[ ]   [ ]   [ ]                        [ ]      [ ]   [ ]
Carbon Leaf — The War Was In Color
Album: Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat
Avg rating:
6.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1421









Released: 2006
Length: 6:08
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I see you've found a box of my things -
Infantries, tanks and smoldering airplane wings.
These old pictures are cool. Tell me some stories
Was it like the old war movies?
Sit down, son. Let me fill you in

Where to begin? Let's start with the end
This black and white photo don't capture the skin
From the flash of a gun to a soldier who's done
Trust me, grandson
The war was in color.

From shipyard to sea, from factory to sky
From rivet to rifle, from boot camp to battle cry
I wore the mask up high on a daylight run
That held my face in its clammy hand
Crawled over coconut logs and corpses in the coral sand

Where to begin? Let¹s start with the end
This black and white photo don't capture the skin
From the shock of a shell or the memory of smell
If red is for Hell
The war was in color

I held the canvas bag over the railing
The dead released, with the ship still sailing,
Out of our hands and into the swallowing sea
I felt the crossfire, stitching up soldiers
Into a blanket of dead, and as the night grows colder
In a window back home, a Blue Star is traded for Gold.

Where to begin? Let's start with the end
This black and white photo don't capture the skin
When metal is churned. And bodies are burned
Victory earned,
The war was in color

Now I lay in my grave at age 21
Long before you were born
Before I bore a son
What good did it do?
Well, hopefully, for you
A world without war
A life full of color

Where to begin? Let's start with the end
This black and white photo never captured my skin
Once it was torn from an enemy thorn
Straight through the core
The war was in color
Comments (294)add comment
 m_logie wrote:

It maybe strikes as a little bit of a contrivance, but I love and am pained by the beauty of imagining the soldier who died while his girl back home was pregnant with his child, and now, long dead, his ghost/spirit is talking to his living grandson, who is playing with his box of things without appreciating the full weight of the loss and pain of the war, just thinking it's all kind of cool, having only black and white photos, which fail to do it justice.


Do's it really matter?
Remember, we were lucky enough that this .............................did not come to our shores. I hope we are  smart enough to stop it. I did my best.
 eyeball wrote:
It makes me sad when the perfect song is not included in a movie soundtrack.
Such is the case with this song, and the Peter Jackson documentary 'They Shall Not Grow Old'.
 

my thoughts EXACTLY!  
Outstanding.
One of the very few songs Ive ever rated a 10.   The message of this song is so powerful....
Clever lyrics..I interpreted them as representing a generic soldier/sailor/airmen rather than one individual talking to a grandson. It always stops me in my tracks on every play. Fortunately my 96 year old father survived WW2 in the Fleet Air Arm in the Med and the Pacific.
Possibly Carbon Leaf's best tune...
 zepher wrote:
This song seems like the Hipster version of In Color by Jamey Johnson....  I like it though and want to send prayers to our "Greatest Generation" for whom the war was all to real.
 
There are strong conceptual and thematic parallels between these two songs, none musically. However, Carbon Leaf’s song predates Johnson’s by about a year, maybe two. 
Carbon Leaf’s song was recorded in Nashville as was also Johnson’s apparently. 
At minimum a powerful coincidence.
 gvan wrote:
Hmmm, looks like my grassroots movement to eliminate this song from the RP playlist has not yet had any effect. Guess I'll go take a 15 minute break and re-think my strategy -- and when I come back... this song will STILL be playing! C'mon everybody, let's pull together! We can do this. We shall overcome... Carbon Leaf! Stop the war (was in color)!
 
And 13 years later this song is still playing. Looks like the people (and Bill) have spoken! :D 
Heading into the Memorial Day Weekend, A proper song to generate thought. 
There are a few songs on RP that are wonderful and that I love, but I still have to skip them if I don't want to end up in a puddle on the floor. This song is one of them. 
 ziggytrix wrote:
The end of the song bugs me. How is his grandson talking to him about the photos at the beginning of the song if he died in the war before his son was even born? It strikes me as a huge contrivance.
 
Good thing he already had a daughter.
 ; )

Wow. As a grandfather now, this is hitting home.
1917 any good?
I'd know that drum beat anywhere...
 eyeball wrote:
It makes me sad when the perfect song is not included in a movie soundtrack.
Such is the case with this song, and the Peter Jackson documentary 'They Shall Not Grow Old'.
 Wow. Thanks for turning me on to that project, it sounds fascinating. Sounds similar in tone to 'All Quiet On The Western Front'.
c.

 volnomad wrote:
This is a sad and moving song. But it is not close to Carbon Leaf’s best song. They are excellent ballad writers. Check out Boxer and Silver Bells among many other great tunes. They still perform live occasionally and are well worth checking out.
 
