Christmas In The Trenches

Thanks to Janis Page for bringing this to my attention. I hope those who can will go and listen to this song.

- Wicasta Lovelace

Christmas In The Trenches
By John McCutcheon

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On Christmas Day, 1914, in the first year of World War I, German, British, and French soldiers disobeyed their superiors and fraternized with “the enemy” along two-thirds of the Western Front. German troops held Christmas trees up out of the trenches with signs, “Merry Christmas.” “You no shoot, we no shoot.”

Thousands of troops streamed across a no-man's land strewn with rotting corpses. They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football, even roasted some pigs.

Soldiers embraced men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the top brass forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high. A shudder ran through the high command on either side. Here was disaster in the making: soldiers declaring their brotherhood with each other and refusing to fight.

Generals on both sides declared this spontaneous peacemaking to be treasonous and subject to court martial. By March, 1915 the fraternization movement had been eradicated and the killing machine put back in full operation. By the time of the armistice in 1918, fifteen million would be slaughtered.

Not many people have heard the story of the Christmas Truce. Military leaders have not gone out of their way to publicize it. On Christmas Day, 1988, a story in the Boston Globe mentioned that a local FM radio host played “Christmas in the Trenches,” a ballad about the Christmas Truce, several times and was startled by the effect. The song became the most requested recording during the holidays in Boston on several FM stations.

“Even more startling than the number of requests I get is the reaction to the ballad afterward by callers who hadn't heard it before,” said the radio host. “They telephone me deeply moved, sometimes in tears, asking, ‘What the hell did I just hear?’”

I think I know why the callers were in tears. The Christmas Truce story goes against most of what we have been taught about people. It gives us a glimpse of the world as we wish it could be and says, “This really happened once.” It reminds us of those thoughts we keep hidden away, out of range of the TV and newspaper stories that tell us how trivial and mean human life is. It is like hearing that our deepest wishes really are true: the world really could be different.

Excerpted from David G. Stratman, We CAN Change the World: The Real Meaning of Everyday Life (New Democracy Books, 1991). Available for $3.00 from New Democracy Books, P.O. Box 427 , Boston , MA 02130 .

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Christmas In The Trenches

Words & Music
By John McCutcheon

My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool.Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school. To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here I fought for King and country I love dear.

'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung,The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung Our families back in England were toasting us that day. Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground. When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound Says I, “Now listen up, me boys!” each soldier strained to hear As one young German voice sang out so clear.

“He's singing bloody well, you know!” my partner says to me. Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony. The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more as Christmas brought us respite from the war.

As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” struck up some lads from Kent the next they sang was “Stille Nacht.” “Tis ‘Silent Night’,” says I And in two tongues one song filled up that sky.

“There's someone coming toward us!” the front line sentry cried all sights were fixed on one long figure trudging from their side his truce flag, like a Christmas star, shown on that plain so bright as he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night.

Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land with neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand we shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well and in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell.

We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home these sons and fathers far away from families of their own yung Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin this curious and unlikely band of men.

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more whith sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war but the question haunted every heart that lived that wonderous night “Whose family have I fixed within my sights?”

'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung the frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung for the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war had been crumbled and were gone forevermore.

My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well that the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame and on each end of the rifle we're the same.

Click here to download this song from iTunes

©1984 John McCutcheon/Appalsongs (ASCAP)

Nuclear search targets Muslims

Bush & Company have tried hard to shred the Constitution and most specifically the Bill of Rights. Thus far they've been unable to do so. Here I submit for your perusal more evidence of the Republican's war against the American people.

- Wicasta Lovelace

December 24, 2005
BY NIRAJ WARIKOO

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Federal agents secretly monitored Muslim homes and mosques in Detroit for radiation linked to terrorist bombs, according to published reports -- a disclosure Friday that prompted disbelief and outrage in Michigan's large Islamic communities.

Under the program, agents with the FBI and U.S. Department of Energy targeted a range of private Muslim institutions without court approval or warrants. Federal officials say they set up the program in Detroit and five other cities to thwart a nuclear attack from Islamic extremists, according to a U.S. News and World Report article that was confirmed Friday by the U.S. Justice Department.

( Links to complete article below )

- Watch Alert archived post
- Original Article

Merry Merry & Happy Happy

It's mildly ironic that on Christmas Day I can find little joyous news to pass on the members of The Watch mailing list. That's the way it goes when the Grinch is in charge, I guess. I haven't come across a lot of people who have the Christmas spirit this year. There are a lot of reasons.

