On the shelf next to my computer desk, I have within my reach two “must-have” overview texts on military-strategic thought: the 3rd edition of Michael Handel’s Masters of War: Classical Strategic Thought (Frank Cass, 2001); and an older, pre-1986 version of Peter Paret’s Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age.  Paret’s co-translated version of the “Bible” of strategy — Clausewitz’s On War — is also a key text for the strategist-in-training.  

Looking over the latest offerings from Princeton University Press, I note that Peter Paret is at it once again.  Paret, professor emeritus of European History at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study, turned last year’s Lees Knowles Lectures at Cambridge into a full book:  The Cognitive Challenge of War: Prussia 1806.  Looking at the Franco-Prussian conflict, Paret provides (from the available excerpt) a very readable outline of how the changing character — vs. nature — of war precipitated new theorizing by Clausewitz and Jomini.   Reiterating one of Clausewitz’s main points, Paret relates the following in his opening salvo –

The components of war—mobilization of human resources, discipline, weapons, tactics, strategy, and much else, the issues they raise, and the problems they pose—are timeless. But the forms they take and the social context that does much to shape them are always changing. (page 1, emphasis added)

As we all consider the back-and-forth over General McChrystal’s 66-page Commander’s Initial Assessment (30 August 2009) regarding the need for ISAF to adopt a more explicitly COIN-oriented strategy in Afghanistan, let us keep clearly in mind Clausewitz’s (and Paret’s) cautionary words about the unchanging, timeless components of warfare and the need to adapt to war’s chameleon-like, ever-changing forms.

Check out Sam’s latest video that he posted this evening on his YouTube account:

After first viewing my initial thought was wow.  Then I watched a few more times and the words powerful, sobering and moving came to mind.  Sam’s voice paired up with the photos are overwhelming.  Sure, I like songs about whiskey, strip clubs and whores but it is refreshing to see artists, especially young ones like Sam, using their voice to send a relevant message out there.

After viewing the video, I immediately messaged Amber to get her thoughts.  She too was taken by it and proclaimed a whole new level of respect for Sam.  I, too, share that sentiment.  Just one more reason in a long list of why Mr. Bradley is one of my favorite musicians right now.

What do you think of Sam’s new video??

]]> http://realeyesrealize.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/masters-of-war/ Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:52:03 +0000 SteadyGrind802 http://realeyesrealize.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/masters-of-war/

Originally written by Bob Dylan in 1963, the song “Masters of War” speaks volumes. Watch below as Bob Dylan performs it live and scroll down to see Pearl Jam cover this song in an amazing way, followed by the lyrics that Dylan wrote when he crafted this masterpiece with nothing less than everything skill he had available to him at the time.

The first video is Bobby Dylans Studio Version:

Here’s Dylan performing it live, with a rock and roll flare and in 1978:

Here’s Pearl Jam’s Cover of the Song at Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary:

In case you were interested, here are the LYRICS:

“Come you masters of war
You that build the big guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just don’t want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin’
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it’s your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
While the death count gets higher
Then you hide in your mansion
While the young people’s blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You’ve thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain’t worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I’m young
You might say I’m unlearned
But there’s one thing I know
Though I’m younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death’ll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I’ll watch while you’re lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I’ll stand o’er your grave
‘Til I’m sure that you’re dead”

Originally written by Bob Dylan in 1963, the song “Masters of War” speaks volumes. Watch below as Bob Dylan performs it live and scroll down to see Pearl Jam cover this song in an amazing way, followed by the lyrics that Dylan wrote when he crafted this masterpiece with nothing less than everything skill he had available to him at the time.

The first video is Bobby Dylans Studio Version:

Here’s Dylan performing it live, with a rock and roll flare and in 1978:

Here’s Pearl Jam’s Cover of the Song at Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary:

In case you were interested, here are the LYRICS:

“Come you masters of war
You that build the big guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just don’t want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin’
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it’s your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
While the death count gets higher
Then you hide in your mansion
While the young people’s blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You’ve thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain’t worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I’m young
You might say I’m unlearned
But there’s one thing I know
Though I’m younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death’ll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I’ll watch while you’re lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I’ll stand o’er your grave
‘Til I’m sure that you’re dead”

Actor David Warner

Warner was born July 29, 1941 in Manchester England.  In 1963, he made his film debut in Tom Jones, and in 1965 starred as Henry VI in the BBC television version of the RSC’s The Wars of the Roses cycle of Shakespeare’s history plays. Another early television role came when he starred alongside Bob Dylan in the 1963 play The Madhouse on Castle Street. A major step in his career was the leading role in Morgan: A Suitable Case For Treatment (1966) opposite Vanessa Redgrave, which established his reputation for playing slightly off-the-wall characters. He also appeared as Konstantin Treplev in Sidney Lumet’s 1968 adaptation of Anton Chekov’s The Sea Gull and starred alongside Jason Robards and Stella Stevens as Reverend Joshua Duncan Sloane in Sam Peckinpah’s The Ballad of Cable Hogue, perhaps one of Warner’s (and Peckinpah’s) least known or appreciated films.

