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Jody, Gord, and Corey Barge, Curt Seely, Derek Routledege, Nat DePalma and Friends form The Backyard Jammers from Calgary Alberta Canada, and give us this video of their live performance of “A Peaceful Solution” for our listening and viewing pleasure.

Corey plays bass, Jody and Gord sing and play guitar. Their buddy Curt also plays guitar, Nat De Palma plays drums and Derek Routledge plays Sax. Gord claims his favorite book is the dictionary because, “all the words are in it and if you read it once you never need to read another book again.”

Whenever a great local band with a wide social network of musicians performs “A Peaceful Solution” I get a thrill. This provides me proof of the widespread desire for an end to military madness.

Perhaps we are finally learning the profound differences between political campaign promises and the actions of elected officials. The expansion of the War in Afghanistan, the enlargement of the U.S. extra-legal prison system and renewed funding for the so-called War on Drugs leaves us all looking for a change we can believe in.

It is becoming clear that our employees holding public office have not received the message that we desire peace. That leaves it to us to renew our efforts by raising our voices until we cannot be ignored any longer.

We all bear a responsibility to do our parts in determining the state of human existence. We require no further proof that giving up our initiative to temporary leaders does not necessarily produce the results we desire.

Now is the time to get together and sing songs of peace and put them into circulation. It is not the time to give up and fade away.

We can all take a lead from The Backyard Jammers and raise our voices in the public sphere for the sake of peace. The more people who sing for peace, the harder it will become to ignore the call.

The Backyard Jammers play and jam with some of the greatest musicians in Western Canada, such as Vernon Wills from Vand the Wholly Cats. Anthony Davis from CCR and the Tom Fogerty band, John Gray from the Ray Charles band, and Marvin Yakowishen from Dr. Hook and the Ronnie Hawkins Band just to name a few.

Be sure to visit their two youtube channels; bownessgord and backyardjammers to see and hear more of their eclectic performances.

* * * * Artists’ Statement * * * * *

We are the BACKYARDJAMMERS and we are a group of friends and family that enjoy playing together at Jams and the occasional Paid Gig.

To us Family and Friends are very important and we believe that our youth is were we need to concentrate our energy on to make this a more peaceful place to spend our time.

Live music is a great medium to generate peace with. The spoken word is a very powerful thing and when it is combined with a great tune that you can dance to and sing alone with it is very hard to be angry.

Less anger means more peace.

Enjoy your music and remember what Liz, Jay and Amy and Willie are trying to do.

SPREAD THE WORD OF PEACE

Thanks,
Gord, Jody, Corey, Curt, Derek and Nat and Friends
THE BACKYARDJAMMERS

I honestly feel there is little anyone can say about Michael Jackson that speaks more eloquently than what he himself sings. The fact remains that there is just no accounting for what some people say.

This performance is proof of at least part of what Michael Jackson believed was important. Songs about this topic are actually suppressed by main stream media so when you hear one you know that the singer feels strongly about it.

Listen to the man, hear his words and take whatever anyone else says with a grain of salt. You can do Michael Jackson no greater honor than to listen to his music and take it to heart.

Earth Song

What about sunrise
What about rain
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain.. .
What about killing fields
Is there a time
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine…
Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we’ve shed before
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores?

Aaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaah

What have we done to the world
Look what we’ve done
What about all the peace
That you pledge your only son…
What about flowering fields
Is there a time
What about all the dreams
That you said was yours and mine…
Did you ever stop to notice
All the children dead from war
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores

Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaah

I used to dream
I used to glance beyond the stars
Now I don’t know where we are
Although I know we’ve drifted far

Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaaah

Hey, what about yesterday
(What about us)
What about the seas
(What about us)
The heavens are falling down
(What about us)
I can’t even breathe
(What about us)
What about the bleeding Earth
(What about us)
Can’t we feel its wounds
(What about us)
What about nature’s worth
(ooo,ooo)
It’s our planet’s womb
(What about us)
What about animals
(What about it)
We’ve turned kingdoms to dust
(What about us)
What about elephants
(What about us)
Have we lost their trust
(What about us)
What about crying whales
(What about us)
We’re ravaging the seas
(What about us)
What about forest trails
(ooo, ooo)
Burnt despite our pleas
(What about us)
What about the holy land
(What about it)
Torn apart by creed
(What about us)
What about the common man
(What about us)
Can’t we set him free
(What about us)
What about children dying
(What about us)
Can’t you hear them cry
(What about us)
Where did we go wrong
(ooo, ooo)
Someone tell me why
(What about us)
What about babies
(What about it)
What about the days
(What about us)
What about all their joy
(What about us)
What about the man
(What about us)
What about the crying man
(What about us)
What about Abraham
(What was us)
What about death again
(ooo, ooo)
Do we give a damn !

