I Know You're Out There

I know fear. I think I know it more strongly, now that I have children, because I care deeply for them, and I don't want them to have to ever experience trauma.

It doesn't take a psychic to know where our country is headed. Read the subtext: Bush's approval rating below 35%. Bush's administration being probed for illegal activities, not the least of which is lying to the American public. The CIA's head brass quitting because of pending bribery investigations. Cunningham and DeLay surrounded by ethics violations.

And, then: Iraq, a mess we created that's getting worse. Osama bin Laden - does anyone even talk of him any more? Afghanistan, a mess we created that's getting worse. Sudan, a mess we had messy ties to, now getting awful. Iran, a mess we created long ago now coming back, big time, to bite us in the ass.

What does an American president do with such problems? See Reagan, Clinton, Roosevelt, Kennedy, Eisenhower and Nixon for suggestions. We invade a country, saying words like "Freedom!", "Security!", and "Terrorism!" as loudly and often as possible. Call dissidents un-American and Socialist, though no one really knows the meaning of either term any longer.

I listened to one of my best friends, a dyed-in-the-wool progressive (used to be called liberal, before O'Reilly and others turned it into a epithet), as he explained why some military strike against Iran was necessary. "Necessary?", I asked. "They're crazy over there," he replied.

No, we're crazy. We're crazy to think that all serious problems in the world can be handled by extremely expensive military action. Terrorist attacks? "Kill, quickly." Iran wants nukes? "Kill, quickly." (even when it's a lie).

I am terrified for my country, and for the countries (and lives) we're destroying in our honor. So, today, a feeble attempt to call out to those folks out there for help, and to encourage speaking out.

A mix: "War and Peace"

• Neil Young: Shock And Awe
• Bob Marley: War
• The Clash: London Calling
• Wilco: War on War
• Talking Heads: Psycho Killer
• Cat Power: He War
• Jackson Browne: Information Wars
• Nouvelle Vague: Guns Of Brixton
• Green Day: American Idiot
• Tom Petty: Something In The Air
• U2: Love and Peace or Else
• Big Country: Peace In Our Time
• Elvis Costello: (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding
• Bruce Springsteen: We Shall Overcome
• The Byrds: Chimes Of Freedom
• Eliza Gilkyson: Peace Call
• Thievery Corporation: Marching the Hate Machines into the Sun
• Beck: Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes
• Tom Cochrane: Lunatic Fringe

Voxtrot Plays Art Museum Opening

I have a soft part of my heart for Voxtrot, I admit. I bought both of their EP's, right after they were released - I was tickled that they were shipped from a familiar street north of campus here in town. It's a very homegrown operation, you can tell. Listening to Voxtrot, I feel like I'm watching the beginnings of a group like the Beatles. Of course, they may never reach such heights of fame, glory, and achievement. But, Ramesh's enthusiasm for his songs, and his unadulterated joy for the performance, just drips off the music. I was able to stand amongst the teenagers last Saturday night at Austin's new Blanton Museum of Art, where Voxtrot was playing to a *very* mixed crowd of mostly art patrons, who were wondering why there was a pop band playing in their midst. No decent lighting, lousy echoey acoustics, but Voxtrot rocked. Somebody sign these guys, quick, before the fire dies out.

• Voxtrot - Rise Up In The Dirt