Many people have bought into the Conservative propaganda campaign regarding the mythical “War on Christmas” and feel like they're under siege by some ghostly force. I've heard people say “no one's going to tell me I can't say ‘Merry Christmas!’” but when you asked them who has told them that they can't, there's never anyone that they can point to. I can only imagine what a damper this would be on someone's general good will if they thought someone was trying to stamp out their Christmas traditions. I think perhaps the “War on Christmas” crowd's scheming has backfired this year. Rather than rallying support for the Conservatives and the Republicans as it has in past years, now it has largely demoralized a large part of the American public.

President Bush has added to this, as well. A lot of Conservatives have stopped just short of proclaiming him Christ and celebrating the return of the Saviour. Of late, of course, George W. Bush has proven that he's anything but the spiritual leader they've built him up to be. Very little of what Bush stands for can be supported by the Christian Bible, and in fact Jesus Christ's own words contradict the agenda of Bush and the Republicans. So when Americans watch as their president is caught in scandal after scandal, supporting the use of terror, spying on American citizens, pushing for the expansion of the Patriot Act to allow for even more spying on American citizens, defending legislation that would allow his rich buddies in the oil industry to rape the Arctic National Refuge in Alaska, and lately being caught spying specifically on Muslims mosques in the United States, is is any real wonder why even the Bush faithful are feeling like they've lost their way?

In spite of the best efforts of the Bush Administration and the Republicans, I have tried hard to feel some small part of the Christmas spirit this year. No one has told me that I can't say Merry Christmas, even though Bill O'Reilly and his ilk insist that those people are out there. In fact, these idiots seem to assume that the only people who use the phrase “Merry Christmas” are Christian Republicans. I could just say Republicans, because most of them believe that a true Christian could be nothing other than a Republican. If you are a Democrat or a member of one of the lesser political parties, you have rejected the basic tenets of the Christian faith. I suppose you're supposed to be the ones who are trying to stop everyone else from saying “Merry Christmas.”

The only end to all this that I can see if that the Neo-Conservatives are trying to recast Christmas itself as a Conservative religious observation that is not open to the rest of the country. That would make sense when one considers that for most Neo-Conservatives, politics is their religion. Maybe we've made them feel left out because for the majority of Americans celebrating Christmas doesn't include strapping on our jackboots and marching off to some lively Conservative tune seeking to oppress the beliefs and opinions of our neighbors. I'm sorry, guys. I watched a lot of war movies when I was growing up. What the Neo-Conservatives are up to doesn't remind me of the Allies fighting for all that is good and right in World War II. In fact, if you look at their use of propaganda, they have many similarities to the opposite side of that conflict. But I suppose the unblinking quest for power pretty much looks the same no matter how you dress it up or how many good, decent people you fool in the process.

I've been making a point of saying “Merry Christmas” to people this year. Put simply, I refuse to allow the Conservatives to claim that I, who am an American who strongly disagrees with nearly everything they stand for, am an enemy of Christians by claiming that people like me are the ones who are waging some phantasmic war on the Christmas holiday; a holiday which I've celebrated since I was a child, and which my family has continued to celebrate in spite of the fact that I broke with the traditional Christian religion decades ago.

My objections to the Neo-Conservative agenda has nothing to do with Christmas. As much as they might like to portray this as religious differences, my objections to their insanity come from the life and teachings of the person they claim to worhip and follow. Since I can see little, if any, evidence of the teachings of Jesus Christ in the works of the Neo-Conservatives, the Republicans or the Religious Right, how dare these people proclaim themselves the moral guardians of Christmas?

Christmas is supposed to be a time when we can all come together. It's a season and a holiday which brings to most minds warm memories of family and expressions of love. To that end I want to wish everyone on this list a Merry Christmas. I don't care if you believe in Jesus Christ. I don't care if you celebrate Christmas. It's a nice sentiment. You should just accept well-wishes for what they are, and not get hung up on the specific wording. Take it however you want to. Merry Christmas. Happy Yule. Bright Yuletide Blessings. Happy Kwanzza. Happy Hannukah. In short, have a Merry Merry and a Happy Happy!

If anyone has been offended by this post, well, get over it. Whether you celebrate the birth of the Christian Saviour Jesus Christ or you just like to get together and hang out with your family, let's stop the bickering for one day at least. Believe me, there will be plenty to worry about tomorrow.

To all on this list, I wish you Bright Blessings. Walk in light and peace. Be happy.

