The Bourne Ultimatum: A lesson in impunity

Watching the Bourne Ultimatum was exciting as it was disturbing.

 

In the latest installment in the Bourne series, we are given a close-up (fictional but still close to reality) view of the US anti-terror campaign. The movie revolves around the black-ops unit of the Central Intelligence Agency called “Blackbriar”, an upgrade of the “Treadstone” unit from which Jason Bourne came from. Blackbriar is a counter-terrorism unit principally based in New York and has access to a whole range of information gathering and monitoring.

 

The mandate of Blackbriar is simple. Engage the enemies of the US government minus the bureaucratic the red tape, diplomatic gridlock and of course, beyond the reaches of the law. It is a unit that has very broad discretion when it comes to targeting and neutralizing enemies of the US. Blackbriar is also sanctioned to carry out assassinations and abductions, the use of deadly force, if necessary.

 

We are also given a glimpse of the surveillance capabilities of the US. A cellphone in the conversation in the United Kingdom can trigger a keyword which can then initiate massive surveillance on a target from halfway around the world. Such technology is not fictional and is believed to be used widely by the US government in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks. Bush placed American citizens under surveillance as a so-called pre-emptive measure to thwart terror attacks.

 

In the film, we see how cellphone technology is easily used to place a person under heavy surveillance. Cellphones are easily tracked to reveal a person’s location. In one instance in the film, even turning of a cellphone was enough to incriminate one insider as the source of a leak. All the CIA had to do was to check which cell phones were closed at a given time and these numbers were immediately segregated.

 

In one sequence, CIA agent Pamela Landy refers to Echelon as a means for data gathering and hacking into emails, phone records and other stuff. Echelon is believed by many to be real. It has been referred to as an elaborate signal intelligence system wherein the US and UK government intercept, tap and eavesdrop on various forms of electronic communication. The allegations have come from various sources and have been acknowledged even by the European Parliament.

 

The film also shows us a common practice of the CIA called extraordinary rendition wherein operatives abduct a suspect or a target. The CIA deputy director in the film, during a briefing, said that they are prepared to use all means, including rendition, to get to their target (a journalist). There is this scene where agents use some kind of serum to incapacitate a person. The agents injected this person, an unwitting suspect (albeit the wrong one), during one of the chase scenes in the film. The innocent bystander injected by the serum was later dragged into a waiting vehicle. Extraordinary rendition involves the snatching or abduction of suspects or targets and bringing them to a third country or location where they are far from the reaches of the law and legal processes.

 

What may appear shocking to some is that Blackbriar operatives truly believe in what they do, that they are protecting American lives even if this means operating with impunity and utter disregard for human rights and the law. Covert agents are routinely tapped to carryout assassinations, bombings and other atrocities in the name of fighting terror.

 

One of the characters in the film was outraged over the practices of Blackbriar because it already targeted CIA agents themselves as well as a host of other American citizens. Sad though that the outrage was triggered only with the murder of the Americans. What about the other nationalities murdered by Treadstone and Blackbriar? Perhaps for the characters in the film, the fact that the agency was killing the very same people it was supposed to protect, that was the only cause of indignation.

 

A friend of mine said that watching the film was like viewing the Philippine counter insurgency plan Oplan Bantay Laya and the anti-terror law called the Human Security Act. True.

 

The film highlights the impunity of state security forces, in this case the world’s number one superpower, in the course of its so-called “war on terror”. The US does not recognize privacy, the rule of law, human rights and due process when it comes to pursuing its war on terror. This war has claimed the lives of people, denying them due process and other legal recourse. They have been killed on mere suspicion and sometimes on mere impulse.

 

Isn’t this the same logic behind the Bantay Laya and the HSA when it comes to government dealing with activists? Doesn’t Bantay Laya resort to legal and extrajudicial shortcuts since activists are now targeted for liquidation instead if prosecution? Doesn’t the Human Security Act treat everyone as suspects that need to be placed under surveillance? Doesn’t the US-Arroyo regime use the “war on terror” to justify the impunity with which military operations are carried out even against unarmed civilians? Isn’t this the same logic by which the bombing of Muslim communities in Mindanao is carried out? That they are all terrorist supporters according to the military?

 

At all costs. This is the battle cry of the OBL and HSA. That’s fact, not fiction.

