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3/23/2003
EAR PLUGS
Thursday night, Star Bar, Fox News on the TV w/jumpy satellite feed
of talking heads following an armored division of steel sliding
across the Iraqi border. Familiar night visions of Baghdad in green,
anti-aircraft batteries adding sparkle to the skies.
But fuck that. We're here for a show, The Bluejays are setting up on
stage. Hard to enjoy with the Cyclops TV starting at us from behind
the bar, but this is America, land of distraction. (Even the war is a
clever distraction from a failed domestic policy, and a failed effort
abroad to track down the real threats to our country.) So tune it all
out as the band tunes up and turns on the honky tonk, old school
country, and sliding steel of a different kind.
Nobody else is out. Guess folks are home watching the opening
ceremonies of the war, the red carpet bombing portion. Too bad we
can't send goddamn Joan and Melissa over there to cover it - there's
one loss to "friendly fire" I wouldn't mind seeing.
Somehow Fox News is still calling it the "War on Terror" - but
shouldn't it really be the War OF Terror? Biggest non-atomic bombs in
the history of warfare dropping on Iraq - sounds like a war of terror
to me. Or was it "shock and awe"? I get the two mixed up. (I was
pretty shocked and awestruck the day those two planes plowed into the
World Trade Center, I can tell you.)
Fox News riding along with coalition forces. What coalition? Everyone
else stayed home for this one. Last time we went up against Iraq it
was 32 nations, now it's three. I never understood why we pussied out
last time though. When Hitler invaded his neighbors we didn't stop at
the Polish or French borders.
The Bluejays are good. Harmony, dammit, harmony and heart, that's
what's missing from country music these days. Sort of the same thing
missing in government.
"Surgical strikes"? Don't take out my appendix with that rusty
chainsaw, Dr. Rumsfield.
Plastic surgery Saddam doppelgangers? Can I buy one of those at Target?
Helicopter crash is news in the "new kind of war"? Shit, in Vietnam
you didn't hear about helicopters crashing until they were shoving
them off the edges of carriers to make room for more retreating
troops.
This is what pussies we've become - but better this than the rusty
steel trap of Viet-fuckin'-nam.
Harmony and heart - that's what pop country lacks, why there is a
term "alt-country" and things like the Oh! Brother soundtrack sell.
Ware River Club have harmony and heart, sort of Uncle Tupelo meets
Drive By Truckers, but playing to an empty room, another victim in
the War Of Terror. Americana while America expands the empire.
Religious zealots praying "smash our enemies." Wait, who's side are
they praying for? Isn't that the kind of shit that got us into this
in the first place? I say we let the Baptists and the Islamic
fundamentalists go into a full cage match and the winner gets take on
the Jews who won't budge off a single speck of Israel.
"Oh Lord, maybe this will convert millions to Your service," the
Baptist is still praying.
Sorry, lady. This is no holy crusade for the Emporer, this is a raid.
Must keep the spice flowing! Sorry - "oil". Or is it "gold"? Whatever
tribute it is, George II says it must flow, and no focus group of
nations or voters is gonna stop his pedal to the metal.
Ware River Club from Massachusetts singing "be my sanity tonight" to
an empty room - fitting.
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