If you ain't gonna fight, get out of the way

[wtmusic]

The captive audience at my local cineplex last night was treated to the National Guard proagandorgasm "Warrior", a Kid Rock video commissioned as an enlistment aid. Dale Earnhardt, Jr also plays a part, although his connection with the theme of the video is tenuous.

Lyrics:

So don’t tell me who’s wrong or right when liberty starts slipping away
And if you ain’t gonna fight, get out of the way
‘Cause freedom ain’t so free when you breathe red, white, and blue
I’m giving all of myself, ’cause that’s what I do.

Being force-fed this crap bugs me on several levels, not the least of which is the suggestion that being wrong or right comes second on any list of priorities. Irony is everywhere, especially in the third line (freedom ain't very free when a half-a-trillion-dollar arms industry is running the show), and in the fact that the Kid's lyrics apparently struck the Guard as too warrior-like and had to be watered down:

Ready to deploy, engage, and destroy

is now:

Ready to provide relief and help

The Guard includes their idea of a feelgood moment when a soldier driving a Humvee in Iraq applies brakes to avoid hitting a kid playing in the street. Aww. (Rumor has it that a scene where the boy requests that the soldier go home, and is answered by the butt of a rifle, was cut).