For your Monday evening viewing pleasure.

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And This One

We'll see you tonight.
- MDM

On the heels of last week's story broken by ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=5987804&page=1 – we're discussing in greater depth how the NSA has transformed since 9/11.

It's the topic of James Bamford's new book, "THE SHADOW FACTORY: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America" (out this week on Doubleday).

The New York Times bestselling author is an expert on the National Security Agency and this is his third in a trilogy ("Body of Secrets" and "The Puzzle Palace") of books discussing the ultra-secret agency.

Plus, we'll take your calls.

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http://www.mediafire.com/?bjmz4qyjzym [MP3/320]
ambient, jam band, progressive, rock (9:46)

Leo Gerard, President of the United Steelworkers International, joins the 2nd hour of Today's show to discuss the latest on the Presidential Campaign.

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA, joins the 3rd hour of Today's show to discuss McCain and Palin in Virginia today.

Republican crowds boo McCain for not being tough enough on Obama. Are shouts of "traitor," "terrorist," "treason," "liar," and even "off with his head" about Obama going too far? We'll bring you the latest.

How is the financial crisis affecting voters? We'll bring you the story.

ED SAYS:
I thought it was so cute to see Sarah Palin at a sporting event this weekend dropping the puck before an NHL game. Many of the fans booed the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate.

It's nice she can entertain the top two percent while people are losing their jobs and retirement across America. Sarah seems to be really in touch, yeah right!

For almost a decade, ACORN, a community organization of 400,000 families in neighborhoods across the country, has been fighting against the predatory lending practices that have robbed our members of their homes, destabilized neighborhoods, and roiled the global economy.

In his newest ad, John McCain's campaign bizarrely claims, "ACORN forced banks to issue risky home loans, the same types of loans that caused the financial crisis we're in today." Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, ACORN has worked successfully to help working class families get good home loans on fair terms from legitimate banks and has fought vigorously against predatory lenders who have ripped off families in our communities. These predatory loans caused the crisis.

For more than a decade, ACORN members have held protests, released reports, and advocated for regulations to protect homeowners from predatory lenders. ACORN organizers and volunteers have been working day and night to help victims of the GOP economic meltdown to save their homes from foreclosure. In fact, ACORN has brought class action lawsuits against several predatory lenders, and has lobbied the Federal Reserve and Congress in support of regulations against predatory lending. ACORN has even been successful in convincing many lenders to treat homeowners more fairly and help families be able to make their mortgage payments and save their homes.

Unfortunately, the Bush administration and Congressional Republicans like John McCain have blocked the sensible regulations that ACORN and others proposed that would have averted the mortgage meltdown. If John McCain thinks that community organizers caused the foreclosure crisis, he knows even less about the economy than previously thought.

John McCain and the Republicans are desperately trying to shift the blame for the economic crisis they caused with a philosophy of deregulation and indifference to homeowners. All the grainy footage and creepy music in the world can't cancel out some simple, basic facts, and the facts about the economy are not on John McCain's side.

----

Remember: Just because John McCain says someone is bad or has done a bad thing does not make it true!

Facts on ACORN from Daily Kos:

This economic meltdown has had massive repercussions on the 2008 presidential campaign trail. It is possibly the greatest thing that could have happened for Obama's campaign, and the worst for John McCain's. Why? When it comes to the economy, ties will always go to the Democrats. The explanation for this is simple. It was the Democrats who solved the Great Depression. In fact, the top three American economies in history have been under Democratic presidents. The bottom three have been under Republicans - what a surprise!

This should be a good lesson for the conservative base - deregulation of the market does not work. Look what happened here over the past month. People were tricked by creditors and those giving loans into getting into deals they couldn't possibly pay for. How can an economy thrive when people are having their funds sucked dry by greedy deregulated businesses in this manner?

This is one startling contrast it seems between liberalism and conservatism. Conservatives like George W. Bush and John McCain tend to believe that whatever is best for those on top must be good for those on the bottom due to trickle-down economics. Liberals like Barack Obama and myself believe just the opposite - that whatever is good for those on the bottom will trickle up to those on the top. Indeed, history proves to us that this is the case.

