allow the shah in the country for medical treatment in 1979, a mistake in retrospect, at the time the right thing to do. Great video and great singer!

[fastcats3]

My father worked for Haliburton which put us in Iran in the 1970's building a submarine base. The Iranian people are good people. They overthrew a tyrant who tortured his own with the help of his secret police, SAVAC. The people wanted th Shah gone and the American gov out of their affairs. They never threatened me or my family. America wants their oil and will kill to get it.

[boomac62]

well put.

[Suzbekistan]

Excellent video! Peace and Love, Suzy

[tapay1]

Greets from Germany. Move on!

[DebiFJ]

FYI ——> DebiFJ = SlydStop :-)

[DebiFJ]

Keep up the good fight! I went through the nightmare that was Vietnam from the home front and I feel as strongly about this war as I did that one—both were wrong and not worth the thousands who have died because of them. Thank God the youth of this world aren't fooled by the idiots we have running our government now. War is never the answer—but I think you already know that. Great job and THANKS!

[JTRox8]

So, that really should have posted to the previous threads, but the very first one was to "LilSpankey93" (the moron comment), then the second one was to "theticcaboose," and the final one was to "brownthundertx." To all three of you, and the rest of you who choose obscenties instead of arguments, "The strongest words end up in the weakest arguments." Think about it.

[brownthundertx]

If you want to argue the points then argue them. Pacifists offer nothing to the country. Period.

The problem with you liberals is very simple. You don't ever admit that there is real evil in the world, because if you did you would have to do something about it.

I for one don't want to leave this problem for my children and grandchildren. It's better to deal with it now.

[westphalianprinz]

There is real evil in this world; however, to stop it, we have to get rid of some neoconservatives. I can't control what Islamic hate groups do-- maybe the CIA should've thought about that before giving them guns and turning them lose on socialists, nationalists, and other non-crazy people all over Asia.

[482c]

I agree--couldn't have said it better

[goldelite911]

actually Brown, pacifists stop your contry from going right into the shitter, without them your country we be a war-mongering waste of space. Eventually doomed to be destroyed when you fuck with some-one stronger then you.

[LilSpankey93]

Holy Shit, people don't know why we are fight in this war(we are realy not in a war)Someone tell me what happened when we let Hitler do what ever he wanted, because we said no war? He commited a genicide, and started to take over countries.What does killing and takeing countries over do?

[LilSpankey93]

People start not to like each other, wich leads to war, and the Japanese looked at the U.S. and we looked weak they attacked pearl harbor, What did we do? We Bomb the shit out of Japan, which = Victory. If we back out, what will happen?

[theticcaboose]

you stupid liberal motherfucker. we are fighting this war to protect our selves. did you forget 9/11, if it werent for our troops protecting us the terrorists would do it again in a hearbeat. tell me how is george bush the worst president in history. are you saying carter was a better president

[JTRox8]

Oh my god. Educate yourself. 9/11 wasn't an Iraqi attack, and, lest we forget, the UNITED STATES is the country that armed Iraq in the first place back in the 80s when we were feeling threatened by the Shah of Iran. It's amazing how you can spew your revisionist history everywhere and think that it's the ONLY right answer. I'm not purporting to have all the solutions, but at least I'm not insulting people I don't even know because I have no better means of expressing myself.

[brownthundertx]

The Shah was our friend until Carter. Dumbass. You can blame all of this mess on him.

[TiVoJedi]

Saw you on yesterday's CBS Evening News. Great job.

I was born in Vineland NJ over 54 years ago. Do you live in or near Vineland? Thanks.

[proud2bfreeinUS]

Powerful video. Your passion comes through loud and clear! I respect your "anti-war" message. I do not know anyone, (including the President) who is PRO-War. Some just seem to come to the conclusion that war is the proper action based on a plethora of information available to them. The BEST war is one that never needs to be faught! Pray for the troops and their families! Thank God for passionate people like you and thank God we live in a world where you can be free to express your feelings!

[brownthundertx]

Pacifists are the parasites of freedom. Like it or not...you should thank Bush and the US Military for keeping you safe from the pyscho-mullahs.

[JTRox8]

Wow, I don't even want to reply to your lunacy, just see above.

[jengates26]

If you look at the photos and video footage of Abu Ghraib, you will see what the heart of this government looks like.

[monnykuh]

Will all of you stop? It's fucking annoying to see people fighting about politics on /YOUTUBE/. Are all of you that depserate for your opinion to be heard?

