NAILED!
Got shot in the neck yesterday by one of my truest mates Gabe Barnett, whose forthcoming nuptials we were celebrating. I was trying to take out his brother, who was peppering my position from behind one of those big old wooden spools. Suddenly, in my periphery Gabe frames the entryway to my bunker--GATGATGAT--two to the torso, and one to the adam's apple--down i went. You're supposed to yell "I'm Hit" when you're out, but all i could do was flop a couple times. I held up my gun, rose slowly, hobbled out arms raised, and squeaked out a raspy "Nice shot dude."
Gabe Barnett! We met six years ago at an open mic and bonded cause we both played anti-war songs, how ironic is that! He's the only dude I know who has more pacifist songs than me, that he still sings anyway--lately i've just been singing songs about sunshine and love.
I got in a coupla pretty slick kills myself over the seven hours we were there. The eight of us had the whole place to ourselves all day, most likely due to the absence of any shade and the 97 degree heat index. It sounds miserable, but I don't think I've had that much fun ever, or at least not that kind of fun. My neck welt's starting to subside and I'm kinda sad cause it's fun to tell people the story about it. Sadism? Yikes, maybe. I suppose it's only natural to want people to think you're tuff stuff. Hmm... natural...
Gabe's brother Alex, who set up the outing, is an Iraq vet. You'd think the two would be polar opposites and constantly arguing, but after a full day and afterparty of hanging out with them i never once saw any friction, even when Iraq and Afghanistan entered the conversation. One of the other dudes who was there is in the army; he's shipping out to Afghanistan in March. What makes it possible for hippies and soldiers to have such a fun time together? Must be the joy of our mutal friend finding himself a solid woman.
From a very young age I've always felt war and killing to be an absolute wrong. Yet after hanging out with dudes who've seen it or are gonna see it for real, you just feel like--what do I know? I mean, my dad's a Vietnam vet; grandpa, WWII Navy; uncle, career Navy; cousin, Army Ranger, and the thing I've realized is that I've never talked to any of them about war--I mean, what do say? -"Um, hey you wanna talk about war?" --It just don't come up. I've written several blatantly anti-war songs, and twice as many "pro-peace" songs--why is it so easy to sing about it, and not talk about it?
In the end i think what makes it easiest for many troops to tolerate us hippies is the fact that they understand we're raging against war itself--it's existence at the expense of more practical tactics like being nice to people who hate you, perhaps even giving to them the resources in bread and shelter what we instead spend killing them.
Yet the troops don't control those resources. We do, the people of this country, and so they fight on.
Is it pretentious to think this way, when pretend war feels so...natural? Will war always be a part of the human experience? Should we even pretend that it can be stamped out of human history? Should we all just live our lives with the knowledge that when war comes into our lives we should fight in honest valor, prayers prayed to our gods...
Nah, I'm sticking to my guns about non-violence and all the never killing absolutes i can be such a prig about, if only because it's a truth i feel in my heart and soul. But feeling the rush and excitement of battle... it puts it into a clearer perspective of why some choose to sign up...
Someday I know we will realize the ten-fold power of charity and compassion over bombs and bullets. Hey, if the human race ends up missing war that much, we can always play paintball. I think that would satisfy Nature, and our own natures just fine.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Raining Rachels
Well, I’m back to blogging, mostly cause of my sister Rachel’s blog she just instituted to kick off her two-year adventure in India(I might not see her for two years! SADNESS!), and also cause of this girl Rachel’s art blog which is kinda cool. Incidentally, a girl named Rachel, who is also an artist, is moving into our house next Tuesday—Party! And if that don’t beat all, my sister Rachel’s sister-in-law also named Rachel is renting her house(some blocks from ours) while she is in India. It’s raining Rachels around here(that’s the name of my next band—Raining Rachels)
It’s weird being back here—it’s more private. Facebook shows you everyone’s posts whether you want to see them or not. Here, you know that if someone’s reading what you wrote it’s because they want to, more or less… Also, there’s no letter limit, I have missed that… here’s some stuff I haven’t posted--but would have, had my sister moved to India sooner.
!!!First of all you should go to my facebook where I spent the summer writing Haikus for almost 300 photos I took in europe in 2010 and 2008--if you don't have a facebook--I respect that like a million times, but you should get one, if only to experience my haiku prowess!
--here's a poem I wrote this month when I read that most of the troops were coming home from Iraq—it’s in tetrameter, but just turns into a rant at the end…
The troops are coming home to rest
our terrors fought by terrors felt
Safe, home, --I wonder how to best
pay honor to their service dealt
how best to make a lasting place
for these young coffin bearers
--fight now we must in love and grace
the hates that breed the terrors
in distant lands these terrors dwell
as in our homes they fester too
remember now for whom the bell
rang out to hold our fears askew
to justly set this war behind us
we now must proove staunch peace preparers
We'll fight with bread and kill with kindness
the hates and fears that breed the terrors
yet still Afghanistan remains
and other wars horizons' hide
we'll breath no end to these campaigns
while trapped still tarred in terror's tide
retaliation's careless grope
may prove to be our final error
unless we fight in love and hope
the hates and fears that sanction terror
the troops are coming home to rest
how long before we send them back?
