Rise Against - Hero of War

This is one of the few songs that I've become obsessed with lately, not necessarily because I love it, but because I really don't know how I feel about it. Rise Against's Hero of War tells a tragic story of war from the point of view of an Iraq veteran.

When I first heard the song, I was appalled. Lyrics about pissing in a captive's hands and shooting an innocent girl with a surrender flag don't really shout out the most patriot/pro-military of messages. And so I turned it off.

Then, a few weeks later, I found myself thinking about the the real message, about the turmoil that these men and women must be going through when they come home from a tragic experience.

Hero of War isn't an anti-military song at all, it is just an honest account of a vet struggling with his conscious and the things that he has done. This may not be the most upbeat of songs to be listening to on the 4th of July, but I think that it is an opinion that is too often concealed.

Give it a listen:



E

Billy O'Reilly Is Crazy; The View: Case In Point

There are just so many things wrong with what Bill O'Reilly is saying in this clip, beginning with how he nose-dives into a discussion about 9/11. Word to the wise, Mr. O'Reilly, don't mess with the ladies of The View. So let's start with a brief, quoted, annotation:

"Listen to me, because you'll learn."
Just stop now. You are not a professor or some holier-than-thou figure, so get over yourself and your ego.

"Americans wanted to know what his (President Obama's) opinions are on the issue."
Screw what his opinion is. The President's job is to act as an unbiased party and make sure that the law is upheld. I don't care if he does or doesn't want the mosque near Ground Zero. The fact of the matter is, they have a right to build it there, and the President is protecting that right.

"70% of Americans don't want that mosque down there."
Show me the numbers. Show me that poll. I don't know if that is true, so even if it is - why is that? Someone explain to me, PLEASE, how building a mosque in Manhattan is "inappropriate."

"Muslims killed us on 9/11!"
I don't even know where to start on this one, because it is just straight out wrong. No. Muslims did not attack us that day. No. Just no. They were terrorist extremists that happened to be Muslim. Good God, man! Learn to have a little religious tolerance.

The ignorance of people really baffles me. Truly, it does. Was walking off set the most appropriate thing to do? No. But at least they had they stood up (literally) for what they believed in.

Immediately following this clip, Barbara Walters apologized for their actions, and the proceeded to give Mr. O'Reilly a good talking to about how HE was inappropriate. A peaceful discussion is all well and good, but when how long do you endure listening to hate?

-E