(Music begins :55 seconds after video start.)
Please comment on and discuss this post in the comments section. I am very interested to hear everyone’s thoughts on the politics and the music.
I wrote this song to encourage people to join the protest and against Dean Edley on Saturday, May 16, 2009 (details)(8-9:15am is the most important) and to help explain UC Berkeley Law School’s Dean Edley’s role and responsibility in obstructing the international movement against torture. Edley’s employee, John Yoo looms large on this planet for the damage he has done to the law of torture and the thousands of lives that have been ruined through the War on Terror torture programs – and the related effects of warping reason, ethics and behavior internationally. Dean Edley is dissembling on the subject of John Yoo’s torture positions and ideology. Dean Edley always turns the subject to “Academic Freedom”.
See the video I made with Mark K. of last years Berkeley Law graduation protest against John Yoo and Dean Edley:
Dean Edley has a right and a responsibility professionally as a lawyer and as the Dean of a law school as well as his human right and a personal responsibility to take a stand against John Yoo and the torture program of the Bush Regime. Sure, it’s complicated to maintain the academic freedom of his employee while doing that. But, Edley is a lawyer. He can figure it out. But, he will not.
Not unlike John Yoo, Edley is affable and friendly with a warm smile. This is the basis for defense of their actions by many students sprinkled vague positions on academic freedom. C’MON UC BERKELEY. DO SOMETHING WITH THAT EDUCATION! Dean Edley will not stand against John Yoo and the torture program Yoo penned and provided legal cover for. Dean Edley stands with torture and obstructs the progress of human rights and the international movements against torture.
This song is a rough job. I will probably continue the process of evolving these lyrics, music and video. You can read about the 100 year history of Guantanamera as social commentary in “The song used as social “newspaper”“. This is the most popular song of all time in Cuba. Richard Stallman wrote the first “Guantanamero” variation in 2006. Mine here is the second. I encourage all of my comrades – resisting and standing against torture and this American Juggernaught of war and repression – to learn this song, study it’s history and create your own version. This can be one of the thousands of political art forms we need to blossom in America today to “Fight the power and prepare the people for revolution!”
LYRICS
Guantanamero speak
from your cell of Gitmo lies.
with compassion for all the tortured
help us call out this complicit dean
First let me say that I don’t understand
I don’t know how I wound up here
I’ve had no trial, no justice
I’ve been here six long years
Is there anyone out there?
Is there anyone who cares.
Guantanamero speak.
John Yoo created your hell on earth.
Dean Edley pays his check
with no morals, no compassion, no truth.
They come and get me in the morning.
They make me stand until I fall.
Then angered they aproach me.
My head then hits the wall.
Is it they want me to die?
Sometimes I wish I would die.
Guantanamero speak.
Your Torture isnt just a war crime.
It’s a disgusting abomination
and a crime against humanity.
The blood is running down my face now.
But I can see that there’s a dog.
It’s getting closer to attack me.
I’ll be dead before to long.
How long can this go on?
Don’t they know this is wrong?
Guantanamero speak.
But Dean Edley stands in the way.
Freedom for John Yoo
Means Edley’s linked to your torture too.
Oh no don’t take me there now.
Don’t make me lie there on that board.
I’m gaging then I’m choking.
Please God let me have some air.
Why do they not just kill me?
How much longer will this go on?
Guantanamero speak.
It’s not only the chain of command,
the pens of Bybee and Yoo.
Torture needs friends like edley too.
I miss my children and my wife.
They do not know if I’m alive.
What evil people do this to me?
How can they think that this is right?
How can they let this go on?
How can you let this go on?
Guantanamero speak.
Some feel its wrong to blame this not-so-simple dean.
or Berkeley’s provost or the president of UC.
Where do you end complicity?
Guantanamero speak.
John is walking free.
Teaching at UC,
Dean Edley knows it gives legitimacy.
I fall into the category of someone who LOVES this video. This should get people informed and fired up. The beautiful music with the painful words was very powerful.
I wish you luck and will forward this on to people to help generate interest.
