Paul McCartney Speaks Out Against Iraq War

[TheWizardOfMudd]

McCartney speaks out against war

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has criticised the UK government for being too hasty in going to war in Iraq.

"Maybe our government went in too fast with the Americans," he told the weekly Portuguese magazine Visao on Thursday.

"It would have been better if the UN had been together," the 61-year-old singer continued. "Now it's become very bloody with Iraq, it's very difficult . . . ." (More)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3756545.stm

[DenverDem]

1. Man, I miss John Lennon.

He would get to the crux of the biscuit and speak out against WAR, not just in Iraq.

[bobthedrummer]

2. "I DON'T WANT TO BE A SOLDIER, MAMA..."

I DON'T WANT TO DIE..."

NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.

[LagaLover]

19. Wasn't that John Lennon's song?

[bobthedrummer]

22. He was a British citizen assassinated by elements within US national

security, if the truth be known.

Ask Sean Lennon. Ask Julian Lennon. Ask Cynthia. Ask Yoko.

[LagaLover]

26. Sure he was...

Speed, time?

[saigon68]

53. -

[NashVegas]

3. I Miss Linda McC

Paul didn't feel compelled to call a press conference everytime he broke a toenail when she was alive and with him.

Granted this is a serious matter, but ...

[DenverDem]

4. I love her frozen dinners.

Her legacy makes it a lot easier to be a vegetarian.

I miss her, too. She was a much better influence on Paul.

I'm putting "Imagine" and "Ram" into the cd changer now.

[bobthedrummer]

7. Sir Paul wasn't the first musician to hook-up with a monopede either.

Been there, done that, it was wonderful.
I'm disabled myself and only 54.

[indigobusiness]

5. EXACTLY...He wouldn't have waited until it was safe to speak out

...and he wouldn't have been so lame. He would've organized the people BEFORE the war ever began, led marches, and maybe would've stopped the catastrophe in its tracks. That is why we are in so deep,
the people of real courage are being "eliminated".

[mmm]

9. He is lame alright

He should have led the war against war.
Where was that asshole when we needed him?

[Sequoia]

27. He's only doing it now because the world is against it

Creep. Look how fast he married that other woman and how he said Linda would approve. Who cares what he says, he's so late on this issue and no one cares since he's a crowd joiner. His songs suck anyway.

[SquireJons]

38. F#ck Yo#

Jesus H. Christ!

It's crap like this that makes me swear I'm not a liberal, I'm jut a rational moderate.

Why the hell would you condemn a person for speaking out against injustice, regardless of when he does it? Sorry if our support for your cause isn't pure enough.

Say what you will about his music or his current level of activism; Paul McCartney has done more to help the world than every person who has ever posted on D.U. combined. So what if he's not John Lennon or Ramsey Clark?

[homelandpunk]

46. because he waited till it was safe....great musician, lame timing.

He's a FUCKING BEATLE for Christ's fucking sake. He could have said shit LONG AGO. And it would have mattered.
Oh, but now that the tide has turned....
Wasn't he joining in the pseudo-patriotic song writing crap-fest a couple years ago around 9/11...wrote one?
Maybe Paul is dead...
number nine, number nine....

[indigobusiness]

54. You said it for me...plus... he is sometimes a lame musician...

Shall I count the ways??? Silly Love Songs... etc etc etc etc blecchhh

Nobody loved the Beatles more than me...but Pauly wasn't the hero of the group...he was the politician.

[SquireJons]

63. Yeah Yeah Yeah

I agree that his status in the entertainment world puts him in a position that he might have been heard, by some. But let's not overstate his impact. Many entertainers did come out against the war and it had zero impact.

But let's not stop there. What about writers or prominent businessmen? What about ex presidents?

The world is filled with great people who don't always do great things. So what? Is that a good reason to throw insults and completely dismiss a person?

Ya know what? As opposed to this war as I am, I have yet to get anything published on the matter. No statements of record. No huge financial gifts, no takeovers of government office buildings... nothing. I'm feeling pretty lame myself.

