I watched part of a movie the other day called Eye In The Sky, starring Helen Mirren
and the late Alan Rickman, and it dealt with the complicated issues surrounding
the rules of military engagement for drone attacks. Collateral damage is of
course the major concern, and as accurate as some of these attacks may be,
there is usually collateral damage. My first reaction, when I turned the movie
on, was that I wasn’t interested in seeing another movie about war, but this
one captured my interest. What amazed me most was the depiction of the state of
the art surveillance technology currently available. In the movie, there were
two spy drones used, one was in the shape of a small bird and the other looked
like a beetle. I don’t know if these devices exist in the real world, but the
remote controlled beetle employed nanotechnology and was small enough to avoid
detection. In one scene, the operator flew the beetle into a house to spy on
terrorists. It gives new meaning to the expression “big brother is watching.”
After watching the movie, I was curious to
consult the ever-reliable internet for information about drone attacks carried
out by the U.S. By most accounts, President Obama has authorized more drone
attacks than any other U.S president, and while the general understanding is
that the use of drones saves lives, in fact what is not clear is the collateral
damage. Depending on which spin doctor I consult the estimates range between 2%
and 25%. The older I get the more out of touch I feel I am with what is going
on in the world. I suppose I never really knew, but I used to believe what I
heard on the news, and thus convinced myself I was informed. These days, with
our President elect tweeting like a spoiled child, and the seeming
fragmentation of the European Union, I am more apprehensive. War these days
looks a little different than it did a few decades ago. Now, I’m going to be
looking everywhere for hidden cameras.
For the past several months, I have been
imploring people who listen to my radio show Lyrical Workers and to send me their song requests. Up until last
week, the response has been weak. I’ve had the odd suggestions from friends and
family, but not a lot of interest. This past week, I decided to post a
photograph of Chuck Berry from my late brother-in-law’s photo collection, and
with that photo I made another request for song suggestions. So far I’ve had
eight requests and there are still four days until show time. I’ll be looking
for bizarre Christmas songs as the day draws near. Final music notes: Just received the mastered copies of two
songs I recorded with producer/ singer/songwriter James Gray, and I am very
pleased with the results. I think I will release them to Hunters Bay Radio
soon, and hopefully they will broadcast them. As with all of my music, I haven’t
really pushed it in the general marketplace. My feeling is that my music will
simply get lost in the ever increasing pile of music no one has time to hear. For
the time being, my CD is available at the HBR station, or through me. I am
fortunate to have a songwriter-friendly radio station in my community, and I
choose to give all the proceeds from the sale of the CD to Hunters Bay Radio. If
there is any wider interest in my songs great, but for now, I am content if my
music helps to shine a light on this great little radio station. This Thursday
night, before my show, Christina Hutt, local singer/songwriter, has asked me to
accompany her when she performs live on the radio from 6-7pm. Then a week
Friday, I’ll be playing the Burk’s Falls 3rd Friday Coffee House. Woohoo,
Nashville, here I come!
- Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2016 ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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