WHAT GOD WANTS - PART 2

I forgot to explain the title of my post concerning the Just War Theory. "What God Wants" was a single from the 1992 Roger Waters album entitled "Amused To Death". Having always been a fan of Roger and his mates from Pink Floyd, this solo disc of his has remained to this day a favorite of mine. And if you'd listen to it and know me, that may surprise you. This album is a commentary on the first Gulf War and how we as a nation and indeed a world have become info-entertainment junkies; desensitizing ourselves to the sanitary images we see from "far away" on the television. This is a concept album with stark haunting melodies and musicianship, and righteous anger in places. It is also hauntingly beautiful. Roger's father died while serving in WWII, and he has always written of the pain of growing up without his father, but here transfers that pain onto what he (and I agree) sees as our growing numb to world events through our obsession with the marketplace and in being entertained.

So as you see, I suppose it was inevitable that I would begin exploring the JWT. I just have to get there on my own terms. I am being nudged harder than I like to be, and so I naturally push back. But my shoving is getting softer.

From "The Bravery of Being Out of Range":

Hey bartender over here
Two more shots and two more beers
Sir, turn up the TV sound
The war has started on the ground
Just love those laser guided bombs
They're really great for righting wrongs
You hit the target and win the game
From bars 3,000 miles away
3,000 miles away
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range
We zap and maim
With the bravery of being out of range
We strafe the train
With the bravery of being out of range
We gain terrain
With the bravery of being out of range
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range

And from "Amused To Death":

We watched the tragedy unfold
We did as we were told
We bought and sold
It was the greatest show on earth
But then it was over
We ohhed and aahed
We drove our racing cars
We ate our last few jars of caviar
And somewhere out there in the stars
A keen-eyed look-out
Spied a flickering light
Our last hurrah
Our last hurrah
And when they found our shadows
Grouped around the TV set
They ran down every lead
They repeated every test
They checked out all the data on their lists
And then, the alien anthropologists
Admitted they were still perplexed
But on eliminating every other reason
For our sad demise
They logged the explanation left
This species has amused itself to death
No tears to cry, no feelings left
This species has amused itself to death.