Girl Friday #8: This Just In—War STILL On!

God help the man who tries to send my kids to war. The look on my face will be the last he sees.

The war is still on, and it will go on, and on, and on, because it’s not a war. It’s a hopeless death spiral that hinges on the interminable battles over God and Greed.

This war is senseless, baseless, and downright immoral. To boot, our hard-earned Federal tax dollars are footing the tab, which only keeps growing. Meanwhile the blood of innocent Iraqis, our soldiers, crazy Jihadists, and other civilian bystanders flows freely; at the end of the day, it's all red. Red like the wine on the lips of the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and all their lackeys.

The other day, I took a call from a recently-returned serviceman. He had been deployed in Iraq, and after being discharged was recruited to Cleveland from Texas with his newly-pregnant wife. He’s been here four months. The company who hired him is now being acquired. He doesn’t have a resume, because it was--surprise! Blown up, in Iraq. At least he wasn't. He came home and has a chance to start over, somehow. Lots of people won’t. Why was that, again? We don’t really know.

On this Girl Friday, I want to keep on my heart the women of war who have lost brothers, sisters, children, partners, fathers, and friends to this stupid, STUPID conflict in Iraq. This lovely song, "The Scarlet Tide," evokes that singular solemnity you get from mixing pride and sorrow. It’s sort of a hymn-turned-parlor ballad. It’s from the soundtrack to the movie, Cold Mountain, a very good story about the futility of war. The buttery-voiced Alison Krauss performs.

http://www.sonymusic.com/clips/selection/30/086843/086843_01_04_30.ram
The Scarlet Tide
Well I recall his parting words
Must I accept his fate
Or take myself far from this place
I thought I heard a black bell toll
A little bird did sing
Man has no choice
When he wants every thing

We'll rise above the scarlet tide
That trickles down through the mountain
And separates the widow from the bride

Man goes beyond his own decision
Gets caught up in the mechanism
Of swindlers who act like kings
And brokers who break everything
The dark of night was swiftly fading
Close to the dawn of day
Why would I want him just to lose him again

We'll rise above the scarlet tide
That trickles down through the mountain
And separates the widow from the bride