Jefblog

I oppose the Death Penalty because the state makes plenty of mistakes and can kill the wrong person. The state shouldn't be in the business of killing its citizens anyway. But this guy, Clarence Ray Allen, was an evil fuck who deserved to die in a much more painful way than he did. I refuse to feel sorry for him. At least Tookie rehabed himself and made up for it to an extent. But Allen was a devil, and should not even be on the same page as Tookie. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime....

I Am A Patriot (and the river opens for the righteous)
Steven Van Zandt (Blue Midnight Music, 1983)

And the river opens for the righteous, someday

I was walking with my brother
And he wondered what was on my mind
I said what I believe in my soul
It ain't what I see with my eyes
And we can't turn our backs this time

I am a patriot and I love my country
Because my country is all I know
I want to be with my family
With people who understand me
I got nowhere else to go
I am a patriot

And the river opens for the righteous, someday

I was talking with my sister
She looked so fine
I said baby what's on your mind
She said I want to run like the lion
Released from the cages
Released from the rages
Burning in my heart tonight

I am a patriot and I love my country
Because my country is all I know

And I ain't no communist, and I ain't no capitalist
And I ain't no socialist
and I sure ain't no imperialist
And I ain't no democrat
And I ain't no republican either
And I only know one party
and its name is freedom
I am a patriot

And the river opens for the righteous, someday

My hope is that the memory of death and disgrace will be so intense that the people of the United States will be able to listen to a message that the rest of the world, sobered by wars without end, can also understand: that war itself is the enemy of the human race.

Governments will resist this message. But their power is dependent on the obedience of the citizenry. When that is withdrawn, governments are helpless. We have seen this again and again in history.

The abolition of war has become not only desirable but absolutely necessary if the planet is to be saved. It is an idea whose time has come.