The Omen (1976)

In horror movies he appeared in one of the stories of From Beyond the Grave, opposite Gregory Peck in The Omen (1976) as the ill-fated photojournalist Keith Jennings, and the 1979 thriller Nightwing. He also starred in cult classic Waxwork (1988), and featured alongside a young Viggo Mortensen in 1990 film Tripwire.

Evil Genius in Time Bandits (1981)

Since then, he has often played villains, in films such as The Thirty-Nine Steps (1978), Time After Time (1979), Time Bandits (1981), Tron (1982), and television series such as Batman: The Animated Series playing Ra’s al Ghul, the anti-mutant scientist Herbert Landon in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, as well as rogue agent Alpha in the animated Men in Black series and the Archmage in Disney’s Gargoyles and finally The Lobe in Freakazoid.

Time After Time with Malcolm McDowell

He was also cast against type as Henry Niles in Straw Dogs (1971) and as Bob Cratchit in the 1984 telefilm of A Christmas Carol. In addition, he played German SS General Reinhard Heydrich both in the movie Hitler’s SS: Portrait in Evil, and the television mini-series Holocaust.

with Gregory Peck in the Omen (1976)

In 1981, Warner received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for Masada.

He has appeared in movies such as Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Avatar, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), Titanic (the third time he has appeared in a film about RMS Titanic), Scream 2, and more recently in independent television’s adaptation of the Hornblower series (which starred Ioan Gruffudd, Warner’s co-star on Titanic). He appeared in three episodes of the second series of Twin Peaks (1991). He also continues to play classical roles.

In “Chain of Command”, a 6th-season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, he was a Cardassian interrogator. He based his portrayal on the evil “re-educator” from 1984. His less-spectacular roles included a double-role in the campy low-budget fantasy Quest of the Delta Knights (1993) which was eventually spoofed on Mystery Science Theater 3000. He also played Admiral Tolwyn in the movie version of Wing Commander.

On the “nice guy” side, he played the charismatic Aldous Gajic in Grail, a first-season episode of Babylon 5 and Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Senator Sandar in Planet of the Apes (2001)

He also portrayed the sympathetic character of Capt. Kiesel in Sam Peckinpah’s Cross of Iron. In an episode of Lois & Clark he played Superman’s deceased Kryptonian father Jor-El, who appeared to his son through holographic recordings. He has also played ambiguous “nice guys” like vampire bat exterminator Philip Payne in 1979’s Nightwing; and Dr. Richard Madden in 1994’s Necronomicon: Book of the Dead, who had to kill to sustain his life, but was a generally nice person. He was the supporting role in Seven Servants by Daryush Shokof where he was to assist his long time best friend “Archie” in peaceful death with “unity” of man-kind in vision as he bodily “connected” to Archie played by the legendary Anthony Quinn in 1996.

Tron

He also appeared as mad scientist Dr. Alfred Necessiter in the film The Man with Two Brains in 1983 alongside Steve Martin and Kathleen Turner. – source Wikipedia

Trivia:

Has vertigo. Was doubled in Time Bandits (1981) in the scene where the Evil Genius walks up the steps after caging the bandits, because he could not handle the drop below him.

Has been in 3 movies about the Titanic: S.O.S. Titanic (1979) (TV); Time Bandits (1981) and Titanic (1997).

Has played at least three different species in the Star Trek universe: a human in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989); a Klingon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) and a Cardassian in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987).

Is one of only 32 actors or actresses to have starred in both the original Star Trek (up to and including Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)) and then in one of the spin offs.

Played an ape in Planet of the Apes (2001), a character obsessed with gorillas in Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966) and did a gorilla impression in The Man with Two Brains (1983).

Has appeared in three different films involving time travel: Time After Time (1979); Time Bandits (1981) and Planet of the Apes (2001).

In Time After Time (1979), he played John Leslie Stevenson (Jack the Ripper). In “The Outer Limits” (1995) episode “Ripper”, he played Inspector Langford who was investigating Dr. Jack York (Cary Elwes) who was suspected of being Jack the Ripper.

Chosen by Tony Richardson for his role in Tom Jones (1963) after the director enjoyed his performance in the play “Afore the night” (1962)

Although he played Reinhard Heydrich, one of the key architects of the Holocaust, in both “Holocaust” (1978) and Hitler’s S.S.: Portrait in Evil (1985) (TV), he is Jewish in real life.

By appearing in Batman: The Animated Series (“Batman” (1992)), he became the first actor to play the villain Ra’s-Al-Ghul. To date, he has been succeeded only by Ken Watanabe and Liam Neeson.

He has two roles in common with both David Collings and Richard E. Grant. All three have played Bob Cratchit – Warner in A Christmas Carol (1984) (TV), Collings in Scrooge (1970) and Grant in A Christmas Carol (1999) (TV) – and the Doctor from “Doctor Who” (1963) – Warner in the Big Finish audio dramas “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Masters of War”, Collings in the Big Finish audio drama “Full Fathom Five” and Grant in Comic Relief: Doctor Who – The Curse of Fatal Death (1999) (TV) and “Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka” (2003).

We do this every Tuesday. You’ll see this week’s #1 song on our Best 100 songs of 2009 list at the end of December, along with maybe some of the rest of these too. This is strictly for fun – it’s Lucid Culture’s tribute to Kasey Kasem and a way to spread the word about some of the great music out there that’s too edgy for the corporate media and their imitators in the blogosphere. Just about every link here will take you to each individual song.

