Anti-War Movement

Today I am adding Josh Ritter's new album "The Animal Years" to the growing list of music that supports the anti-war movement. I need to give a big hat tip to Matt from the comments on this one as it is a great find:

On a lighter note, thought I would just recommend some music for the like minded as I pass through. The song is "Girl in the War" by Josh Ritter. Puts a different spin on the issue of who's actually doing the fighting out there. Check it out!

I just listened to the entire album and it is very powerful. While not all songs are specifically anti-war, the song "Girl in the War", which is the first track on the album, is a very powerful message about what is going on in our country and in Iraq:

Peter said to Paul you know all those words we wrote Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go But now talking to God is Laurel begging Hardy for a gun I got a girl in the war man I wonder what it is we done

Paul said to Peter you got to rock yourself a little harder Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire But I got a girl in the war Paul the only thing I know to do Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through

Because the keys to the Kingdom got lost inside the Kingdom And the angels fly around in there but we can¹t see them I got a girl in the war Paul I know that they can here me yell If they can¹t find a way to help her they can go to Hell If they can¹t find a way to help her they can go to Hell

You can listen to the album in it's entirety here but that doesn't send the message to the music execs that we need, so please purchase the album here.

This is great news (via

Raw Story):

As Taking The Long Way debuts at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 best-selling
albums chart this week, with first week's sales of 525,829, the Dixie Chicks
have become the first female group in chart history to have three albums
debut at #1, breaking the record the Chicks established in 2002 when the
group's last studio album, Home, debuted at #1 and made them the first
female group ever to have two albums debut at #1.

With the #1 debut of Taking The Long Way, the Dixie Chicks have also
become the first female group in chart history to have three studio albums
occupy the #1 slot on the Top 200.

Taking The Long Way has achieved one of the year's Top 5 first week's
sales tallies and has the best first week's sales for any female act on the
Top 200 in 2006.

This will send a message to the music industry that America wants songs
critical of the war and of Bush. This is not the 60's anymore. Music no longer
shapes culture, rather music conforms to the current views of society. Now that
Bush's approval is in the dump music executives are willing to take a chance
(actually a safe bet) and produce these kinds of albums.

Don't forget that the only way we can show our true support is to actually
purchase these albums. I have the list of anti-war albums on the right of the
page with links directly to their page on Amazon. We all need to spend a few
dollars and help light the fire of the anti-war music movement.

The Dixie Chicks new album, Taking The Long Way is due out tomorrow and along with it comes a nice article in Time about the controversy that put the Dixie Chicks in the national spolight as a strong anti-war voice (excepts from Huffington Post):

"I apologized for disrespecting the office of the President. But I don't feel that way anymore. I don't feel he is owed any respect whatsoever," Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines tells TIME's music critic Josh Tyrangiel, of her remark to a London audience in 2003: "Just so you know, we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas." TIME's cover story, "Radical Chicks," hits newsstands Monday, May 22nd.

You can read the entire article at Time.com (subscription required) or the rest of the review at the HuffPo.

I would like to take a second to remind everyone to please support the new anti-war music and help send a message to the music executives that we want more of this. The best way is to call and request these songs on your local station and even better is by purchasing their albums. I have a list of current anti-war songs, which can easily be ordered through Amazon, on the right hand side of the page. Just click the link and it will take you to Amazon's page for that album. The more albums sold the more of this music we will see being released.

Latley we have seen an increase in protest music coming out. This is a good sign and we all need to support this. I have always been a fan of Neil Young and Pearl Jam. I am not a Pink fan but intend on buying her CD.

I bring this up because this is what we need to really help the anti-war movement. During the 60's the anti-war movement was fueled by great music. Back then things were different though.

Today the music industry is powered by large corporations who only worry about the bottom line. They see numbers, not notes. This is why we must start immediately buying these CD's that support our views. If we can keep the sales high on them that will show the music industry executives that there is a desire to have these albums and they will go out looking for bands that are writing songs with an anti-war message.

