Main Menu

Peace Now!

Started by Mr. White, Oct 25, 2012, 11:56 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Mr. White

Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) Member Since 2011

bluesky

george says it all so honestly and simply

Jaimoe

Lest we forget.

Today is Remembrance Day. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, most British Commonwealth countries stop to honour all the brave soldiers who fought and died during WWI, II and all other wars including the Korean and Afghanistan. We wear a poppy, adopted as a symbol of our support inspired by a 1915 poem written by Canadian physician, Lt. Colonel John McCrae, who fought in WWI's Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium. McCrae's inspiration for the poem came when he noted how poppies grew around the soldiers' graves:

McCrae fought in the second battle of Ypres in the Flanders region of Belgium where the German army launched one of the first chemical attacks in the history of war. They attacked the Canadian position with chlorine gas on April 22, 1915, but were unable to break through the Canadian line which held for over two weeks. In a letter written to his mother, McCrae described the battle as a "nightmare": "For seventeen days and seventeen nights none of us have had our clothes off, nor our boots even, except occasionally. In all that time while I was awake, gunfire and rifle fire never ceased for sixty seconds ..... And behind it all was the constant background of the sights of the dead, the wounded, the maimed, and a terrible anxiety lest the line should give way." Alexis Helmer, a close friend, was killed during the battle on May 2. McCrae performed the burial service himself, at which time he noted how poppies quickly grew around the graves of those who died at Ypres. The next day, he composed the poem while sitting in the back of an ambulance.

In Flanders Fields, Lt. Colonel John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields


Composed at the battlefront on May 3, 1915
during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium


Canada lost nearly 64,000 in WWI, including John McCrae (roughly1% of my country's population) and almost 47,000 in WWII (population of 11 million).

Interesting fact for all you geeks out there:

Royal Canadian Artillery vet James Doohan, "Scotty" from Star Trek, was wounded on the beach in Normandy during D-Day. He took six rounds, four bullets into his legs, one in the chest and one in his hand. When you recall all those Star Trek episodes, notice that you never see Scotty's hand. He always hid it, a la Radar O'Reilly. His middle finger was blown off. 

Jaimoe

Quote from: Mr. White on Feb 01, 2013, 12:16 AM


As long as we have North Korea and Iran (plus other countries run by lunatics) and the eternal struggle over perceived borders (see West Bank), we'll always have war, unfortunately. I'm with you though.

johnnYYac

Jim Merrill is my Aunt Judy's second husband, a Vietnam veteran, and he wrote this song, called "Peace".

"Peace" A Song By Jim Merrill
The fact that my heart's beating is all the proof you need.

Mr. White

Today, November 11, 2021 is Veterans Day here in America.

I am a Persian Gulf War Veteran (Served on The USS Bunker Hill CG-52 during the entire run-up to the war and all during the war until the cease-fire. Then we returned to Yokosuka, Japan where my ship was forward deployed - home base for several years). My ship launched 27 Tomahawk Missiles that no doubt killed several innocent civilians at the beginning of the war. I have much stress in my mind and soul about this fact.

I am a Peace Monger now and have been for many, many, many years.

Here's one of my favorite quotes from WWII Veteran (bomber pilot) and historian Howard Zinn who killed lots of innocent civilians.

"We need to decide that we will not go to war, whatever reason is conjured up by the politicians or the media, because war in our time is always indiscriminate, a war against innocents, a war against children." - Howard Zinn

Wish a Veteran well today, and remember that many of us have mental scars that don't show like the physical ones so many returning Veterans have these days. Also, Work For Peace.

John
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) Member Since 2011

crooney

Well said, Mr. White.  Thank you for your service and being a pillar of this MMJ community.  Take care.

Mr. White

Quote from: johnnYYac on Sep 15, 2013, 08:22 PMJim Merrill is my Aunt Judy's second husband, a Vietnam veteran, and he wrote this song, called "Peace".

"Peace" A Song By Jim Merrill

Jim Merrill a Vietnam vet and a local musician performs his song titled "Peace"
Lyrics to the song are below
Peace By Jim Merrill

Da Nang, Nha Trang, Cam Ranh, Saigon,
Bien Hoa, Dong Hoa, Chu Lai, Khe Sanh
These names will remain in the hearts of many men,
For it was there we lost so many friends.
There spirits live on, now with you and me;
Those friends who gave their lives for a word called peace.

Perhaps one day we'll know the answers why,
maybe we've finally learned from those who have died,
that peace is the answer no matter where you go
and that war is not a solution, don't you know
that it's peace, peace..........

Let's hope our children never know a Vietnam, or an Iraq, or Afganhestan
Let's hope they'll live in peace thanks to those who have died
and maybe all together we can say that we've tried
for peace, peace..............
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) Member Since 2011

ranyart

Powerful song and thanks for sharing it John.  I love the lyrics - simple but so true.  I'm old enough to remember our Vietnam adventures including the nightly causality counts on the news and of course the images of any war are so surreal it's hard for me to completely understand how we get ourselves in these sorts of situations over and over again.

I can only imagine what it feels like to be on a boat as Tomahawks are unleashed.  I remember thinking during the Persian Gulf War that it kinda made sense and that we might actually be doing a good thing putting Mr. Hussein in his place but of course those tasks are more complicated than they might seem so here we are.  We're all - or almost all - guilty of taking the side of war in our country, and I thank you John for having us - all of us - in your heart as you served our country during trying times.  And of course your effort here on this forum and as a MMJ fan are also greatly appreciated.

:beer:  <3

ranyart

We can bomb the world into pieces
But we can't bomb it into peace


Power to the peaceful y'all!

