ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN, AND DO NOT REPRESENT ANY ORGANIZATION.  I SPEAK FOR MYSELF AND NO ONE ELSE.

Purchase song - www.garrettdevaughnmusic.com/#music

Merchandise - https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/180677037?asc=u 

Youtube - 

Sleep Now In the Fire - A humble cover
“Sleep Now in the Fire” - Written and recorded by Rage Against the Machine 
From the 1999 album “The Battle of Los Angeles”

If you are familiar with Rage Against the Machine, you know they were a very politically outspoken band.  It is this defiant energy that I hoped to tap into when I started working on the “FUmaga” EP.  While replicating the raw energy of Rage feels virtually impossible, their drive and their intentions are things that I felt were accessible.  

Part of why I chose this song, specifically, was to set the tone from the beginning of the album.  I feel like I’ve been fairly transparent and outspoken against trump, maga, and the social inequalities happening around us, but I want there to be no question moving forward.  Just like I wanted there to be no question about exactly what the album represents. “Sleep Now in the Fire” sets a sarcastic, angry, and satirical tone that I try to maintain throughout.

Lyrically, the song is as prophetic as it is satirical.  It paints the picture of a person in pursuit of only power and with no regard or consideration for those they are meant to be serving; or those that fervently support them, for that matter.  This also appears to be THE definition of donald trump, based on his behavior.  

As in my last blog, I’m not going to go into all the facts of why I feel the way I feel.  It’s easy to find information supporting my stance, if you care to do your own looking.  My only request, think about the source of your information.  Is it credible?  Does it placate to maga with no real data?  

I repeat, don’t take my word for it, I’d urge everyone to do their own research and use their own discernment.  

In the meantime, he burns everything to sit by his own warm fire, and we sleep, restlessly.

A portion of the proceeds made from purchasing this song will go to the Nashville International Center for Empowerment, or NICE (https://www.empowernashville.org/).  I chose to donate to this organization as a direct response to donald trump and maga’s actions against the immigrant and refugee community in our country.  These are people just trying to make it.  If we (the United States) are as pious and righteous as we want the world to believe we are, shouldn’t we want to bring up others around us instead of posturing as some dominant force meant to be feared?

Read below to learn more about NICE and what they do for the community. 

Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE)
MISSION - Nashville International Center for Empowerment’s mission is to ensure refugees and immigrants achieve their full potential now and for generations to come. Our goal is to empower refugees and immigrants with resources and opportunities that will aid them in their resettlement and equip them to be successful in the future.
 

We do this by:

• Advocating for refugees and immigrants
• Building strong community of relationships
• Creating sustainable service programs
• Developing partnerships in Middle Tennessee

Below is a letter I sent via email to my representatives ahead of the Senate vote on the SAVE America Act.  Communicating with our representatives is one of the ways to show dissent, or support, for whatever they are working towards.  Does it guarantee any change? Absolutely not.  However, it is a documented way to show they are not as supported as they say, and that their logic is broken.  And therefore, I've decided to start sharing my communications with these lawmakers pubicly.  I'm not sure how often I'll do this.

If you are interested in communing with your Representative, you can find them here…

Find your U.S. Congress Representatives

Senator,

My name is Garrett DeVaughn.  I am a constituent of Nashville TN.

I am writing to beg, urge, and demand you oppose the SAVE voting act.  

I have found NO EVIDENCE of voter fraud other than Donald Trump making claims for the past 10+ years.  With no evidence of voter fraud, there is no reasonable purpose for the SAVE act to be put in place.  Therefore, the only logical reasoning for it would then be to control the voting, and control the outcome of the upcoming elections.  

As citizens, we have the RIGHT to vote.  We should not have to pay to vote.  Many people do not have Passports.  Many married females in the country took the surname of their husband, and now their ID does not match their birth certificate.  Leaving them needing to acquire a passport, or go through the process of updating information within the system.  Neither of these options are fast and neither are free.  

I recently PURCHASED a passport.  The cost was around $150.  Citizens should not have to PURCHASE voting identification.  We are citizens regardless of our income bracket.  I also recently had to replace my birth certificate, which was also not free.

If you can provide some actual, verified evidence of voter fraud, I would very much like to see it, as it might change my stance on the situation.  However, as it is, I can not see how in good conscience you can support the SAVE act.

I would like a response.  I have ZERO faith that you will take any of this into account.  Your track record has proven that you will do whatever donald trump (or his cohort) tell you to do.  I would love to be proven wrong.