1. Steve Kilbey – Forever Last for Nothing

Gorgeously terse call to arms and cautionary tale from the Church’s frontman’s excellent latest album. They’re at Irving Plaza on 7/8.

2. The  French Exit – To Term

New song, characteristically intense. “Will I be ok…I just want to be left alone,” snarls frontwoman Mia Wilson in this fiery noir dirge. They’re at Local 269 at 269 E Houston on 6/17 at 9.

3. Silver Dollar – Showdown

Killer, bouncy, hypnotic oldschool ska.

4. Kerry Kennedy - As You Are

Big soul ballad in 6/8 with David Lynch unease by the up-and-coming New York noir chanteuse. Unreleased – see her now before she’s famous.

5. Ninth House - Fifteen Miles to Hell’s Gate

Characteristically furious lament about the death of New York by gentrification by the long-running Nashville gothic rockers. Frontman Mark Sinnis is at Sidewalk at 9 on 7/12.

6. La Res - Masters of War

Ominous cover of the Dylan classic by this fiery, artsy soul/metal trio with a powerful frontman.

7. Num & Nu Afrika – New Orleans

Resonant, politically conscious roots reggae. They’re playing Make Music NY on 6/21 at 3 at DRastadub Studio, 58 West 127th St., Harlem.

8. Bato the Yugo – My Mountainous Mind

Pensive Balkan jazz for solo piano. Usually a guitarist, he’s at Nublu on 6/21 at 11.

9. Cumbiagra - Dejame en Paz

They’ve taken over Monday nights at Barbes, replacing Chicha Libre, but the danceable vibe is undiminished.

10. Rock Plaza Central - Panama

Van Halen cover. Jack Grace (of our own sick/funny VH cover band Van Hayride) would approve.

Antikrigs-, borgerrettighetsaktivisten og artisten PETE SEEGER, som har påvirket en lang rekke protestsangere, ble 90 år den 2 mai. I følge Bruce Springsteen under en fødselsdagskonsert til ære for Seeger: “Ved 90 fortsetter han å være en stealth dolk i hjertet av vårt lands illusjoner om seg selv.”

Pete Seeger har skrevet en lang rekke viser med utgangspunkt i amerikanske folkemusikktradisjoner, blant annet verdenskjente sanger som We Shall Overcome, Where Have All The Flowers Gone, Turn! Turn! Turn! og If I Had A Hammer. Han har som musikkforsker også samlet og formidlet annen folkelig musikk fra USA, ofte til eget gitar- og banjospill. Hans Rainbow race ble en norsk kjempeslager da visesangeren Lillebjørn Nilsens oversatte og spilte den inn i 1973 under tittelen Barn av regnbuen. I 1990 opptrådte Pete Seeger på Tønderfestivalen i Danmark sammen med Lillebjørn Nilsen.

Seeger dannet i 1949 folkesanggruppa The Weavers sammen med Lee Hays og Ronnie Gilbert. De hadde en rekke slagere på 1950-tallet. I 1958 ble han soloartist. På grunn av sin kamp for borgerrettigheter, rettferdighet og fred ble han fra 1955 stemplet som en samfunnsfiendtlig kommunistisk propagandist, og han ble svartelistet i hjemlandet. Først da tidenes mest betydningsfulle amerikanske countryartist Johnny Cash, viss sanger inkluderer I Walk the Line, Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire, Get Rhythm og Man in Black, tok Seeger med i sitt TV-show på begynnelsen av 1970-tallet, ble Pete Seeger tatt inn i varmen igjen.

Bruce Springsteen laget en hyldningsplate i 2006, We Shall Overcome. The Pete Seeger Sessions, med populære folkeviser fra Pete Seegers repertoar, slike som Pay Me My Money Down, Mrs. McGrath, Shenandoah, John Henry og Froggie Went A Courtin’.

We Shall Overcome er en protestsang som ble en av den amerikanske borgerrettighetsbevegelses hovedsymboler. Sangens lyrikk stammer fra en gospelsang av Reverend Charles Tindley. Sangen ble publisert i 1947 som We Will Overcome i People’s Songs Bulletin (en publikasjon av People’s Songs, en organisasjon hvor Pete Seeger var leder.

Seeger var sterkt inspirert av den svarte folkemusikklegenden Leadbelly, som blant annet er kjent for sanger som Pick a Bale of Cotton, Midnight Special og Cotton Fields.

Sammen med Woody Guthrie, Lee Hays og Millard Lampell dannet Pete Seeger The Almanac Singers i 1941. This Land is Your Land er en av de mest berømt amerikanske folkesanger, og er skrevet av Woody Guthrie i 1940.

Feiring av Pete Seeger

En av dem som ble inspirert av alle disse radikale folkemusikerne var den amerikanske musikeren, sangeren, låtskriveren, poeten og forfatteren, og i den senere tid også radiovert, Bob Dylan (født Robert Allen Zimmerman 24. mai 1941 i Duluth, Minnesota), som har blitt kjent gjennom sanger som Masters of War, Blowin’ In the Wind og The Times They Are A-Changin’.