Guess I'll have to admit that I'm really just a pug and go work for shrub.

Why do Democrats have such a propensity to attack their own? It's like Will Rogers said; "I'm not a member of an organized political party, I a Democrat."

[indigobusiness]

55. Good God, man...get a grip!

And if you are going to tell me to get fucked, at least have the decency to use all the letters.

Nobody condemned anyone for speaking out...but if you were truly rational, you would've realized that. My condemnation was for NOT speaking out when it might've done some good. When it was risky, and against the tide, and heroic. Waiting until the tide had turned to jump on the bandwagon is LAME and pathetic. If that is your kind of hero...have at it.

[SquireJons]

62. Hero, no

But I'm not going to condemn a man (particularly one who has done so much in his life) for a lack of activism. Now if he had actually come out in support of the war or even the English government, I'd agree with you. But he didn't. Would you rather he had remained silent? Or is speaking out at the earliest possible moment the only acceptable action in your opinion? I think you are just being mean because you don't like his music. Pretty bogus if you ask me.

[cliss]

52. I have to agree with you, Indigo.

Notice how everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, NOW? What about those poor lambs to the slaughter who had enough guts to stick up for what they believed in, about 3 years ago? People like

Sean Penn (he was one of the first to speak out)
Madonna
Dixie Chicks
Michael Moore
Johnny Depp

I teach at a Community College, and I was really surprised in my class on Thursday night. We had a few people openly criticizing Bush. A few people chimed in, nodded their heads, "yeah, that's right. Oh, that fool Bush!!!" They chimed in.

Interesting, I thought. You would not have seen this 3 years ago.

[bearfan454]

11. You got that right.

Imagine if there was

[Claire Beth]

13. you're right! n/t

[Chicago Democrat]

15. Paul is a putz

House proud town mouse

[calimary]

30. Man - TELL me about it.

He certainly would have made statements against this war. Might even have done another bed-in for peace or some such happening.

I miss him a lot. His perspective and sense of the absurd (it'd be working overtime these days!) is so desperately needed. Funny - he went out before Reagan. The rise of the radical right began with lovely darling Ronnie. So, at least I take comfort knowing he never had to see or go through ANY of this.

Sorta like my dad dying before the onslaught of the current bushies, and 9/11 AND the war. I'm glad he never saw that part of it, either.

[Seabiscuit]

44. John Lennon was one of the inspirational leaders of my generation...

during the Vietnam war era.

And yes, WAR sucks!

And McCartny's statements are milquetoast.

But we weren't just "anti-war". We were "anti-stupid/unnecessary/imperialist/unilateral-war". And I still am.

Lennon would have blasted Blair and Bush from the outset, and would have rallied those of us demonstrating against the Iraq war back in September, 2002 (here in San Diego we had well over 1,000 demonstrators one day in that month alone, which the right-wing press here of course poo-poo'd, pretending there were only about 300 of us).

But I also think John would have had the sense to go after Bin Laden and al queda *all the way* (not the half-assed way Bush did) after 9/11.

[indigobusiness]

58. Welcome to DU Seabiscuit

Good post, but I take exception to one thing: John Lennon was a pascifist. A fighter for ideas, but a pascifist. He would not advocate the violent going after of anyone. That is taken care of by the forces at work within the universe.

[Seabiscuit]

61. Thanks

But I wouldn't call John Lennon a "pacifist". He was for "peace and love", and all, but there weren't any wars worth fighting at the time - just Vietnam.

I'm just saying I have no doubt he could distinguish 9/11 from Iraq, and would be called a "pacifist" or "peacenik" for his views on Iraq, but this Bin Laden/Al Queda/9/11 thing simply didn't exist in his lifetime. I merely credit him with the intelligence I knew him for - that he would not advocate simply sitting back and taking it - (especially if he were living in NYC at the time, as he was when he was killed). I think his approach would have been two-fold: go after Bin Laden and work with the international community to protect the West against Al Queda fanaticism, but secondly, he would likely speak up about the roots of radical Islam, and why US policies have been to blame for its uprising, and what we should do peacefully to remove the conditions causing such radical hatred.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

6. In fairness Paul did release 'Give Ireland Back to the Irish' in 1973

So his credentials are pretty good. George would've said it better and sooner, though.