Because of this recent economic crisis, polls are showing radical changes on the electoral vote map. States like North Dakota (polling data shown on the left), where John McCain was polling ahead twenty percentage points now show Barack Obama ahead by 2%. This is a massive gain, something that I've never witnessed. I still highly doubt Obama will win North Dakota, a deep red state, but this does prove that when it comes to issues instead of character, Obama will pull out ahead.

However, Ayers “was never on the board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge,” and he “never made a decision programmatically or had a vote,” Rolling said.

“He (Ayers) was at board meetings — which, by the way, were open — as a guest,” Rolling said. “That is not anything near Bill Ayers and Barack Obama running the Chicago Annenberg Challenge.”

[   ]...Let’s look at a few, starting with the funder. Annenberg was a lifelong Republican and former ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Richard Nixon. His widow, Leonore, has endorsed McCain. Kurtz might just as plausibly have accused Obama and the foundation of “translating Annenberg’s conservatism into practice.”

Among the other board members who served with Obama were: Stanley Ikenberry, former president of the University of Illinois; Arnold Weber, former president of Northwestern University and assistant secretary of labor in the Nixon administration; Scott Smith, then publisher of the Chicago Tribune; venture capitalist Edward Bottum; John McCarter, president of the Field Museum; Patricia Albjerg Graham, former dean of the Harvard University Graduate School of Journalism, and a host of other mainstream folks.

“The whole idea of it being radical when it was this tie of blue-chip, white-collar, CEOs and civic leaders is just ridiculous,” said the foundation’s former development director, Marianne Philbin.

The foundation gave money to groups of public schools — usually three to 10 — who partnered with some sort of outside organization to improve their students’ achievement.

Some people like ridiculous and that is their right, though such a right is not explicitly spelled out in out Constitution. All the fact checking in the world isn't going to change the mind of a person that has internalized and made a huge emotional investment in such conspiracy theories about Senator Obama. When he becomes president they'll probably stock up on tin foil to keep the special rays beamed down from Obama's mother ship from penetrating their brains. I hope they recycle the foil.

almost

Learning How Not to Be Afraid,

Why do some people have the ability to remain calm and relaxed even in the most stressful situations? New experiments in mice by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers are providing insight into how the brain changes when the animals learn to feel safe and secure in situations that would normally make them anxious.
HHMI investigator Eric R. Kandel and Daniela D. Pollak conducted experiments in which they conditioned mice to feel safe in stressful situations. Their experiments showed that the mice developed a conditioned inhibition of fear, which Kandel calls “learned safety.”

“I’ve always been interested in how psychoanalysis works. Since it is a learning experience, there must be a biological basis in the brain.”
Eric R. Kandel

The behavioral changes observed in the mice squelched anxiety as effectively as antidepressant drugs such as Prozac, said Kandel, who is at Columbia University. “It's a little bit like psychotherapy,” he noted. “This shows that behavioral intervention works.”

The research is reported on October 9, 2008, in the journal Neuron. Kandel conducted the study with Pollak, who will soon leave Kandel's lab to assume a position at the Medical University of Vienna.

The new study is noteworthy because it reveals in elegant detail how behavioral conditioning can affect the brain. According to Kandel, knowing how behavioral intervention works at the molecular and cellular levels may prove to be an interesting route to identifying new ways to treat depression and anxiety disorders.

Fear is a huge business around the world. One that provides benefits to political leaders, police agencies and defense contractors. There are real dangers, but they too often seem to be pumped up beyond their actual threat. So teaching people not to be so fearful, which in turn would bring down the general level of anger and violence, probably wouldn't go over that well as a business model to venture capitalists. Curious that we'll buy expensive car seats for infants, but not peace of mind.

