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September 26-October 2, 2002 music mywrites
With no end in sight to the ongoing (yet unofficial) repeal of basic American constitutional and civil liberties in the name of protecting the “freedoms” that people halfway across the globe are supposedly “so jealous of,” you’ve got to tip your Kangols to the folks at AWOL magazine for having the cojones to maintain their staunch anti-war stance and for reporting unpopular news and views that the corporate Datelines won’t go near. Using various dynamics of hip-hop culture and music to advise and enlighten, AWOL is a local organization intent on teaching youth, especially those of color, the concept of "conscientious objection" -- which the military defines as "opposition to war based on moral, religious or ethical code." In this, their second volume to hit the streets from Cali to Philly and beyond, in full, glossy color (along with a 21-track CD), AWOL addresses everything from Wyclef and Canibus' "ghetto passport" revocation to the top five fabrications about the war against Afghanistan. You will also find femmes meurtrières Luminous Flux's interview with Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, and Turiya Autry's and local writer Walidah Imarisha's interview with the Bay Area's most qualified cultural-critiquing MC, Boots of the Coup. The genius of AWOL is that contributors are so varied in background and experience that you're probably not going to agree with every page in the magazine. And why would you want to? Instead, what you may want to keep in mind is that platforms like these are rare and becoming rarer with the encroaching censorship. But AWOL's firm grasp on the First Amendment, even when it comes in the form of maniacal criticism, is clearest in their "Guestbook" column, which cites reader response. One e-mail, from a woman in Clearfield, Utah, includes a phone number, an address and a promise: "I'll show you what a bullet up your ass feels like.... stinking cowards." Threats like these will surely keep free-flowing into the AWOL e-mail bag. But, considering the alternative, is fear even an option? "We will look back on the days of the MOVE bombing, the Amadou Diallo murder and two million people in prison as Œthe good old days' if we fail to act," writes Mario in his editor diatribe. Holla'. AWOL magazine, Volume II, $5, along with free 21-track CD featuring MCs La Bruja, Immortal Technique, Askari X/Tajai and performances by Yellow Rage, DJ Ian Head and more. Available for purchase at awol.objector.org or 800-NO-ROTC. 
-- Respond to this article in our Forums -- click to jump there
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