Your News Dissector turns to Willie Nelson, that long-haired bearded, ageing and talented force of country and culture to close out the year for us with a new song geared to what was once called a season of peace. He raises a question that must be pondered.

The Kucinich campaign is the beneficiary of Willie’s musical generosity and solidarity but his song also raises questions about the relationship of our media to our survival. Bear in mind that Willie was one of the stars of Wag the Dog, a fiction film that feels now like a documentary in light of recent events. He wrote a song for that satire. Now he writes one for all of us.

Let’s sing along.

What Ever Happened To Peace On Earth
There’s so many things going on in the world
Babies dying
Mothers crying
How much oil is one human life worth
And what ever happened to peace on earth

We believe everything that they tell us
They’re gonna kill us
So we gotta kill them first
But I remember a commandment
Thou shall not kill
How much is that soldier’s life worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth

(Bridge)
And the bewildered herd is still believing
Everything we’ve been told from our birth
Hell they won’t lie to me
Not on my own damn TV
But how much is a liars word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth

So I guess it’s just
Do unto others before they do it to you
Let’s just kill em’ all and let God sort em’ out
Is this what God wants us to do

(Repeat Bridge)
And the bewildered herd is still believing
Everything we’ve been told from our birth
Hell they won’t lie to me
Not on my own damn TV
But how much is a liars word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth

Now you probably won’t hear this on your radio
Probably not on your local TV
But if there’s a time, and if you’re ever so inclined
You can always hear it from me
How much is one picker’s word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth

But don’t confuse caring for weakness
You can’t put that label on me
The truth is my weapon of mass protection
And I believe truth sets you free

(Bridge)
And the bewildered herd is still believing
Everything we’ve been told from our birth
Hell they won’t lie to me
Not on my own damn TV
But how much is a liars word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth

That’s the question of the day, the month, and for the next year. As we celebrate the end of 2003, let’s vow to make 2004 a turning-point year. Check out Mediachannel’s front page for my thoughts on the way forward. A check to Mediachannel will keep us alive. Thanks for being with us and for us this year.

And, media folks, take the the words of James E. Shelledy under advisement: “Journalists are obligated to question and to critique, to magnify weak voices and to comfort the afflicted, to tell the truth as we see it, to challenge the powerful, to be skeptical of pronouncements, especially those from sources we respect or whose ideals we personally endorse.”

Send me your media hopes for the year ahead. One paragraph each, please. Write dissector@mediachannel.org.