Loyal reader, you know I never get political. It’s not my bag. If you ask me, everything about politics stinks. However, I am making an exception in this case with all the talk of an impending attack on Syria. But fear not. I’m not going to sit here ranting and raving about politics, and I am going to tie this into music. To me the most succinct statements about war come from music. Think about “War Pigs.” This song was recorded more than 40 years ago, but what Ozzy sang then still rings true. The only thing is that the guys about whom these songs are written keep doing the same thing that made them the subjects of these songs. And they will, as long as they keep making money  on the deal.

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor.

The other song that comes to mind is from Steve Earle. Several years ago, I saw him perform in San Diego. He introduced this song by saying, “The thing about wars is that they’re always started by old guys that will never have to fight in them.” And yet, here we stand again. The old, rich guys are saying we need another war in which they themselves will not participate. It’s pretty small comfort that the best thing that might come out of another war is another song condemning money-grubbing warmongers. Mind you, I’ll never get tired of songs condemning money-grubbing warmongers. If only they took those lyrics to heart. Wait a minute? Did I just imply that politicians have a heart? Sorry about that.