Dylan har vært en av de mest innflytelsesrike og viktige personene innen populærmusikken gjennom mer enn 45 år. De siste årene har han hatt en renessanse gjennom plater, memoarbok, dokumentarfilm av Martin Scorsese og sin kontinuerlige konsertvirksomhet, som har bidratt til å befeste en enestående posisjon innen populærkulturen.

Masters of War

Masters of War får en til å tenke på at forsvarsministeriet nå har støttet et sett HM Armed Forces dukker. Alle er – for nå – hvite menn og ingen mangler kroppsdeler eller bærer psykologiske skara av krigføring. Disse lekene er del av regjeringens arbeid for å gjøre krig akseptabel og hæren noe å etterligne, noe som også kan sies om den fornyede intensiteten av militærparader og rekruttkampanjer som har tenåringer som mål.

I følge forsvarsministeriet: “Disse lekene viser vårt folk og dets utstyr og denne kommersielle anerkjennelse viser det høye nivået av støtte det er for våre styrker blant den britiske offentligheten.” Med mindre “våre styrker” har noe å gjøre med at den britiske offentlighet motsetter seg å ha styrker i Afghanistan, noe som det faktum at hele 68 prosent mener at alle britiske styrker skulle bli trukket ut av Afghanistan viser. Den britiske hær er “stolt” av å selge krigen til barna for på den måten å vinne støtte i offentligheten. Leker for gutter (og senere jenter) glamoriserer massemord som en karriere.

2flashgames.com: War in Iraq – Walk around with your soldier and kill iraqi troops before they shoot you avoid shell blasts from jets above.

Kuma War: is a series of playable recreations of real events in the War on Terror. Nearly 100 playable missions bring our soldiers’ heroic stories to life, and you can get them all right now, for free. Stop watching the news and get in the game!

More war games being sold in Kolkata: “Sale of war games and toys has increased here with growing interest about violence and terrorism among kids since the terrorist attack in Mumbai Nov 26 last year.

“My six-year-old son Krishnendu has literally become addicted to war and violence and it’s all my fault. I made him sit beside me and watch the Mumbai massacre and how the National Security Guard (NSG) fought with the terrorists. At that time I thought it will be a great treat for him and even bought him a toy AK47. But now he takes me as a terrorist and plays a commando himself, chasing me with his gun,” Adhikary said.

The worried father recently took Krishnendu to a child psychiatrist for counselling.”

“Reality Game” maker Kuma Reality Games has released a stunning 3-D video game simulation of what a US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities might look like. Based on declassified documents and the latest thinking of military experts, Kuma’s latest episode, US attacks Iran, is available for free download at Kuma\War.

Board Games & Card Games – War Games

CODEPINK : Say No To War Toys: “Every holiday season manufactures prey on our children with pro-war propaganda disguised as innocent toys. Don’t let your child be a victim of G.I. Joe! As you’re out buying holiday gifts, make a point this year to show little ones that war is not game. Set an example for the children in your life and use the opportunity to teach them non-violence.”

Kuma War Trailer

The crucible of terrorism: but who’s the terrorist?

From Iraq to Afghanistan: repeating the same mistakes…

The Iraq war has been a monstrous crime…

Focus: The American School Massacre

Antikrigs-, borgerrettighetsaktivisten og artisten PETE SEEGER, som har påvirket en lang rekke protestsangere, ble 90 år den 2 mai. I følge Bruce Springsteen under en fødselsdagskonsert til ære for Seeger: “Ved 90 fortsetter han å være en stealth dolk i hjertet av vårt lands illusjoner om seg selv.”

Pete Seeger har skrevet en lang rekke viser med utgangspunkt i amerikanske folkemusikktradisjoner, blant annet verdenskjente sanger som We Shall Overcome, Where Have All The Flowers Gone, Turn! Turn! Turn! og If I Had A Hammer. Han har som musikkforsker også samlet og formidlet annen folkelig musikk fra USA, ofte til eget gitar- og banjospill. Hans Rainbow race ble en norsk kjempeslager da visesangeren Lillebjørn Nilsens oversatte og spilte den inn i 1973 under tittelen Barn av regnbuen. I 1990 opptrådte Pete Seeger på Tønderfestivalen i Danmark sammen med Lillebjørn Nilsen.

Seeger dannet i 1949 folkesanggruppa The Weavers sammen med Lee Hays og Ronnie Gilbert. De hadde en rekke slagere på 1950-tallet. I 1958 ble han soloartist. På grunn av sin kamp for borgerrettigheter, rettferdighet og fred ble han fra 1955 stemplet som en samfunnsfiendtlig kommunistisk propagandist, og han ble svartelistet i hjemlandet. Først da tidenes mest betydningsfulle amerikanske countryartist Johnny Cash, viss sanger inkluderer I Walk the Line, Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire, Get Rhythm og Man in Black, tok Seeger med i sitt TV-show på begynnelsen av 1970-tallet, ble Pete Seeger tatt inn i varmen igjen.

Bruce Springsteen laget en hyldningsplate i 2006, We Shall Overcome. The Pete Seeger Sessions, med populære folkeviser fra Pete Seegers repertoar, slike som Pay Me My Money Down, Mrs. McGrath, Shenandoah, John Henry og Froggie Went A Courtin’.