Although I don't agree with your rankings (subjective, I know), I do agree they're worth seeing live.  And these days they're touring quite frequently:

https://www.carbonleaf.com/tou...
This one gets me. Every time. Damn.
c.
 ziggytrix wrote:


Read the lyrics though. He's not just watching, they're having a conversation. I mean, if the grandson has conversations with his grandfather's ghost... then sure...
 It's somewhat of a hypothetical or metaphorical situation - the grandfather's 'things' are telling the story for him, by proxy. As the kid goes through the stuff he begins to get the picture of  the reality of  the war...

 m_logie wrote:

It maybe strikes as a little bit of a contrivance, but I love and am pained by the beauty of imagining the soldier who died while his girl back home was pregnant with his child, and now, long dead, his ghost/spirit is talking to his living grandson, who is playing with his box of things without appreciating the full weight of the loss and pain of the war, just thinking it's all kind of cool, having only black and white photos, which fail to do it justice.
 

It's definitely a cool song, don't get me wrong! It's just a bit Shyamalanian to go "oh, and surprise, he was dead this whole time" at the end...
 sniemetz wrote:

It's not hard: 
He is (from wherever he is now) watching his grandson find old black/white photos. His son (the boy's father) was not yet born when he died (ie, wife/partner was still pregnant).
The dead granddad's point is that what looks cool but distant in black&white was very real and "in color."
 

Read the lyrics though. He's not just watching, they're having a conversation. I mean, if the grandson has conversations with his grandfather's ghost... then sure...
 sniemetz wrote:

Says more about you than about the song :p
You know there is a "next" button right? 
 
An unusual track for the genre, from a band that overall seems somewhat unusually thoughtful. I'm not a military much less a combat veteran, but I've read enough about war, combat and its aftermath to know that this track is no fucking  trifle. 
 ziggytrix wrote:
The end of the song bugs me. How is his grandson talking to him about the photos at the beginning of the song if he died in the war before his son was even born? It strikes me as a huge contrivance.
 
It maybe strikes as a little bit of a contrivance, but I love and am pained by the beauty of imagining the soldier who died while his girl back home was pregnant with his child, and now, long dead, his ghost/spirit is talking to his living grandson, who is playing with his box of things without appreciating the full weight of the loss and pain of the war, just thinking it's all kind of cool, having only black and white photos, which fail to do it justice.
 Wisecrowe wrote:
Snooze fest....ZZZZZzzzzzzzz
 
Says more about you than about the song :p
You know there is a "next" button right? 
 ziggytrix wrote:
The end of the song bugs me. How is his grandson talking to him about the photos at the beginning of the song if he died in the war before his son was even born? It strikes me as a huge contrivance.
 
It's not hard: 
He is (from wherever he is now) watching his grandson find old black/white photos. His son (the boy's father) was not yet born when he died (ie, wife/partner was still pregnant).
The dead granddad's point is that what looks cool but distant in black&white was very real and "in color."
 volnomad wrote:
This is a sad and moving song. But it is not close to Carbon Leaf’s best song. They are excellent ballad writers. Check out Boxer and Silver Bells among many other great tunes. They still perform live occasionally and are well worth checking out.
 
I saw them live in the late 90's opening for Dar Williams in Charlottesville, VA.  I thought they were the worst live band I ever experienced.  Fast forward to 2003 and I found this great streaming station on the internet called Radio Paradise.  They played "The Boxer" by Carbon Leaf and I was blown away that it was the same band.  I now agree with volnomad, really good ballad writers.  I would love to see them live again!
It makes me sad when the perfect song is not included in a movie soundtrack.
Such is the case with this song, and the Peter Jackson documentary 'They Shall Not Grow Old'.
Just listened to a live performance of this on Mountain Stage. This is a really good band with a good stage presence. The fact they've been together since 1992 tells you they do this because they love this. Listening to them perform live, you really pick up on their feelings. How RP consistently finds this stuff amazes me.
In memory of the wounded and mangled soldiers who never wanted to talk about their experiences.  
 Ahnyer_Keester wrote:

For all those in the ACLU who gave their lives, just like our military vets, POWs, MIAs, etc.
 