Mr. White


This is a new recording and video of "The Bravery of Being Out of Range" from my 1992 album,
'Amused To Death'. It features part of Ronald Reagan's farewell speech to the nation when he left
office. I include the speech because the first verse of the song is about Reagan, he is the old man I
am addressing. Reagan is still revered by many, even though he is a mass war criminal who, among his many other crimes, knowingly supported the genocide of the Mayan people of Guatemala when he was president of the United States. His Assistant Secretary of State at the time of the genocide, the equally homicidal Elliot Abrams, still works for unsavory elements in current US Government circles. Try to watch the Journeyman film about the Guatemala genocide and the US government involvement linked here (https://www.journeyman.tv/film/635), it is grueling but.... well look at the Guatemalan girls (http://rogerwaters.com/guatemala.jpg), their mothers and grandmothers and fathers were slaughtered with Regan's blessing.

The second verse is about "Desert Storm" so the second old man is Bush Senior who slaughtered all those disarmed Iraqi troops retreating from Kuwait on Bush's orders on the road to Basra. The third verse was something I wrote when, disgusted as I was that "thirty years later" the US is still
dealing death to innocents in the name of freedom, we decided to do this song as an encore in
Latvia. Trump? Biden? Still dropping bombs, still killing innocent people. Same disgusting war hawk puppets. Come on AMERICA, it's time to MAN UP and say NO MORE KILLING THE CHILDREN TO GET OUR OWN WAY, NO MORE IMPERIAL WARS. LETS GO HOME AND PUT OUR OWN HOUSE IN ORDER! BECAUSE IT'S FUCKED UP.

This new version features:

Roger Waters: Piano and Vocal
Dave Kilminster: Guitar
Joey Waronker: Drums
Lucius - Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig: Vocals
Gus Seyffert: Bass
Jonathan Wilson: Guitar
Jon Carin: Piano and Keys
Bo Koster: Hammond

Wrangled together by Sean Evans & Roger Waters
Mixed by Gus Seyffert
Mastered by Dave Gardner

Edited by Andy Jennison

This is the fifth in our lockdown series of videos, it is a gift from all of us to all of you. I love you all, thank you for everything.

R.

---


"The Bravery of Being Out of Range"

Ronald Reagan.

"Back in 1980
When I was running for President
It was all so different
Some pundits said our programs
Would result in catastrophe
Our views on foreign affairs would cause wars
Once you begin a great movement
There's no telling where it will end
We meant to change a nation
And instead we changed the world"

Song Lyrics:
You have a natural tendency to squeeze off a shot
You're good fun at parties you where the right masks
You're old but you still like a laugh in the locker room
You can't abide change you're at home on the range
You opened the suitcase behind the old workings
To show off the magnum you deafened the canyon
A comfort a friend only upstaged
In the end by the Uzi machine gun
Does the recoil remind you
Remind you of sex
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Hey Old timer who you gonna kill next

I looked over Jordan and what did I see
Saw a US marine in a pile of debris
I swum in your pools and lay under your palm trees
looked in the eyes of the Indian
Who lay on the federal building steps
And through the rangefinder over the hill
Saw the front line boys popping their pills
Sick of the mess they find of that desert stage
And the bravery of being out of range
Yeah the question is vexed
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Hey old timer who you gonna kill next
Thirty years later it's the same old tune
No closer to peace than the man in the moon
The president's still just as crazy as a loon
Still picking fights in some foreign saloon
Bombs still falling out of the sky
The band's still playing Miss American Pie
The Gunner still sleeps in some foreign field
And the boys are still coming home on a shield
But nothing is real

We're still playing the game
With the bravery of being out of range
We still zap and maim
With the bravery of being out of range
Still strafing the train
With the bravery of being out of range
We still gain terrain
With the bravery of being out of range
Still fucking insane
With the bravery of being out of range
Still channeling John Wayne
With the bravery of being out of range
Still blowing out our own damn brains
Yeah with the bravery of being out of range
Ronald Regan.
"At the big opening meeting
All of a sudden just for a moment
I saw that everyone
Was sitting and looking at me.
And then one of them
Broke the silence
Tell us about the
American miracle
He said."

Hey bartender over here
Two more shots and two more beers
Sir, turn up the TV sound
The war has started on the ground
Just love those laser guided bombs
They're really great for righting wrongs
You hit the target and win the game
From bars three thousand miles away
Three thousand miles away
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range.
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) Member Since 2011

sillyboob

Great song, so on point.  This is a fantastic version too!
Cuz it's been so long since someone shattered me.

Mr. White

Stop Hurting People



"A love born once must soon be born again
A spark that burned, then died, leaving cinders to be fanned
By the wind and thrown to flame
Flames like tongues impassioned in a moment's burst
Tell me, friend, why do you stand aloof from your own heart?
The truth confronts you, the truth confronts you as the sea
Crushing with out detail
Impassioned and detached
Killing with love and power in God's Name

People stop hurting people
People stop hurting people

Love conquers poses
Love smashes stances
Love crushes angles into black

So you, without question
Know your first love is your last
And you will never, you never, never, you'll never love again
But always wish to walk with her into restaurants, it's a clammy tale
To be seen beside her at the public bar footrail
I always wanted to be matched with her
Yet her beauty was so different to mine
My "beauty" needs an understanding and a knowledge of what I am
Hers is enough, earned through eons, for that is what true beauty is
Time's gift to perfect humility
May I be matched with you again
I know the match is bad
But God help me
May I be matched with you again
I know the match is bad

But God help me
May I be matched with you again
I know the match is bad
God help me
May I be matched with you again
Without your match, there is no flame

People stop hurting people
People stop hurting people
People stop hurting people
People stop hurting people
People stop hurting people
People stop hurting people
People stop hurting people
People stop hurting people"
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) Member Since 2011