Se i Pelican non si fossero fissati in maniera irreversibile col post-rock, se avessero continuato a suonare pesante, probabilmente oggi sarebbero molto prossimi ai Capricorns. Giunti al secondo full-length in carriera, sempre per la Rise Above di Lee Dorrian, i londinesi dimostrano progressi in fase di scrittura, avendo adesso limato per bene gli angoli. Sono un po' meno sludge in alcune parti e si avverte sempre più la forte presenza nel tessuto di dogmi inerenti alla dottrina progressive degli anni '70 (certe evoluzioni hard vengono da gente come High Tide ed Atomic Rooster) e non mancano anche certi riferimenti ad alcune delle band migliori del panorama alternative-metal contemporaneo, vedi sotto la voce Baroness (soprattutto l'incipit di “Tampered With The Blood Of Beasts” parla davvero chiaro a riguardo) e Burst. Ma c'è innegabilmente molta personalità nel modo in cui i Capricorns sviluppano la materia, conferendole ora risvolti stoner (“The Bell Rang Bacwards”), ora aperture più psichedeliche (“Owing To The Fogs”), ora piccoli cenni alla Dub Trio (“Drinking Water From The Skull Of A Hanged Man”), ora addirittura infiltrazioni death metal (in “Broken Coffin Of The Venerable King”). Decisamente ottima la prova del batterista Nathan Perrier e, per chi non lo sapesse, il collega di sezione ritmica Dean Berry in passato imbracciava la sei corde in un certo gruppo chiamato Iron Monkey, padrini assoluti e mai abbastanza celebrati dello sludge-core d'Albione. In quasi un'ora di “prog-metal-space-heavypsychedelic-rock” i Capricorns concretizzano la summa di tutto ciò e si pongono tra i nomi di punta di quella sempre più indefinibile area di musicisti che da quattro anni a questa parte (dopo che i Mastodon hanno dato una potentissima spinta col capolavoro “Leviathan”) stanno letteralmente rifondando il modo di concepire la musica pesante progressiva. Non è semplice creare un lavoro interamente strumentale capace di non fossilizzarsi su un paio di soluzioni; le forme qui sono in perenne evoluzione, i temi melodici si alternano con curate filigrane logiche, la potenza è sempre ben dosata e mai lasciata a briglia sciolta in inutili dimostrazioni di forza fini a loro stesse. Se cercate musica intelligente avete trovato qui quel che cercate.

Tracklist:
1. Broken Coffin Of The Venerable King
2. Seventh Child Of A Seventh Child
3. Tempered With The Blood Of Beasts
4. November Suicides
5. Owing To The Fogs
6. The Bells Rang Backwards
7. A Savage Race By Shipwrecks Fed
8. Drinking Water From The Skull Of A Hanged Man

Marco Giarratana

]]> http://thebigstick.wordpress.com/?p=1199 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:37:36 +0000 Progressive Conservative http://thebigstick.nl.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/quote-of-the-day/ "Heaven must be a Kentucky kind of place."

  - anonymous early Kentucky settler

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) calls in at 7:30am pacific to talk about the state of the presidential race and about voter protection efforts.

Joe Biden teamed up with Bill and Hillary Clinton yesterday for a rally in his hometown of Scranton, pa. The Clintons explained to voters why they think Barack Obama’s democratic ticket is the best choice for middle class families.

John McCain predicted yesterday that he would beat Barack Obama at the final presidential debate this week. “I’ll whip his you-know-what in this debate, we’re going to be going out 24/7,” the GOP nominee told volunteers at his headquarters in Arlington, VA.

Investors cheered the global response to the deepening financial crisis, with U.S. stock futures pointing to a rally at the open. About 3 hours before the market open, NASDAQ and S&P futures were sharply higher, with a comparison to fair value pointing to a high start for Wall Street.

Powered chiefly by the public’s economic concerns, Barack Obama leads John McCain by 10 points among likely voters, 53-43 percent, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll. In the same poll, President Bush has a 23% approval rating, which is lower than Nixon’s lowest, and 1 point away from being the lowest in 70 years of polling (Truman in ‘52).

While it now looks unlikely, I've thought a lot about the ramifications for an Obama loss over the last few months. I've tried to suggest that blacks begin preparing themselves for a loss so it doesn't set race relations back. It seems now that even some of the professionals agree with me that a loss could lead to turmoil. Just last week James Carville suggested 'it could be bad' if Obama loses after being up in the polls. The implication was clear.

The latest logic I have heard is that rioting would be understandable if Obama enters Election Day up by 5 points and loses by 10. Columinst DeWayne Wickham also contends that this would be clear evidence of racism. I would like to disagree. I wonder if the Left considers that maybe there are a significant number of people out there who, when polled, are scared to admit they prefer McCain because they are simply worried about how they will be perceived. After all, our friends on the Left already seem to be making the case that a 10 point victory for McCain equal racism so why wouldn't voters fear giving the wrong answers on a not-so-secret poll?

