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	February 21, 2003

I'M A STRANGER HERE Listening to some old anti-war songs trying to get some inspiration to write a poem for Rayne's & VO's special edition on Sloggers on War , when I came to this one, written in 1973 by the Five Man Electrical Band (a Canadian group). The song was released on an album called Sweet Paradise , no longer in the catalogues. When I heard it, I started to cry: This song is as pertinent to the world today as it was thirty years GO. The song is called I'm a Stranger Here. The words in black are sung by a Martian-sounding guy, and the brash response in blue by the smug citizens of Earth: well I'm a stranger here on this place called Earth and I was sent down here to discover the worth of your little blue planet third from the Sun c'mon and show me what you've done we've got the aeroplane, we got the automobile, we got skyscraping buildings made of glass and steel we got synthetic food that nearly tastes real and a little white pill that makes you feel a whole lot better when you get out of bed you take one in the morning for the long day ahead we got everything everybody needs to survive surely the good life has arrived I think your atmosphere is hurting my eyes and your concrete mountains are blacking out the skies now i don't say that you've been telling me lies but why do I hear those children's cries? I'm a stranger here - I'm just looking around I see the aeroplanes carrying the bombs why you even found people to drop them on you know you can't keep what you take by force but it's only my first impression of course I'm a stranger here we got the rivers and the mountains and the valleys and the trees we got the birds in the sky we got the fish in the sea we got the..... oh you crazy fools don't you know you had it made? you were living in paradise but take it from one who knows the gates of heaven can close I only pray that you take my advice because paradise won't come twice well I'm a stranger here on this place called Earth and I was sent down here to discover the worth of your little blue planet third from the Sun I think I'll go back home where I come from The melody is excellent for a '70's anti-war song, and the instrumental guitar riffs between the 'voices' of the conversation are awesome. Since it's out of circulation, I can't imagine anyone objecting to me making it available to Sloggers, so until/unless someone objects to the posting, here's a link to it in .mp3 format (3.4MB). Might even make good background listening while you read the special edition of VO. 3:17:40 PM  trackback []  comment []

VOLUNTEER, STOP THE WAR From the days of the Vietnam War (and perhaps even before that), there has been a tacit link between opposition to war and volunteerism. Opponents of war signed up for the Peace Corps and other non-profit organizations, showing they were patriotic and cared for their country even though they weren't prepared to fight an unjustifiable war to 'prove' it. Perhaps it's time for opponents of the upcoming Iraq War to take up the cause of volunteerism as a way of showing, as they did in the streets last weekend, that being anti-war is not the same as being pro-Saddam or anti-American. There are all kinds of reasons why now is the time: Volunteers are more urgently needed than ever as Bush punishes the poor and disadvantaged to give more to the rich and privileged. Bush and other arch-conservatives have recently given volunteerism an unfair right-wing rep, by cloaking it in fraudulent 'faith-based initiatives' programs and by encouraging schools to force students to volunteer in order to pass their year (resulting in the oxymoronic phrase 'compulsory volunteering'). We need to counter these programs that besmirch the good name of volunteering. It feels good, does good, teaches you a lot, and takes away some of the feeling of helplessness we all feel right now. An organization called Independent Sector offers these 10 tips to prospective volunteers: Research the issues and causes of issues that are important to you Consider what skills you have to offer Choose a volunteer program that will teach you something new Choose a program that will help you achieve other personal goals Don't overcommit Be prepared to answer questions and qualify before you start Volunteer as a family, so your volunteer work doesn't keep you apart If you can't get out, look at 'virtual volunteering' programs Think outside the box for unique volunteering experiences (e.g. community theatres, prisons, or parks - the site has a whole list of others) Bring your heart and your sense of humour to whatever cause you help If you're willing to volunteer, here are websites that are good starting points for Americans (Volunteer Match ) and Canadians (Canadian Volunteerism Initiative ) to learn where volunteers are needed. 2:22:41 PM  trackback []  comment []

ONCE AROUND THE HORN: READINGS INTELLIGENT AND EDUCATIONAL Alternet interviews Bill Maher today. Love his comment on how Bush missed the opportunity to do a "Nixon-to-China kind of thing." (Despite Tiananmen, Nixon's opening diplomatic relations with the unrepentant Communist Chinese struck me as extraordinary, almost redeeming). Maher's HBO starts tomorrow (Friday) evening. Also in Alternet today, Arianna Huffington eloquently describes a White House where "anything that can be rationalized is right." Nothing terribly new content-wise, but she says it so much better than anyone else. Cursor caught this article too. And it also appears on TomPaine.com and Working for Change . The lady knows how to network. Consumer Reports online offers a quiz about tea . Sample: What country does the U.S. get most of its tea from? Bet you guess wrong. (And no, it's not Iraq.) It's all about that other black liquid. 12:57:18 AM  trackback []  comment []

© Copyright 2004 Dave Pollard. Last update: 19/02/2004; 2:39:33 PM.