A Hero of the War

This is one of my favorite anti-war songs. It's "A Hero of the War" by expat American/UK pop star Scott Walker, ca. 1969. All those wars we witness, we read about: they're fought by regular people, some by choice some by compulsion, who should all be doing something else.

This song starts out so upbeat; by the time you realize what it's about it has become darkly sardonic. The lyrics:

"He's a hero of the war
All the neighborhood is talkin' 'bout your son
Mrs. Reiley get his medals
Hand them 'round to everyone
Show his gun to all the children in the street
It's too bad he can't shake hands or move his feet

He's a hero of the war
You can see his picture in the local news
Mrs. Reiley seems the girl next door is nowhere to be found
Once you couldn't keep that boy from hangin' 'round
Never mind dear, you're with your mum once more

He's a hero of the war
Like his dad he gave his life the war before
It was tragic how you almost died of pain when he was born
With no husband there beside you through it all
Ring the bell if you get hungry or you fall

You're a hero of the war
Why those teardrops on your cheek? it's so absurd
Feelin' empty it's the emptiness of heroes like your son
And what made him leave his mother for a gun
Driven forward driven back and nothing more

He's a hero of the war"

I read Secretary of Defense Gates just gave a speech at West Point in which he expressed doubt that the U.S. should repeat its Iraqi and Afghan adventures. Better luck next time, right? The mind boggles. Bring the troops home now.

Happy Cannon Fodder Day!

I almost forgot what day it was. In honor of Veteran's Day, aka Cannon Fodder Day, here's pop singer Scott Walker's devastating "Hero of the War" from 1969.

He's a hero of the war
All the neighborhood is talkin' 'bout your son
Mrs. Reiley get his medals
Hand them 'round to everyone
Show his gun to all the children in the street
It's too bad he can't shake hands or move his feet

He's a hero of the war
You can see his picture in the local news
Mrs. Reiley seems the girl next door is nowhere to be found
Once you couldn't keep that boy from hangin' 'round
Never mind dear, you're with your mum once more

He's a hero of the war
Like his dad he gave his life the war before
It was tragic how you almost died of pain when he was born
With no husband there beside you through it all
Ring the bell if you get hungry or you fall

You're a hero of the war
Why those teardrops on your cheek? it's so absurd
Feelin' empty it's the emptiness of heroes like your son
And what made him leave his mother for a gun
Driven forward driven back and nothing more

He's a hero of the war

War: resist it. Don't enlist.

sadder landmark

dead Iraqis: previous post x 20? x30? x40? x50? who knows?

sad landmark

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Vietnam-War Avoider Has Career Regret

From a George Bush videoconference with military leaders in Afghanistan:

"I must say, I'm a little envious," Bush said. "If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed."

"It must be exciting for you ... in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks," Bush said.

If only he had stayed home reading Rudyard Kipling instead of being responsible for the murder of thousands.

wasted lives

An article I found through the Huffington Post says that U.S. officials are saying we should "brace for a jump in casualties" in Iraq. Nowhere is there sadder, more tragic evidence that the war in Iraq must end now, and immediately. Somehow Bush believes that doing more of the same, wasting more young American--and countless Iraqi--life will have different result than the chaos it has produced in the last four years.

The Democrats must tell it like it is. Every single loss of life in Iraq from this day forward is a tragic waste. Every life lost to Bush's folly is another life squandered. While the American politicians debate and equivocate, and Iraqi politicians do lord knows what, people are dying, and none of those deaths mean a thing. These lives are not an obscene investment, that somehow things will get better if they are spent now. These lives are flesh and blood people, loved by many, that will be gone for nothing.

Many people now realize that the U.S. should not have upset the Iraqi apple cart in the first place. But this is the truth that must be embraced now: The US can do NOTHING now to prevent further deterioration in Iraq except leave. The longer the US stays, the more wasteful death, the more tragedy, the more hatred that young middle-easterners will feel toward this country.

Stop the debates. Stop the so-caled bipartisan negotiations. End this war now. Withdraw today, or tomorrow, but NOW.

Support the troops? Then bring them home!