What he was, he was:
What he is fated to become
Depends on us.

Elegy for JFK
W.H. Auden

November 22, 1963

 

Crucifixion

And the night comes again to the circle studded sky
The stars settle slowly, in loneliness they lie
'Til the universe explodes as a falling star is raised
Planets are paralyzed, mountains are amazed
But they all glow brighter from the brilliance of the blaze
With the speed of insanity then he died

In the green fields a turnin', baby is born
His cries crease the wind and mingle with the morn
An assault upon the order, changing of the guard
Chosen for a challenge that is hopelessly hard
And the only single sound is the sighing of the stars
But to the silence of distance they are sworn

So dance, dance, dance
Teach us to be true
Come, dance, dance, dance
'Cause we love you

Images of innocence charge him to go on
But the decadence of destiny is looking for a pawn
To a nightmare of knowledge he opens up the gate
Binding revelation is laid upon his plate
That beneath the greatest love is a hurricane of hate
And God help the critic of the dawn

So he stands on the sea and he shouts to the shore
But the louder that he screams, longer he's ignored
For the wine of oblivion is drunk to the dregs
And the merchants of the masses almost have to be begged
'Til the giant is aware, someone's pulling at his leg
And someone is tapping at the door

To dance, dance, dance
Teach us to be true
Come, dance, dance, dance
'Cause we love you

Then his message gathers meaning and it spreads across the land
The rewarding of his pain is the following of the man
But ignorance is everywhere and people have their way
Success is an enemy to the losers of the day
In the shadows of the churches, who knows what they pray
For blood is the language of the band

The Spanish bulls are beaten, the crowd is soon beguiled
The matador is beautiful, a symphony of style
Excitement is ecstatic, passion places bets
Gracefully he bows to ovations that he gets
But the hands that are applauding are slippery with sweat
And saliva is falling from their smiles

So dance, dance, dance
Teach us to be true
Come, dance, dance, dance
'Cause we love you

Then this overflow of life is crushed into a liar
The gentle soul is ripped apart and tossed into the fire
First, a smile of rejection at the nearness of the night
Truth becomes a tragedy limping from the light
All the canons are horrified, they stagger from the sight
As the cross is trembling with desire

They say they can't believe it, it's a sacrilegious shame
Now, who would want to hurt such a hero of the game?
But you know I predicted it, I knew he had to fall
How did it happen? I hope his suffering was small
Tell me every detail, I've got to know it all
And do you have a picture of the pain?

So dance, dance, dance
Teach us to be true
Come, dance, dance, dance
'Cause we love you

Time takes her toll and memory fades
But his glory is broken in magic that he made
Reality is ruined, it's the freeing from the fear
Drama is distorted, what they want to hear
Swimming in their sorrow, in the twisting of a tear
As they wait for a new thrill parade

Yes, the eyes of the rebel have been branded by the blind
To the safety of sterility, the threat has been refined
The child was created, to the slaughterhouse he's led
So good to be alive when the eulogy is read
Climax of emotion, the worship of the dead
And the cycle of sacrifice unwinds

So dance, dance, dance
Teach us to be true
Come, dance, dance, dance
'Cause we love you

And the night comes again to the circle studded sky
The stars settle slowly, in loneliness they lie
'Till the universe explodes as a falling star is raised
Planets are paralyzed, mountains are amazed
But they all glow brighter from the brilliance of the blaze
With the speed of insanity then he died

Phil Ochs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im2lYDnDdIU

The big lie about genocide in central Europe in the 20th century

All Balkan massacres this century have enjoyed the specific approval of state organs, whose agents have usually been the instigators as well.  This is not merely a case of an army commander winking to his troops surrounding defenceless women.  In Turkey during the Great War, in Croatia during the Second World War and in the Republika Srpska during the Bosnian war of 1992-5, the legal system was turned on its head -- murder was encouraged and approved by the state and its propaganda apparatus.  Not participating in murder, conversely, was regarded if not as 'illegal' then certainly as hostile behaviour. Such events are invariably accompanied by a historical justification which can usually be boiled down to the simple formula of 'eternal enmity' between two communities.  The construction of this justification by historians, newspapers and other media under state influence, however, tends to mask the real intentions of the elite.

The Balkans 1804-1999
Misha Glenny