For all of his grand-standing and sustained demands for jobs, Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner (OH-8) might not seem like one fearing the loss of his own job. Even in an Ohio that has been among the hardest hit by the economy, John Boehner has not let job insecurity threaten his tireless devotion to protect the rights of Wall Street executives and lobbyists. In a curious defiance tacked on to the anti-government Tea Party movement, it has been a persistent point of pride for Boehner to loudly fend off the U.S. Government from exercising any restrictions to campaign finance or any effort to regulate the financial markets which led to the economic crash, and instead sought to raise the Social Security retirement age to 70 so that more federal money could be earned off working Americans.

And now, John Boehner appears poised to become the Speaker of the House.

In a campaign year galvanized by the Supreme Court decision Citizens United, allowing unlimited corporate spending on elections without requiring disclosures, John Boehner stands to take in more money than ever before for himself and his party. The business of saying “No” to whatever comes from a Democrat has only become more rewarding for the man who cried out “Hell no!” on the House floor during the health care debate.

Indeed, John Boehner’s histrionics may be more well-known than his Snooki-like tan. It is entirely possible that no other current or recent member of the U.S. House of Representatives has wept as much while addressing Congress as John Boehner.

So it is with interest that many have taken to watching the race in southern Ohio’s 8th Congressional district, where newcomer Justin Coussoule has stood up to challenge U.S. Rep. Boehner in this fall’s elections. A West Point graduate and attorney, Coussoule’s assured demeanor strikes a marked contrast with Boehner’s trademark hysteria, and his ability to discuss politics while not becoming unbridled suggests an unflappable leader not prone to pander to polarizing tactics.

In this exclusive interview at his family’s home in Ohio, Coussoule shared with me his reasons for running, his concerns about a representative devoted to out of state donors instead of constituents, and how he hopes to restore civility and practicality to Washington, calling John Boehner an embarrassment to the citizens of Ohio’s 8th District.

Justin Coussoule’s website: www.coussouleforcongress.com

My documentary PAY 2 PLAY is exploring how big money has taken over our elections, and how we can reclaim our democracy: www.Pay2Play.tv

And another one right next to it went up last week:

A coincidence?? Right after my short doc on him and his work was featured on Wooster Collective?

Probably.

Interested in acquiring an original Alec Monopoly artwork?  Pick some up and help our film PAY 2 PLAY!

Hawdwerk & Jansport J High Power Moves album:  hawdwerkjansportj.bandcamp.com
Hawdwerk Off The Clock mixtape:  hawdwerk.bandcamp.com

Hawdwerk & Jansport J — “Computer”

Twitter:

@Hawdwerk

@JansportJ

No One

No One consists of Dae One and Noni Spitz.  Featuring Hawdwerk and Jansport J.

the Presubstance mixtape http://noone.bandcamp.com
the Substance album is coming soon october

Twitter:

@daeone
@nonispitz

Blakface

Blakface consists of Funk Logik & Kaleem Sincere Wasif

Blaktastic Vol. 1 mixtape http://blakface.bandcamp.com
The Blakface album Past Due is being released Sept. 21, new single “Miscommunication” out Labor Day under Cov Original Music, LLC

Twitter:

@funklogik

@kaleemwasif

@covoriginal

Blakface is a group which consist of 2nd Cousins, Kaleem (Sincere) Walif and (Funk) Logik.This most recent project BLAKTASTIC VOL.1 is a collection of smooth tracks with soulful grooves, slick rhymes and has a bit of a ’90s feel to it. This mixtape takes you on a tour from relationships and summer jams to common topics of late, including the current state of hip-hop and the rebirth that’s evolving in the hip-hop cultural. This project features top producers such as elite producer “Jansport J”, UK Monster “Josh G the Jass Kat”, L.A. underground sensation “Dj Rokem” and Mike “Latterborn” Wofford just to name a few. With lyrical appearances from “Poetik Force”, and “Avi the most ill”, the lavish and diverse featured appearances never over shadows the track. Blakface is a group of high quality artists that make excellent music.

Digable Planets ‘ emcee Butterfly once declared, “The city’s a museum with its posters and graffiti.” While the urban gallery of Los Angeles exhibits colorful murals and tagging scrawled in the city’s margins, there is a subculture that lurks in the dead of night to adorn utility boxes, street signs, dumpsters, and unclaimed walls with paint, posters and paste, in the pursuit of what is simply known as “street art.”

Less than a year ago, the recognizable Monopoly Man figure began appearing around town plastered against traffic light boxes, lampposts, and building tops. The tuxedoed icon would be recognizable with his pocket watch and top hat, but now he was spinning turntables, or needing healthcare. In an era of billion dollar bailouts for banks that already own the country and moguls decrying regulation as un-American, the re-contextualization of the childhood symbol of success and wealth almost needed no explanation.

Except, maybe an explanation for who the hell was putting all these imaginative renditions of the Monopoly Man all over LA, from the ocean to downtown, from West Hollywood to the canyons. And why.

After patience and persistence, the elusive Alec Monopoly granted me an interview. Because others might technically deem his artwork a destruction of property or some such notion, he asked that his likeliness be kept hidden, and that he would come to me. The interview we filmed is below, along with a slide show of some of Alec Monopoly pieces around Los Angeles.

Visit www.alecartshow.com

www.pay2play.tv

Please, donate a quick couple bucks to our all-or-none fund raising effort on Kickstarter:

Candidates and political parties already face challenges in maintaining a voice in democracy through the costs to get their message out, and voters have increasing difficulty determining just who is sending them all these mailers, and if the propositions are termed in the affirmative or the negative. Corporations exert increasing influence through advertising and donations, for and against candidates and issues. Now that the Supreme Court has rephrased the existence of corporations into personhood, we should continue to demand new legislation that curtails their unchecked spending without accountability.

Among potential remedies pursuant to this reasoning could be laws explicit that corporations must pay all of their corporate taxes before making any political expenditures. Currently, about 2% of corporate taxes are collected. Even the oil industry gets billions of tax breaks, while making billions in record profits, and inflicting billions of dollars of damaging. If they have money to spend on elections that affect how much they make, they shouldn’t they have to pay taxes that run those elections, and the government they are expecting things from?

Here are photos from the protest, which drew a diverse group of people compelled to speak out against corporate influence in Washington.

My current project, PAY 2 PLAY: Democracy’s High Stakes, documents the fight to keep our elections from being bought.

Street Art just up on Melrose.