What's Going On?

What's going on? That's the title of this blog and the same question Marvin Gaye posed in his 1971 song (of the same title, remade in 2001 by contemporary singers) about political and social issues during the Vietnam War era that are still relevant in today's post 9/11, technology driven world. It was ranked the fourth greatest song of all time out of a list of 500 chosen by Rolling Stone magazine. That's how impactful it was.

The lyric:

"Oh, brother, brother, brother/There's far too many of you dying"

can be applied to the current Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq. Since 2003, according to the Washington Post, there have been 4,994 fatalities.

That's a small number compared to the 58,148 casualties in the Vietnam War. It's not about the statistics though. These men and women serving our country in all the different branches of the military are somebody's sister, brother, husband, wife, mother, father, and friend. They mean something to someone. They are missed everyday and have to readjust to the civilian world in their dual role as citizen-soldier when they come home. Their homecomings are emotional and bittersweet for soldiers and their families as captured in this video of soldiers coming home and arriving at Fort Dix, N.J. It's a reminder of how thankful we should be for their service.

I ask the same question that Marvin Gaye did 38 years ago: what's going on-in the news, in entertainment, in the world, in my life. I will try to incorporate music, articles, and videos into whatever topic I am blogging about because I believe that music is vital to society and that any song can be used to describe any topic. What can I say, I love music and welcome to what's going on!
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