- Wicasta Lovelace

Bush Vs. America

I've been thinking all week about what I wanted to write about President Bush and his current crop of problems. Quite frankly, Bush has found himself in such hot water so often that I've hardly known where to begin. Needless to say, it hasn't been a good couple of weeks for the President. He's been caught spying on the American public. He's had to reverse his position on the use of torture by American forces and support the McCain Detainee Amendment (which would essentially ban the use to torture techniques by American forces). His bid to allow his rich buddies in the oil industry to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska has been thwarted (for now). The Patriot Act, which is largely what Bush has used to justify his actions as the new American king, has not been universally accepted and has not been renewed to the extent that Bush was pushing for. Iraq remains his uniquely deserved albatross.

One would like to believe that Americans are waking up to the reality of who and what our President is. Personally, I don't think so. Bush has made a lot of mistakes in the past year, and a lot of stuff has come back to haunt him, but he has another three years to cover his ass. That's more than enough time to sweep some things under the rug. For one thing, he has a large Conservative media machine in place to support him and his policies (Fox News, Conservative talk-radio, etc), which not only preaches to the converted but has managed to intimidate the mainstream media into under-reporting our imperious leader's covert war on the American people. The Democrats are throwing around the word "impeachment," but few believe that's ever going to happen. Republicans may be increasingly frustrated with President Bush and they may be balking at some of the things they might have previously gone along with, but they're not going to let their boy be impeached.

So. Where to begin? What to report? Geez. There's so much. It makes on wonder. What does this guy have to do before avenging angels descend from the heavens and pluck him off of the planet for the general good of humanity? Satan is laughing his ass off. He couldn't have engineered a better plague on mankind than George W. Bush and the Neo-Conservative arm of the Republican Party. The hilarious part for the Prince of Darkness (and by this I mean Satan, not Ozzy), is that we did this to ourselves. Not only that, but some Americans are still standing up there waving their flags and saying "Thank you, sir. May I have another?"

Well, since I don't know where to start, I'm going to list some references that everyone needs to go look over. Suffice it to say that at least some of the Bush Administration's chickens have come home to roost. Hopefully this time they won't be able to deep-fry them and serve them back to the American public as wholesome American cuisine. But then again President Bush's poll numbers are beginning to rise again, up somewhat from record lows. You really can fool some people all of the time.

- McCain Detainee Amendment

- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Stays Wild

- The Curious Section 126 of the Patriot Act

- Iraq Coalition Casualties

- Senators seek Bush Administration spying probe

- Bush ratings recover from record low approval

- Bush's Hypocrisy, Radical Holiness and Woody Guthrie

- Watch Alert archived post

Business As Usual at the Heritage Foundation

I just finished posting some responses to comments I've received over something I wrote about MyHeritage.org, the new propaganda outlet from the Heritage Foundation. The Watch was mentioned on the MyHeritage web site, so a lot of the drones felt obligated to tell me how stupid I am.

One guy said that it reveals a lot about the Heritage Foundation (there supposed integrity, I think he meant) that they mentioned my web site and provided a link “so that we can go look for ourselves.” What he apparently missed was that the Heritage Foundation misrepresented what I said. I know. Who would have thunk it?

Here's what they said I said;

According to a website called “The Watch,” MyHeritage.org “has no place being listed alongside genuine news articles.” The article goes on to say that MyHeritage.org is symbolic of conservatism’s success in breaking into the media, adding that “I fear the battle may be lost” for liberalism.

Really? Sorry, you heifers. That's not what I said. Here's some clarification;

I said; “The Heritage Foundation is not a news organization at all, regardless of how they might spin their image with the MyHeritage web site. Their passionate spin has no place being listed alongside genuine news articles.”

I never said that MyHeritage.org is symbolic of conservatism's success. What I said was; “What worries me is that the Neo-Cons have been so successful at concealing their over-all agenda from mainstream scrutiny that their opinion pieces are showing up alongside genuine news articles.”

And as for the last line, if your read it in context it plays out a little differently; “When I see Heritage Foundation propaganda listed alongside genuine news articles on a mainstream news web site, I fear the battle may be lost.”

Notice I didn't say that the battle may be lost for liberalism. My intent was to imply that the battle may be lost for Democracy. If the Neo-Conservatives win this battle, the democracy that Americans enjoy will be a thing of the past.

Anyway, the guy was right. It certainly was revealing of their character the way the Heritage Foundation referenced my web site. I got the same treatment everyone else does. Spin, spin, spin. Misrepresentation followed by propaganda. If the truth doesn't sustain your agenda, how valid can your precepts really be?

- Watch Alert archived post

Related Links

- MyHeritage E-Mail Archive
- The Watch Post In Question

What ‘War on Christmas’?

I just had my annual spat with my mother over the whole Christian versus non-Christian thing. Whereas I think that all Americans should be afforded the same basic respect and inclusiveness when it comes to holiday celebrations, my mother reminds me that things were different when she was a girl.

