"It's A Hard Rain's Gonna' Fall" and "Masters of War"... Dylan... NPR "First Listen"... Commentary

[ "First Listen... 'It's A Hard Rains Gonna' Fall'"; Bob Dylan; NPR; 10/10/10; http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=130356302&m=130358866 ]

I heard this song a while back - and I find it striking in a number of ways.  Certainly not a cheery tune, I think it is applicable to our current social, economical and political situation.  Dylan was a master of protest music and he (in my opinion) tapped into a lot of vieled truths.  Did this help his career or hurt it?  I wonder...

I try to focus on the beautiful, positive and entertaining as of late - but every now and then you will get a post that speaks to the dark side, the worried side, the sad side of my heart...

Where is this country that I love headed?  Why can't we seem to get on a truly positive track?  Have most of us been trained - one way or another - to eat our own toes?

I spent some time last night with some folks that have some pretty strong good values...  which made me realize how little time I do spend around such folks...

Old school?  Yes.  Do I agree with all of thier opinions?  No.  But folks that truly "give a damn" about those so often mouthed "family values," the state of our military and veterans, the state of our country, the challenges facing the next generation ........ ?

Absolutely.

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The following Dylan tune [There are others on the NPR site] is one that I had never heard before...

["First Listen..."'Masters of War'"; Bob Dylan; NPR; http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=130356302&m=130358405]

Pretty angry...  pretty apropro? 

Don't get me wrong. 

I have immense respect for those that have served in our military - and for our military veterans [which includes 2 of my brothers, other relatives and a brother-in-law] --- and some wars have probably [those truly entered into for the purpose of self defense] been necessary.

I wonder...

I don't know.

But I do believe there has to be [for everyone in this country and in this world...] a better way!!!!!

I have a poem that my oldest brother wrote whilst in Korea [US Army] that I will [if I get his permission] post in the near future.  Via that mechanism, I can take you straight to the heart [One heart out of how many? / His best friend (a cousin) did not make it back from Vietnam...] of the storm.