If you’re expecting to hear something funny, you might as well be reading Mad Magazine or the Sunday funnies, cuz this week’s musing, as Molly said to Fibber, “T’aint funny McGee.” Well, you know what they say, War is Heck, or something to that effect.

You know, it amazes me that our country keeps on getting involved in foreign wars, in which we inevitably end up losing. I think you know which ones I’m referring to. Excuse me, let me rephrase that, one doesn’t end a phrase with a preposition. What I meant to say is that I think you know the ones to which I’m referring.

So, we’ve got these senseless ground wars going on in Ukraine and Israel, both of which are fueled by bullies on both sides, and now we have politicians wanting to spend endless billions of dollars to help these bullies carry out their brutal warfare, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and which, if carried out, will result in tens of thousands more deaths at a time when our country is on the brink of insolvency and tens of thousands of veterans                                                                                         are still suffering from the effects, both physical and mental, of previous wars.

Come and sing a simple song of freedom, sing it like you’ve never sung before. Let it fill the air, tell the people everywhere, we the people here don’t want a war. (“Simple Song of Freedom” – Bobby Darin – 1969)

Now, that’s some pretty heady stuff for a guy who’s best known for singing “Splish Splash” and “Mack the Knife.” Darin dared to perform this song on the Smothers Brothers TV show at the height of the Vietnam incursion. (It was never a declared war.) Consequently, the Smothers Brothers Show was cancelled by CBS, reportedly at the behest of President Nixon.

There was a popular saying that was seen on signs and posters when the country was at war back in the 60s and it goes like this: “War is not healthy for children and other living things.” Sad, but true. There is another little ditty that has been popular for centuries and can be found in the Bible. It goes like this: “Thou shalt not kill.”

Hopefully, our country will not be drawn into this melee as a participant, but even helping to finance it or supply weapons of warfare is a terrible thing. Either of these scenarios are terrible since wars can and do tend to escalate and get out of control. There’s also the possibility that someone will let the genie out of the bottle, and we will all be blown to smithereens. That would be very bad, indeed.

No doubt some folks enjoy doin’ battle like presidents, prime ministers and kings, so let’s build them shelves so they can fight among themselves. Come and sing a simple song of freedom, sing it like you’ve never sung before. Let it fill the air, tell the people everywhere we the people here don’t want a war.

Keep it flyin’,

Uncle Mott