...
But she wasn't a bomber or a killer or fighter
But one who acted in the spirit of the Freedom Riders
Is there no place for a voice in America
That doesn't conform to the Fox News agenda?
Who believes in non-violence instead of brute force
Who is willing to confront the might of an army
Whose passionate beliefs were matched by her bravery
The question she asked rings out round the world
If America is truly the beacon of freedom
Then how can it stand by while they bring down the curtain
And turn Rachel Corrie into a non-person? ...

crying now. the dylan song makes me do it too, though.

Bragg's one of the good ones, thanks for the link. you should've posted that to MeFi, dios is in timeout anyway.
;)

I've always been surprised at how some of those who are (rightfully) horrified by the deaths of unarmed people on buses choose to be flippant about the death of an unarmed person who simply didn't subscribe to their political beliefs. we don't like her politics -- Caterpillar away, then. so much for dissent.

intermittent compassion, and all that.

Billy Bragg is a rock star. Try Dick Gaughan if you like that sort of stuff. Thanks for posting this, amberglow.

Bragg's one of the good ones,

Bragg's heart is in the right place, but as a musician, I classify him next to the twee purists Pete Seeger/Kingston Trio types Dylan made irrelevant when he picked up a Strat and ditched the Bard Of The People shtick.

Is there no place for a voice in America
That doesn't conform to the Fox News agenda?

again, I applaud the sentiment, but my ears are cringing at the idea of this being sung.

My point being, if your going to write protest songs (and reach people), try to make them listenable. Examples:

Little Steven - I Am A Patriot

Bottle Rockets - Welfare Music

(these work better because they were composed by people who see themselves as musicians first and propogandists only occasionaly. My objections are aesthetic, not political)

I'm not trying to make a political point (as in, don't try to gauge my opinion from this), but the difference between a victim in a suicide bombing and a victim in a protest like this is choice; it's a huge difference and I'm not being flippant.

Amen, Hugh. I kinda think that the Cult Of Corrie has arisen due to the fact that we often embrace public martyrs more willingly than those who try to acheive success without fanfare.

but the thing with Corrie is that she's actually having an impact that continues and it's not really a martyr thing or solely about her--the play being cancelled, etc, and that more people know about her and what she was trying to do than they did when she was doing it, or even after she was killed--it's tying in with the whole Iraq thing in some ways, and with the heavy hand of this administration, etc--along with the usual Israel stuff.

Another free Bragg download: Bush War Blues