Our Cities Are Burning

The world was in the deepest

Financial crisis since the depression

Economic confidence had plummeted

And governments around the world

Faced the prospect of social instability and unrest

Back in February

The top U.S. intelligence official

Said global economic problems

Were a threat to U.S. national security

I started to hear a language

I never thought I would hear in my life

People were talking about the entire global economy

Coming to a total stand still

The downturn will produce political instability

And damage the ties that hold countries together

That's why intelligence officials subsequently believe

The economy is not THE top threat

To our nation's security

Countries around the world might even be

Tempted to engage in financial warfare

The primary near term security concern

Of the United States, is the global economic crisis

Rising unemployment and reduced welfare spending

Are leading to political instability

In many countries. With a growing danger

Of civil unrest and violence

Potentially directed against the United States

For too long now, giant corporations

Have been allowed to undermine democracy

Here in the United States

And all over the world

Demonstrations erupted

During the first general strike

Since the new government took office in June

Tens of thousands took to the streets

Some hurling firebombs, breaking windows

And setting fire to debris

U.S. airforce counter intelligence documents

Show military personel who contact

Wikileaks or it's supporters

May be at risk for being charged with

Communicating with the enemy

A military crime that carries a maximum

Sentence of death

Now because of just the information overload

And how does anybody tell if anything is real

Or if anything's actually being presented to them

Seriously or not?

Everything could be a lie or bullshit

Or nothing but hear'say

We only have one thing

The bottom line

How to make as much money as they can

In any given quarter

That's it

Much of the city was deserted

And eerily quiet overnight

As the police flooded the streets

With sixteen thousand officers

Ten thousand more than on Monday night

I don't care what reading of history you take

The pattern is always the same

Whenever bacteria or invasion strikes

Or fire rages

Then, and only then

Do men stop fighting each other

And work together to save themselves

Common enemy

Common fear

That is the only answer

The republic as we know it is gone

Anybody who thinks that

We now operate under a constitutional republic

Or even democracy is deluded

We are going to create an enemy

Of course they make a profit

And it's a good thing!

That's the incentive that makes capitalism work

To give us more of the things that we need

That's the incentive that other economic systems lack