We Shall Overcome er en protestsang som ble en av den amerikanske borgerrettighetsbevegelses hovedsymboler. Sangens lyrikk stammer fra en gospelsang av Reverend Charles Tindley. Sangen ble publisert i 1947 som We Will Overcome i People’s Songs Bulletin (en publikasjon av People’s Songs, en organisasjon hvor Pete Seeger var leder.

Seeger var sterkt inspirert av den svarte folkemusikklegenden Leadbelly, som blant annet er kjent for sanger som Pick a Bale of Cotton, Midnight Special og Cotton Fields.

Sammen med Woody Guthrie, Lee Hays og Millard Lampell dannet Pete Seeger The Almanac Singers i 1941. This Land is Your Land er en av de mest berømt amerikanske folkesanger, og er skrevet av Woody Guthrie i 1940.

Feiring av Pete Seeger

En av dem som ble inspirert av alle disse radikale folkemusikerne var den amerikanske musikeren, sangeren, låtskriveren, poeten og forfatteren, og i den senere tid også radiovert, Bob Dylan (født Robert Allen Zimmerman 24. mai 1941 i Duluth, Minnesota), som har blitt kjent gjennom sanger som Masters of War, Blowin’ In the Wind og The Times They Are A-Changin’.

Dylan har vært en av de mest innflytelsesrike og viktige personene innen populærmusikken gjennom mer enn 45 år. De siste årene har han hatt en renessanse gjennom plater, memoarbok, dokumentarfilm av Martin Scorsese og sin kontinuerlige konsertvirksomhet, som har bidratt til å befeste en enestående posisjon innen populærkulturen.

Masters of War

Masters of War får en til å tenke på at forsvarsministeriet nå har støttet et sett HM Armed Forces dukker. Alle er – for nå – hvite menn og ingen mangler kroppsdeler eller bærer psykologiske skara av krigføring. Disse lekene er del av regjeringens arbeid for å gjøre krig akseptabel og hæren noe å etterligne, noe som også kan sies om den fornyede intensiteten av militærparader og rekruttkampanjer som har tenåringer som mål.

I følge forsvarsministeriet: “Disse lekene viser vårt folk og dets utstyr og denne kommersielle anerkjennelse viser det høye nivået av støtte det er for våre styrker blant den britiske offentligheten.” Med mindre “våre styrker” har noe å gjøre med at den britiske offentlighet motsetter seg å ha styrker i Afghanistan, noe som det faktum at hele 68 prosent mener at alle britiske styrker skulle bli trukket ut av Afghanistan viser. Den britiske hær er “stolt” av å selge krigen til barna for på den måten å vinne støtte i offentligheten. Leker for gutter (og senere jenter) glamoriserer massemord som en karriere.

2flashgames.com: War in Iraq – Walk around with your soldier and kill iraqi troops before they shoot you avoid shell blasts from jets above.

Kuma War: is a series of playable recreations of real events in the War on Terror. Nearly 100 playable missions bring our soldiers’ heroic stories to life, and you can get them all right now, for free. Stop watching the news and get in the game!

More war games being sold in Kolkata: “Sale of war games and toys has increased here with growing interest about violence and terrorism among kids since the terrorist attack in Mumbai Nov 26 last year.

“My six-year-old son Krishnendu has literally become addicted to war and violence and it’s all my fault. I made him sit beside me and watch the Mumbai massacre and how the National Security Guard (NSG) fought with the terrorists. At that time I thought it will be a great treat for him and even bought him a toy AK47. But now he takes me as a terrorist and plays a commando himself, chasing me with his gun,” Adhikary said.

The worried father recently took Krishnendu to a child psychiatrist for counselling.”

“Reality Game” maker Kuma Reality Games has released a stunning 3-D video game simulation of what a US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities might look like. Based on declassified documents and the latest thinking of military experts, Kuma’s latest episode, US attacks Iran, is available for free download at KumaWar.

Board Games & Card Games – War Games

CODEPINK : Say No To War Toys: “Every holiday season manufactures prey on our children with pro-war propaganda disguised as innocent toys. Don’t let your child be a victim of G.I. Joe! As you’re out buying holiday gifts, make a point this year to show little ones that war is not game. Set an example for the children in your life and use the opportunity to teach them non-violence.”

Kuma War Trailer

The crucible of terrorism: but who’s the terrorist?

From Iraq to Afghanistan: repeating the same mistakes…

The Iraq war has been a monstrous crime…

Focus: The American School Massacre

En tiempos de crisis que mejor que tirar la casa por la ventana para quedarte sin fondos y así poder echar a todos tus trabajadores sin indemnizarles, o quemar tu empresa para que luego te unte el seguro.

Eso hemos hecho en esta empresa, todo el mundo a tomar por culo, no nos queda un pavo. Los últimos dineros los hemos gastado en recorrer medio mundo buscando a quien nos pudiera hacer algún cover de Dylan para incluirlo en este precioso recopetín. 

Las ventas del antiguo recopilatorio de Bob Dylan están por los suelos y parece que no hay quien lo aguante, así que 300 despidos y el trabajo de mas de 20 años dependen de este nuevo cancionero TRIBUTO a Dylan que tiene visos muy comerciales, y que desde hace años -cuando visite a aquel Chamán en las faldas de Machu Pichu- sabía que sería la idea con la que forrarme.

