anti-war Merle Haggard...yes, that's right.

marjorie says...

One of my favorite radical online publications is highlighting one of my favorite country music artists: Merle Haggard is the topic of an article in Counterpunch.

May I die and go to heaven now?

The article in question is written by none other than the editorial director of CMT.com, and it lauds Merle for speaking his mind about the war in Iraq:

"That's the News," his 2003 song commenting on Iraq, pretty much chastised the government and the media for swallowing the administration's spin that the war was over and won. Now he moves on to the matter of the U.S. being in Iraq, period. "Rebuild America First" is pretty honest and blunt. In part, he sings:

"Yea, men in position but backing away
Freedom is stuck in reverse
Let's get out of Iraq and get back on the track
And let's rebuild America first."

"Haggard also comments on the current political and social scene in the song, "Where's All the Freedom?" He describes a country almost paralyzed by uncertainty, a nation where the Ten Commandments can't be displayed, where the grandparent of a soldier in Iraq can't afford to buy gasoline to drive to the grocery store, where individual rights are uncertain anymore.

"He concludes: "Are we a nation under God anymore/How long do we cower down/Is this really still our ground/Our country is like a prisoner of war/Where's all the freedom that we're fightin' for."

Things to remember about country music: it is full of mockery, it can be incredibly tongue-in-cheek, and at its best it’s a great celebration of working people in this country. Sure, much of it plays to the reactionaries of the world. But, if going home each year for our annual small town festival reminds me of anything, it’s that there's a lot of agreement out there among people--even among those who have different cultures and different politics. The challenge is to move past polarizing positions, to suspend judgment and really listen. One thing I heard loud and clear over the past weekend spent in small town Texas is a strong dissatisfaction with Bush and Co. among my libertarian relatives, and the willingness to be critical among my republican relatives. It just warmed my heart, folks.