It’s pretty clear that the ACLU is dedicated to making sure that such sacrifices weren’t made in vain.
 GoodKarm wrote:
this song perked my ear ... stopped me in my track ... as usual RP!   with such emotion ...  heavy and deep...   just wow... thank you for following with an up by Joe Cocker.     Oh Ma Gosh...    No more War...  Only Love and Music and RP forever...   .    so much color  .   123K  
 

 MassivRuss wrote:
Yes. Donate to the ACLU today.
 
For all those in the ACLU who gave their lives, just like our military vets, POWs, MIAs, etc.
This song still makes my eyes water and throat tight. What we asked those kids to do in the 40s was incredible. Truly the Greatest Generation.
Interesting lyrics but a terrible song.
This is a sad and moving song. But it is not close to Carbon Leaf’s best song. They are excellent ballad writers. Check out Boxer and Silver Bells among many other great tunes. They still perform live occasionally and are well worth checking out.
A striking song with insightful lyrics. But does anyone else hear too much Autotune on the vocals?
 andrew2112 wrote:
Since finding RP recently there have been a few songs from artists I've never heard of that make me stop what I'm doing and pay attention.  This is one of them.  Epic
 
Yes indeed. Never fails to give me goosebumps.
c.
 jmsmy wrote:
An Amazing Song!

The saddest Rock song of All-Time.
If it doesn't make you cry or give you goose bumps - YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD.
 
well said...this maybe the most powerful song Ive heard on RP in the more than 15 years Ive been listening.....if you ever get a chance to see the music video check it out as well
"Now I lay in my grave at age 21 
Long before you were born 
Before I bore a son 
What good did it do? 
Well, hopefully, for you 
A world without war 
A life full of color"

— Carbon Leaf, The War Was In Color
An Amazing Song!

The saddest Rock song of All-Time.
If it doesn't make you cry or give you goose bumps - YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD.
Please, no more. Please.
Snooze fest....ZZZZZzzzzzzzz
Hey i am at a RUSH concert with the  driers!
This is not a bad song... but worth playing twice in two hours?!
One of a handful of songs on RP I have to stop and listen to. Never fails to move me.
My grandfather served on the USS Boise, and saw action in Leyte Gulf among other places. I can imagine him stitching his shipmates into canvas: the Boise saw heavy casualties more than once. I don't think he ever really talked about it, what I know I learned from historical sources. I've seen a photo of some of the crew, and more than one family member has picked out one sailor who looks a lot like my grandfather. There's no way to know, but still.

Great songwriting and delivery. I wish it was anachronistic, but no, it is as relevant as ever.
c.
The end of the song bugs me. How is his grandson talking to him about the photos at the beginning of the song if he died in the war before his son was even born? It strikes me as a huge contrivance.
Phil Ochs would dig
Peace and love
Since finding RP recently there have been a few songs from artists I've never heard of that make me stop what I'm doing and pay attention.  This is one of them.  Epic
A quite similar song that's a lot more powerful is Billy Bragg's "Everywhere."  I haven't heard it on here yet.
This could easily be something Aldous Snow has written–I mean–sung.
Great cut if you like senseless dirges.
One of the most powerful war songs I have ever heard.
A Amazing Song
What is truly scary and crazy is that much of the horror from WW 2 was filmed in color, but the cost to produce and send to theaters around the country and world was prohibitive, and they did not believe that the general public would be able to deal with it.  It is a shame that some how now we can deal with it and not be equally disgusted as it is more common place. 

Great song. 

Its nice when music can move you in so many different ways.
This song is incredibly moving, and crosses generational lines. Gives me chills every time I hear it.
{#Zip-lip}

I don't have anything nice to say about this song, so I leave you with that emoji.
Such an amazing song.
Yes. Donate to the ACLU today.

 
daniel_rusk wrote:
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. HONOR ALL THAT GAVE IT TO US.

 


FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. HONOR ALL THAT GAVE IT TO US.
I tear up every time I hear this.  Dad's dad was a catapult operator on a carrier in the Pacific.  Mom's dad was a doctor at the Battle of the Bulge and later helped liberate Mauthausen.  The war was definitely in color for him.  He talked about it quite a bit late in life.  He made himself walk the length of the trenches full of bodies.  Made an impression.  I miss them both terribly and have a lot of things I want to talk with them about.  Makes me regret the time I wasted doing other things when I was a kid.
 AvoidingWork wrote:

The problem with that notion is that the people who make the decision to go to war, don't go to war.


UncleHud's point was that those who went to war would eventually be those who make the decisions to go to war. Percolation would take a generation, but would be worth it.


