"The Lonesome Death of Rachel Corrie"

[acmejack]

snip>
In the past week, Billy Bragg has penned and recorded a pair of new songs dealing with specifically American issues, and both take legendary American musicians as their template. The first, and better, of the two reworks Bob Dylan's achingly moving protest song "The Lonesome Death of Rachel Corrie" into a beautiful and angry tribute to young American peace activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an Israeli armored bulldozer while trying to protect a Palestinian home in 2003. Bragg was moved to write the song after the director of the New York Theater Workshop decided to postpone the debut of a play based on Corrie's writings because of its controversial themes. (The play was meant to open on March 22, but has since been staged in London.)

"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?"

http://www.salon.com/ent/audiofile/2006/03/31/atw_033106/index.html?source=newsletter

[hlthe2b]

1. Damn tears come too easily, lately....

How ever did our country become one where this young woman's tragic death becomes too controversial to discuss? How could she become demonized while those who advocate torture in our name respected and considered "sensible to protecting our 'freedoms'"??????????


God help us. If not God, may the karmic forces of nature not take all of us along with the demons in power.

[peacetalksforall]

4. If you havn't heard them - I recommend two Democracy Now programs

that came up within the last 2 or 2 1/2 weeks. They should be in the archives or maybe featured on the website for listening and/or viewing. One was with Vanessa Redgrave while Amy was in London. The other was about a week later with the directors of the NY theatre where the play was supposed to have started and the other with a director in London.

Excellent and interesting background - for the story behind the non-opening in NY and to get even more moved about the life of Corrie. Amy interviewed her parents, also.

[mdmc]

2. thanks for the post

the lonesome death of hattie carrol is dylan's tune. It is about a rich white guy that gets a 6 month jail sentence for murdering a poor black girl.

[shenmue]

3. Thank you Billy

:patriot:

[Tom Joad]

5. Rachel will be recognized for her courage, Sharon for his brutality.

Sharon will be remembered as the Bull Connor of apartheid israel.
Rachel Corrie as the Freedom Rider.

As Delores Huerta stated:
Rachel did not choose the Palestinian cause because it
was popular. She chose it because it was unpopular.
As we did in the farmworkers movement, Rachel chose to
confront violence with nonviolence. She chose to
defend human rights because it was the right thing to
do.

In solidarity with the struggle for peace and justice,

Viva Rachel! Viva la paz! Viva Cesar Chavez!

Si, se puede.

Dolores Huerta

And i would add
Viva James Earl Chaney!
Viva Andrew Goodman!
Viva Michael Schwerner!

[methinks2]

6. I don't consider the bulldozer to be the cause of her death

I consider the driver/operator of the bulldozer to be the killer. He murdered her. He had a choice that day, and he chose to drive over her more than one time. That is cold-blooded murder.
Thanks for bring up this topic. I just had to get that off my chest.