There's a lot of similarity in circumstances in Arlo's Presidential Rag (about Watergate) that could be applied to Bush today, plus the potential for endless stanzas, with the lousy response to New Orleans and the tsunami earlier, the missing money from the defense budget, the treatment of the war prisoners, invading Afghanistan and bombing and killing innocent people while missing the main target; diverting courageous troops who joined after 911 to Iraq with an oil agenda (coincidence about the pipeline being built there???) and trying to make it sound as if it's part of the fight against Osama Bin Laden when there is no connection; the missing explosives stored in an Iraqi warehouse under U.S. control shortly after the invasion, enough to fuel endless car bombs; the election strategy of appealing to the ignorant, anti-gay sentiment (with Cheney choosing his political gain over his own daughter's best interests) especially when it's based on a segment of Christian religions' purported dogma, which doesn't belong in legislation covering people with right to all religious expression or the right to have no religion at all, etc., etc., etc.

Go get him, Arlo! We're counting on you.

HI, Mugg!

I saw your earlier posting on this subject, and I do agree that we all have to speak out when we disagree with the administration (and that seems to be ALL the time, lately)

Have you been to any of Arlo's shows lately? You should be aware that Arlo DOES speak out, though it is often a tad-bit more subtle than "Presidential Rag"... one verse that sticks in my head is from "Back by Popular Demand"...

"though we froze at Valley Forge
we burnt the but of old King George
From that fire we formed the USA
And if those flames again were fanned
we'd get this country back.. by popular demand"

He also reiterates, during his recent "Alice's Restaurant" renditions, that
"If ya want to stop war and stuff, you got to sing LOUD ... all the time!!!"

His most recent addition to his repertoire, "In Times Like These", is a song against slavery of all types, including slave-wages, child labor, spiritual enslavement, etc... that one one is awesome!

Hope you get to one of Arlo's shows soon! He's inspiring...... I'm getting off my duff again, and "Singing Loud" about the injustices in this world, many of which are perpetrated by the political establishment.

I think one message Arlo is trying to get out to us, that it's not only up to the more talented and/or famous among us to get this world on the right track, It's up to each of us individually to make noise or to quietly set things right, to the best of our own ability.

Thanks, Arlo, for helping me to get my thinking straight... and thanks Mugg, for this chance to say something!

I haven't been to one in a long time, the last time was in Berkeley California, but now I live in Michigan and I missed his last time through here (darn). He is so inspiring because he backs up what he says with action and he gives those of us not as creative a voice. Those of us who worked on the Kerry campaign haven't stopped fighting. It seems that Bush has made so many huge and obvious blunders, yet it's like people are living with blinders on and just want to believe the pseudo-image of normalcy. I can actually relate with what the humanistic people living in Germany must have felt as they saw Hitler coming to power and their voices being ignored. I think it's harder to ignore people like Arlo, because of the gentle, yet insistent way he has in his lyrics.

Interesting that you mentioned the Kerry campaign. I was in class today (Yes, I had class on a Sunday) and we were discussing the perceptions of immigrants that everyone is equal in the USA among other things. I said that the values looked great on paper but an awful lot of people were disenfranchised in the last election (Ohio for instance), I didn't mention Florida the first time around. Those two items aren't usually mentioned in the long list of things that Bush has done wrong. He should be impeached and tossed out of office although then we would be stuck with Cheney. He could be worse.

One of my favorite stores started carrying bumper stickers that said "Impeach Bush," but most people pointed that out, that Cheney would be even worse (considering he's the one with the ties to Halliburton) so they started carrying stickers that said "Impeach the Bush Administration." (And I didn't mention the Rove outing the FBI agent, given the misery the FBI put Arlo through. Barbara Walters picked him as most fascinating person of the year when she could have picked Barach Obama or someone who actually is fascinating instead of that snake).

my favorite bumper sticker lately has been

Support the Troops... Bring em home!!