Thank you for your hard work in bringing this important issue to front stage.
Good Luck!
Janette MacKinlay
Thanks Jannette
I am very interested in people using social media like myspace, facebook, twitter, youtube. Are you…or can you do a little of that an let me know results even if it’s one response, none, or do not know how?. And please post your website here. Your are an excellent artist and I think about your work often.
Thanks for this, Don. Recognition of Edley’s derogation of responsibility is core to bringing people forward to do what representatives of the legal profession won’t.
Thanks Don for your idea, and all the hard work you put into this. The torture done in our name is disgusting and all the people responsible need to be held accountable. Even though I hate my voice in this, the subject is too important for me to worry about how I sound. I hope lots of people can join us Saturday.
like the whole project! great tradition of political satire, using music to politicize, to provoke thinking, to make fun, and have fun doing it…. very creative! (the old ’60s Bob Dylan would be proud!)
but in trying to interrogate ourselves to get greater clarity of beliefs, and values — also to “sing-along”… here’re some political thinking as well as attempt to weigh-in, and have fun adding more lyrics to your song…. and inviting others to add-on, maybe it’ll become a “99 bottles of beer” kind of song… yet the topic is serious, deadly serious… and so is our responsibility to act… will be forwarding this to my networks.. and let U know of responses….
so for further thinking:
…… complicity is difficult to target with just the right surgical strike.. (target one’s own responsibility, but not allow a “pushback’ of “oh, don’t “guilt-trip” me, etc..” bring audience along… and not indict right away,….not yet,—– of course unless one becomes complicit by ignoring, or not acting……[World Can't Wait popularized this saying: (maynot be 100% verbatim...??)
"...that which you do not oppose, you will be forced to accept...."]
is there a way to add a few lines.????. (compare torture issue to well known lies of WMD that everybody already agrees with — and those who spin lies to legitimize or (in slang) ” made it legit!” ——–
(if UR reading this, jump in to add UR 2 cents or more of lyrics.”)
my 3 cents —– – a “surgeon uses a knife, so does a butcher;
to cut or to heal —what’s the difference? what’s legit?
a lawyer uses a pen; so does a president?
To torture To kill — what’s the difference? What’s legit?.
So U let a butcher surgeon keep his job?
So U let Dean Edley keep Yoo on his job?
*********************************************************
what about also praising those who are models of Noncomplicity:
Not the GOOD GERMAN! “not so nice! Not so legit! (got to shorten or use other shorter words & examples… ”
‘ REMEMBER THE WMDs????
Condi made it legit!” Powell made it legit!”
“Who else?”
how about torture?
“Not ME!” —-”Oh, Not Yoo?”
or U?
(don’t like the obvious Asian name-play– too long used by racist, smart asses —,EG. well intentioned Stanford made the mistake of “getting Rice out of the cafeteria” headline in recent student newspaper….. etc…)
“where’d we be if Ellsberg just “shirked” his ( Pentagon) Papers?”
where’d we be without you who asked DaByU
‘hey King Bush: where are da WMDs?”
“‘NOUGH TO JUST WALK PASS?”
‘NOUGH TO JUST LET TIME PASS?’
GILBERT LEE wrote: “… complicity is difficult to target with just the right surgical strike.. (target one’s own responsibility, but not allow a “pushback’ of “oh, don’t “guilt-trip” me…”
Great point. In regard to that spefically, what do you think of my over all approach on this song/video/blog/networking and what would you add or subract?
GILBERT LEE wrote: “…is there a way to add a few lines.????.
Would be nice. Internet vdeio is still a 100 step process. I am getting faster at it.
GILBERT LEE wrote: (compare torture issue to well known lies of WMD that everybody already agrees with — and those who spin lies to legitimize or (in slang) ” made it legit!” ——–…”
This is the main lyrics suggestion from you I am most interested in. The weakness in the lyrics is not making the context of imprialism and the war on terror. Your analogy would be good for that.
