Friday, March 27, 2009

Tears of a Clown... Obama... Afghanistan... Motherhood... You Tube Videos

My reasons for the following You Tube video choices may not be discernable to anyone other than me... but things have been complex (to say the least) lately... and sometimes I just go where my heart leads me...

["Smokey Robinson & The Miracles-The Tears Of A Clown"; as submitted to You Tube by lee57 on August 09, 2007; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2kxlZDOHeQ]

"An extract from the preface to Barack Obama's first book "Dreams from my Father", in which he pays tribute to his mother Ann Dunham. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barac...

["Obama's Tribute to his Mother [ Audiobook CD ]"; as submitted to You Tube by MrObama on February 15, 2008; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRYh3Ae-DoQ]

"NBC Nightly News covers Barack Obama's mother, talking with the Senator about his childhood and the legacy of his mother in his life today...

["NBC News: Ann Dunham"; as submitted to You Tube by BarackObamadotcom on March 28, 2008; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7An5LPXjOa4]

I'm a mother...

I love my children with all my heart...

And I have loved... in a sense of speaking... President Obama, in an almost paterally proud way... as well.

That said, I hope President Obama asks himself what his mother would think of his current policy in regard to Afghanistan...

Because we surely do not need another Vietnam - we do not need more coffins - we do not need more dead soldiers or civilians on either side...

And I think, in this instance, President Obama (with all due respect and an acknowlegment of my own relative naivete) can do better.

Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,

NS

4 comments:

little sparrow said...

I also expressed admiration for the President in a 'paternal' way as well and got my manhood questioned by some clown probably because his own manhood must be troublesome to him. I agree that sending more US troops to Afghanistan is not the answer. “WAR is not the answer…what is it good for?" Many more good old standards from the anti-war hit parade could have kept on coming from memory but an Einstein quote always comes to mind and succinctly says it all. He said that “killing under the cloak of war is still murder” so how many ‘thou shalt not kills’ will it take 'til all the world's people realize that this most psychotic form of human expression within our collective consciousness is the worst of them all? One killer is bad enough but a legion or a brigade of trained ones is unfathomable--that is, any and all ragtag or uniformed armed forces trained to be killers or terrorists, suicide bombers, air force pilots, submarine or tank crews, IED makers, napalm (Sunday school) users, purveyors of DU armaments, flame throwers, bows and arrows, rock throwers—they are all examples of negative energy with some legitimately thought to be used for protection depending on which side of the gun barrel you happen to be. The only fist that’s cool is the one at the end of the word ‘pacifist’ and the psychosis of war and its promoters or the mongers with that killer mentality are just that--nuts. The latest twist with the crony war pirates providing services for the troops that they used to do themselves is another example of the intertwined mongrelized greed-sharing rich bastards who might sing a different tune if they actually went to fight the wars they are profiting from. The previous joke of a leader should have our motto “E pluribus unum” changed in his dishonor to “E pluribush unumbnuts”—I can say that without fear of reprisal I hope because I’ve been wanting to put that out there for a long time. Thanks Nancy you are one in a billion. Signed: pw little sparrow

NS said...

Lol - I guess "I" should have wrote "maternal!"

Oh well...

Did you know that "Webster's New World College Dictionary" (4th Edition) happens to agree (lol) with Einstein, you and me?

Amongst some other definitions (but of course) listed there, one will find: "mur-der... to kill inhumanly or barbarously, as in warfare" (p. 948).

Who originally did that "War..." song anyhow? Springsteen did a version, but I guess there was one out earlier?

It never fails to amaze me that we will join together on campaigns to target stuff like "bullying in the schools" (a good thing, no doubt!) --- but somehow fail to see (and/or dish out appropriate consequences) to the bullies (and our children's EXAMPLES!) on the national and/or world stage...

It never fails to amaze me that so many folks will yell at or punish (even physically, which is a horrifically bad sad joke!) a child for frightening or injuring another child - but will (five, ten or fifteen years later...) hand that same child a weapon and tell him or her to go ahead and shoot at another human being...

Will we ever learn a better way? I HOPE...

With much respect,

NS

little sparrow pw said...

You must have meant 'parental' but roles and their rules get blurred and single parents must cover all sides and perhaps that's just another thing that must be put into the blender to homogenize everything so bringing up a better baby becomes easier to produce citizens of the world and not sociopaths—global-minded magisters (Latin: teacher) versus that old majesty syndrome as in addressing a king or queen or even a purple mountain’s one. The drug law blog relates to this in my personal word association game when I think of the word ‘kingpin’—is there a queenpin? Assuming there is one, if two of them get together and have a baby does that child eventually become a princepin or a princesspin if they follow into their parents’ business as many do? The reference is strictly rhetorical but it’s designed to deflate this regal royal status although negatively ascribed in the semantic sense. No one is really royalty going back to the origins of that whole crock which has always amused me since I was about 20 or so. Who was the first person who stood up and said “I feel like a king/queen!” before that margarine commercial, wasn’t it? I feel compelled to compliment you, Nancy, because you make as easy as breathing when I contribute thoughts and ideas to your blog spot.

little sparrow pw said...

Edwin Starr sang the "War" song back in the Viet Nam era. The Temptations did it on an album first before it was decided that it had to be a 'protest' song and Mr. Starr got the honors. I included the lyrics along with Elvis Costello's phrase association from it[?] that led into his song. "War is not the answer" obviously is the Marvin Gaye lyric that he made famous before his own father shot and killed him. Conflating any of these words only adds clarity not confusion to the state of the wars of the world. I know you can decide to include the two songs or not but they are ageless. little sparrow pw

Lyrics to WAR
(Whitfield/Strong)

War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely (nothing),ah, ha, ha, ha
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely (nothing)
Say it again, y'all
War, huh, look out!
What is it good for?
Absolutely (nothing)
Listen to me
War I despise
'cause it means destruction of innocent lives
War means tears to thousands of mother's eyes
When their sons go out to fight and lose their lives
I said, war, huh, good God y'all
What is it good for
Absolutely (nothing)
geh, say it again
War (Huh)
Woh, woh, woh, woh
What is it good for?
Absolutely (nothing)
Listen to me
War, it ain't nothin' but a heartbreaker
War, friend only to the undertaker
Ah, war is an enemy of all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind
War has caused unrest within the younger generation
Induction then destruction
Who wants to die ? Ah....
War, good God, y'all
What is it good for ?
Absolutely (nothing)
Say it, say it, say it
War, ah ha yeah, huh,
What is it good for?
Absolutely (nothing)
Listen to me
War, it ain't nothin' but a heartbreaker
War, got one friend that's the undertaker
Ah, war has shattered many a young man's dreams
Made him disabled bitter and mean
Life is much too short and precious
To spend fighting wars each day
War can't give life
It can only take it away
Ahh ,war, (Huh)
Good God y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
(War, huh)
Woh, woh woh, Lord,
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
War, it ain't nothin' but a heartbreaker
War, friend only to the undertaker, oh
PEACE,LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING, tell me
Is there no place for them today?
They say we must fight to keep our own freedom
But Lord knows there's gotta be a better way
Ahh ,war, (Huh)
Good God y'all
What is it good for?.......

"Peace, Love & Understanding"
(Elvis Costello)

As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself
Is all HOPE lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
And each time I feel like this inside,
Theres one thing I wanna know:
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding?
And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
cause each time I feel it slippin away, just makes me wanna cry.
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding?
So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
cause each time I feel it slippin away, just makes me wanna cry.
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding?

RIGHT ON NANCY--KEEP UP THE GOOD FIGHT!!!