Ready.....Aim....FIRE!!

So much pain and brutality,
We've got to STOP this killing mentality!

I see the marching soldiers over there,
You tell them that they're fighting for their honor,
Defending our freedom, and that they are all heroes,
but you don't tell them that they are all disposable.
Some returning in a body bag,
Some return not at all.
Misled by lying politicians,
whose sons will never take the fall.

Woah! marching soldiers,
Too many marching soldiers over there.
Don't think it's over.
We're still devising ways to kill each other.
I see them firing their big guns,
Them a fire rocket launcher.
Dropping thousands of smart bombs,
Is violence the only answer?

Heat seeking laser guided destruction,
Too many weapons of mass elimination.
Planting millions of landmines,
indiscriminately killing,
thousands of innocent men women and children.

Ohhh! marching soldiers,
And they're just following your orders.

Where in the world is Osama?
Will he ever be found?
Right now may not be convenient,
Just wait until election rolls around.

You pose like you're a mighty triumphant leader,
but I see you as a weakheart, thief and liar.
I see you trying to fool the nation,
but I've got some information,
The wicked man will have to bum with fire.

Fire!!

Don't think its over,
We're still killing off each other.
You send them off to fight in another country,
Have we not learned anything from history?

I see the marching soldiers,
Marching off to fight, following their orders.

Carlos Jones - Mar 11,2004

Download Marching Soldiers" by Clicking Here!!
 
One Voice
I'm hurt and deeply troubled
I'm angry and confused
I want to make a difference
but don't know what to do
I'm swimming in opinions
each one different from the next
it's like being buried in quicksand
all the way up to my neck
I want to scream out loudly
but who is going to hear?
my tiny voice will get drowned out
by ignorance and fear
the winds of war are blowing
as I strain my ears to hear
the sound of one voice calling
for PEACE as war grows near
I wish and pray there were some way
for us to speak as one
because that voice could not be ignored
it could silence the guns
when has killing ever brought
true peace to anyone?
why can't we make THEM understand
that war can not be won?
the scheme to divide and conquer
has worked better than they planned
we've gotten far too comfortable
to dare to take a stand
we go about our daily lives
as if we're not involved
leaving it for someone else
the problem to be solved
come on people let's make some noise
we've got to make a scene
cause if we don't make them hear our voice
they won't know what we mean
I want to go on record
as not having sat down
I know I'm just one voice, but still
I've got to make a sound
I want you all to join with me
if you feel as I do
I want a world of LOVE and PEACE
I don't want war, do you?
I'm listening for that stirring voice
will it shout or sing?
will it carry influence
like Kennedy or King?
Gandhi started as one voice
and yet made nations heed
Let's let THEM know with certainty
that PEACE is what we need.
Los - February 2003

I'm beating my drums and adding my voice to the thousands....millions around the world calling for PEACE today. Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, if you can't be out in the streets making a noise, then please... think, pray, meditate PEACE!

Date:  5/4/07
Subject:  Kent State - May 4, 2007

Something very important took place today. It was spontaneous,
synchronistic and quite monumental; for me anyway...

    May 4th, 1970 has always been a mile marker for me in my life. Simply
because on that day, even though I was not present at the site of
that unspeakable tragedy, it affected me in such a way that I was
never to be the same from that moment on; as I'm sure was the case
for so many others.

    That day I became aware of my childhood slipping away. My childlike
naiveté and innocence, already troubled and shaken by things I was
becoming aware of, suddenly and perceptibly shattered. And the cold
reality of the world embraced me as I awoke and stared into the harsh
light of truth of what was really going on. It focused me and set me
on a path that I have walked to this day, trying to enlighten as many
others as I can along the way; to see the truth, take ownership of it
and try to change what our truth is. Today that path, winding though
it may be, led me forward - back to my starting point.
I have been to Kent State before, many times actually. I didn't go
to school there, but in a way you could say I did receive a good part
of my education there. The bands I played with from the late
seventies through the nineties played there quite often, and I made
friends there, hung out there, and had life enhancing experiences
there. It really was a special place to me and I always felt somehow
connected to and sympathy for the people who were around during that
turbulent time and on that terrible day. I have visited the memorial
site several times, either on or around the actual day of the
anniversary of the shootings, and have paid my quiet tribute and
respectfully moved on. I always felt drawn to go there, especially
when there have been large gatherings of people, holding vigils and
commemorating, praying, speaking and strengthening each other. Yet,
up until this point, for one reason or another, I'd never been able
to fully take in and connect with or be a part of those significant
gatherings – that is until today.