This speaks a bit towards the 'inevitability factor' that has been surrounding Obama for quite some time. I'm not one of these people that sees liberal media bias everywhere, but to say Obama has been favorably treated by the media is an understatement. Yet, despite all of this the race is still narrow? Does that speak to racism or something else?

That ties in with my second point which is that liberals seem to be having trouble invisioning an Election Day where the rest of the country is not as wise as them and don't see Obama as the clear choice. I will agree with liberals that the polls may not reflect what happens once people actually vote, but isn't it a bit irresponsible to suggest that race could be the only thing skewing the results? That line of arguement essentially takes all other factors off the table. No way could anyone vote against Obama on substance, right?

I am reminded once more of the woman I heard on a ferry to Martha's Vineyard two days after Kerry lost to Bush in 2004. She asked a friend, "How could the rest of the country be so stupid?"  I can't help but think that if Obama loses many liberals will echo those sentiments.

I'll try to be clear about what I mean. Our Politicians, as one example, have been promising us smaller more responsive Government since before Ronald Regan. It's a drum beat we've heard from both Democrats and Republicans, especially the Presidential Candidates, for over 30 years. Under EVERY President the Federal Government has grown. It's grown at about the same rate, too.

I really wish someone would explain to me why they still believe any Politician who promises that? Is it wishful thinking? Have you just not been watching? Do you have such trust in them that you continue to believe even though your eyes tell you different?

There are so many more examples. Doctors, Lawyers, Financial Advisors, have all betrayed our Trust. But I don't want to get too deep too fast. I would like to find out your opinion. What's been your experience the last few years? I don't want this to be a Referendum on Bush 43 or a yelling match between Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians. There are plenty of places for you to get that and, frankly, I don't have the Kidneys for it. What I would like is a place where Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents and anyone who rejects all those labels but still has an opinion can discuss the Issues.

I said discuss the Issues, not berate each other or spout platitudes that hardly answer or apply to the Topic. You can do that plenty of other places, just not here. I’d like to have all View Points enter into a CIVIL discussion. Let’s examine our options, state our Views, question our answers and answer our questions. I feel certain we can reignite the Pluralistic Discussion that built this Country. We have retreated into opposing camps and shouted over the line at each other far too long. Let’s come together and create Solutions to our challenges that will work for everyone.

So what does that mean? If you don’t have an idea about a Civil Discussion, please find another Site.

By “examine our options” I mean get all possibilities on the Table. Some Ideas may seem silly at first, but on closer examination hold some promise. Other Ideas seem silly because they are, but Reason requires we at least give them a look. Other Ideas, while held passionately by a few, cannot be made to work for one reason or another. These Ideas are the case of “A beautiful theory mugged by a bunch of ugly facts” and we must agree to let it go when this is proven to the satisfaction of most Posters.

By “state our views” I mean the facts along with any Moral or Philosophical reasons for their adoption. You must be ready to defend both. Do not expect everyone else to accept your Ideas just because you said so. There are many was to approach any Subject. If you can show me that yours are more effective or practical, I can be persuaded. I ask the same of every one else Posting here.

“Question our answers and answer our questions” can mean several things. If another person questions your answer in a manner to genuinely seek the Truth your respectful reply is appropriate. If another person questions your answer in a snarling satirical left-handed manner The Moderator (I) will deal with it. Don’t start a Flame War on this Site. I have a Delete Comment button and I know how to use it.

I also expect us all to question our own answers. If another person makes a good point, be persuadable. If anyone had all the answers would they be Posting here? Let’s not be too sure of ourselves.

Finally, I have many questions I need you to answer. You’ve already seen the first one. I’m trying to understand how basically good people allow certain things to be done in their name. We have an amazing Country and I’d like to see US live up to its Promise.

By:  J. D. Longstreet

********************************

There is a lot of dejection in the ranks of the Republican Party these days.  As the rank and file of the GOP looks at the disparaging poll numbers the fear is growing that McCain will not be able to close the gap on Obama before Election Day. 

Conservatives, never happy with, nor ever quite sure of McCain’s chances in the first place, yet willing to hold their noses and cast a ballot for him in a desperate attempt to thwart the leftist agenda Obama will carry with him into the Oval Office, are the MOST discouraged, it seems to me.

Since the 2000 election campaign, we here at IoF have declared that John McCain will never be President of the United States. We still believe that.