DAME DOLARES

Every day, our top 666 songs of alltime countdown gets one step closer to #1. Today’s song is #522:

Bob Dylan – Masters of War.

As with the Beatles (see #526), when we inherited the embryonic version of the list from our predecessor e-zine, it contained a whole slew of Dylan that we deleted to make room for more obscure acts that you’d probably never discover anywhere else but here. But this one we had to keep: “And I’ll stand over your grave til I’m sure that you’re dead.” For Dick Cheney and all of his collaborators. MP3s are everywhere too. If you want a cover, see if you can track down a bootleg of the jazz version done by Erica Smith & the 99 Cent Dreams (it’s in 5/4 time!).

On our way to our gig last night we were listening to some of Don McLean’s old stuff, which I had recently dug out, and I was touched by the beauty of his art of expression, and most particularly in his anti-war songs like “The Grave,” or “Everybody Loves Me, Baby” etc.

It made me realize how drastically things have changed since the early 70s. People just don’t write lyrics like that anymore. The vast majority have come to accept war as a commodity of life to preserve the Western status quo, or the American Way of life, or whatever.

Instead of rebelling against their governments’ falling into nations that they have no business dropping bombs on, they accept the media hogwash and propaganda of “the enemy” and give their silent consent to the daily mass murder that’s happening on behalf of their tax money.

And that in spite of the lesson we ought to have learned from fairly recent history of what guilt people can collectively heap upon themselves by silently consenting to the evils committed by their governments.

How many church visits will it take to clear a conscience of that burden, that’s mostly not even recognized? How many donations or tithes will it take to buy forgiveness for the silent tolerance of the slaughter perpetrated in the name of us, “the people?”

The closest thing in recent times that I heard to some of the anti-war protest songs from a time when at least a substantial amount of the world population honestly admitted that war was evil and that the U.S. had no business wreaking havoc in Vietnam are songs like Pink’s “Dear Mr.President,” (although the song does not mention anything about American foreign policies, but only deals with domestic issues) and, of course, we’ve got Pearl Jam’s rendition of Dylan’s “Masters of War.” – Oh, and perhaps some of the Dixie Chicks‘ Anti-Bush rantings, for which they’ll always have my respect. Oh, and of course, good ol’ Neil Young’s “Impeach the President,” bless his soul!

Pretty much everyone else that I know of dances to the modern drums of war, or rather, to the tune of “let’s ignore what our country is doing in other countries,” unless another bunch of flag-wrapped coffins arrive at home, that is.

The trademark of the 21st century, thus far: the (cultural) voices of truth have become (nearly) silent. The nations cower in fear of their leaders and follow them like sheep to the slaughter of the innocents.

The problem with that is the universal law of cause and effect as laid down by many spiritual teachers, including Jesus’ follower St. Paul, when he said, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” There’s a cold wind blowin’, and we’re beginning to see the first fruits of our “harvest” in a crumbling economy and a crisis which now has officially exceeded the rank of severity of that of the Great Depression, (along with forecasts of food shortages coming upon us as early as this year, which many of us may find themselves unable to deal with).

Even the young staff of the joint we played in last night acknowledged in a conversation I overheard while packing up our gear, that we’re still going to chew on the repercussions of the current crisis for the next 5, 10 or 15 years, and that even though Europe hasn’t seen the worst of it.

Unfortunately, it will probably take more than a financial crisis for people to wake up and tell their government, “Mr. Obama, don’t follow in the footsteps of your predecessor, and please, stop killing people in Pakistan or Afghanistan.” Or to their most strongly supported ally, Israel, for that matter, “Please stop killing innocent Palestinian children!”

Even more unfortunately, if history continues repeating itself (- and that in such a drastic manner that some people have started to doubt whether history is really real -), then this current crisis, like the one in the 30s, will only lead to more and greater war, greater need for some “culprit” to blame and make pay for the domestic dilemma, greater cries and thirst for blood, and who will be the next people that will answer with a shattering unanimous, roaring “YES!” to the question, “Do you want total war?“

Younger people nowadays speak critically of the hippie movement. But you’ve got to give the hippies credit for having had the guts to stand up for their love for peace, for being willing to acknowledge (unlike many supposed “Christians”) the Biblical reality that war is evil, and for being willing to oppose their authorities for their stance against war.
They may be looked upon with ridicule by today’s silent consenters and smug cogs in the machine that have learned to shut up and do as they’re told, but maybe a wiser future generation will look back at those rebels of the 60s and early 70s as the true heroes of the 20th century, and perhaps even as the last of their kind in history as we know it altogether.

In my experiences with abundant acquaintances I’ve come to realize the fact that some people simply refuse to acknowledge the existence and reality of their mistakes, thus depriving themselves of the possibility to ever learn from them, but thus to remain “willingly ignorant,” as the Bible puts it, which Kent Hovind appropriately translated into modern English as “dumb on purpose.”

What if an entire nation or generation chooses to be willingly ignorant, or “dumb on purpose?”

It reminds me of one of those relics from the 60s which may have even sounded a little naive back then, but in the face of the reality of the past 4 decades, acquires a bitter by-taste: “When will they ever learn? – -

When will they ever learn?”