Well, I stumbled across an article that pretty much sums things up. It addresses the non-issue that Conservatives have dubbed “The War on Christmas,” which they trot out annually to frighten Christians into thinking they're not going to be allowed to celebrate Christmas. I imagine I'll be forwarding this article to my mother. Hopefully she will understand a bit of what I've been trying to say. This is a non-issue. It's smoke and mirrors and fear-mongering.

Personally, I would prefer to think that Christians are smarter than that.

- Watch Alert archived post
- Original Article

Related Links

- How the secular humanist grinch didn't steal Christmas

- Anti-Semitism, U.N.-Bashing Color History of “War on Christmas” Conspiracy

- Bill O'Reilly and his "War on Christmas"

Opinion Vs. News At Google News

Scanning the listings on the Google News page this morning, I was surprised to see an article titled “Dispelling the Myths About Iraq:” by the Heritage Foundation. For those who might not know, the Heritage Foundation is a Conservative “think tank” that exists solely to push the Neo-Conservative agenda. They're shills for the Republican Party and the Bush Administration, and can be relied upon for a steady stream of propaganda and spin.

So why was this article on Google News at all? It is not news. It's an opinion piece intended to serve as a Neo-Conservative rebuttal to the assertions of many that the Iraq war is a mess of epic proportions. It's Neo-Con propaganda. It addresses statements made by the same old tired list of “Liberal enemies” of Conservatives. Ted Kennedy. John Kerry. Howard Dean. Etc. And, of course, it starts out by addressing the recent statements made by their newest enemy John Murtha.

The inclusion of this article on the main page of Google News makes me wonder if the Heritage Foundation's efforts to push farther into the mainstream are being successful. Previously no one really listened to them other than Right-Wingers anyway. Now I'm not so sure. For one thing, they've recently established a web site which is cloaked in the standard Neo-Con mis-use of popular phrasing. It's called My Heritage, and is packaged as the Heritage Foundation's version of a news web site.

The “articles,” on this web site are not news articles at all, but opinion pieces that push Republican talking points, garnered from Conservative sources such as the National Review. Examples are; De-bunking myths about Wal-Mart. Socialism from the WHO. Will America have borders again? Included as well is a section title Myth Busters, which is used to dispel “Liberal myths.”

My point is that The Heritage Foundation is not a news organization at all, regardless of how they might spin their image with the MyHeritage web site. Their passionate spin has no place being listed alongside genuine news articles. The fact that they have been, and others like them have been, should worry any American who values the notion of impartiality in news reporting. This organization and everything it publishes is intended solely to push the Neo-Conservative agenda in the “culture wars” that the Neo-Cons are waging against the American people and American Democracy.

The Heritage Foundation is the last place that should be listed as a news source on a mainstream web site such as Google News. My contention here is certainly not that Google News has a Conservative agenda. Far from it. What worries me is that the Neo-Cons have been so successful at concealing their over-all agenda from mainstream scrutiny that their opinion pieces are showing up alongside genuine news articles. The Neo-Con agenda is proving so successful that mainstream organizations such as Google News are having a hard time telling what is genuine news and what is spin.

The Neo-Cons have been that successful. They've pushed the myth that the average American is a staunch conservative and popularized the notion that anyone who disagrees with them is not just a Liberal but a flower-wielding hippie leftover from the sixties drug culture. The Bush Administration used the same tactic by demonizing anyone who disagrees with them, questioning the critics' patriotism and dismissing them outright as part of “the Michael Moore camp.”

I suppose in the end the Neo-Cons are right about one thing. America is certainly engaged in a “culture war.” But the primary thing which most Americans don't understand about that is that this war was started by the Neo-Conservatives, and has been spearheaded by organizations such as The Heritage Foundation. In short, the United States is facing a political invasion. President Bush's 2000 election was a bloodless coup orchestrated by the Neo-Conservatives. At that point the average American was behind enemy lines. The effectiveness of the Neo-Cons is that they've managed to blind the average American from realizing that.

This is one of the things that The Watch was established to warn people about. Way back in the late 1990's, when so many voices belittled our “paranoia” in our warnings about the Religious Right and the push of the Conservative agenda, we alerted our members of the activities of organizations such as The Heritage Foundation. Now, so many years later, those belittling voices have fallen silent. In fact, the new reality is far worse than anyone imagined.

When I see Heritage Foundation propaganda listed alongside genuine news articles on a mainstream news web site, I fear the battle may be lost.


Wicasta Lovelace
The Watch

- Watch Alert archived post

Related Links
- Heritage Foundation
- My Heritage
- Google News