Jazz, hiphop, gospel, folk - it's all here. Music and spoken word to remind us of the ruinous days of a man who would be president.

25 MP3 Songs
SPOKEN WORD: With Music, JAZZ: Jazz Fusion



Details:
When george w bush began his talk of war I started writing poems in protest. It was March 2002. A year later we were sending our soldiers into slaughter, and slaughtering innocent civilians in Iraq. bush calls it âwarâ when it suits him, and âmission accomplishedâ when he wants to play the victory card. I have continued writing about the egregious policies of this administration, and in my grief over a stolen election in 2004, produced bush rage: collected verse, which is the book that led to this audio book: bush rage ALLOWED, with my voice and the layering of music by Portland musician Dave Lee. Dave runs a recording studio, Electronic Garage Productions, in Hillsboro, Oregon. He composes jazz, blues, and classical mixes for piano and ensembles, and plays piano around town. It was under his tutelage that I was able to make this recording, published by diomo square books and straw hat productions.
From my home in the southeast quadrant of Portland, Oregon, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, I have continued to focus my words against the corruption of bush and company. I have just completed a second book: bush rage: the sequel, and have created a performance based on my poems, many of which have been converted to song. A recent passion for the ukulele has led me to incorporate uke, keyboard and kazoo into my âmusical readings.â I accept invitations to house parties, fundraisers and benefits, in the hope that people will wake up and recognize the need for action.

Do you remember the first drums of war?
How we âlostâ in 2000, and again in â04?
The agenda was set, and we pay the price:
Fool us once? Fool us twice? Fool us thrice?

The compact disk, bush rage ALLOWED, is a document for our time - a collection of political protest and satire in free verse and rhyme to remind us why we are working for change in 2008. Dave added his own musical interpretation of my work, with the resulting mix of blues, gospel, and appropriate sound effects. It is a unique effort, and a great addition to the story of our age.
We know that we need to restore balance â the balance of three separate and EQUAL branches of government. That we need to curb the powers of bushâs all-powerful executive, and his rubber-stamping legislature and judiciary.
We are led by demons and despots, who, since 2000, have undone the balance of world power, undone decades of hard-fought treaties and multilateral agreements, and brought this country to its knees. Ours is a citizenry plagued with unemployment, bankruptcy, limited access to health care, and a crumbling infrastructure. Bush and his allies aggressively work to marginalize us through fear tactics as we watch the erosion of our civil and human rights.
We all need reminders. We all need, to quote my father, a swift kick in the pants. We all need to know there is a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.
Be a patriot! Consider bush rage ALLOWED a gift to yourself, your friends, and family as that friendly reminder that we have work to do.

Thank you.



Sharon E. Streeter

Background information: Born, Seattle, Washington, 1943. Attended Federal Way Schools, graduated from the University of Washington in 1965. Masters in Teaching from Lewis & Clark College in Oregon, where I taught French in the Lake Oswego School District from 1967 to 1993, and for Clackamas Community College in the 1980s. One of the founders of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, I continue my interest in gardening and plants. My husband, James A. Streeter, was chair of the Math Department at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City from 1967 until his death in 1989. He authored three math textbooks, published as The Streeter Series by McGraw Hill.
My other poetry, letters, and essays have been published in PoetSpeak, An Ear to the Ground, The Willamette Writer, Pacific Northwest Conference Newsletter, The Hardy Plant Society of Oregon Bulletin, Pacific Horticulture Magazine, Gardens Illustrated, The Portland Tribune, The Portland Alliance, and The Oregonian. My poem âopsimathâ appeared on the A Word A Day website. When we have finally ousted bush and company, I shall return to poetry of a different nature.
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