[liminalityofrain]

*tearing up* This video is so awesome! I wish that GWB and all the candidates for the next election would watch this and pay attention. Their job is not to hide information from us and make decisions we don't support. We are not children! The president is not supposed to represent only those who voted for him/her, but to represent the collected desire of ALL Americans.

[newyorkin1980]

FREE PALESTINE!!!

[newyorkin1980]

Bush is no dount the worst president ever! Howin the world could someone like him, be our president! he is such an embarassment to this country! he is so dumb, he can't even speak like a normal person , he is insane, how does he sleep at night knowing he helped kill so many innocent people?

[LilSpankey93]

How about Osoma Binladen, did he kill all the bad americans? on 911...Fag

[JTRox8]

You're ridiculous. What kind of a response is this? Respond to the issue, respond to the concept, but to throw ridiculous epithets out there because you have no other words to express yourself? It's not only pathetic, it's sad...why don't you get out there, educate yourself, and then come back to the debate when you have *actual* opinions and not ridiculous BS to throw out there. Moron.

[patsagainstrats]

What a rougue's gallery of left-wing crackpots. I wish the cops would start busting skull again like they they did during the 1968 Democrap Convention. That's the only way to deal with these lunatics.

[westphalianprinz]

Haha. We've got a fascist here!

[westphalianprinz]

BTW, in my life-time, there will be more athiests than Republicans in the United States. Because my generation doesn't buy your bullshit-- that's why.

[patsagainstrats]

You left-wing crackpots will always remain marginalized because there's zero unity in your party. Not unlike the muzzies, the Democraps like to fight amongst themselves almost as much as with their opposition. BTW, thank god for the rational voices like Christopher Hitchens. LMFAO!!!

[westphalianprinz]

Too bad. Look at the demographic data. You guys are going extinct.

[skaweber]

How is it being a "crack-pot" to realize there were no WMD's? That we took our eye off Afghanistan and put it where we THOUGHT it would be easy, in Iraq? To speak out against incarceration and torture some people who aren't terrorists, but simply were in the wrong place at the wrong time? To understand that some corporations MIGHT need regulation because they can screw us over? To accept that other people's sex lives are none of your damn business?

[patsagainstrats]

Typical left-wing talking points, never an original thought. What do they do hand out a list at Starbucks when you decide to roll out of bed, and go, at two in the afternoon? And what do know about torture? The only torture you'll endure is when some clerk forgets the whipped cream in your mocha latte, Moonbeam. ROTFLMFAO!!!

[westphalianprinz]

The Republican Party is a tool for the rich. It's very simple. But pseudo-populists like yourself don't know much about how the real world works. Except that the liberals and the elite are going to destroy Christianity. I bet Mussolini didn't run on such a silly narrative. Standing up for the working class, when did that become elitist?

[westphalianprinz]

Christopher Hitchens is a drunk who never had an honest job in his whole life. He's just like David Horowitz, a total sell out to the worst sectors of US society. Both of those guys never learned what it means to be on the left and actually fight for these things.

[cyruscobain]

Why is this the only video that comes up in the search for anti-Bush protest? Is youtube not being for political speech or does our youth not care? Is youtube filtering out important users contributions? Based on the number of views no one cares...

[coranglist85]

Excellent presentation, very powerful. Dar Williams is awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[DiscoSux87]

I love Dar Williams. great video. very powerful.

[goostyx]

Thanks so much for being a voice with such a strong statement.  Great clips, awesome song, and poignant text.

[AnotherEcho]

Amazing.

[neseattle]

Amsome! Thank you for putting this together!

[westphalianprinz]

This song basically follows the growth and collapse of empires. You could make this about the Romans, the Spanish, the Dutch, or the British and the storyline has the same contours that lead to conquest, imperial gloating, and the collapse. Maybe we can create world without empires, because that's the only way democracy will ever flourish.

[westphalianprinz]

The lyrics of this song are excellent.

[peterobrien]

A real gem.more.peter.London

[129bill]

excellent! Great visuals to go with one of Dar's best songs.

[phoenixrisingftm]

fantastic! thank you so much for sharing this...

[macychick]

That's great! I love the church sign that says "Impeach Bush" and the dog peeing on the Bush sign!

[cloudsdescendng]

that's amazing!!!!

[existentialx]

Awesome video! I agree 100% with the sentiment and the music was perfect.