On one level I agree with that, but on another level it would seem kind of a mean thing to do to the Iraqi people, given that even with a dictator in power before U.S. invaded, they had some law and order and electricity, some economy. The U.S. destroyed what stability they had and claimed it was because we were preventing them from attacking us with nuclear weapons, which wasn't even on their agenda. A peaceful solution to that threat could have been achieved had they utilized the UN instead of alienating every other country and killing innocent people (which they callously refer to as "collateral damage"). Now the claim is we're there to help them form a democracy, but if our troops suddenly left, it's pretty much guaranteed that some repressive Islamic sects would come in and take over. As it is, the stupid constitution they came up with leaves women out of power since it's still based on ancient Islamic patriarchy. But to just go in there, create all that havoc and then pull out only to have things become worse than before just wouldn't be right and I don't think there's enough stability there yet among the Iraquis to be able to maintain any type of order.

I changed my mind about sticking around in Iraq, because the Iraqi people asked us to leave. They seem to feel having us there creates more suicide bombing incidents than if we weren't, so now you've got to wonder why we would still be there. The party line about us being there for Iraqi freedom is now officially blown. Looks like what the Bush administration wants to safeguard is the oil pipeline, not the Iraqi people. Once they asked us to leave, that was our ticket out. It's actually dishonorable to remain there now.

Hi, I live in Germany which is a not the perfect country but living is ok, lots of internal problems like high unemployment rate, high taxes, governments that don`t do what they should. But living is alright and that I can live in a country like that is due to some intelligent politicians after World War II who established the Marshall plan. This plan helped to build up Germany and Europe and its industry, enable our country to became self sufficient and a partner for business. If them politicians back then would have been as short sighted as the ones now, there would not have been peace over here in Europe and I think the USA benefited in the long run from this Marshall Plan regarding a market to trade with and make profits and give profits. If the would have tried to keep Germany down after WW II like they did after WW I it would have been a fertil ground for extremists to start breeding new trouble and fanatism. So take that from history and learn Mr. Bush when it comes to Iraq. The more one suppresses, the more hate comes. If my children suffer of hunger, diseases, no home and in the end die, what can I do but fight with all means. When the belly is full, the children are safe and have a future to look forward to, I'm sure the majority of the Irak people will join in peacefull living. So just leaving the country without political help and help in building up the country will for my opinion be ground for more internal fights.
So Arlo, keep on singing out loud, especially loud when election time is near, I join in although I can't vote over there, but maybe there is a Bush around the bushes over here, too.

"Back by Popular Demand" kinda says it. And the Bush handling of Iraq, the lies, the abuse of powers etc. kinda make Watergate look like a parking ticket by comparison. I'd welcome a time where Watergate or Interns practiced at the art of fellatio were the biggest things we needed to worry about.

On the subject of bumper stickers, I had a dilemma in chosing one for myself. My son-in-law served in Iraq, and as much as I wished to support the troops, I did not want the typical "Support our Troops" bumper sticker to suggest that I supported the war or the fool that started it. The solution was a bumper sticker I found at a vender at The Clearwater Festival before the last election that reads "Support our troops- DUMP BUSH". That says it for me. It's still on my back window too.

I have 2 magnetic thingys on my car on on each side that support the troops without seeming like it is supporting war. One is God Bless America & the other on is Pray for our troops. I feel like folks need to pray for them whether or not they agree with the ware as those poor folks are in danger. While I support Dubya & what he is doing, at the same time I want peace & for things to end peacefully soon...

Cheryl, there is one word that I don't believe I have ever heard King George (st)utter, and that word is p-e-a-c-e. All he can talk about is 9/11, terrorism, victory, and freedom for the Iraqis. Let me ask you, freedom to do what? Iraq is a country made up of warring factions that was put together by the British. We see now that they didn't do a very good job of it either. I predict that Bush's sixth year, if he survives it without impeachment, will be his "legacy" year, that is, he will confirm for everyone that he is the single worst president this country has had since Warren G. Harding.


mikey

I'm not sure Harding was quite this bad.

...ever.