God Bless America, but god damn Uncle Sam

Reckless Kelly is a band based out of Austin, Texas that is known for a rowdy country/rock sound. In other words, they are not just another wussy folk band from the blue dot in a red picture Austin (translation: Austin is a liberal city in conservative Texas). They also are not a very political band. So, when they come out with a song with a message, it has more of an effect on me. On their upcoming album "Bulletproof" they have a powerful song about how the Iraq war does not make complete sense and has a lasting affect on the soldiers that fight it.

Songwriter and lead singer Willie Braun had this to say:

"I've never been a very political guy. I'm just a songwriter trying to tell a story and attempting to shed light on the cold hard truth that not everything about this war makes sense. The song is about the fact that there are some people in Washington making a lot of money on this war at the expense of the 30,000 plus American soldiers who have been killed or injured on the frontlines." "Whether you are for the war, or against it, I think we can all agree that the troops deserve absolute support and respect for the job they are doing and 'American Blood' is a tribute to the sacrifices made by the men and women in uniform and their families."

Make no mistake, Reckless Kelly supports our troops. Regardless of differences on war policy, we have to have respect and support the men and women who fight this war. We do not have to have respect for the people who send them to war or for the people who profit off this war.

Click here to hear the song.

Lyrics

American Blood

johnny can't drink 'cause johnny ain't twenty-one
but he's eighteen and pretty handy with a gun
they shipped him off to a foreign land
gave him a new pair of boots and thirteen grand
and he came back home with American blood on his hands

George is a real go getter and he's runnin' the show
and he should have known better but his old man told him to go
he sits at home with his feet on his desk
while the boys got theirs in the sand
a million miles away with American blood on their hands

johnny can't walk but the medic says he's o.k. to fly
and the newspapers tell us he's a hero and a hell of a guy
they sent him up to washington for a photo op with a smoking gun
he's got a purple heart and American blood on his hands

black gold for silver stars cold hard cash for armored cars
the brass ain't fightin' but they're sure as hell taking a stand
and they'll have to live with American blood on their hands

now George stands up on a boat proudly waving the flag
he says the hard part's over and we knew it wouldn't be so bad
but roadside bombs and six long years were never really part of the plan
what's a couple thousand more with American blood on their hands

black gold for silver stars cold hard cash for armored cars
the brass ain't fightin' but they're sure as hell taking a stand
and they'll have to live with American blood on their hands

now johnny can drink all day 'cause he's twenty-three
he donated his legs to the worldwide land of the free
he cries God bless America but god damn uncle sam
while he stares through the tears with American blood on his hands

black gold for silver stars cold hard cash for armored cars
the brass ain't fightin' but they're sure as hell taking a stand
and they'll have to live with American blood on their hands

Lyrics by Reckless Kelly

Rabbit

Your Republican Friends

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan created quite a stir earlier this week with his book What Happened. The book includes a lot of inside information about the misleading of the American people regarding the Iraq War and the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame.

This gives us the possibility of one of three scenarios. Either McClellan is lying now in an effort to sell books, he was lying as the Press Secretary, or he was mislead by the Bush Administration. To determine which of these is probable, one can look at what we know about the Iraq War and the Plame affair. The Bush Administration lied 935 times about Iraq in the two years after 9/11. Also, Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney's former Chief of Staff, was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in the Plame affair.

So if people in the Bush Administration were convicted and the Bush Administration lies are on record, one may think that the incredible right-wing media might be in quite a pickle. Do they admit their boys' mistakes now that juries and one of their own has? Or do they destroy one of their own for speaking out?

You already know the answer.


The right-wing movement in this country is looking more and more like the mob. You have infinite protection and resources, as long as you do not disrespect the "family." This is why McClellan is being hammered, and why John McCain has been hammered for years by right-wingers. What is interesting is, they then claim that these people must return to the base, where their true friends are.

Bottom Line? All the right wing can do now is spin, which they do very well.

Rabbit

Nailed!

Tony Perkins, you have been nailed.




