There is a lot of good songs by people like Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio, Smoke or Fire, Hot Cross , The Soviettes (whose song reminds me on „moonlight shadow“...), Darkest Hour and a whole lot of songs I personally really don't need like those of the bullshit christians of MxPx, The Falcon, The Tim Version and many more. Of course the fat master himself with his band NoFX is around as well as the usual suspicious Anti-Flag. For me only a minority of the 26 songs in total are of any interest and many bands featured here will never make big waves de their total lack of individuality and quality but it is the few exceptions that make this record worth a closer look. Some of which were already mentioned above but the ultimate highlight is the very last track by Against Me! (well in fact it seems to be their singer solo...) covering the Bob Dylan song „wagon wheel“ which is really touching. It is astonishing how simple a great song can be. Check this one out!

But apart from the musical side a project like this one must always be judged from a political point of view as well and there one must ask the question if it is right for a punk label or for punk bands to support a lobby group that works within the system instead of trying to tear down the system itself. Well, this question is a hard one for me. On the one hand I oppose this system in total and I want it to vanish. I totally think that as long as we live in capitalism there will always be racism, fascism, antisemitism, sexism, homophobia as well as numerous further things worth fighting against of which child abuse is one. So this project does not attack the root of the problem, it does not fight the disease, it is only trying to cure one single symptom. But on the other hand this is already quite a big deal. By now it doen't look like capitalism will be abolished within the next few years and so all the evils that can't be abolished before it has vanished child abuse will go on. Kids will get raped, beaten and mistreated in every way a sick mind can imagine day by day and they have little chance to do anything against this by themselves. In some states of the US where the organisation benefitted here is laid raping a child is not even a crime as long as it is 'your' child...

So I feel that this is a thing worth fighting for and working against that really deserves support even though this is just reformist bullshit and will never overthrow the fucking system. Each kid less getting abused is worth the effort. Without the children the revolution will never come. All our hope lies in the hands of future generations and it is our duty to give them all the education, freedom and protection they need to grow a rebellious youth and authority questioning adults! We got to keep this world in a state that a forthcoming revolution will still have a chance not to be too late... Sounds like hippie shit? Maybe... But judge for yourselves! [jan]

www.protect.org