The cost isn't the bad but the rewards will be great so come on everybody, join with me in this great movement.

Order these albums from Amazon:

Neil Young - Living With War

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam

Pink - I'm Not Dead

You can also check with your local sellers for these albums. Another thing that will help is calling into your local radio station and request the anti-war songs from these albums to be played. We need to show that we love this music and want to hear more of it.

(Remember downloading them is not only illegal but is not helping us the way we need to be helped!)

The following is a follow up to my first post of the day. As I mentioned in that post, today marks the 36th anniversary of the Kent State shootings. Considering how similar our times and leadership is today as compared to back then it is imperative no one forgets that horrid day.

Included in this post is an excellent 10 minute documentary that discusses the events of that day. The narrative is done by kids explaining everything that revolved around that day and that dark period in our history.

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I am sure in the wake of anything else "news worthy", this very important anniversary will be overlooked today:

MONDAY, MAY 4, 1970

At 11 a.m., about 200 students gathered on the Commons. Earlier that morning, state and local officials had met in Kent. Some officials had assumed that Gov. Rhodes had declared Martial Law to be in effect but he had not. In fact, martial law was not officially declared until May 5. Nevertheless, the National Guard resolved to disperse any assembly.

As noon approached, the size of the crowd increased to 1,500. Some were merely spectators, while others had gathered specifically to protest the invasion of Cambodia and the continued presence of the National Guard on the campus. Upon orders of Ohio's Assistant Adjutant General Robert Canterbury, an army jeep was driven in front of the assembled students. The students were told by means of a bullhorn to disperse immediately. Students responded with jeers and chants. When the students refused to disperse, Gen. Canterbury ordered the guardsmen to disperse them. Approximately 116 men, equipped with loaded M-1 rifles and tear gas, formed a skirmish line towards the students. Aware of bayonet injuries of the previous evening, students immediately ran away from the attacking National Guardsmen. Retreating up Blanket Hill, some students lobbed tear gas canisters back at the advancing troops, and one straggler was attacked with clubs.

The Guard, after clearing the Commons, marched over the crest of the hill, firing tear gas and scattering the students into a wider area. The Guard then continued marching down the hill and onto a practice football field. For approximately 10 minutes, the guard stayed in this position. During this time, tear gas canisters were thrown back and forth from the Guard's position to a small group of student's n the Prentice Hall parking lot, about 100 yards away. Some students responded to the guardsmen's attack by throwing stones. Guardsmen also threw stones at the students. But because of the distance, most stones from both parties fell far short of their targets. The vast majority of students, however, were spectators on the veranda of Taylor Hall. While on the practice field, several members of Troop G, which would within minutes fire the fatal volley, knelt and aimed their weapons at the students in the parking lot. Gen. Canterbury concluded that the crowd had been dispersed and ordered the Guard to march back to the commons area. Some members of Troop G then huddled briefly. After reassembling on the field, the Guardsmen seemed to begin to retreat as they marched back up the hill, retracing their previous steps.

Members of Troop G, while advancing up the hill, continued to glance back to the parking lot, where the most militant and vocal students were located. The students assumed the confrontation was over. Many students began to walk to their next classes. As the guard reached the crest of the Blanket Hill, near the Pagoda of Taylor Hall, about a dozen members of Troop G simultaneously turned around 180 degrees, aimed and fired their weapons into the crowd in the Prentice Hall parking lot. The 1975 civil trials proved that there was a verbal command to fire.

A total of 67 shots were fired in 13 seconds. Four students: Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder were killed. Nine students were wounded: Joseph Lewis, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Robbie Stamps, Donald Scott MacKenzie, Alan Canfora, Douglas Wrentmore, James Russell and Dean Kahler. Of the wounded, 1 was permanently paralyzed, and several were seriously maimed. All were full time students.

How quickly we seem to forget about that horrible day. The scariest part is we could easily see a repeat of this tragedy with the current administration and their direct course for disaster.

Take a moment and remind those around you about this historic day and urge them to help make a change so we do not have to worry about history repeating itself.