Fun Fanfare for Bruce

In a haze of social and political anxiety, I decided to write about something much less stressful. Music often calms my activist nerves and one of my favorite musicians is Bruce Springsteen. You may be sitting there with a cocked eyebrow and confused look. This makes you no different than most people when they find out I’m a die-hard Boss fanatic. He really is a misunderstood artist and I hope this blog with help shine a new light on his art. Three big reasons to love Bruce are his political lyrics, thoughtful stories and the fun you can have in a car singing along with him.

His politics are probably one of the most misunderstood aspects of his music. I’m sure many Palinites love chanting “Born in the USA” without much notice of the other words in the song. Many would be surprised to learn this song is very political. It features anti-war and in your face lyrics about the mistreatment of our veterans. Springsteen understands that patriotism is powerful and can be good, but blind patriotism is very dangerous.

So they put a rifle in my hand/ Sent me off to a foreign land/ To go and kill the yellow man/ Born in the U.S.A. / I was born in the U.S.A…
I had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong/ They're still there, he's all gone

During a recent concert, he made statements about the loss of our civil liberties under the Bush administration. The crowd seemed to divide in half. Some seemed uncomfortable and wanting to get back to the music and others like myself, my partner and the person beside us wearing an Amnesty International shirt were clapping in praise of his recognition of these important issues. He then sang “Livin’ in the Future”, from his new album Magic.

My ship Liberty sailed away on a bloody red horizon

The groundskeeper opened the gates and let the wild dogs run…
Chorus: Don't worry Darlin', now baby don't you fret/We're livin' in the future and none of this has happened yet

Almost anyone can relate to at least one Springsteen song. He crafts stories that are thought-provoking and provide an almost tangible image of hardship, adventure and love. The lyrics of The River paint a picture of a couple that wanted more out of life. After listening to the story you almost can’t help, but think about your own hopes and dreams.

I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company/ But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy…But I remember us riding in my brother's car/ Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir… Now those memories come back to haunt me/ they haunt me like a curse/ Is a dream a lie if it don't come true

He does all of this while making you throw your arms up and stomp your feet. In the car, "Thunder Road" is sure to get you breaking the speed limit just a little bit.

Hey what else can we do now/ Except roll down the window/ And let the wind blow back your hair/ Well the night's busting open/ These two lanes will take us anywhere

And of course there is my favorite Springsteen song (easily in my top 5 songs of all time) the classic "Born to Run", which has elements of the political, romantic, storytelling and rock-n-roll which truly defines his music.
From the beginning of the song,
In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway American dream
to the end,
Someday girl I don't know when/ we're gonna get to that place/ Where we really want to go/ and we'll walk in the sun/ But till then tramps like us/ baby we were born to run[!!!!!!]
there is no mistaking the talent of Bruce Springsteen.

Our Irresponsible Infatuation with Ignorance

The media is portraying the American public in a very bad light. It seems as if we value ignorant bliss and fumbling loyalty over intellect and cooperation. The biggest problem with this coverage is that in some ways it may actually be true.
I tried to avoid writing about Gov. Palin again, because the Republicans have successfully wielded her in a way to evade talking about the things that really matter in this election. (Economic security, energy policies, education reform, judicial responsibilities, etc.) However, I have to respond to this article in the Washington Post.
The headline For Working Moms, ‘Flawed’ Palin Is the Perfect Choice, at first this could be seen as a positive. Yeah, we aren’t expecting absolute perfection any more. Delve into the article and you see it paints a much sadder story. It seems now the country craves inexperience and exploitation.
The article revolves around interviews with women at a McCain rally. One woman says Palin “justifies what we do every day.” A good question to ask her is why she didn’t feel justified before. What in this culture makes mothers, working or not, feel like they aren’t justified in their decisions and actions? Perhaps the answer partially lies within government policies that pit family against work. Family leave is minimal and there is no compensation of any kind for parents that chose to stay home with their children. Even small countries like Estonia have better policies when it comes to parents, including modest financial assistance and job security for new mothers.
Another quote by this working mother was “There’re more American parents with unwed pregnant teenaged children than American parents with Harvard grads.” Is this a good thing? Or is this something that we should get to the bottom of by talking about adequate sex education and better financing for higher education? McCain’s doesn’t offer anything except less sex education and a simpler loan application.
Education level has been used against some of the presidential candidates. Obama with his degrees from Columbia and Harvard is portrayed as too smart to govern regular folk. While, McCain with his low class-rank at the Naval Academy would be better and Bush went to Yale, but that was alright because he was a C student not an honors student like Obama. Education isn’t everything, but it certainly shouldn’t be considered a weakness.
Throughout the article the author offers scary explanations for these women’s statements. “…the national conviction that anyone can succeed is morphing into a belief that experience and knowledge may almost be disqualifying credentials.” Some in this society actually want stupidity; really they do not care what we look like to other countries. They invite fights and even wars. As long as we look like we have the biggest balls, then all is right in America.

This is a frightening time in our country. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that our leaders should be intelligent and knowledgeable. Let’s hope the voices of people that still value smart leadership start to shout louder and drown out the noise from those whom are offended by big words.