If you want to know who Poodie Locke is and why we are celebrating his life. please read our previous article about the one and only Poodie Locke. Please come and help us celebrate Poodie Locke’s life.

Billy Blues Rock gives us “A Peaceful Solution” in his personalized blues-rock style. Here we have a musical genre that signifies both a radical edge of U.S. culture and one of the most successful globally unifying forces.

The United States gave the oppressed of the world hope of freedom with its example of openness and tolerance for decade after decade. Only relatively recently has our leadership reversed this direction and sought to establish paranoid, closed and secretive norms while emphasizing the most conservative ideals.

This country, which once epitomized personal liberation like no other, now seeks to limit the rights and freedoms so many of our citizens sacrificed, fought and died for. Certainly the citizens of the United States have made it uncompromisingly clear that they strongly desire significant meaningful change.

If we have learned only one thing it must be that the people must lead. Now that this initiative has fallen to us we cannot fall for the traps of fear and anger to lead us to violence.

Significant meaningful change can only begin with peace and love. Anything less opens the gate that allows the perpetuation of the cycles of terror and violence that creates another generation determined to seek vendetta and revenge.

All mothers must be given the emotional and physical support they require to bring forth healthy babies in both mind and body. All children must be given the emotional and physical support they require to grow up without anger, depression and violence.

Plato said: “At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.”

William Shakespeare wrote: “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”

Janos Arany wrote: “In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities.”

If we all could but listen and heed the messages of musicians and poets what a wonderful world we would have.

* * * * Artist’s Statement * * * * *

because peace is life. and war is death–as long as i’ve known Hope(always)–Life motivates me, the hope that our civilization will come to realize that Kindness and Understanding are the true roads to Peace and Happiness for all Mankind.

ideas? that we all think more every day about Compassion, Kindness, Hope, and Peace and then apply more understanding of each other’s pressures and problems.

a sensitivity, an awareness of how short life really is. how all is fleeting.  how each and every moment, like right now, will never come again—the importance of all this,

the importance of Love. the importance of Hope. the importance of Peace–with these ideals forever focused, concentrated in our mindsets and planted in our hearts;

we can change the world–we can grow in Peace

Ray Benson and Willie Nelson were at station KLRU recording the first episode of Austin City Limits’ 35th season. They were playing songs off of the album Willie and the Wheel. Docubloggers was lucky enough to ask Willie and Ray a few questions for an upcoming docublog about medical marijuana, and they were kind enough to do a shout out for the show. Look for their interview in the new season of Docubloggers that premiered this April! You can catch up on Docubloggers stories at their site and on their YouTube channel.

This public service advertisement appears in the National Review, the New Republic, the American Prospect, The Nation, Reason Magazine, and The Progressive in the winter of 2009.

Since 2007, the Center for Medical Cannabis Research (CMCR) has sponsored four double-blind, placebo-controlled, FDA-approved clinical trials which demonstrate that smoking cannabis (marijuana), even in low doses, effectively alleviates the neuropathy pain associated with HIV/AIDS. So there is no mistake, let me repeat that: smoking marijuana, even in low doses, effectively controls the neuropathy pain associated with HIV/AIDS. The results of these clinical trials have been reviewed and published by reputable medical journals.

• In February 2007, Neurology published the results of a Phase I clinical trial which concluded smoked cannabis was well tolerated and effectively relieved chronic neuropathic pain from HIV-associated sensory neuropathy. The findings are comparable to oral drugs used for chronic neuropathic pain.
• In November 2007, Anesthesiology published results of a clinical trial conducted by researchers at UCSD  Center for Pain Medicine which concluded that normal volunteers subjected to chemically induced pain which mimics neuropathy also responded to medium doses of smoked cannabis.
• In June 2008, the Journal of Pain, published the results of a clinical trial conducted by researchers at UC Davis which also concluded that even low doses of smoked cannabis can be effective in managing hard-to-treat neuropathic pain. In fact, investigators found that low- and high-dose cannabis produced similar levels of pain relief, reducing the intensity of the severe nerve pain. The researchers specifically noted that cannabis not only fights pain itself but also interacts with opiate-based painkillers to increase their effectiveness, particularly in neuropathic pain. They also note that using isolated synthetic cannabinoids such as THC (dronabinol) did not provide the same degree of efficacy as a whole-plant preparation of cannabis.
• In August 2008, Neuropsychopharmacology, published the results of a Phase II clinical trial conducted by researchers at UCSD School of Medicine which concluded, once again, that smoked cannabis was generally well tolerated and effective when added to concomitant analgesic therapy in patients with HIV-related neuropathy pain not adequately controlled by other pain-relievers.