 

Blue Scholars’ Bayani – From the East to the Belly of the Beast

While still on my continuing education on hip-hop, I was able to get a hold of a copy of the Blue Scholars’ latest full-length album entitled Bayani. (Thanks to our friends in Seattle). The album reflects the political and cultural leanings of the two members of the Scholars: Filipino rapper Geologic and Iranian DJ Sabzi. Bayani in the Philippine Tagalog dialect means “hero”. In the Persian language Farsi, Bayani means “divine word”.

 

Blue Scholars are conscious or progressive hip-hop at its best.

 

In the US, the Blue Scholars have not kept their politics a secret; joining mass actions against the US war on terror, repressive immigration laws and human rights violations in the Philippines. Check out “A day in the life of the Blue Scholars” to see what I mean.

 

Last July 23 at the time of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address, the Scholars joined Filipino protesters in the Los Angeles in picketing the Philippine consulate there. They brought their own sound system and turntables during the picket.

 

The Scholars have come a long way from their self-titled album, this time with a more mature (politically and musically) recording that reaffirms their status as one of Seattle’s best hip-hop acts. Their prominence and social involvement has gotten the attention even of the Associated Press.

 

Bayani is intense as it is solid, down-to-earth and still profound, sharp yet with grooves. True enough, the album can very well be considered a tribute to heroes and a masterwork that has soul.

 

Featuring 15 tracks, the album explores issues such as migration and immigration, US soldiers in Iraq, mass demonstrations, human rights violations in the Philippines, struggles for liberation and the duo’s life in the States. The opening track features a Baha’i “healing prayer” that was chanted then merged subtly with funky wah-wah’s before it segued into another track.

 

The classically-trained Sabzi is responsible for the tunes and the beats, weaving melodies that can be considered simple yet possessing an undeniable hook. No tune sounds remotely the same. It’s like the guy can write an entire movie soundtrack and still have plenty to go around for the sequels.

 

Tracks like Second Chapter and the title track Bayani feature interesting and innovative melodies which I did not realize was possible in rap albums, but somehow fit perfectly into the groove of the Blue Scholars. The music on “Morning of America” on the other hand gave me an 80’s flashback. The horn sections in the other tracks were also refreshing.

 

Geo has matured considerably in his writing, taking on issues with a deeper understanding and sharper perspective. “The Distance” is one such track where his poetry blossoms beyond the agit-prop verses. One can still find righteous anger in Geo’s lyrics, perhaps more subdued in some tracks. Maybe not the raw outrage of his earlier work in “Blink”, but still potent nonetheless.

 

Intense emotions do show in the track Opening Salvo when he tells his young son “hold your head up, if they ever take me from you, and please tell them that I tried, don’t cry, coz no matter where you are, our struggle’s nearby.”

 

There are hard-hitting tracks such as 50K Deep (the Battle of Seattle), “Fire for the People” and the anthemic “Back Home” (US troops abroad). Then there is the reflective piece called “The Distance” which talks about the plight of immigrants torn from their homeland.

 

Bayani is brought to you by Massline Media and distributed by Rawkus.

 

If there is any way for the Blue Scholars to perform in the Philippines, we should start thinking about it.

 

Kiwi, Gloc 9, Stick Figgas and Pinoy hip hop

I first met Fil-Am rapper Kiwi back in 1998 during an exposure trip with the League of Filipino Students. I vividly remember one video footage where he had both fists raised while a flag was burning near an embassy protest.

 

Kiwi came back to the Philippines nine years later to do another exposure trip, this time with music as his main vehicle. Kiwi is one half of the now disbanded duo Native Guns which released the socio-political rap album Barrel Men. He has done campaigns with Filipinos in the US, most notably his support for the Stop the Killings Campaign. He does community work too for the Filipino Center in San Francisco.

 

First time I saw Kiwi take to the stage was on July 21 when he jammed with Brownman Revival on the songs Roots Rock Reggae and Get Up, Stand Up. The performance brought down the house, stirring the Xaymaca crowd in an awesome frenzy.

 

Next time I saw Kiwi perform was during the State of the Nation Address protest along Commonwealth Avenue. The stage was a flatbed truck, the venue was outdoors and the audience numbering in the thousands under the nootime sun. Kiwi came up with an electrifying performance together with New York-based Pinay rapper Valerie (whose MC name I forgot). Even the punks in the crowd were bouncing to the beat.