Demonstrations and Demographics

I was poised with my pen in hand as McCain began his speech. After 10 minutes I was already tired and wanting to go to bed. His speech was not the worst I've heard, but certainly not specific or inspiring. A more interesting part of the night was the protesters that were actually shown on camera. During Palin's speech, at least one Code Pink protester had been escorted out of the Xcel Center, but I didn't find out until my Estonian friend told me about it.

One sign held by a protester stated something like "McCain votes against veterans." That seems to be a bizarre claim since he himself is a veteran. Not to mention the Republicans like to remind of us his service every chance they get. However, the statement may have some substance.

As recent as this spring, McCain opposed an update to the GI bill that helps soldiers attend college and gain other training after their service. The senator said he opposed it because he thinks offering these benefits will encourage people to leave the military. Soldiers on the frontlines serving several extra years just because they have to in order to get their education benefits is sad and disrespectful. What about injured service members that are discharged early? I really don't know how they would be affected by a McCain GI bill.

Increasing funding for the war isn't popular, but most people believe in taking care of injured and sick veterans. McCain has voted against funding for veteran medical care many times. Just to mention one S. Amdt 3642 increased funding for outpatient care and treatment for veterans. Many other actions show McCain's lacking record on veteran's issues.

On a different note, the Republican Delegation had an interesting make up. The party that is supposedly more "in touch" with the American public doesn't show it by the people they invited to St. Paul. Ninety-three percent were white and 51% have a net worth over $500,000. This doesn't seem like an accurate picture of average Americans. According to the U.S. Census, average household income is around $50,000 well below the 1/2 million mark. As far as race, in 2006 74% of American identified as white.

So the Republican Convention is over and now we can really get this election started! This is when the debates start, signs go up in yards/windows and the nerves really kick-in.

What I learned from Sarah Palin

During the governor's speech at the convention, I learned so many new things! People should really have told me these things earlier!

Gov. Palin enlightened me to the fact that defending civil liberties isn’t that important. Sen. Obama actually wants people to have their rights read before going to prison. The audacity of that man to think that way! I mean, who really needs due process and equal protection under the law? It’s not like he introduced any major legislation protecting us from terrorists. Unless you count the Obama-Lugar Nonproliferation Initiative, which expands U.S. power in eliminating loose weapons around the world. However, we can’t count this piece of legislation, because as Ms. Palin informed me last night the U.S. Senate does nothing (She probably just forgot McCain is actually a senator). A particular do-nothing is Presidential nominee Barack Obama. He’s done nothing in Illinois or Washington. Sponsoring 113 pieces of legislation in the U.S. Senate including an ethics reform bill similar to one he was a leader on in the Illinois Senate is so measly really. He should have been spending his time as a mayor raising sales tax to build a hockey arena and vetoing money to improve schools and hospitals.

The Alaskan Governor had help from the whole delegation in making me come to my senses about energy. Drill Baby Drill! Yeah Baby! It doesn’t matter if offshore drilling poses a potential risk of spills and waste being dumped into the ocean. Once the drills start hitting that black gold, it would only be years before we start seeing the rewards. There would be little need for alternative resources which would start benefiting us now. Wow! This is so great to know Ms. Palin.

Maybe most exciting is that she let me in on a secret. Community organizers have no responsibilities! I need to find me one of those jobs even if they get paid significantly low wages. I always thought they were like foot soldiers on the ground here in America. Battling to improve the living conditions of those that need their help the most. That would mean they have to be advocates, educators, event planners, counselors, researchers and team players. Thanks Sarah Palin, without you I would have continued to think community organizers were talented and compassionate people.

Now that I have been educated, I guess there is no turning back. I’m on the road in my hummer driving to Wal-Mart and listening to Rush Limbaugh on the radio!..

On second thought, I actually like eating veggie burgers before boarding mass transit and listening to Bruce Springsteen on my iPod. Voting for Obama and Biden will be fun too!

Beyond Mother Nature's Fury

Mother Nature decided to back off a bit to allow the Republican Convention to proceed despite their attempts to squander her resources. So for the new opening night President Bush spoke via live video feed. During his speech, he referenced "The Angry Left." Oh My! He made it seem like conservatives, such as McCain, are victims of irrational wrath.

The truth is that many people are really angry. Many of the vocal do reside on the left side of politics. However, any reasonable woman or man should feel a little irate right now. We are facing lies, manipulations and disregard from the current administration. This has taken too much of the joy out of being an American. This makes me livid!
What about the way our civil liberties have been stripped to the bone and privacy has become a privilege? This is worthy of some rage!
Tax cuts that leave the rich richer and everyone else pinching every penny they find on the streets. This should make people mad!
No bid contracts for a military that has been stretched thin and veterans left to starve in the streets. This should piss you off!
The heat of scientifically proven global warming would make any logical person sweat. Denying it shows a true disrespect for life. It is reasonable to be upset by the killing of polar bears and other wildlife with the beat of an oil drill.
In an election, that has McCain choosing a potential vice president that makes me look like a bona fide foreign relations expert scares me. It is alright to be furious about this!

Now the Obama campaign has shined a light on the tunnels end and kept many from being swallowed by the quick sand of cynicism. People say hope is empty rhetoric, but sometimes it is the best medicine for an ill democracy.

It wouldn't be hard to tame the lioness rage of the past 8 years. Electing compassion, intellect, and judgment in the leaders of this country is a good start.