And, of course, besides the craven ugliness of torture, is what is being covered up. Sure Cheney would like the memos released because the subjects where tortured into confessing their “complicity” in 9/11, memos taken by a military flunkie on paper. However, what is more interesting is that the actual video tapes of the alleged perps were destroyed conveniently. What were on those tapes that they had to be destroyed? Their testimony that they had nothing to do with the events of 9/11? Also, the depraved methods the military uses to extract a confession?
9/11 is a lie, and torture is an abomination.
Camille, not sure which destoyed videotapes you are reffering to.
Yes. I believe the key confessions tortured out of people with the method documented to get false statements. Those particular statements were not only to establish the basis for the attack on Iraq but also to sahpe up the story on the 911 attacks.
That is a link that is dropped by all leading this torture work. I hear them groaning. So what? Deal with it. What is the content and purpose of the confessions function and purpose?
Just an update on stuff not posted here. I have received about 8 emails from people emailing lists of people about the protest and the video. I have received 3 new facebook friends in response.
I got about 5 email feedback on on the video which is good. But, when you reachout to people on this, remind them, the point is to get folks to reach out to other folks to pass this on.
I am learning how to communicate on this.
Here’s your answer Don. From the London Evening Standard.
CIA destroyed videos of terror suspect ‘torture’
by Paul Thompson in Miami, March 3, 2009
“THE CIA destroyed 92 videos of terror suspects being interrogated…The figure, far higher than first previously admitted, was released by the Obama administration as it discloses details of President Bush’s actions in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks. American spy chiefs are facing calls to be put on trial for staging a cover-up…The tapes purportedly show CIA agents using harsh interrogation techniques on terror suspects such as waterboarding – tying a suspect to a board and pouring water over their face to suffocate them…Tapes were a contentious issue during the trial of 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, who was jailed for life his part in the attacks. Prosecutors initially claimed there were no recordings of his interrogation, but later acknowledged video and audio tapes were made…”
On May 14, 2009, at 10:58 AM, GILBERT LEE wrote:
(i’ll put my lyrics on a poster board to take to protest Sat., and invite others to add on.. like an audience comment book…)
Very very very good Gilbert. Bigger is better. There will be major media at this event and I think they will like you collecting the voice of the crowd that way. Use foamcore. Most cars can handle 4 feet by 3.5 feet in the bakc seat with a passenger in the back. There are giant 1 inch diameter magic markers which would be best. Stick with black marker on white paper for maximum contrast. You could print out on your home inkjet pics of yoo and Edley and scotch tape them there or some abu ghraib pics. I prefer the symbolic art from my video:
shackled feet by clintonfein(include copyright on pic)
the hand from Fernando Botero’s Abu Ghraib series of paintings and drawings
Use Google image search to find pics of Edley and Yoo
Last night:Okay, It took a while, but I got all my listservs together, and added about 125 friends emails, and sent out the video and protest info. Told everyone to spread video widely. That should hit almost 600 people, and mostly all here in the Bay Area! Already heard back from 7 people, three saying they were passing it on to their lists.(and it’s been less than an hour!)
This morning: 3 people added our video on their facebook pages from my page, I heard from people on two of my list-serves I’ve never known before,(one asking for start time of protest), and I got it up on a “hot topic” list on OpEd news.(cause it concerned torture they said).
Well done and very timely. Captures the hideousness, the torment, as it effects a human being — takes it out of the realm of statistics and puts it in the realm of feelings, of pain and suffering which all this callous inhumanity hiding behind sterile “proper”, “legal”, just doing my job mentality really means.
Sent out the video/blog to several lists including what’s left of Blue Triangle. Still have some personal folks to get to. Resent it to a list after you reminded me to tell people to “pass this on”.
I like the songs lyrics and guitar. I posted the link to the UC Library’s in-house listserv. Haven’t gotten any comments but I know 100-300 probably saw it. Bravo!
Here is most of what I have done over the past three days when I am not at work – following the guidelines I offered to everyone by email and in the sidebar of this blog’s homepage for this micro-campaign to promote this song.
