Give Peace a Chance

Tomorrow marks the 34^th anniversary of John Lennon's death. Shot dead in the streets of New York City. And with the holidays upon us, we have many out in those same streets, and when it should be the time of year to sing carols deserving of the season with comfort & joy, we are using the “Right” to be heard in protest, upon one-too-many “Not Guilty” verdicts that find us questioning “Authority” once again. Pride, Integrity & Guts maybe today finding the “Integrity” under fire due a few “Bad Apples”. Many police find that early retirement is out of necessity over financial stability, as this job takes it toll – ask yourself this. Would you want to dress each morning for work realizing that almost indestructible Kevlar “vest” is for a reason – as that is a reality being a police officer in the line-of-duty today more then ever with the guns and crooks loose on our streets. Mind games and some immature police suffering from paranoia, thus somewhat trigger happy insecure. Bullets travel faster then the thought process, too late as shrapnel and bullet fragments rip apart the heart and soul of the innocent and abandon peace and tranquility. When a police officer leaves his home each day, the reality of returning home unharmed is realized as a gamble. So it seems also the same sentiment if your are “black” and of youth, as we are in mourning another crazed cop killing spree – becoming all too familiar once again the streets of America – “Where are you now don't you care about your sons and daughters”? Yet, we find no excuse, we find no rhyme or reason these senseless gun slinging shootouts – that appears today to be targeting a race rather then a crime. Yet, it is not new songs we hear in protest over what is being challenged as “Police Brutality”, just a younger generation so involved – as we had our time when we were so young to take a stand and make a difference, yet it appears we failed in that message and that “Stand”, well your ground only survived! Of course, back then we found a peaceful reunion with Mother Nature's daughter, Mary Jane. Maybe with legalization becoming a reality from sea to shining sea, it will have the same effect. Maybe we really didn't finish our mission, even though we thought it was “accomplished”. Today, both sides share in the blame, as it appears we have not learned a lesson from time gone by, so shame on us all around from sea to dimming sea. Maybe this is the “straw”, as we must amend our thirst for revenge and begin today down that “Yellow Brick Road”, no matter how enchanted wherein color is not a bother upon our ideologies. What if the Creator made us “color blind”, would we be in this predicament today, wherein the “color of a man's skin” does indeed incite “Hate”? Like we need something as an excuse our inherent flaw, that being our prejudices! When one revisits all the songs that have been broadcast over the years, our musical preaching poets have been telling us the “True” story based on the “Truth”, not out of fantasy their religion to serenade. There came a message during the 60s, so what happened - as we were at one time steadfast in our obligation to right the wrongs, especially targeting “race” inequality! Have we failed and if so, why have we forsaken our brothers and sisters? Well there is a link that we should not over-look that may be reason once again a dereliction to conviction and causing the “bloodshed”. No, we didn't fail, the system took advatage and failed us again. When this nation so engages in “WAR” borne not out of necessity but “choice” a few cowards' fascination with “bloodshed”, like when George Bush was promoted to the “Chief Catcher in the Rye”, we short-circuited our commitment to this nation with respect to “Brotherly Love”, right here in the “Homeland”. As resources went limited due Bush's crusade to find the “yellew cake”, we once again allowed many poor here in America to be targeted – with loss of jobs, loss of infrastructure and without, sure crime increases – as survival no matter what is a human trait – no matter if it be flawed with respect to law abiding, as once-upon-a-time no laws existed beyond “surviving” at any expense. Ever since “Doublecrossya” decided for some insane reason he wanted to engage our resources to enrage others by a “Call to War” that would never end, we have seen devastation here in the “Homeland” - as to allow $trillions$ in resources to leave without any merit, it takes away from resources desperately needed here. And of course the first race that finds itself in jeopardy is the “Black Community” and if we continue down this detour, another poor kid will be a victim on the ever increasing list of “Dunno why”! So yes, if we are realizing deterioration of our “Black Communities” due limited resources here at home, we must blame George Bush – as we are stuck spending money abroad. So the “True War Crimes” are not dedicated to the casualties of foreign wars from illegal invasions, but what we see before us today in this “race” war. It is merely an aftermath “War Crime” and that should be the message, that “WAR” should be over and done with – as it is once again inciting riots in our streets. So look around, as we are engaged again, and until such time we find leadership that takes us away from such commitment, the trickle down theory allows for our poorboy neighborhoods to be victims. Obama tried, so we know there are leaders out there that want to fix things, but the “WAR MACHINE” became a monster under George Bush, maybe due our complacency thinking that voice was heard, but we seem not to be able to see that light at the end of the tunnel in trouble. But we are seeing the “light” of protests, so there is hope. Funny that George Bush and David Chapman had something in common, murderers! Scary, that George Bush and David Chapman had this also in common, their favorite line, from Catcher in the Rye: “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all.” In ending, I agree with what Paul McCartney most recently said, that Lennon's killer was the “Jerk of all Jerks” and George Bush is of the same mold, the “Jerk of all Jerk-offs”. Take a revisit of what we once understood;

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The police in New York City
They chased a boy right through the park
In a case of mistaken identity
They put a bullet through his heart
Heartbreakers with your forty four
I wanna tear your world apart
You heart breaker with your forty four
I wanna tear your world a part ~ Rolling Stones

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When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
Just like the time before and the time before that.
In Paterson that's just the way things go.
If you're black you might as well not show up on the street
'Less you want to draw the heat.
All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance
The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance.
The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums
To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum
And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger.
No one doubted that he pulled the trigger.
And though they could not produce the gun,
The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed
And the all-white jury agreed ~ Bob Dylan

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England's not the mythical land of Madame George and roses
It's the home of police who kill black boys on mopeds
And I love my boy and that's why I'm leaving
I don't want him to be aware that there's any such thing as grieving ~ Sinead

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And his hunger burns
So he starts to roam the streets at night
And he learns how to steal
And he learns how to fight
In the ghetto
Then one night in desperation
A young man breaks away
He buys a gun, steals a car,
Tries to run, but he don't get far
And his mama cries
As a crowd gathers 'round an angry young man
Face down on the street with a gun in his hand
In the ghetto ~ Elvis

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But for John, on “His” day again tomorrow wherein we should bow down in silence NOT and in remembrance such a “Man of Peace”, IMAGINE: War is over, if you want it! Over-there, and over-here also in our cities, time again to incite “Give Peace a Chance” and indict destruction from the “War MACHINE”, for our police sake, for all our brothers and sisters sake, globally! And maybe next year this time, it will be “Peace be with you my brother”!