Dark.  Depressing. Ad Nauseam.
PSD.
This song brings chills and tears every time i hear it, always here on RP.

Most sincere thanks to my father and all Veterans.  I wish you peace. 
 unclehud wrote:
If nations had mandatory periods of military service (say, three years between the ages of 18 and 30), then perhaps there would be far fewer wars.  First-hand experience with weapons — in a context where one is taught how to efficiently kill other human beings — is quite sobering.

 
The problem with that notion is that the people who make the decision to go to war, don't go to war.
8 > 9. 

And so it continues, somewhere, always.  
This song seems like the Hipster version of In Color by Jamey Johnson....  I like it though and want to send prayers to our "Greatest Generation" for whom the war was all to real.


This song makes me cry every Memorial Day. My grandfather fought at Guadalcanal. I can only imagine what he saw and did. He never spoke of it. The war was in color for him.
Then I am dead, but how am I writing this....hmmmm 



jmsmy wrote:
If this song doesn't give you goosebumps - you are already dead.

 


 cc_rider wrote:

This music should remind people that war is horrific. Always has been, always will be.

There is no political implication to that statement. We can debate whether any particular war was (or is) necessary, but on the ground it doesn't matter. People die, in myriad horrible ways. The ones who survive are forever changed. Always have been, always will be.

 
{#Clap}
 cc_rider wrote:
What are the songs about our current wars going to sound like? I wonder.
 
With drones and remote controlled rockets, etc, it might sound like Gary Neuman.

But interesting question. 
Seems to me it takes a particular creative courage to make such a song when half the pop music world is full of histrionic Adele-o-centric whining about coochie, busted hearts and all that other bullshit.  (Yeah, the Beatles and Stones and others sang in the same vein, but they more than made up for it with music that mattered...)
 
 d-don wrote:
I've used this song the last two years in my Lyricism class when we talked war songs. Of all the songs used, this one seemed to have the greatest impact on my classes of high schoolers.
 

very cool...  love this song...

I've used this song the last two years in my Lyricism class when we talked war songs. Of all the songs used, this one seemed to have the greatest impact on my classes of high schoolers.

marvelous classic... love it...
 
If this song doesn't give you goosebumps - you are already dead.
9 —-> 10
 
This song is one of just a few that makes me stop and listen, and tear up a little, no matter how many times I've heard it.
Awful........ {#Sorry}
Someone give RP a bash, the record seems to be stuck.
 Vinco wrote:
Ah, so it's a political song...I wondered what purpose this music could have to anyone...anywhere...at any time
 
This music should remind people that war is horrific. Always has been, always will be.

There is no political implication to that statement. We can debate whether any particular war was (or is) necessary, but on the ground it doesn't matter. People die, in myriad horrible ways. The ones who survive are forever changed. Always have been, always will be.
 Vinco wrote:
Ah, so it's a political song...I wondered what purpose this music could have to anyone...anywhere...at any time
 
It's a sad day when a song like this one is labeled a "political song" but that is apparently where we are.   ...Or at least where Vinco is.

Another song I've ever heard for the first time on RP. 
And a fine, moving song it is. Provocative. We need more like it, indeed, we never have enough of songs like this. About something more than somebody's sadsack lovelorn ass.  
Ah, so it's a political song...I wondered what purpose this music could have to anyone...anywhere...at any time
Awesome tune. More bads should strive to use their talent to bring awareness to political situations.
 jmsmy wrote:
If this song doesn't give you goosebumps - you are already dead.
  Yep.

The line about burying the dead at sea: my grandfather served on the USS Boise, and it's a certainty he was on one of those details at some point.

What are the songs about our current wars going to sound like? I wonder.


Very boring song. And I'd also like to note, I'm sick of Romeotuna's spring in their step comments. Enough already.
I love Carbon Leaf - haven't heard it on RP till today. Thanks!
Nice.
If this song doesn't give you goosebumps - you are already dead.
 shape5 wrote:
This is so apropos of the Holocaust text I am working on. This book would never be done without RP.
 
hey shape5 whoever you are...I'm also here in Israel, listening to RP and editing a book on Holocaust education!
 
