What's With Musicians?

What's with musicians these days? Since when did they become political activists? Come on, Bono, what injustice did you release into the world with your "Sunday, Bloody Sunday?" Pink's new song disgusts me! Why do I know if it? While spending time building a book tower with Eli this morning we were skipping around from "Saved By the Bell" to "Fox News" and to the "music channels" (they barely play music videos these days: another irk). First there's the Pink video, named something to the effect of, "Mr. President." Okay, so now someone with that hair is telling me and millions (billions, really) of people that our president is basically the worst person ever? I'm sick of these adolescents and young adults publicly announcing the "sins" of our President, a man whose position allows him respect and strength. I know if a Democrat is elected next year, I'll gnash my teeth and cry. I'll cry but I'll allow that person (it used to just be "that man" but with Hillary, well...) respect unless they don't deserve it.

Maybe that's where these "rockers" and I differ in our views. They think President Bush can wave his hand and terrorism will be gone and we can all live in a neo-hippie state of peace. Pass the bong, man? Nah, I don't think so. We can drive hybrids that supposedly get awesome gas mileage and ride our bikes. We can carpool and turn off our unused lights. Let's even buy energy saving materials and accessories for our homes. Let's scoff at Gore's hypocrisy and angrily shake our fists towards the private jets that ruin our skies. Let's join hands and then when we let go, sanitize them with hand antibacterial soaps. But let's not for a single moment be rude and send hate messages to the President of the United States.

How hard would it be to be reading to children and hear the Twin Towers were flown into by our own planes? On top of that, the President had to hear it was a terrorist action, something he had good reason to believe had potential in our borders? Let's see ANYONE ELSE do with what he was handed what Bush did that day and the days to come. As the band Live sang shortly after, "Where were you when the world fell apart?", where were our supporters for democracy on that fateful day? Why do we pay attention when some smug teenager sings about the injustices of American politics or some immature 50 year-older who is trying to relive his anti-Vietnam days while sneering through his cigarette? Come on, people! Don't we realize the serious outcomes of spitting in the wind? The world's problems won't be remedied by music videos detailing mass genocide or, as I also saw this morning, Linkin Park's rioters being fought by government police.

I'm sick, sick, sick of Americans fighting Americans in this way. Why is love for mankind only for those without American citizenship? Can we not love each other as we love the stranger? In light of Camus' ideals, this is absurd! This is the truly ludicrous and ridiculous. We give illegal immigrants more justice than the border patrolers and local police officers. We give more money to sports stars and idiots with microphones than the brilliant minds who discovered medicinal remedies to the world's worst epidemics. What about the authors whose writings are more powerful than the largest bullet? "The pen is mightier than the sword," said Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Earlier than he, Euripides said, "The tongue is mightier than the blade." Are we so deaf to think our words don't have consequences?

I guess all my rantings have come from inside my gut where I let these issues grumble. Finally, like the fated cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, this blog has been exposed to such words of anger and impatience with our American culture. I wish-I pray-that Christ's return is a quick one. Though I love my life, my love (Cari), my beloved (Eli), I'm overly done with the most free nation being so stupid with its freedoms.