“War! Good God! What is it good for? Absolutely Nothing!”
Soul singer Edwin Starr, who topped the charts in 1970 with his fiery, iconic, anti-war song "War," died of a heart attack on Friday at his home in Nottingham, England; he was sixty-one. There had been quite a few anti war songs in those years but “War” was powerful, danceable and had a great bass line. Dissent was badge to be worn proudly.
Susan Sontag in an interview with Bill Moyer’s said “United We Stand” is a terrible slogan. Democracy only works with differing opinions coming to a compromise. We are now told that to dissent is to be unpatriotic.
When John Kerry called for a “regime change” here he was and still being called unpatriotic. Well who has a better right than John Kerry. Kerry fought in VietNam and when he got home he woke up. He became co-founder of the Vietnam Veterans of America and became a spokesperson for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Every Vietnam vet has the right to speak up when a bunch of ideologues decide to start a war.
Edwin Starr had it right.
“War! Good God! What is it good for? Absolutely Nothing!”