    I found myself driving there again, almost as if on auto-pilot.
It's a beautiful day and I'm feeling really good and energized from
an early morning performance I'd had with the band. We played in the
studio on a local TV news morning show, and had a really good set and
then went to breakfast.

    I hadn't slept too much the night before, but didn't really feel that
tired at all; at least not yet. So I figured, "this is perfect; I've
got the whole day to spend exactly how I want to, and I sure aint
gonna spend it sleeping." "It is way too nice a day" I was feeling
the vibes, you know? Lately, my creative force has really been alive
and cranking, and I've been writing, recording and thinking music
pretty much non-stop for about a month now. It's quite a relief since
there's been a considerable dry spell and that kind of thing starts
to make you wonder if you're all dried up and have nothing left.
But today, I'm buzzing, and all these ideas are bouncing around in my
head, and then suddenly, like a crystal formed deep in the earth that
is brought to the surface in a random scoop of a shovel, there it is;
right in front of my mind's eye… Yes! That's it!! This is another
milestone, but it seems like I've passed it before, yet I'm seeing it
with different eyes. All of a sudden, past, present and future merged
into one coherent picture and I knew what I was going to do with the
certainty of gravity's pull on the planet. At the time I just
happened to be listening to "Ohio", by Neil Young of course, and at
the same time I'm humming and tapping along, and then something else
comes out of the shadows. A song I had written a few years ago, at
the start of our nation's current unjust war crisis; called "Marching
Soldiers" came into my peripheral consciousness as if some deejay had
mixed it in and superimposed itself onto the beat and rhythm of the
song I was listening to, and it fit like two interlocking pieces of a
jigsaw puzzle! Even the chords fit! I could go back and forth from
singing one to the next as if it were one song. That shit just blew
me away! I almost wanted to pull over, but traffic was kind of heavy
due to construction, so I just rolled with it. By the time I reached
Kent I could hardly stand it. I felt like someone had injected me
with some kind of super-hyper energy shot and I just wanted to blast
off! I had my acoustic guitar with me, which was a first for this
particular pilgrimage. I felt like I wanted to sing today in tribute
to the fallen, you know; just quietly, privately. If a few others
heard, well, that was okay too. I couldn't wait to sit down and
explore this new revelation, and see if it really was as deep a
groove as I imagined it. Somehow, for the first time since I'd been
coming to Kent, I was able to drive right to the field, almost onto
it, where the Victory Bell monument stands. It kind of shocked me
when I pulled up and suddenly found myself overlooking hundreds of
people, sitting and standing on the hillside and in view of the stage
below on the Commons. It's almost like my Jeep knew which way to go.
All I had to do was let it. I certainly had never gone that way
before. I quickly put aside any fears about illegal parking. It
seemed pretty clear that this day would be an exception. There were
some people already parked on the field, and many in various places
with nary a permit in sight. There was visible campus security
present, and a few uniformed police, but everyone was mellow, and
just seemed happy to be out enjoying the magnificent day.
I ran into many people I knew and cared about and shared long
overdue hugs and greetings, had deep conversations and listened to
the speakers on stage, some who were survivors of the shootings, some
who were relatives and friends of the victims, and some who were
speaking out from personal tragedy related to the current war in
Iraq. The feeling in the air was charged with the kind of
electricity, emotion and expectancy that is so rare in our everyday
lives, and it was exciting.

