Nick Broad, Producer/Director of The Busking Project which I was filmed/interviewed for this past September – http://www.thebuskingproject.com snapped this rockin’ shot of him wearing his Subway Diaries “T” while filming in Santiago, Chile and standing next to a fab “Heidi Metal” sign!

He calls the picture “Heidi Power”  : )

"Heidi Power" from Nick Broad of "The Busking Project" shot in Santiago Chile

So – I’m siting on the uber-crowded #1 train, headed uptown to Harlem to busk & this guy, in jeans & a sweatshirt, is standing by the pole in the middle of the train. His head is bobbing left-right-left-right & I hear what sounds like the faint crunching noise of a walkie-talkie. ( I can spot that noise a mile away) ME: “Is that I walkie-talkie I hear?” I said to the guy in the jeans. “Uh…Uh-huh” he whispered, half under his breath as if he had not wanted me to ask but instead to just go away. ME: “Are you a cop?” I said louder this time. His head bobbed back & forth faster now & nodded yes to me in between bobs. ME: (quite loudly this time) “Well, you should really turn that thing down, or get a different system or something, or else everyone will know you’re a cop!” The undercover cop shrunk down into his sweatshirt as if he wished he could just disappear. The train doors opened & shot the formerly, totally in control cop a huge smile as I hopped off onto the platform 🙂 #ows

Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg (or ‘Emperor Bloomberg’ as we have aptly named him here in NYC) showed his true colours at a speech he gave at MIT. In the wake of my 6 years performing underground in the NYC Subways and a how he has brutally handled the peaceful members of the Occupy Movement here in New York – I believe the following quote from the speech below will clear up any questions you might have as to where his head is at…

Bloomberg: “I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh biggest army in the world.”

http://www.politickerny.com/2011/11/30/mayor-bloomberg-i-have-my-own-army-11-30-11/

'Emperor' Bloomberg

Occupy Wall Street / We Are The 99%

Ran into Danny @ Times Square last evening. We both set up on different ends of the platform, he on the coveted #1 spot, me on the 2nd choice, and after about 20 minutes I packed up & came over to hang out with him before deciding on my next location…

Me:”Hey Danny its kinda slow down here, even with all these people…how come?’

Danny “The President’s in town & he’s got all them po-lice with him” he spouted with his thick South Carolina accent, putting all the emphasis on the “po’ when he spoke the word “police”. “Those po-lice they suck up all the energy.”

Classic Danny 🙂

Danny & Me : )

Today Obama is town to raise money & although the NYPD considers me a serious threat to National Security when I’m singing in the subway, I’ll be singing anyway. It’s what I do, it’s who I am. It’s my job, my life, just like yours, Mr President, is running the country I making this a better, safer, more joyous America for us all…

On that note – if I had three minutes with The president I’d beg him to turn the course the country is on around before it’s too late. I’d remind him that countries have notoriously followed our lead and all we stand for; freedom, democracy, that ‘anything’s possible’ attitude America’s been built on, but all of what we stand for is fast being eroded.

I’d then show him the photos of what he allowed to go on in LA & Philadelphia last night, the same thing he’s allowed to happen here at our Occupy Camp here in New York on the 15th. I’d have a copy of the US Constitution in my hand and remind him of the Amendments that allow peaceful assembly and freedom of speech – both of which are being violated daily here in America

Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Image

Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Image

Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Image

Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Image

Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Image

I’d then beg him, with all my heart to use this $35,000 a plate dinner he’s hosting to raise the consciousness of those who will listen in an attempt to please not pass the bill that’s currently being voted on on the Senate Floor:

The United States Senate is set to vote this week on a bill that would categorize the entire USA as a “battlefield,” allowing law enforcement duties to be dished out by the American Military, who in turn could detain any US citizen as a war criminal — even coming into their own homes to issue arrests.

The National Defense Authorization Act regularly comes before Congress for changes and additions, but the latest provision, S. 1867, proves to be the most powerful one yet in raping constitutional freedoms from Americans. Move over, Patriot Act. Should S. 1867 pass, lawmakers could conjure the text to keep even regular citizens detained indefinitely by their own military.

https://rt.com/usa/news/senate-mccain-battlefield-graham-429/

I would beg him for sake of all of us and especially the children, future generations who deserve a chance to live in a free America, not to pass this bill – to block it with all the power he has.

In fact, I’d probably beg him to leave the fundraising  dinner & go and take care of this looming and imminent threat to our personal freedoms as human beings on planet earth.

Fundraising can wait – our lives cannot Mr President – your children’s lives cannot

Please help the 99% Mr President. We are your people, we are you, we are your children, we are your vote. Please help us be free & you will need no fundraising as we will be behind you – instinctively

That’s what I’d say if I had 3 minutes with The President – but I probably won’t, I’ll instead sing & run the very real risk of having way more than 3 minutes with the NYPD

If you have a few minutes – please contact your Senators & urge them to oppose these outrageous provisions. The time to do is is short but we can, as you’ve seen with the Occupy Movement now in 1000 cities, make a difference if we all speak up, in unison for what we want.

PS ~ And only 3 hrs after I wrote this blog the deal was sealed:

61 senators betrayed you today, they authorized the indefinite suspension of habeus corpus

http://wearechangetv.us/2011/11/61-senators-betrayed-you-today-they-authorized-the-indefinite-suspension-of-habeus-corpus/#axzz1fFfQwZlF

Peace,  Creativity & Freedom ~ Heidi Kole & The Subway Diaries

“It takes 12 years to ‘educate’ an American, to teach them how War & a mindset of ‘lack’ & not enough for all has ruled the planet for centuries. After 12 years of going over the ‘facts’ you are sent to “Institutions” of ‘higher learning’ where more details of ‘the way it is’ are cemented into your still pliable brain. After that, no longer free to think for yourself about any other earth other than what you have been taught, yet inaugurated now as an ‘acceptable’ citizen’ you are deemed an American, fit to follow rules & comply – this system must change.” ~Heidi Kole #ows

#OWS