No gay jokes about being nailed.

Maybe I should Let it Go...

Liz Trotta on Fox News had this to say regarding Hillary Clinton's comments about assassination.



When I first heard about this I was not going to talk about it. Fox News is not a credible news organization, so when I hear their commentators say things, I rarely pay attention. But, other people believe Fox is credible, so sometimes I must address them as if they really are. This woman represents much of what is wrong with the media. That is, a sense of smug, elitist, entitlement. I have a long rant saved up for media bias but I will save that for another day. But, this woman represents a media that does not do the work to learn and investigate but, choose to be armchair quarterbacks and brush off the true issues.

Bottom Line? She should be fired, but won't be.

Rabbit

Political Arguments

So many people know so little about current events. That does bother me because I think it is vital to understand what is going on in the world we live in, especially about things that matter.

What bothers me more than that however, is that so many people who claim to be knowledgeable regarding current events and politics are not. If you ever run into a problem, in which a person wants to debate politics and you realize that person knows little to nothing about what they are talking about ask them a simple question. Ask them to name their two Senators and their member of Congress. If they are unable to do so, move along because you are wasting your time. Elizabeth Dole, Richard Burr, and Brad Miller for anybody who wants to argue with me.

A Pew Research Center survey released last year about the knowledge of the American people revealed an interesting statistic for me. Those who watch the Daily Show and Colbert Report are more likely to have a "high" knowledge of current events and issues than any other medium or show used in the survey. The Daily Show and Colbert Report ranked slightly ahead of listeners of the Rush Limbaugh Show and viewers of the O'Reilly Factor. Some of the bottom feeders included the Fox News Channel, blogs, and network morning shows.

It is surveys like these that make me want to break my way into the media. My hope is that I can educate people so they understand what is going on in their country beyond what is right in front of their collective nose.

If you are curious how you fair here is a link to a test to see your news IQ.

Rabbit

The Ultimate Highlight

This video won the SAVVY award for the best highlight/motivational video at the Colleigate Sports Video Association.



Rabbit

More on the Same

Part of me felt that I was too overly sensitive when I posted about Hillary Clinton's and Mike Huckabee's comments about assassination related to Barack Obama. That is, until I heard of this story that has shaken me a little bit more.

The Roswell Beacon, a newspaper in Roswell, Georgia located just north of Atlanta, published a story about white supremacists groups and their feelings towards Senator Obama. Their article was overshadowed by the controversial cover page. The cover, when I saw it, put butterflies in my stomach. The cover was a bit too much but the article was quite interesting and put an actual face on what many already knew was a scary issue to consider. It tells the story of a meeting of a white supremacist group and its members discussing their feelings on Obama and why the feel the way they do.

As I have said before, I know that the overwhelming majority of the country wishes no physical harm on Barack Obama, but to imply anything to that regard is irresponsible. This is why Hillary Clinton is irresponsible. This is why Mike Huckabee is irresponsible.

Over the past few years, we have been concerned with terrorism. But, we cannot only worry about Islamic extremists. Homegrown terror still looms large and we cannot forget that. We cannot forget that Timothy Mcveigh and Eric Rudolph were Americans, American terrorists. In Rudolph's case, an American "Christian" terrorist.

Many conservative pundits question Obama's patriotism and claim that he does not appreciate living in the "land of opportunity." Barack Obama has several times said that he is grateful for being an American and appreciates his freedom and opportunity to be as successful as he is. But, if Barack Obama, his wife, or his pastor are critical of certain aspects of the United States, one must remember that everything about the United States is not perfect. There are people who want those three people, and many others, harmed because they are black and successful. Sean Hannity and others may criticize these people for not loving America, but does Sean Hannity have to deal with death threats based on his skin color and success?

Bottom line is everybody has a right to believe whatever they want, of course. But, when there is a likelihood that an individual or group will act on their hate, they must be stopped. I hope local police departments, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security all have their eyes on these groups. Not just for the sake of Barack Obama and his family, but so that every American can continue to live free.

Rabbit