* 50 phone calls to personal contacts, friends and family.
* Sent two emails in two days to 300 contacts who at least know me by name
* Spent about 5 hours swimming in the murk of facebook friending, being friended, commenting, linking and posting the video.
* I have had many(50?) email and phone responses, as well as a growing list of blog comment responses.
* In as many ways as I could figure out, I encouraged all to pass this onto others to encourage to do this same.
* Wrote a press release
http://radicalism.us/press-release
* Phoned and emailed press relase to the
Daily Cal UC Berkeley Student newspaper:
news desk
dailycalifornian@dailycal.org
letters to the editor
opinion@dailycal.org
* Phoned and emailed the
East Bay Express
Editor Phone: 510-879-3700
Editor email
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/SendLetter?oid=oid%3A534486
emailed Robert Gammon who reports on Yoo for the East Bay Express. This is his great cover story from last year
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/news/the_torture_professor/Content?oid=727134
* spoke to an excellent photoagrapher on the staff of the
Washington Report on Middle East affairs
http://wrmea.com
He may make it, he is very enthusiastic about the direction of our work and will pass it on.
Edley, a member of the legal profession, refuses to uphold the legal and ethical standards to which he was admitted. Edley’s refusal to speak out against torture perpetuates the continuation of these crimes and strengthens law in the service of empire. The use of torture is illegitimate and Dean Edley furthers this illegality.
The First Amendment and Academic Freedom do not protect actions on behalf of someone acting under the auspices of state power. Furthermore, Edley’s argument flipantly mitigates the horrendous violations and abuses of detainees who were held for period of 5 to 6 years, brutally tortured (often with several different torture methods used in sequence), denied the right to counsel, were not allowed to bring evidence to defend themselves, and in the end were never convicted of any crime.
Torture is not an undecided issue. The future of the legal profession demands a refutation of Dean Edley’s argumentation and calls upon Edley to confront the ramifications of John Yoo’s teaching among a new generation of young lawyers who believe that being an effective attorney is simply making the best argument for your client.
The consequences of Dean Edley’s thinking are disastrous.
This song comes out of your work to fight torture. Only an activist out of world can’t wait could right this. Bravo! This is the best Don, Mike-superb singing and lyric writing Noel, and Trevor great playing. I am going to broadcast this on facebook everywhere!!
I really liked the new rendition of “Guantanamera”, and I will pass on the link to friends and family. I would have to think a bit more about new verses to add on and what not. When something is catchy and to the point, people kind of can get into it. Hopefully, it could end up like one of those tunes that sometimes you can’t get out of your head, but in a good way
Hi:
congrats on the song, video, whole protest effort! (tv coverage on channel 2…and others….)
Got from an insider’s observations (emailed) at the Greek Theatre grad ceremony:
excerpted here:
…………Boalt law grad’s spouse read the entire firejohnyoo.org article on latest Gitmo black shirt: IRF’ing – (5-thugs, extraction squad like at Pelican Bay — Max Unit),,,, appreciated greatly the protest… spouse’s parents who came also wore the orange ribbon, as did law grad,,, and commented that noticed alot of people wore it as well… (person can be counted on emailing and listserv networks…..in nx days….)
….saw the inside protest, with lone figure —Orange jumpsuit/ black-hooded w/ “Who Will Speak For Me?” 5-ft banner hanging pinned in front of orange jumpsuit. in front of stage’s bottom (actually stage left…)..
…. spouse later just to ck out things, asked of the officials…. “say, what happened to that guy with the hood and protest?” Reply: ” oh, he got a ticket so couldn’t arrest him”…. {so what law would enable such an actual arrest at a public ceremony (ritual)??????? —————- where the protestor is:
1) silent, (complying with their commencement brochure warning about not shouting, or interferring with the speakers, etc.);
2) “all signs and banners will be removed”. (Note: object and not person is subject to removal). …..
anyway, they should count their blessed, legal eagle feathers, that a more professional performance artist didn’t do the job…. can U imagine the following?