[DenverDem]

10. The standard that John set is pretty high, admittedly.

Paul is a wonderful man who has done incredible ammounts of good for the world. I'm listening to "Ram" right now.

Now I'm missing George. "All Things Must Pass" next in the cd machine.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

35. All We Are Saying Is Give Peace A Chance by

John Lennon AND Paul McCartney.

[catzies]

45. Give Me Love, Give Me Love, Give Me Peace on Earth

I miss George and I miss John. :cry:

[Diogenes2]

48. GIVE PEACE A CHANCE by Lennon-McCartney

Actually, due to a contractual agreement in force at the time, every song written by John by himself or Paul by himself had to be credited as a Lennon-McCartney composition-- Paul actually had nothing to do with "GIVE PEACE" just like John had nothig to do with "YESTERDAY"...

[Demobrat]

17. In 1973 Kerry was anti-war.

People change.

[Voltaire99]

23. People change, indeed.

Sometimes for the worse. :-(

If Kerry had the moral courage of his younger self, he wouldn't have been such a willing accomplice to these crimes in Iraq.

There's still time for him to redeem himself. He could come out tomorrow for withdrawal - and not the phony "internationalization" gambit, either.

[Demobrat]

24. Here's hoping he does.

I would really like a reason not to stay home in November.

[pearl]

43. How about saving The Republic

:smoke:

[MajorFlaw]

65. After reading "Tour of Duty", I believe that Kerry is

the right person to end shrub's mess. He saw the effects of a bad war close up. He has the intelligence to recognize why Vietnam was a failure and the integrity to save this generation from a similar unnecessary sacrifice. Right now he is saying whatever he believes will win the election for him (and us), but I don't believe that Kerry has any interest in continuing our occupation of Iraq. He's seen that movie already and he remembers that the ending really sucked.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

8. I must remember to support the Beatles and continue....

to boycott those Un-Patriotic America Haters in Nashville.

Note: Please EXCLUDE the following from "Un-Patriotic America Haters" list:

-The Cash Family
-Willie Nelson
-The Dixie Chicks
-Emmylou Harris
-Merle Haggard
-Dolly Parton

[St. Jarvitude]

34. Dolly Parton's on our side?

Yeehaw! Me like much-much.

[devilgrrl]

12. Cut me a break with the royal title please.

:eyes:

[The_Casual_Observer]

14. Had enough of silly love songs

Macca is a twit. But he is a talented and lucky twit. Nice that he said something about it, but who cares what he thinks?

[Demobrat]

16. How brave of him to speak out.

Now that the deed is done and the results are obvious.

[Maccagirl]

18. Yes, he's a complete and total asshole

Bye DU

[bobbyboucher]

21. Good point.

You should write speeches for Shrub, you speak his language, at his level. Profound.

[eeyore]

20. Paul is sadly so full of shite

I'm glad to see that Paul has come around, but it's really too late. I'll never forgive the spectacle of him waving the jingoistic flag of war at the concert for 9/11. Yeah, I know, his dad was a firefighter, and lots of folks got caught up in the emotion of the time.

Paul's musical legacy had a massive influence on me as a musician, but I have a really hard time excusing the "Shockin' Y'all" sentiment of "Freedom", the song he sang that night. At that moment he was no better than Toby Keith.