    After a certain amount of time, it was time to take my walk
up "over the hill." At this point, there was only a scattering of
people around on Blanket Hill, near Taylor Hall and the Prentiss Hall
parking lot. I made my usual trek; past the pagoda, made infamous in
that indelible image of the Guardsmen firing, down to the metal
sculpture, to touch the neat round bullet hole and look at the
touching tributes left there by others before me. Then down past the
scarred trees to the parking lot… where they lay, and where so many
others were changed forever that day. I made my rounds and said a
prayer for each, and read the loving and thoughtful platitudes
written in chalk on the pavement. I visualized the scene of the past
and could seemingly feel the ghosts of emotions and reactions of the
souls who had been on the receiving end of that terror, and it sent
chills through me. Once I felt that I had completed paying my
respects as best I could, I went to find a quiet place to sit and
sing for them. I went back to the top of the hill, from where had
rained such violence some 37 years ago, and offered instead a cascade
of notes and chords to caress the trees and soothe the grass. It felt
like a catharsis, a healing of sorts. Something I hadn't expected to
feel. I played and sang softly, so as not to disturb anyone who was
listening to the speaker on the stage, whom I could hear and who's
words mingled and danced with mine. The song that had jolted me
earlier in the car now rolled effortlessly out of my heart and across
my strings, as if it had originally been written that way, and I sang
to myself and to them. At that moment I knew so clearly exactly what
was needed. After satisfying myself with music, I listened to the
last few speakers make their point and conclude their portion of the
event. I felt it was time to walk down the hill and be among the
crowd, to feel that kinship and brother/sisterhood, the humanity, the
hope. There was to be a final performance by a band that had set up
earlier, and then a march around the campus by those people that
remained on the field. There were many pictures taken, many hugs and
handshakes given and received, and I found myself in close proximity
to some of the principle players and organizers of the event. I never
thought I'd actually get to meet any of these "historic" people, but
it then occurred to me: that these were just ordinary people, just
like me, who found themselves one day thrust into extraordinary
circumstances that came to have an impact on our human history. I
found myself having conversation, exchanging ideas and smiles and
connecting the dots of our past and present. I felt moved to offer
something to this hopeful gathering of souls, and decided rather
impulsively, to go up on the stage after the band's last song and
offer a song of my own. I sang John Lennon's "Imagine." To me it
seemed like time stood still for a moment, and there was an audible
hush as I could hear my voice and guitar rolling across the field.
The crowd gave warm appreciation as I finished and I felt like my
heart had been completely opened and laid out to bask in the
sunshine. Many people came up to extend thanks and heartfelt
gratitude and asked to take a picture or info about who I was, and it
was only then that I realized that I hadn't bothered to announce
myself. At that point I was just happy to be "One of us." And that to
me is the whole point. We are One. Why doesn't everyone get that?
It was time for me to make the trip home as I had a show to do
later that evening, and still hadn't made up the sleep I was lacking.
After sharing some words and memories with Alan Canfora, Dean Kahler
and some of the others who were still there,(I got a hug from Cindy
Sheehan!)I left, feeling for the first time that I had truly touched
and connected with an event that had touched me all those years ago,
even if I still couldn't make any sense of it. It felt good to feel
that maybe I had contributed something in a small way that may have
helped someone to feel a little better. It sure did wonders for me,
and renewed my energy to resist the ever-surging tide of hate and
negativity, and to continue to use my voice to call out for peace,
love, unity and understanding.

    I'm looking forward to recording the song(s) that came to me
today, and sharing it with whoever will listen. There is already an
earlier recorded version of "Marching Soldiers," in the "downloads"
section of my website: www.carlosjones.com. Once I have recorded my
version of "Ohio," I will make that available as well. That is, if
Neil Young doesn't mind.

As always,

Peace & Love

Carlos

   
Date:  5/5/07
Subject:  Kent State - May 4, 2007 II

    As I was leaving the commons after having conversation with Alan Canfora and Dean Kahler, I was in tears having just learned that a mutual friend of ours had passed away from cancer a few years prior. As I walked up the hill to my car I was passed by a few college aged kids coming in my direction, engaged in happy chatter. I just caught this little snippet as the girl closest to me passed; "She woulda been a hippie, but she forgot how to love." I immediately just burst out laughing! What a statement! And to me, it was so much deeper than I'm sure she ever intended. I think it sort of speaks to the difference between the consciousness and mindset of most of today's youth and our generation, you know? I repeated the phrase over and over in my mind, and just thought about how incredible it was to hear that just at that moment. I'm sure it's going to end up in a song at some point. Teach the children well...

Peace,

Carlos

For information and answers about local events and actions of the Cleveland Peace Movement, contact:

Northeast Ohio Anti-War Coalition (NOAC)
c/o Northeast Ohio AFSC
513 W. Exchange St.
Akron, Oh 44302
NOACinfo@aol.com
Phone: 216-231-4245

Also: Clevelandpeaceout@hotmail.com

Links to sites for information alternative to what mainstream media is feeding us:
· Cleveland Indy Media

· Democracy Now

· Cities For Peace

· Move On

· Peaceful Tomorrows

· United For Peace 

· Truthout Website  

For info on the International Campaign to Ban Landmines:
· ICBL

· Ban Mine USA

Ohio Campaign to Ban Landmines - 
Dee Logan:
440-944-8292

Minnesota Campaign to Ban Landmines - 
John Harmon:
763-788-8727
Jack Rossbach:
651-488-0524

Soundtrack for the Sustainable Culture Project -
· Download brand new PLUS Studio Tracks - "Children Unite", "What I Think", "Marching Soldiers", and "No Blood For Oil"

· Click Here to send e-mail to Carlos Jones.