A log from snowed-in metro Denver…
Have Americans again lost interest in international events? Has too much time passed since 9/11 and the subsequent Afghanistan and Iraq wars so that people think we’ve achieved some sort of detente, normalcy, or new Pax Americana? Have we overcome the naivete – so typical of our nation – regarding threats from abroad and political developments a half a world away?
Many of those who spend lots of time online know that there are dozens of excellent bloggers keeping us regularly attuned to events in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, North and South Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their work is tremendously appreciated, as I must confess my own tendencies to get absorbed with national and even state and local news stories that keep me from observing the big picture.
Did you realize we just passed the momentous 2nd anniversary of the liberation of Baghdad, of the famous crumbling of the Saddam Hussein statue in Paradise Square? Two years ago! We and our allies – along with the Iraqi people – have experienced significant turbulence in the intervening time, and now only days ago the Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani was sworn in as the first non-Arab president of an Arab country. Remarkable stuff, really. During another week, one where the world wasn’t mourning the loss of a well-loved and important pontiff, perhaps the story would have received better coverage domestically.
In times like these, the songs of Eric Free and his recent album Saddam Insane seem especially needful and poignant. America’s once heightened awareness of the global war against Islamofascist terrorism and its evolution into an ambitious project to import democracy en masse to the Middle East has faded a bit. Eric’s creative musical touches help to bring some of the issues back into focus, with song titles like the “Jacques Chirac Jig” and “Bad Mullah Blues.” They range from light and fun to reflective, but many of the songs convey the messages many Americans could stand to hear at this time.
Check out Eric Free’s serious and less-serious blog pages and test out some of the songs, while you’re there.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.