this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war and other disasters
we honor courage in all its forms, and hope for positive change in the year ahead
cross-posted at DailyKos, Booman Tribune, European Tribune, and My Left Wing.
image and poem below the fold
An Iraqi boy pushes an LPG tank used for cooking for a refill from a petrol station in Baghdad’s Sadr city December 30, 2005. A sabotage attack in the north and bad weather in the south have stopped Iraq’s oil exports through land and sea, oil officials said on Thursday.
REUTERS/Kareem Raheem
Yes We Can Can
written/performed by Allen Toussaint
Now’s the time for all good men
to get together with one another.
We got to iron out our problems
and iron out our quarrels
and try to live as brothers.
And try to find peace of mind
without stepping on one another.
And do respect the women of the world.
Remember you all have mothers.
We got to make this land a better land
than the world in which we live.
And we got to help each man be a better man
with the kindness that we give.
I know we can make it.
I know darn well we can work it out.
Oh yes we can, I know we can can
Yes we can can, why can’t we?
If we wanna get together we can work it out.
And we gotta take care of all the children,
the little children of the world.
’cause they’re our strongest hope for the future,
the little bitty boys and girls.
We got to make this land a better land
than the world in which we live.
And we got to help each man be a better man
with the kindness that we give.
I know we can make it.
I know darn well we can work it out.
Oh yes we can, I know we can can
yes we can can, why can’t we?
If we wanna, yes we can can.
a note: I came to today’s lyrics via a comment by Musing Grace in RenaRF’s pre-Christmas dKos diary Shop NOLA Revisited.
The war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina, in fact and in image, are indelibly linked in my mind. Perhaps they’re linked in yours as well.
Musing pointed to the newly-issued CD Our New Orleans – A Benefit Album, and encouraged folks to buy it online from Louisiana Music Factory (link includes clips) – both to support the fund-raising efforts of the CD’s producers and LMF’s re-opening as a valued source for New Orleans roots music. (I’ve made several visits to LMF over the years. It’s the kind of store where, if you ask for help in tracking down the band whose name you can’t remember that played at Tipitina’s four nights previous, they’ll quickly produce the name of the band, the name of each band member, and every tape and CD they’ve released.)
I bought two copies (one to give, one to keep), and it’s an awesome and inspiring collection of New Orleans music and artists. The collection looks back while it looks ahead, but most importantly it feels, openly and without hesitation.
It expresses the hope and the belief that there’s something that we can do in the face of grief and suffering. I’ll be featuring the lyrics from other songs in this album as appropriate in the coming days.
– – –
put a meaningful magnet on your car or metal filing cabinet
read Ilona’s important diary at MLW – Returning Vet PTSD – One Soldier’s Story as well her comprehensive series on PTSD and Iraq War vets.
view the pbs newshour silent honor roll (with thanks to jimstaro at booman.)
take a private moment to light one candle among many (with thanks to TXSharon)
support Veterans for Peace
support the Iraqi people
support the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC)
support CARE
support the victims of torture
remember the fallen
support Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors – TAPS
support Gold Star Families for Peace
support the fallen
support the troops
support Iraq Veterans Against the War
support Military families Speak Out
support the troops and the Iraqi people
read This is what John Kerry did today, the diary by lawnorder that prompted this series
read Riverbend’s Bagdhad Burning
read Dahr Jamail’s Iraq Dispatches
read Today in Iraq
witness every day