Conservative voters have been loath to support the McCain ticket.  Without the support of conservatives a GOP candidate can forget victory in a Presidential campaign.  Without that conservative support there is no “fire” in the campaign. The fighting spirit, which rests almost entirely with conservatives on the right, simply is not there. You cannot have missed the lack of zest and zeal in the McCain Campaign.  You don’t see it because… it isn’t there.

Even those conservatives who have vowed to support McCain after he brought Palin on board have withheld total commitment. Their heart is just not in it.

Since day one of the campaign for the oval office 2008 conservatives have scratched their collective heads in wonderment at the candidates the GOP wheeled out for our inspection.  At first, we thought it was a bad joke.  Then, it was rumored that the upper echelons in the party were saying they didn’t need conservative support to win the White House. We KNEW the party was in serious trouble at that moment.

There has been a tug of war within the GOP since the conservative take-over in the mid 1990’s. The resentment of the bluebloods and the country club Republicans toward the K-Mart Republicans has been palpable. You see… we conservatives are something of an embarrassment to them.  For the most part they are the moderate to liberal branch of the GOP.  (Oh, yes.  Just as there are conservative democrats there are liberal republicans.)  Unfortunately, the liberal republicans carry with them that “liberal guilt” just the same as their democrat counterparts.  I am of the opinion there is nothing so dangerous to the country as liberal guilt no matter if the liberal is republican or democrat.

On the other side of the political spectrum the democrat party is not really a “party”.  It is more an amalgamation of victim’s groups, bound together in their perceived victimhood, seeking redress from the government. They have been thus for a very long time and, in that time, have forged a bond between them in order to attain their goals. It is quite different in the GOP.

In the Republican Party, the differences between the two main groups, the liberals and the conservatives, is much wider… and… that gap can never be closed… even temporarily in order to secure victory.  Conservatives can never compromise their core beliefs.  Even an attempt is doomed to failure.  The instant conservatives make an attempt to compromise; they are no longer conservative. You can see the problem.

And that, dear reader, is why I continue to call for a solely conservative political party.  The infighting within the GOP is not going to cease until conservatives leave. Of course, the moment conservatives DO leave; the GOP will be relegated to the backbenches in Congress for a hundred years, or more.

The McCain Campaign has been a lost cause from the beginning. Apparently McCain thought he could replace conservative support with the support of Independent voters. That was never very likely because such a large percentage of independent voters are conservative voters who, for one reason or the other, left the two dominant political parties.  No matter who chose that course, McCain or his advisors, in my opinion, it was unwise and it may well cost him this election. In the long run, however, conservatives may benefit from the GOP loss in November.

Why?

There is a major firestorm coming, nationally and internationally. There will be epiphanies by the bundles landing on the doorsteps of naïve American voters in the next few years.  The cost of living in the US is going to skyrocket upwards along with taxes and new laws and regulations the likes of which we have never seen before.  Add to that the spread of Islamofacism and the accompanying wars and rumors of wars and the ever-increasing drain on our treasury to fight those wars, here at home as well as in foreign lands, and you begin to get the picture.

Conservatives have been warning of the multitude of festering boils about to erupt but… nobody wanted to listen.  In a few months reality will set in and with it a slow awakening.  By then, of course, the US Ship of State will have sailed and like any ship it will take an interminably long time to turn it around and set it’s course aright.  If, and it is a big “IF”, we are able to overcome what is headed our way, and begin a successful program of reconstruction, the country may find it necessary to turn to conservative leadership in order to rebuild the country and rehabilitate what will surely be a decimated military and a dispirited citizenry.

For a number of years now, decades even, there has been a growing sense, in the human psyche, that something dark and foreboding is on the threshold. I have felt it and now I sense its growing strength and it’s growing inevitability.  In my opinion, there are extremely dark times ahead for America… just months ahead, in fact.  We will be sorely tried, perhaps, as never before. What is even more troubling, to me, is my concern that we cannot turn back, nor can we influence what is about to happen. It is far too late. The dye is cast. Now we can only watch and wait and do whatever is necessary to survive as a nation. 

J. D. Longstreet

Much of the disagreement has to do with different interpretations and selective readings of sacred texts... to an extent, every reading is selective because of how much contradiction there is within scripture.