Freedom
by Paul McCartney

This Is My Right
Right Given By God
To Live A Free Life
To live in freedom

Talking About Freedom
Talking About Freedom
I Will Fight For The Right To Live In Freedom

Anyone Tried It To Take It Away
Will Have To Answer
Because This Is My Right

Talking About Freedom
Talking About Freedom
I Will Fight For The Right To Live In Freedom

Yeah Oh

I'm Talking About Freedom
I'm Talking About Freedom
I Will Fight For The Right To Live In Freedom

Eveybody's Talking About Freedom
We've Talking About Freedom
I Will Fight For The Right To Live In Freedom
To Live In Freedom

Oh

Talking About Freedom
Talking About Freedom
I Will Fight For Right To Live In Freedom
To Live In Freedom

Talking About Freedom
Talking About Freedom
We Will Fight For Right To Live iI Freedom
To Live In Freedom

[MidwestMomma]

25. Gawd, I hated that song too...

That's when all that 'they hate us for our freedom' crap started. Jingoistic is right. :puke:

[fbahrami]

32. the "Freedom Song" sent the wrong message

Artists have to be careful not to get sucked into day-to-day politics, and turn into mouthpieces.

As Chomsky said, it's really hard to go against your popular culture. In 2001 it was extra hard (but John Lennon maybe could've done it).

[latebloomer]

41. Oh right, I was trying to remember the name of that song

:puke:

[homelandpunk]

47. Paul IS dead...number nine, number nine....

God, those lyrics....jingoistic....sickening.

[Diogenes2]

49. FREEDOM SONG

You're really laying a heavy negative trip on Paul for a basically innocuous song that was written long before the invasion of Afghanistan, much less Iraq. "I will fight for the right to live in freedom'? What does this mean? The USA isn't even mentioned. Put that line in the context of the Civil Rights movement, or even an anti-imperialist movement, & you have freedom fighters... Heard in Malaysia or South America or some other context, divorced from its occasion, & you can read a progressive message into that song... it's just not that great a song artistically speaking, however.

[latebloomer]

57. May have been written before 9-11

although I don't believe it was. The point is that it added a very militaristic note to a concert that was basically about mourning the dead.

[Emillereid]

28. This isn't the first time I've read that he is against the war in Iraq -

Give the guy a break.

[maddezmom]

37. and his wife is an activist: no more landmines

Checkout her site...she was involved in this before she married McCartney.

http://www.heathermillsmccartney.com/index2.php

[latebloomer]

42. Oh my Goddess, that woman is so full of herself!

I remember reading an article where she was bemoaning the fact that she was travelling around the world with Paul and he was getting ALL the attention! :eyes:

[Gloria]

51. Well, I can understand that....if she's doing the landmine and

prosthetic leg thing, and all people want to talk about is Paul.

I was very impressed by her on Larry King a long while back...she was all business and totally committed to helping those blown apart by landmines.

[latebloomer]

56. She gets plenty of publicity for her cause

but ONLY because she is married to him.

You don't marry a Beatle and then petulantly complain that YOU are not the center of attention.

[mountainvue]

60. That was the second show

she did with him. On the first one, she took King's head off, all after he lobbed her a softball personal question.

[rocktivity]

29. After forty years, he can still do it to me...

:headbang:
rocknation

[calimary]

33. Sigh... I was SO in love with him. No jowls on him back then, either.

On EITHER of us, for that matter...

[Matilda]

50. Me too.

He was my favorite Beatle. But now I see that he needed John to give
him that "edge".

Too little, too late, Paul.

[mondo joe]

31. It must be hard to be THE CUTE ONE when you're not cute anymore

[Woodstock]

36. Ha ha ha.

That's funny. When I grew up, people like him stopped seeming cute.

I can't believe when I was little I actually preferred Roger Moore to Sean Connery.

[Dr Fate]

39. Paul rocks!!! I'm gonna crank up my Mono copy of Sgt. Pepper in his honor!

Paul is NOT dead!!!

We need more cultural icons speaking out like this- thanks Paul!!!

[Generator]

40. All you need is love

Only two Beatles left, and the other one is RINGO.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

59. "And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make."

Beatles forever. Britney never.

[0007]

64. btt