. i mean, first, with the lone actor, —–what better prop then to enlist the help of 2 obliging (or unwitting) Berkeley cops dragging a Gitmo torture victim away in front of 2000 people..
. and as the drama unfolds,,,, oh, look!the gitmo hooded prisoner is sitting down, and causing more delays…. yet he is still not shouting…. arguing with the cops only, while 10 feet away on the stage sat all the speakers, Dean Edley, and big shots waiting “patiently”…and protestor is facing 15 feet away the entire graduating “hooded”, gowned, dressed in non-street garb (so come again, how are rules equally applied??? )
Yes, the entire ‘09 class UC Boalt Law Sch who spent 3 grueling yrs supposedly studying rules, regulations, words and concepts like “justice” — within clear earshot of the conversation…. then as officers lift the body away…. Gitmo protestor is heard to ask in a thundering voice, “hey, is there a LAWYER IN THE HOUSE?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
(well, could also admittedly been too “smart-assy” and backfire, by giving room to just dismiss it as fun and games… just a prank-like thing…. instead of a ” guy being hauled away for possible arrest, etc…..to save their nice, polite, and sadly irrelevant ritual — despite ringing words of wisdom, pontificating on ethics;… law must serve justice, blah, blah, blah……….
oh well, msg got across, and visible to all…. even Dean Edley…& his multi-multi-degreed, published, prof colleagues who may want his job, and angling possibly for a future cut-throat move…..
*******************
back to what actually happened….
the speaker, UC Irvine Law Dean, atty for a Gitmo detainee did speak about the law not being a justification for torture…
but sadly missed his chance to add to his oratorical impact, by having a ready-made symbol, an eloquent prop silently standing there, adding to the realism, thought provoking ideas, and indeed profundity of his discourse…any teacher’s, prof’s, spker’s or actor’s dream — denied!
hope the world including the Spanish govt’s (for its own motives) took note, and continue to press forward — and indict Yoo, Bybee, Bush/cheney & all their criminal, hyena asses! (with apologies to the 4-legged ones.)
DON’T KNOW IF U NOTICED THAT MY ‘2 CENTS’ ADD-ON LYRICS SUGGESTIONS CAN BE SUNG TO MELODY OF gITMO….
TRY IT:
(ACTUALLY, DIDN’T REALIZE THIS UNTIL I LOOKED AT EMAIL THIS MORNING, WITH DAT DAMN TUNE “GU-AN- TAN-NE-MERA…GUAN… IN MY HEAD… AND LO, COULD SING THESE WORDS…)
gUAN-TAN-NA-MERA, FOR HE’S A GUAN-TAN-NE- MERA
a “surgeon uses a knife, so does a butcher;
to cut……. or to heal —
what’s the difference? what’s legit?
a lawyer uses a pen; so does a pre–Si—–dent?
To torture ………To kill —
what’s the difference? What’s legit?.
So U let a butcher surgeon keep his job?
So U let Dean Edley keep Yoo on his job?
*********************************************************
(NOTE:what about also praising those who are models of Noncomplicity:)
gUAN-TAN-NA-MERA, FOR HE’S A GUAN-TAN-NE- MERA
Not the GOOD GERMAN!
“not so nice! Not so legit!
‘ REMEMBER THE WMDs????
Condi made it legit!” Powell made it legit!”
“Who else?”
how about torture?
“Not ME!” —-”Oh, Not OFFICER Yoo?”
or U?
(NOTE: JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR, IF UR FORWARDING,.. PUT A FOOT NOTE HERE…….”don’t like the obvious Asian name-play– too long used by racist, smart asses —EG. well intentioned Stanford made the mistake of “getting Rice out of the cafeteria” headline in recent student newspaper….. etc…)
gUAN-TAN-NA-MERA, FOR HE’S A GUAN-TAN-NE- MERA
“where’d we be if Ellsberg just “shirked” his ( Pentagon) Papers?”
where’d we be without you who asked DaBEEE-U
‘hey King Bush: where are da WMDs?”
