This is the story of Viet/Now.
The United States government first supports a dictator in a foreign land most Americans know little about. They argue that this country has to be defended to stop an evil threat which will take freedom away like dominoes falling. An American President uses flimsy evidence of a threat to Americans to mislead his public into supporting the war. The media sells the story. A charismatic General heads the campaign with the backing of Congress. The public is full of pride but little knowledge. Young men are drafted into service, mainly from poor and minority areas. They are thrown into alien places to fight for and against a different culture that they can't distinguish. While the poor fight amongst the poor, corporations make record profits by creating military hardware.
When atrocities happen, some in the media start to report it. The youth of the world, sympathetic to their soldier peers and angry at the war machine, begin to speak out against the war. This grows to include parents, clergy, unions, teachers, and seniors. The war is sold as protection of democracy, but those who question it are branded traitors. The soldiers are used as a "baby shield" to foster national pride while hiding the motivations of the current administration. A civil war, between generations and idealogies, splits America as well as other nations supplying soldiers for the war.
The President responds to these events with more force. Troops are escalated to massive levels; the money for social programs is instead spent on the war; peaceful demonstrators are attacked and beaten; and the media is used to trumpet the war as a holy cause.
A massive surge fails to route the enemy. Superior firepower seems stalemated by peasant guerillas with a cause for independence. Soldiers die in massive numbers every month. Morale begins to break in the troops. It becomes an anger that breaks out in tragedies of torture, rape, murder, and genocide. The troops are torn between those trying to hold onto hope, and those who have severely lost their way under conflicting, unethical commands from their officers. Soldiers and veterans start speaking out against the folly of the war. The wounded find themselves forgotten and disposable to their government back home.
Dissent begins to spread in massive demonstrations worldwide, in the media, and respected voices of the etablishment. The American President ignores all voices and surrounds himself with character assassins to take out his enemies at home. His "win at all costs" philosophy is unmoveable and becomes a personal crusade. No amount of carpet bombing or chemical poisons or illegal actions is enough to fight his enemies. He is vilified as a monster internationally. America and the presidency are tarnished and reduced in the eyes of its admirers. He uses "dirty tricks" to win a second term against an opponent who wants to phase down the war. Popular support turns against him as he, his Vice President, and the men around him are investigated from all sides for their crimes.
America's attempt to imprint itself onto another culture it doesn't understand is a failure. Massive amounts of money and time have only brought chaos and collapse to the nation it intended to strengthen. The loss of life is horrible. The loss of faith within the country is so profound it haunts the nation for generations and fissures its soul.
All lessons of the war are lost as a new President, aided by men from the previous debacle, steer the nation into the same nightmare again...
About Ruth Copeland: Ruth was an English soulster who married a Detroit tunesmith. There, in 1970, she entered the orbit of George Clinton and his black hippie collective, Parliament-Funkadelic. She wrote songs for the acidrock-funksters, including the classic anti-war song, "Come In Out of the Rain". With the original quintet of Funkadelic musicians she recorded two albums and toured as opening act for Sly & the Family Stone. Her music swayed from funky vamps, to rock arias, to fragile theatrical poetry that predicted Kate Bush's work. Many know her from her epic takes on the Rolling Stones' "Play With Fire" and "Gimme Shelter", as well as her scathing anti-Nixon song, "The Medal". She disappeared from performance after 1976, but both her albums are available on the "Gimme Shelter: the Invictus Sessions" CD (Sanctuary, 1997/ 2002).
Eddie Hazel= lead guitar
Tawl Ross= rhythm guitar
Billy Bass Nelson= bass
Bernie Worrell= keyboards
Tiki Fulwood= drums
(All rights to any works reserved by their copyright owners. Fan-made video meant respectfully as an editorial to promote awareness and discussion.)
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Tym Stevens
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Thanks for posting the Sly 'N The Family Stone vids!!!!!
'N have a beautiful day! From your Friends 'N Fans at,
:) COSMIC RAY
Se querer da uma olhadinha ai nesse video, é só uma paleta rapidinha do grupo