 

These performances were a sneak preview of what was in store in Kiwi’s July 25 gig at Freedom Bar. The mini hip-hop concert entitled Kiwi, Ka Bel @ Kalayaan sponsored by Anakbayan and Anakpawis featured an array of Pinoy hip-hop acts many of whom I have not seen perform.

 

Having only explored hip-hop just this year, thanks to a friend in the US, I wasn’t sure of what to expect. My generation was weaned on punk, new wave, grunge and 70’s classic rock. Hip-hop was basically uncharted territory for me. Thanks to my friend, I have been recently exposed to the more political stuff such as Dead Prez, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, NWA, Public Enemy, Native Guns and Blue Scholars. But when it comes to Pinoy hip-hop, I was clueless.

 

So it was a pleasant surprise that on July 25, I got to meet some of Pinoy hip-hop’s finest.

 

Let’s start with the Stick Figgas, composed of Looney and Xplizit. The duo has released an album entitled Critical Condition. They are definitely worth watching and hearing and deserve as much exposure as possible. Why? Their scathing lyrics resonate with both sincerity and raw anger. The politically charged “Liham sa Pangulo” (which I first heard during a rally in Liwasang Bonifacio) and “Dukha” are in-your-face commentaries on the rotten social system. The young duo has the potential to be to hip-hop as what Yano was to Pinoy rock. Also, mabait sila. Walang ere.

 

The rapper Syke, who was reportedly an Anakbayan member in Iligan, also delivered nationalistic verses that night. For an uneducated listener like me, Syke sounded like Busta Rhymes, at least his vocal style. His lyrics were more straight up, politically conscious in their meanings.

 

The group known as Machine Gun, I have known way back in UP. Vocalist Reynold is a lawyer who raps and is, unbeknownst to many, the original vocalist of Slapshock. Guitarist Jon Corsiga from the UP College of Music, is also an activist. The band now has a DJ. The combination of funky guitar riffs and turntable scratching is hard to pull off but I must say that Machine Gun unloaded a volley of armor-piercing lines that night. Their performance was solid. The DJ kicked ass.

 

Jay Flava got my attention when I saw him going around Freedom Bar giving out demo CD’s in his Motorhead t-shirt. Weird, I thought. Motorhead is metal. Jay Flava is supposed to be hip-hop. Only when he performed did I understand. In his myspace, he calls himself the missing link between metal and hip-hop. True enough, his rapping style is laced with heavy and crushing guitar riffs and bass lines you usually hear from metal acts. Check out his demo CD Obsolete. The guy is quick with words.

 

When Gloc 9 took to the stage, we were surprised to see him in just a t-shirt and jeans. His image is so far from the stereotypical rap artist (at least for us newbies). He was the most ordinary-looking of all the artists who performed that night. He could walk inside Freedom Bar and you wouldn’t notice it was him. The man is big in the hip-hop scene (winning the best rapper award in the first Philippine Hip-Hop Awards) but his apparent simplicity is probably what endears him to many.

 

Gloc 9 fired away with such tracks as Liwanag, Diploma and the tragic Lando. Our only regret was that he only performed three songs. In Diploma, Gloc 9 (Aristotle Pollisco in real life), says that he may not have graduated with a college degree but his poems are his diploma. He is what Gary Granada would call, a graduate of the pamantasan ng buhay (university of life). He worked hard, taking on menial jobs on his way to becoming one of Pinoy hip-hop’s best.

 

The last performance I caught (because I had to leave) was that of Kiwi of course. His rap style was influenced by the West Coast scene, the gangs in the ‘hood, social activism and his being Pinoy. Kiwi was tired, coming from gigs and rallies and events, but his energy was unparalleled. And he infected everyone with that same energy. The audience raised their fists, bounced to the beats, and hollered back to Kiwi’s rhymes. He did a track in what seemed to be based on Mos Def’s “The Rape Over” Jay-Z’s “The Takeover” which had him shouting out the names of the different progressive organizations present in the gig in the chorus “We’re here to take back this…”.

 

Kiwi said he would like to learn to rap in Filipino/Tagalog. He did an exposure with community youth in Caloocan and recorded a piece with them.

 

Pinoy hip hop has the immense potential of being more than just novelty and comedy. It can and will be taken seriously because it takes on serious topics. From what I heard that night in Freedom Bar, there is a future here for social commentaries, progressive views and raw outrage. Check it out.