by
Linda Pascatore on 15 Spetember 2005
I recently attended
the showing of the film, “Arlington West”. Arlington
West is a project sponsored by Veteran’s for Peace. It consists
of one cross for each American soldier killed in the Iraqui War,
which is placed on the beach. The film consists of very moving interviews
with the people who come to see the installation. For more on Arlington
West, see:
www.arlingtonwestfilm.com
The film was shown at the United Church of Christ in Hanapepe. The
event opened with Warren Dastrup playing guitar and singing a great
song he composed which was very appropro to the event:
MASS
DECEPTION – by Warren Dastrup
My Minnesota cousin called, said, “Turn on CNN”
Annoyed, I answered groggily, “Out here it’s 4am”
So I clicked on Mr. Blitzer and couldn’t believe my eyes
Thick black smoke from the Twin Towers pouring over NY skies
The world watched on in horror yet united in one thing
With compassioned cries of sympathy from Berlin to Beijing
All men and women on the earth who long for liberty
Stood together in that time – oh what an opportunity!
Though we were stunned and angry, righteous wrath produced our plan
We would hunt down that bin Laden and throw out the Taliban
The perpetrators of this crime would soon be brought to justice
I stood behind the President as he asked the world to trust us
But we got bushwhacked on that trail, we got shot in the back
With weapons of mass deception, now we’re mired in Iraq
He squandered all the world’s good will with his pre-emptive
war
I’m ashamed to be a part of this – I can’t take
it anymore
And when Osama slipped away in the hills of Tora Bora
They needed someone else to blame – someone whose evil aura
Would mask their true intentions and Saddam was just their guy
So they linked him to al Qaeda – even though it was a lie
Now it’s clear that George and Dick and Donald had their plan
And if you doubt it, answer me this question, if you can
“If buried deep beneath the sand there were no reserves of
oil
Would our sons and daughters blood be spilling on Iraqi soil?”
When I think of all of those who fell on nine-one-one
And imagine how they’d feel about what cowboy-bush has done
To exploit their calamity – I’m sure they’d want
to shout
That it’s time to take our country back, let’s vote
the scoundrels out
But we got bushwhacked on that trail, we got shot in the
back
With weapons of mass deception, now we’re mired in Iraq
He squandered all the world’s good will with his pre-emptive
war
I’m ashamed to be a part of this – I can’t take
it anymore
So we stood there at the crossroads of travesty and truth
With a chance to restore justice through the power of the polling
booth
But this proud nation failed the world, gave in to greed and fears
Now we’ve lost our moral compass, because we gave ‘em
four more years
We got bushwhacked on that trail, we got shot in the back
With weapons of mass deception, now we’re mired in Iraq
So those of us who stand for truth must make our voices roar
Like thunder from the mountain-tops, through each and every door
That this military madness is not sanctioned “under god”
But by an ignorant and zealous lot that are nothing but a fraud
Editor's Note:
Warren Dastrup has lived on Kauai for the past eleven years with
his wife,
Wendy and daughter, Kara. Besides his love of singing and song
writing, he is an early childhood educator, a market research
consultant, and a coordinator for the Kauai Community Mental Health
Center. He also has a serious basketball addiction. Warren served
in
the US Army in Berlin and loves America but is deeply dismayed at
what
is going on in Iraq.
Besides the film Arlington West, a major topic of discussion was
the provision in the No Child Left Behind Act which allows public
school student’s contact information with military recruiters.
Currently, the law requires that the info is shared unless the parents
“opt out”. There is new legislation, the Student Privacy
Protection Act of 2005 (HR 551) which prohibits military recruiters
from contacting students unless these minors and their parents specificcally
“Opt In” and consent to receive such communications.
For more information on this issue, check out Leave My Child Alone
at:
www.leavemychildalone.org
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