If “there is no peace, saith my God, for the wicked,” then I dare to re-define “the wicked” as “those who want no peace.”

Some of my favorite Anti-War Songs from the 60s and early 70s:

Donovan – The War Drags On

Buffy Sainte Marie – Universal Soldier

Bob Dylan – Masters of War,

Pete Seeger – Where Have All the Flowers Gone

Don McLean – The Grave, Everybody Loves Me

Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth

The Who – Won’t Get Fooled Again

Barry BcGuire – Eve of Destruction

CCR – Fortunate Son

John Lennon – Give Peace a Chance

Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter

Sam Halbert – Billy

More recent anti-war songs:

Galliano – Prince of Peace

Billy Joel – Goodnight Saigon

Some of my own:

In Thy Skirts

Better Place

Forevermore

The Bible Says

Thou Shalt Love

Indifference

Sarajevo Rain

Wikipedia List of Anti-War Songs

Een dag na de eedaflegging van Barack Hussein Obama II kon ik Mr de president intervieuwen aan de comptoir van den Boulevard. Een grote eer voor de president, die het bestaan van een rookvrije bruine kroeg in Belgïe niet voor mogelijk achtte anno 2009. Hij was hier dan ook vol lof over. Ook de grote keuze aan streekbieren uit Belgïe en buurlanden kon hem erg bekoren.  Ontspannen gaf de president antwoord op enkele vragen die ik hem mocht stellen. Hier een greep uit het intervieuw:

• ” Mijnheer de president, slaapt u lekker in je mooie witte huis?”

B.O :  Zolang er jongens eenzaam ver van huis zitten en oorlogen woeden over een groot deel van de wereld slaap ik niet lekker. Ik denk voortdurend aan al die jonge frontsoldaten, eenzaam stervend in de gazanacht.

• ” Vindt u de pacifisten een weke kliek? “

B.O: Ik wens de hand te reiken aan hen die bereid zijn de vuist te openen.

• ” Droomt u van uw mooie vredesideaal? “

B.O: Ik weet dat onze verscheidenheid een sterkte is en geen zwakte. We zijn een natie van christenen en moslims, joden en hindoes en ongelovigen… Ik weet dat Amerika een vriend is van elke natie, elke man, vrouw, kind …die een vredelievende en waardige toekomst zoekt.

• ” Denkt u veel aan al die verre kusten waar uw jongens zitten, eenzaam, ver van huis? “

B.O:  Ja zeker Tine en José! Na de eedaflegging heb ik op één van de bals de kans gekregen om soldaten in Afghanistan persoonlijk te spreken via sateliet, op groot scherm. Een steunend woord om hen te laten voelen: jullie zijn in mijn gedachten en ik ben fier uw aanvoerder te zijn.

• ” Gelooft u van al de tegenstand geen woord? Of droomt u niettegenstaande alle tegenstand dat u toch aan het langste eind zult trekken? “

B.O: Ik weet dat de uitdagingen die ons confronteren echt zijn. Ze zijn heel ernstig en ze zijn talrijk.

• ” Droomt u van de overwinning en de zege? “

B.O: Wij zullen niet gemakkelijk of snel overwinnen. Maar Amerika weet: wij zullen overwinnen!

• ” Dus, beste president, het zal u wel lukken ditmaal? “

B.O: Vanaf vandaag moeten wij overeind krabbelen, het stof van onze kleren slaan en de handen uit de mouwen steken om Amerika nieuw te maken. ( warme maar ernstige blik )

• ” Bajonetten met bloedige gevesten, houden ver van hier op uw bevel de wacht. Schrikt u niet te erg, wanneer u in uw dromen al die schuldeloze slachtoffers ziet staan en u vragen hoe lang dit nog zo moet gaan? “

B.O: Haal u opnieuw voor de geest, dat eerdere generaties het fascisme en communisme bezwoeren, niet alleen met bommen en tanks, maar met stevige allianties en duurzame overtuigingen.

• ” Voor de glorie en de eer van ‘t vrije westen?

B.O: Zij begrepen dat onze macht alleen ons niet kan beschermen en ons evenmin het recht geeft om te doen wat ons belieft. Zij wisten dat onze macht net groeit door er voorzichtig mee om te springen. Onze veiligheid komt voort uit de rechtvaardigheid van onze zaak, de kracht van ons voorbeeld.

• ” Mr Obama, hoe denkt u over de aanpak van de moslimwereld?

B.O.: Een nieuwe aanpak is slechts mogelijk als de leiders stoppen het westen de schuld te geven voor de kwalen van de maatschappij. Ons volk zal hen beoordelen op wat ze kunnen bouwen en niet op wat ze kunnen vernietigen…( sic ! )

• ” Beste Oback, excuseer, Barack Obama, welke is uw belangrijkste boodschap voor onze formidabele stamgasten van den Boulevard?

B.O:   Hoop boven angst verkiezen, eensgezindheid boven onenigheid en strijd. Maak een einde aan bekrompen grieven en valse beloften, de verwijten en de versleten dogma’s die de horeca te lang in een wurggreep houdt.  Blijf geloven in de stamgast, blijf rookvrij en leer je stamgasten drinken met stijl en smaak. Laat de stamgast af en toe genieten van een muzikale avond en zorg dat ze veilig terug thuis geraken.