If nations had mandatory periods of military service (say, three years between the ages of 18 and 30), then perhaps there would be far fewer wars.  First-hand experience with weapons — in a context where one is taught how to efficiently kill other human beings — is quite sobering.
I really dont like this band.  The singer always sounds like he is trying way too hard.  It's like he is constantly trying to sing in a voice that isn't really his voice.
Perfect song on this 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. RIP, all who left us that day.
On the Anniversary of Pearl Harbour.  Good Choice and THANKS to those that have served...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain#Anti-imperialist

"Before 1899 Twain was an ardent imperialist. In the late 1860s and early 1870s he spoke out strongly in favor of American interests in the Hawaiian Islands.<63> In the mid-1890s he explained later, he was "a red-hot imperialist. I wanted the American eagle to go screaming over the Pacific."<64> He said the war with Spain in 1898 was "the worthiest" war ever fought.<65> In 1899 he reversed course, and from 1901, soon after his return from Europe, until his death in 1910, Twain was vice-president of the American Anti-Imperialist League,<66> which opposed the annexation of the Philippines by the United States and had "tens of thousands of members."<22> He wrote many political pamphlets for the organization. The Incident in the Philippines, posthumously published in 1924, was in response to the Moro Crater Massacre, in which six hundred Moros were killed. Many of his neglected and previously uncollected writings on anti-imperialism appeared for the first time in book form in 1992.<66>"

fredriley wrote:

That is a brilliant and very apposite quote - thanks for posting it. It could just as easily have been written now as a century ago (which war was Twain referring to?). Sadly, when it comes to war, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose :((




 fredriley wrote:

That is a brilliant and very apposite quote - thanks for posting it. It could just as easily have been written now as a century ago (which war was Twain referring to?). Sadly, when it comes to war, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose :((

 

It is thought that Twain was indirectly referring to the Filipino-American war, or maybe even the Spanish-American war. I say indirectly because the passage comes from a speech in a fictional book in which the speech was given during the time between Adam & Eve and Noah. 

https://www.ooblick.com/weblog/2007/07/12/glances-at-history/
Good, but not my favorite Carbon Leaf song. These guys from Richmond, VA, have some serious song-writing skill, and are a treat to see live. Try to catch them the next time they perform near you. You won't be disappointed.
 Shouc wrote:

 Every time I hear this song I want to throwup. Yes, there are some poingnant lyrics but if there's one thing I've learned about art it's that the media is the message. The media in this has a military drumbeat and lots of chest punding American glory progressions. This media still glorifies war, and is a more innocent form of profiteering IMO.

 -Nathan (the Ghostbirds)
 
This "media", as you call it, may glorify war to you, but I doubt that this band or song is trying to advocate war by covertly inserting subliminal stimuli.  The phrase I believe you referred to is "the medium is the message", and I understand what you're getting at about how the content can often be undermined, contradicted, or distorted by the medium used to convey it, but, in this case, the "military drumbeat" seems to be part of the content, employed as a device of irony.  Do you suggest that anti-war songs only be accompanied by a drumbeat other than what are determined to be military ones?  I'm not quite sure what you mean by "chest pounding American glory progressions" either; this song has a pretty basic chord structure.  Every anti-war-themed song need not sound like it was written by Phil Ochs or Bob Dylan in the early 1960's.  We all have our opinions, though, but I don't find this tune to be glorifying war, it could be argued that it is trivializing it, though.


Nice message and effort in the lyrics but loses itself in its repetition.  Sometimes, simplicity can be  more elegant and powerful.

If that doesn't give you goose bumbs you are already dead.
 That_SOB wrote:

"Against our traditions we are now entering upon an unjust and trivial war, a war against a helpless people, and for a base object - robbery. At first our citizens spoke out against this thing, by an impulse natural to their training. Today they have turned, and their voice is the other way. What caused the change? Merely a politician's trick - a high-sounding phrase, a blood-stirring phrase which turned their uncritical heads: Our Country, right or wrong! An empty phrase, a silly phrase. It was shouted by every newspaper, it was thundered from the pulpit, the Superintendent of Public Instruction placarded it in every schoolhouse in the land, the War Department inscribed it upon the flag. And every man who failed to shout it or who was silent, was proclaimed a traitor - none but those others were patriots." ——Mark Twain

 
That is a brilliant and very apposite quote - thanks for posting it. It could just as easily have been written now as a century ago (which war was Twain referring to?). Sadly, when it comes to war, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose :((

Love Carbon Leaf and I love this song. Thanks for playing it!
Interesting, and good lyrics.
 cc_rider wrote:
Wow. Impressive. I hope more kids get educated about war. Before they have to go off and fight one, or worse, start one.


