Democracy for New Mexico

Rich Man's War

With Gold Star Peace Mother Cindy Sheehan (be sure to watch the video) hanging tough in Crawford, Texas, waiting for the vacationing-bicycling-brush clearing president to give her two minutes of his precious time, we thought it would be a good time to buy tickets to catch musician Steve Earle at the Lobo Theater on Tuesday. You can too. A sample:

Rich Man's War, by Steve Earle
From the Album: Revolution Starts Now

Jimmy joined the army ‘cause he had no place to go
There ain’t nobody hirin’
‘round here since all the jobs went
down to Mexico
Reckoned that he’d learn himself a trade maybe see the world
Move to the city someday and marry a black haired girl
Somebody somewhere had another plan
Now he’s got a rifle in his hand
Rollin’ into Baghdad wonderin’ how he got this far
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war

Bobby had an eagle and a flag tattooed on his arm
Red white and blue to the bone when he landed in Kandahar
Left behind a pretty young wife and a baby girl
A stack of overdue bills and went off to save the world
Been a year now and he’s still there
Chasin’ ghosts in the thin dry air
Meanwhile back at home the finance company took his car
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war

When will we ever learn
When will we ever see
We stand up and take our turn
And keep tellin’ ourselves we’re free

Ali was the second son of a second son
Grew up in Gaza throwing bottles and rocks when the tanks would come
Ain’t nothin’ else to do around here just a game children play
Somethin’ ‘bout livin’ in fear all your life makes you hard that way

He answered when he got the call
Wrapped himself in death and praised Allah
A fat man in a new Mercedes drove him to the door
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war
*************

"Before this all started, I used to think that one person couldn’t make a difference... but now I see that one person who has the backing and support of millions of people can make a huge difference."--Cindy Sheehan

On the national level, the Huffington Post has an abundance of commentary on Sheehan, the Iraq War, Bush and Democrats by people like Gary Hart, Norman Lear, Andy Stern, Tom Hayden, Rep. Jim McDermott, Cindy Sheehan herself and even New Mexico's own Jim Baca. Go read.

Texas blog The Lone Star Iconoclast has a running diary from the Crawford Peace House.

When the President Talks to God

Video of Bright Eyes, courtesy of OneGoodMove. Protest music returns to the Tonight Show...yowsa.

A little Beatles Holiday Cheer

Thanks to Altercation, here's a place where you can download some cheer of Christmases past:

"If you were fortunate enough to have been a member of the official Beatles fan club between 1963 and 1969, then you likely have heard one or more of these records. The Beatles recorded them and sent them out to their adoring fans every year, finally collecting them all on one album for the 1970 edition. Now rare and quite pricey to obtain, these seldom heard recordings offer a rare glimpse of the fabs at their funniest."

To download: https://www.scifihifi.com/beatles/.

Happy Holidays to All and to All a Good Day!

Kitka

We're going to see the women's vocal group Kitka tonight at Popejoy Hall. They specialize in Eastern European women's vocal traditions going back to pre-Christian eras. They're famous for their harmonies and we think hearing them will help salve the pain caused by a  lack of harmonies in today's political landcape. Well, at least that's a good excuse for posting about them here on DFNM!

They'll be accompanied tonight by a violinist, a player of dumbek, tupan and frame drums and another who plays tambura, bouzouki and tupan. They'll be performing Wintersongs, which their website explains "showcases material ranging from rousing Slavic folk carols and lush, meditative Eastern Orthodox sacred choral works, to pre-Christian incantations for the longest nights of the year and Hebrew folk songs for Chanukah. Highlights include Tec Peleite Zernju Zogtu, an ancient Latgalian (Eastern Latvian) Winter Solstice song invoking the god of the heavens and the goddess of the Sun; Koledni Pesni, a medley of Bulgarian folk carols recalling the nativity sung in the traditional antiphonal village style; and Byla Cesta, a poignant 19th-century Moravian carol. Other pieces include the sublime 12th-century Georgian hymn to the Virgin Shen Khar Venakhi; and a collection of joyful Shchedrivki, songs sung for the traditional Ukrainian New Year festival of Malanka."

I think the time is definitely right for some Ukrainian New Year music in celebration of their burgeoning democracy movement and all those orange hats and headbands. Another political connection for Kitka music!

Check out Kitka's website and be sure to listen to some clips. Amazing.

In the Free World

Michael Moore's website has a new entry on the To Do list about halfway down the main page. Its instructions? Check out Neil Young's new 'Rockin the the Free World' video, directed by Michael Moore. You may recall Moore featured this song in Fahrenheit 9-11, along with some other powerful music. A useful remedy for political fatigue.

Love Rocks (And Is Always Moral)

Love Rocks CD: A Star-Studded Benefit Album to Celebrate Marriage Equality

The Dixie Chicks, Melissa Etheridge, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mandy Moore, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Dido, B52s, Carole King, Yoko Ono, Simply Red, Cyndi Lauper, Kimberly Locke & Oleta Adams are only some of the 32 artists that have joined forces to celebrate marriage equality by donating songs of love and inspiration to the Human Rights Campaign’s newest benefit album, Love Rocks. Love Rocks shines a light on the fact that the love and commitment between two people, regardless of sexual orientation, should be treated with dignity, respect and equality. 100% of the net proceeds from the album, co-produced by Centaur Entertainment & HRC, will benefit HRC’s work towards marriage equality.

Available exclusively from the Human Rights Campaign. PRE-ORDER TODAY FOR LATE NOVEMBER DELIVERY. (Just in time for your Red State holidaze!) Cick here.

For more info on marriage equality and to sign the pro-equality petition, visit the Human Rights Campaign's Marriage Center.