Masters Of War

Come you masters of war You that build all the guns You that build the death planes You that build all the bombs You that hide behind walls You that hide behind desks I just want you to know I can see through your masks. You that never done nothin' But build to destroy You play with my world Like it's your little toy You put a gun in my hand And you hide from my eyes And you turn and run farther When the fast bullets fly. Like Judas of old You lie and deceive A world war can be won You want me to believe But I see through your eyes And I see through your brain Like I see through the water That runs down my drain. You fasten all the triggers For the others to fire Then you set back and watch When the death count gets higher You hide in your mansion' As young people's blood Flows out of their bodies And is buried in the mud. You've thrown the worst fear That can ever be hurled Fear to bring children Into the world For threatening my baby Unborn and unnamed You ain't worth the blood That runs in your veins. How much do I know To talk out of turn You might say that I'm young You might say I'm unlearned But there's one thing I know Though I'm younger than you That even Jesus would never Forgive what you do. Let me ask you one question Is your money that good Will it buy you forgiveness Do you think that it could I think you will find When your death takes its toll All the money you made Will never buy back your soul. And I hope that you die And your death'll come soon I will follow your casket In the pale afternoon And I'll watch while you're lowered Down to your deathbed And I'll stand over your grave 'Til I'm sure that you're dead.------- Bob Dylan 1963

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Hands Across The Sand:In Opposition to Offshore Drilling,

Hands Across The Sand:In Opposition to Offshore Drilling, This Saturday Activists Nationwide Join Hands


Photo courtesy of Surfrider Foundation Florida Chapter

On February 13, 2010, thousands of people synchronously gathered on numerous Florida beaches in order to join hands. The reason for this unification of 10,000 Floridians from over 60 towns and cities was a message: “No to offshore drilling. Yes to clean energy.” This Saturday, June 26, there will be another hand joining session, only this one will be national.

The man behind the event is Dave Rauschkolb. A year ago Rauschkolb was a restaurant owner, surfer, and for the most part a pacifist from Seaside, Florida. But after the Florida House of Representatives began working to pass a bill permitting the ban on off shore drilling to be lifted, just three miles off the coast of Seaside, Rauschkolb became a galvanized environmental activist. The February 13th demonstration, which he dubbed “Hands Across The Sand,” was his creation. And now Hands Across the Sand is coming to a beach near you.
With the help of environmental groups such as Audubon, the Sierra Club, and Greenpeace, which has dispatched 500 volunteers to numerous states, people will be joining hands on America’s shores.
What will a demonstration such as this actually accomplish? Shortly after activists joined hands last February, Republican Dean Cannon, who wrote the bill that outraged Rauschkolb, abandoned the effort saying, “It’s not the right time to vote on this issue.” Perhaps if enough people literally hold hands, the show of support for clean energy and for a moratorium on offshore drilling will provoke some amount of governmental action. It would certainly be timely.
Yesterday, Martin Feldman, a federal judge in New Orleans, granted a preliminary injunction, effectively halting President Obama’s moratorium on offshore drilling. Feldman wrote in his decision that, “The court is unable to divine or fathom a relationship between the findings and the immense scope of the moratorium.” Furthermore, many political analysts are predicting that President Barrack Obama will not be able to pass a clean energy bill through the Senate that has both a comprehensive limit on carbon emissions and significant fuel economy standards.
The instructions for participants of Hands Across America are as follows: Step 1, “Go to your beach on June 26 at 11 am in your time zone;” Step 2, “Form lines in the sand and at 12:00 join hands.” Here in New York City, the demonstrations will be held at Coney Island and Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, and High Line Park in Manhattan.
"People in love hold hands," says Rauschkolb. "People who want to change the world join hands.” If you want to get involved, check for participating beaches near you at the organization’s website www.handsacrossthesand.com.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Fantastic! and Wonderful! TY for posting this RZ.