have we the courage now to test
faith's torching light in terror's black
come do as few have done before!
come prove our country fairer
our foes will war with us no more
when trust surpasses terror
when hope discharges terror
when giving conquors terror
when grace expunges terror
when love effaces terror
When we, as a people, as a country--tell terror to take a hike baby! YES!
down with fears and up with ears--up with hearing--lets listen to the other side
lets stop fighting that which cannot be killed with precision bombs and planes piloted by remote controls from north dakota--lets remove the planks from our eyes, lets turn our cheeks and show our enemies what it means to say we forgive you and we're sorry too and wont you... whoa that poem busted loose quick---i better spend some days revising and editing...
---Here’s another rant I went on after the Ground Zero Mosque debate kicked up…
Hey Politicians! Stop using Religion to distract from the real issues facing this country. Actually, when's the last time you even read the effing bible? You know what? I’m gonna read the bible right now! It’s been a while, I need the brush-up too…
OK—here ya go: You say: "Ground Zero shouldn't have Muslim Neighbors," um...read Matthew 22:39;
'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
you say "these evildoers wanna do evil to us!" try Matt 5:39;
But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
you say "Liberals criticize Xtians but not Muslims"—Matt 7:3;
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
you say "Taxes Bad; Wealth Good"—Matt 19:24, 21:31, 22:21;
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." / Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. / Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's
you say "Pre-emptive Strikes! Bomb their Caves." –Matt 26:52
Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
And that's from just a quick flip through of FIFTEEN PAGES--took me like half an hour! Lastly these oughta scare the crap out of ya —Matthew 7:22-23 or 21:43.
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. / Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
Ugh. This is why I'm only a half-assed about religion...These poor soulless corrupted jerks really hurt my feelings sometimes, know what I mean?
It’s weird being back here—it’s more private. Facebook shows you everyone’s posts whether you want to see them or not. Here, you know that if someone’s reading what you wrote it’s because they want to, more or less… Also, there’s no letter limit, I have missed that… here’s some stuff I haven’t posted--but would have, had my sister moved to India sooner.
!!!First of all you should go to my facebook where I spent the summer writing Haikus for almost 300 photos I took in europe in 2010 and 2008--if you don't have a facebook--I respect that like a million times, but you should get one, if only to experience my haiku prowess!
--here's a poem I wrote this month when I read that most of the troops were coming home from Iraq—it’s in tetrameter, but just turns into a rant at the end…
The troops are coming home to rest
our terrors fought by terrors felt
Safe, home, --I wonder how to best
pay honor to their service dealt
how best to make a lasting place
for these young coffin bearers
--fight now we must in love and grace
the hates that breed the terrors
in distant lands these terrors dwell
as in our homes they fester too
remember now for whom the bell
rang out to hold our fears askew
to justly set this war behind us
we now must proove staunch peace preparers
We'll fight with bread and kill with kindness
the hates and fears that breed the terrors
yet still Afghanistan remains
and other wars horizons' hide
we'll breath no end to these campaigns
while trapped still tarred in terror's tide
retaliation's careless grope
may prove to be our final error
unless we fight in love and hope
the hates and fears that sanction terror
the troops are coming home to rest
how long before we send them back?
have we the courage now to test
faith's torching light in terror's black
come do as few have done before!
come prove our country fairer
our foes will war with us no more
when trust surpasses terror
when hope discharges terror
when giving conquors terror
when grace expunges terror
when love effaces terror
When we, as a people, as a country--tell terror to take a hike baby! YES!
down with fears and up with ears--up with hearing--lets listen to the other side
lets stop fighting that which cannot be killed with precision bombs and planes piloted by remote controls from north dakota--lets remove the planks from our eyes, lets turn our cheeks and show our enemies what it means to say we forgive you and we're sorry too and wont you... whoa that poem busted loose quick---i better spend some days revising and editing...
---Here’s another rant I went on after the Ground Zero Mosque debate kicked up…
Hey Politicians! Stop using Religion to distract from the real issues facing this country. Actually, when's the last time you even read the effing bible? You know what? I’m gonna read the bible right now! It’s been a while, I need the brush-up too…
OK—here ya go: You say: "Ground Zero shouldn't have Muslim Neighbors," um...read Matthew 22:39;
'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
you say "these evildoers wanna do evil to us!" try Matt 5:39;
But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
you say "Liberals criticize Xtians but not Muslims"—Matt 7:3;
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
you say "Taxes Bad; Wealth Good"—Matt 19:24, 21:31, 22:21;
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." / Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. / Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's
you say "Pre-emptive Strikes! Bomb their Caves." –Matt 26:52
Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
And that's from just a quick flip through of FIFTEEN PAGES--took me like half an hour! Lastly these oughta scare the crap out of ya —Matthew 7:22-23 or 21:43.
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. / Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
Ugh. This is why I'm only a half-assed about religion...These poor soulless corrupted jerks really hurt my feelings sometimes, know what I mean?
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