LAUGHTER AND LIGHT

I was thinking today while driving and listening to Air America (progressive talk radio) about all of the fuss about the Y2K bug. There was so much fear within the fundamentalist churches about what would happen if all the computers crashed. I remember rolling my eyes at some of the comments I heard. People I knew were stockpiling food and water and some even guns. I found it sad that there was so much fear among "bible believing Christians". These same people, full of fear are the ones who voted for Bush. Frankly I think he was the real Y2K bug.... Sadly with Mr Bush's help the people in Iraq are experiencing what so many christians feared for themselves. Of course we are the so called good guys the ones with God on our side.
Bob Dylan wrote a wonderful song many years ago that is a favorite on my ipod, the words are chilling


Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come fromIs called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.
Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries chargedThe Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.
Oh the Spanish-AmericanWar had its day
And the Civil War tooWas soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side
.Oh the First World War,
boysIt closed out its fate
The reason for fightingI never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.
When the Second World WarCame to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too

Have God on their side.
I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.
But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.
In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus ChristWas betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.
So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.

Copyright © 1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music
The part about not counting the dead when God's on your side. Sounds familiar 42 years later.