We've just passed the third anniversary of "Mission Accomplished." Hail to the Chief Obfuscator.
If we were to cast an eleventh commandment
In twenty years people would be amazed to learn
That there had once been only ten
And wouldn't care if there had been.
-- T Bone Burnett, "Every Time I Feel the Shift"
The American flag is tied to a fence on an overpass
With a homemade sign written in red, white and blue
And it reads "Welcome home, Jason Miller, Private First Class"
And I don't even know him but I'm grateful for any good news
What's become of my country torn by contradiction
The spirit of freedom propped up by a culture of fear
Where's it's unpatriotic to protest or even to question
Have we learned nothing from history or the last couple years
And the rain pours down
On the fallow ground
And the fruited plain as barren as the sand
Is it not within our will
How long must we wait until
The seeds of peace find purchase in this land
He stood on the deck and he said we'd accomplished our mission
And he twisted the facts 'til he knew it could pass for the truth
Vengeance can fill any fool with conviction
But he can't wash the blood of the fallen from his cowboy boots
And the rain pours down
On the fallow ground
And the fruited plain as barren as the sand
Is it not within our will
How long must we wait until
The seeds of peace find purchase in this land
I will not be shamed into silence by partisan thunder
And I won't fall in line and march to the drums on the wind
How many more daughters and sons will we see plowed under
How much longer must we wait 'til the harvest comes in
'Til the sun shines down
On this hallowed ground
And the fruited plain so bountiful and grand
Is it not within our will
How long must we wait until
The seeds of peace find purchase in this land
Will the seeds of peace find purchase in this land?
-- Mark Erelli, "Seeds of Peace"
I agree with Andy, and also wish to
ReplyDeletepoint out that the "Religious Right" has been plainly duped.
It's amazing what a few promises will do. Just because a guy says he's against killing babies doesn't make he or his cadre of "neocons" fit to guard the borders, run the economy, and stave off the inevitable (he's hastening it, but he don't know it -- obviously going the the wrong Bible classes) in the ME.
Viewing things purely from the practical side, I would like to point out that our preemptive strike has so far cost us approx. four times the money it would take to seal US north and south borders and pay N.Guard to patrol them for the next ten years. Or five years, if we want to spend the savings on a LOT more smart bombs (I recommend it - but smart bombs cost more than soldiers, evidently).
‘Course maybe in the end it’ll be worth it. Maybe they'll stick some factories in Iraq that will sell things to Wal-Mort at “always low prices.... Always." That'll be worth it.
Personally, I don't think we have the time. Gonna be a tough little go before the even tougher 7 years.
The Road of Good Intentions -- by John Gorka (off of his upcoming release)
ReplyDeletethere's addition and subtraction
but division over all
hope once in fluid motion
is slowed behind a crawl
oh, the images are strong, and
the words are pretty good
but there's more fiction out of washington
than out of hollywood
on the road of good intentions
all gets justified to hell
the price revealed in stories
too short, too sad, to tell
is this permanent improvement
through abbreviated lives
or another tragic venture
shocking when the bill arrives
by the rubble where the house was
there are markers in the dirt
children with no need of freedom
they can no longer be hurt
on the road of good intentions
all gets justified to hell
the price revealed in stories
too short, too sad, to tell
and the soldiers and their families
with life and limb they pay
while the ones who sent them marching
get to dance the night away
i always come back to the soldiers
with their courage and ideals
i've seen them smoking in the airports
there's no telling how it feels
on the road of good intentions
all gets justified to hell
the price revealed in stories
too short, too sad, to tell