It is definitely a tendency for Christians to label the Christians who hold different positions on such things as the "wrong" ones and I will certainly acknowledge that to a certain extent, I am guilty of that. I believe that there are certain things that Christians currently disagree about that needn't be disagreed over... one side is simply wrong. There are other issues which I disagree with other Christians about, yet understand their position and their religious justification for their position... gay marriage, for instance. There are certainly biblical reasons to believe that God would think gay marriage to be wrong (even if these positions are arguable, as many do say).

The reality of the world is that there are many people who will never change their paradigms... they are raised in worldviews that I would consider damaging. I would have little success arguing with people in communities like those, where minds are made and people blindly obey leadership and completely trust voices of authority uncritically. I don't have a solution, though I would definitely have arguments with these people, hoping that some logic might get through...

My "solution," though it isn't really one, is to raise my own voice. I choose to engage in dialogue and participate in furthering the causes which I believe in... hoping that for those whose minds are not made up, or at least are not so set in stone, the voice that I raise will be persuasive. I hope that the voice of my church will be persuasive, that people will hear our message and hear it as a more holistic, spiritual, and just answer to the soul and the world... I believe that the worldview my church perpetuates is working toward a better world than the ones that others seem to be holding onto. I hope that in our actions and that in walking our own path, that becomes apparent to people.

I guess that I see living by example as most effective. I think that's what Jesus did (as well as some arguing). While I do think interventionary action is necessary in groups where their actions become violent and destructive, I don't think it's ever very effective to try and break up causes that people truly believe in... you make them victims and yourself the villain when doing so.

meh.

This Week in Peace History is designed to help us appreciate the fact that we are part of a rich history advocating peace and social justice. While the entries often focus on large and dramatic events (click the dates for details), there are so many smaller things done every day to promote peace and justice. Here's to the real peace advocates: YOU!

Oct 13

•AFL boycotts German products

Oct 14
•Sobibor uprising
•First national march for gay rights

Oct 15
•Thousands say no to Vietnam War
•Black Panthers formed
•Endangered species
•Millions say no to Vietnam War

Oct 16
•Black man in the White House
•Thousands take peace pledge
•China has the bomb
•Olympic medal-winners salute
•Kissinger: Chilean coup, Peace Prize same month
•Chilean coup leader and dictator arrested

Oct 17

•U.S. controls Caribbean nation
•Anti-Poverty Day

Oct 18
•1st American union
•Are women persons?

Oct 19
•War Resisters League
•Sit down, order coffee, get arrested
•Workers win 17-year struggle

The Peace symbol turns 50 this year!

Last Sunday we made a quick trip down I-64 with some family and friends to enjoy a day of horses and beautiful Kentucky weather. Here are the obligatory photos. Enjoy!

/Seb

what was it like during the war

I'm going to play this song for them.

Thank you Ronnie Ray for being a voice for us now.

"Empty Chairs"

By ronnierayjenkins

Center stage has changed so many times with the Bush administration, it's as if one act leaves, and instantly another takes its place. The bail out, the economy, has now taken front and center leaving those who were sent to find WMD's and bring Bush's brand of democracy to Iraq... the forgotten ones.

I for one won't forget, and hope you all remember names like Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rice, Powell, and the great and powerful Oz himself, George W. Bush. History will not be kind, that is if we have any history left.

I wish you all a full tank and a full belly.

Ronnie Ray Jenkins

"Empty Chairs"

The old fat men in Washington

Sit round and order up young guns,

And blame it all on 9-1-1

Their drumbeats rattle on and on.

With slapped high-fives from greasy palms

An pockets stuffed with corporate funds

Protecting their daughters, protecting their sons

Their drumbeats rattle on and on.

Somewhere in some town today

Called anywhere, USA

A family sits with heads bowed down

The drumbeats rattle on and on.

Chorus:

Empty chairs in the kitchen

Empty chairs in the hall

Empty chairs by the thousands,

They heeded the call.

Trusting those in suits and ties

Believing in their bloody lies

In God, we trusted Washington

Their drumbeats rattle on and on.

The chair that once was Johnny's,

Where he ate his apple pie

Sets empty since last Friday

His mother told me as she cried.

She said, her boy died somewhere out there

Among the dates and palms

Forgotten down in Washington

The drumbeats rattle on and on.

Repeat Chorus: