Congratulations... thank you for clicking on this link.

It means you are an American person who cares about more than the Michael Jackson trial and The Runaway Bride.

Cool.

Well, there are songs I need to work on... and, about a hundred phone calls, emails and thoughts to sort through for this project I've taken on with some good friends... old and new.

Yesterday, I wrote briefly about an idea I'm kickin' around with some of these friends about a benefit concert that we'd like to put together for sometime soon.... maybe in September or October. Today, I'm gonna speak with some more great people... ordinary people like you and me... who might wanna help. Y'see... I've found that personally, as an artist and as a man, it's not enough for me to write songs and write articles in the "Forum" (message board) about the women and children who's lives are being destroyed everday in this nightmare of a war we started in Iraq... this historically ignorant, unAmerican, humanly indecent nightmare. I need to do more. I need to do... something. Well, what can I do? I'm a singer/songwriter. Hmmmm... a concert to raise money to go directly to helping these injured ordinary people. EVERY day, civilian fathers and sons, mothers and children... children... are not only being kiulled and horribly hurt, but they are all but being completrely ignore by the U.S. military, the Bush administration and therefore, the American public. (The DOD isn't even counting the Iraqi civilian casualties.) Here's the thing... I'm gonna need a lot of help from other ordinary people if we wanna do anything significant.

So, that's the idea..."Ordinary People... Helping Ordinary People"

Now, remember Gordon? I re-introduced you all to Gordon yesterday.

Quickly, again... he's a fascinating young man who, (Um... yeah... he's the one with the light hair.) ...even though he vehemently opposed the war and the false reasons we were given for prosecuting it, went to Iraq anyway and spent a year there helping ordinary people. He also spent time in Aghanistan to help the ordinary people with their election process. He and his girlfriend, Consuelo, have lived extraordinary lives in the past few years. They still have many friends and collegues who are still there as civilians, when nearly everyone else pulled out.(That kind of commitment always touches something in me.)

I was introduced to Gordon last year over the internet by his Mom who comes out to Central Park to hang out on "The Hill". Gordon and I started emailing back and forth a little, and he became our unofficial correspondent in that part of the world for a while. (Gordon's also got a brother, Lee, who is in the Marines right now.)

Anyway, Gordon's back in the states now.

In my life, I guess there's been a kind of convergence. Y'see, getting to know of him, even just a little (we still have never met in person!) combined with the recent news last month about Marla Ruzicka...

...and the work that her group CIVIC, and groups like it are doing in that war-torn country also touched my spirit in a very powerful way, as well.

Past update about Marla Ruzicka

(Please take a minute to click on and read the entire update above)

Anyway, so I thought...

...hey, I'm an ordinary person.

Okay... let's help. Let's do something!

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Let's do something.

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Listen, I know that it takes time to catch your breath after you've been punched in the stomach. Many people all over this country felt like they were punched in the stomach in September, 2001 and again in November, 2004. I understand that completely. But, it's time to catch our breath and do something... and, feel good about it. It's entirely possible to have fun while you're doing something good. Y'know why?

Because you're doing something Good.

So... I'm gonna need your help.

As this thing develops, I'm gonna be asking ordinary people to help in extraordinary ways... to do some good, okay?

"Ordinary People". Helping Ordinary People.

I'll be back with more. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Some time very soon, why don't you go into the "Forum" (message board) and let us know how you feel about all of this!

(OKAY... AHA! NOW GO BACK AND CLICK ON THAT LINK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAGE ABOUT MARLA RUZICKA! OKAY?)

Thanks for everything.