” Mijnheer de President: Slaap zacht…”

Dit intervieuw kwam tot stand aan de comptoir van den Boulevard. Onze beste dank aan: Lennaert Nijgh, Boris Vian, Bob Dylan, Serge Reggiani, Masters of War, Boudewijn De Groot, de inauguratie van Barack Obama, De Morgen, BBC news, CNN, Canvas, Mark Plan B, José Clarysse, Tine Lemaitre, Micheline, Jan en Cram Snellac.

Please read  & watch article, cited after the quote. Articles open in a new window.

Today was the day that the war to end all wars ended on November 11 1918. As we all know that war is alive and well. I made this video to Bob Dylan’s Masters Of War in the hope that we all realize how pointless WAR is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muQRIUVd6Aw&eurl=http://www.boingboing.net/

Got something upstairs to share tomorrow but I’m a bit too stoned to get it out.

Avui he descobert per casualitat una cançó de Dylan que no coneixia: Masters of War. He escoltat també la versió de Pearl Jam i les dues són esplèndides (musicalment, sota el meu punt de vista, infinitament millor la versió cantada per Vedder que l’original de Dylan…suposo que tinc debilitat per Vedder)

M’ha sobtat trobar-me amb aquesta cançó, que pel seu contingut segueix vigent 45 anys després de la seva creació. Em sembla increïble que algú sigui capaç de crear això, i més quan parla de temes difícils, en un moment (quan es va escriure) molt complicat quan els EUA estaven a punt de començar la guerra del Vietnam.

La cançó, sobretot en la part final (les dues últimes estrofes) agafa la forma d’al·legat directe contra els que “creen” les guerres. Interessant a més, pel que he pogut llegir, perquè hi ha molta controvèrsia al voltant del significat que Dylan va voler donar-li. Ja em direu què en penseu si l’escolteu.

Here’s a possibly-final mix of my version of Masters of War.

I wish the warmongers in White House would pay attention to what they are doing to these kids–three of my students are in the cue to be sent to Iraq awaiting their deployment. It is upsetting to see what the deployment news does to their time in school–they lose all heart, all interest in school and studies. They become so disengaged. God I wish these people would see what they are doing to these young men and women. Maybe they do.

You fasten the triggers for the others to fire

Then you set back and watch as the death count gets higher

You hide in your mansion as young people’s blood

Flows out of their bodies and is buried in the mud.

I was thinking of Bob Dylan’s song all day after talking to a student trying to persuade him to register for classes for Fall in case the deployment is delayed. He can still be in school. Nope–not interested. We’ll see when we return. How sad.

I just finished the Oh Mercy chapter in Chronicles and I am yet again struck by the insight and awareness with which Dylan writes about his songs, his recordings, the artists he has worked with, his producers. He is sort of the Leo Tolstoy of music, I think. Such a craftsman–writes beautifully and knowledgeably about music. The chapter Oh Mercy is a good example. Dylan describes the source, inspiration, genesis of most of the song tracks (for instance, “Political World” is not about current politics though it could be–it is too broad, Dylan says; “Dignity” was somehow touched by the death of Pete Maravich, or Pistol Pete, the basketball player with New Orleans Jazz who collapsed on a basketball court in Pasadena; “Disease of Conceit” by the news that Jimmy Swaggart had been defrocked by the Assembly of God for his liaison with a prostitute; “what was it you wanted?” an exploration into being an object of curiosity ; “everything is broken”–I loved the discussion of this song–it is almost like an exercise in semantic over-determination–how many synonyms can you come up with for broken? what are the things that can be broken? bring your list-the song started with the image of a broken beautiful portable General Electric radio lying on a beach and it went from there to anything and everything that can be broken; the beautiful ballad “Where teardrops Fall” out of nowhere, a perfect song; “what good am I” could have been brought on by the sight of a homeless guy holding his head in his hands with a tiny spaniel at his feet and being ordered to move by cops etc). This chapter also discusses what it was like working Daniel Lanois as the producer. Here is Dylan summing up their work together (p.218):

“Our time was drawing to a close. Danny and I were sitting in the courtyard, the same way we had when we first met. . . .When the record was all added up, I hoped it would meet head on with the realities of life. I was going to thank him, but sometimes you can do it without opening your mouth, you can live it. I’d come to town with a cacophony of ideas and spent all I had under the watching gods. There’d been a clashing of spirits at times, but nothing that had turned into a bitter or complicated struggle. In the end, there always has to be some compromise of personal interests and there was, but the record satisfied my purposes and his. I can’t say if it’s the record either of us wanted. Human dynamics plays too big a part, and getting what you want isn’t always the most important thing in life anyway.”

This chapter also deals deeply with Dylan’s struggle with losing vocal control and losing audience in live concerts. It is an amazing chapter really–mathematical and mystical the way he understands his problems with singing and how he manages to overcome them. His ultimate epiphany on how to sing and play guitar? A jazz musician in a New Orleans jazz club. So there.

Masters of War – Bob Dylan

I really like this video mashup with Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War”, but it has to have a strong trigger warning for some very difficult images