 

Yep.
You better keep them off the playground. {#Mrgreen}
This is so apropos of the Holocaust text I am working on. This book would never be done without RP.
 Jelani wrote:

You make it sound as though we(the US) are the only ones to do this, and only in the 20th century? This has been going on FOREVER.
This is who and what we are regardless of what other species do or don't do.
 
And? Whether it has been going on forever whether it is who we are or not, we can be first to change it.


 Every time I hear this song I want to throwup. Yes, there are some poingnant lyrics but if there's one thing I've learned about art it's that the media is the message. The media in this has a military drumbeat and lots of chest punding American glory progressions. This media still glorifies war, and is a more innocent form of profiteering IMO.

 -Nathan (the Ghostbirds)
 scrubbrush wrote:
My seven year old son was transfixed by the lyrics of this song and we spent at least half an hour talking about war, past and present, and what this song was saying... I am now a HUGE fan of this song.

  Wow. Impressive. I hope more kids get educated about war. Before they have to go off and fight one, or worse, start one.


My seven year old son was transfixed by the lyrics of this song and we spent at least half an hour talking about war, past and present, and what this song was saying... I am now a HUGE fan of this song.

 jkhandy wrote:

Support the World of Human Beings.  Bring home all troops now.  Humans, the only species on this planet to kill over 120 million of its own in the 20th century alone, and still counting.  The invasion and occupation of two countries, the wasting of their infrastructures and the slaughtering of their families is an atrocity I will never support thank you.
 
You make it sound as though we(the US) are the only ones to do this, and only in the 20th century? This has been going on FOREVER.
This is who and what we are regardless of what other species do or don't do.
Chills. Dammit. Dammit all.
This is a song every songwriter wishes they wrote.


Well said.

 bindi wrote:
I like the concept and some of the lyrics, and the thought of a grandfather speaking from the grave -  but somehow the "final product" comes off sounding really bad to me - more like a 5th grade essay than a great song.
 


 jkhandy wrote:

Support the World of Human Beings.  <b>Bring home all troops now</b>.  Humans, the only species on this planet to kill over 120 million of its own in the 20th century alone, and still counting.  The invasion and occupation of two countries, the wasting of their infrastructures and the slaughtering of their families is an atrocity I will never support thank you.
 
I think your view and mine have more in common than you realise. Perhaps you should have read my post more carefully.
 michaelgmitchell wrote:
 You see these families in pain, the caskets carried from the plane by the soldiers' comrades, tears streaming down their faces. Indeed, war IS in colour.
 
"Against our traditions we are now entering upon an unjust and trivial war, a war against a helpless people, and for a base object - robbery. At first our citizens spoke out against this thing, by an impulse natural to their training. Today they have turned, and their voice is the other way. What caused the change? Merely a politician's trick - a high-sounding phrase, a blood-stirring phrase which turned their uncritical heads: Our Country, right or wrong! An empty phrase, a silly phrase. It was shouted by every newspaper, it was thundered from the pulpit, the Superintendent of Public Instruction placarded it in every schoolhouse in the land, the War Department inscribed it upon the flag. And every man who failed to shout it or who was silent, was proclaimed a traitor - none but those others were patriots." ——Mark Twain

 And in the end we will be back right were we started, save for those who gave at any cost, and who will have gained and
who will have lost ?- - -SOB

 Ag3nt0rang3 wrote:


Support our troops; bring them home (alive!).
 
Support the World of Human Beings.  Bring home all troops now.  Humans, the only species on this planet to kill over 120 million of its own in the 20th century alone, and still counting.  The invasion and occupation of two countries, the wasting of their infrastructures and the slaughtering of their families is an atrocity I will never support thank you.

 michaelgmitchell wrote:
The song was timely this morning here in the East, with news that two more of our Canadian fellows were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. More than 120 soldiers have died over there since this ridiculous "peace-keeping" mission that our government keeps promoting and defending. Peace-keeping, my ass. Cowardly killing by the Taliban - hidden bombs; no soldier has a chance. I've been to all the repatriation ceremonies at CFB Trenton since last November. I'm 20 minutes away from the base; no excuse for any Canadian citizen NOT to be there to welcome home these boys no matter what we believe in terms of the mission. You see these families in pain, the caskets carried from the plane by the soldiers' comrades, tears streaming down their faces. Indeed, war IS in colour.
 

Support our troops; bring them home (alive!).
When the power of love outweighs the love of power, there will be peace.  No guarantee this race will make it.
Now I lay in my grave at age 21
Long before you were born
Before I bore a son
What good did it do?
Well hopefully for you
A world without war
A life full of color

... maybe the saddest thing I ever read.