“‘NOUGH TO JUST WALK PASS?”
‘NOUGH TO JUST LET TIME PASS?’
gUAN-TAN-NA-MERA, FOR HE’S A GUAN-TAN-NE- MERA…..
(99 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE STALL, 99……….
LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING UTUBE OF VIDEO IN PROGRESS…
SERIOUS, SNL VET HIPSTER LATE-NITE HOST JIMMY FALLON MIGHT BE WILLING TO SHOW CLIPS OF SONG, (MEANT TO TRY TO CREATIVELY GET THIS PASS HIS ‘HANDLERS’ BUT RAN OUT OF TIME… WHICH OTHERS MAY TRY….GOOD LUCK…………..)
(OK, I MEAN, DESPITE IN THEIR VIEW, HA HA LIKE LETTERMENS’ FAMOUS ‘STUPID PET TRICKS’ (WHICH OF COURSE HAS CUTIE DOGS, ANIMALS, AND EVEN MORE ADORING OWNERS, AND MILLIONS OF PET OWNERS IN AUDIENCE…..)
FYI
WHEN POWER — LEGITIMIZED BY ACCEPTANCE AND SILENCE — ABUSES THOSE IN CUSTODY, WHO ARE ITS AGENTS? WHAT ARE THEIR EXCUSES? HOW WILL THEY JUSTIFY AND COVERUP, AND REPRESS THOSE CALLING ‘EM OUT?
CHANGE THE NAMES, AND “RE-DEFINITIONS” AND U GET A BUNCH OF FAMILIAR TORTURE TERMS @ GITMO:
RENDITIONS, INVOLUNTARY KIDNAPPINGS, ABUSES, GITMO ENHANCED INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES, COLOR OF AUTHORITY,
DETAINEES ARE “SUB-HUMAN”, DEHUMANIZED, DEGRADED — THUS OK TO ABUSE IN HORRIFIC WAYS….
“SHORT OF ORGAN FAILURE…..” OFFICER YOO’S DEFINITION OF NON-TORTURE IN INFAMOUS MEMO…. IS THIS 4 REAL?
ASK THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF IRISH CHILDREN — TO USE THE CATHOLIC POWER STRUCTURE’S OWN TERMS: “MY GAWD! ITHEY TOLD ME THEY WEREN’T GOING TO DO IT…. AND IF THEY DID, IT WAS LEGIT!!!!!”
IF WE DID IT TO OUR OWN CHILDREN, WHAT WILL STOP SUCH ACTIONS AGAINST OUR SUSPECTED “ENEMIES”?
*****************************
PLEASE RE-POST AND GET COMMENTS FROM YOUR LISTSERV, NETWK, FACEBK, ETC.
******************Report Details Abuses in Irish Reformatories
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By SARAH LYALL
Published: May 20, 2009
LONDON — Tens of thousands of Irish children were sexually, physically and emotionally abused by nuns, priests and others over 60 years in a network of church-run residential schools meant to care for the poor, the vulnerable and the unwanted, according to a report released in Dublin on Wednesday.
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Christian Brothers/The Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse
At church-run institutions in Ireland, like St. Joseph’s Industrial School, above, in an undated photo, and the Letterfrack Industrial School, below, in a photo from the late 19th or early 20th century, children were sexually, physically and emotionally abused by nuns, priests and others from the 1930s to the 1990s, according to a report released in Dublin on Wednesday.
Related
The Lede: Response to Irish Abuse Report (May 20, 2009)
Executive Summary of the Report (pdf)
Full Report: PDF | HTML Format (childabusecommission.ie)
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Lawrence Collection/National Photographic Archive
The Letterfrack Industrial School, in a photo from the late 19th or early 20th century.
The 2,600-page report paints a picture of institutions run more like Dickensian orphanages than 20th-century schools, characterized by privation and cruelty that could be both casual and choreographed.
“A climate of fear, created by pervasive, excessive and arbitrary punishment, permeated most of the institutions,” the report says. In the boys’ schools, it says, sexual abuse was “endemic.”