Listen, children, to a story
That was written long ago
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley-folk below
… On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath the stone
And the valley-people swore
They'd have it for their very own
… Go ahead and hate your neighbor
Go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of heaven
You can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgment day
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away
… So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill
Asking for the buried treasure
Tons of gold for which they'd kill
… It came an answer from the mountain
With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of our mountain
All the riches buried there
… Go ahead and hate your neighbor
Go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of heaven
You can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgment day
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away
… Now the valley cried with anger
"Mount your horses! Draw your sword!"
And they killed the mountain-people
So they won their just reward
… Now they stood beside the treasure
On the mountain, dark and red
Turned the stone and looked beneath it
"Peace on Earth" was all it said
… Go ahead and hate your neighbor
Go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of heaven
You can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgment day
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away
… Go ahead and hate your neighbor
Go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of heaven
You can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgment day
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Brian Potter / Dennis Earle Lambert
One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack) lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc
d.: Hi, Cal.E., what’s going on?
C.: I need your opinion on something. Should I watch this television program or not?
Caution: this program contains gratuitous sex and violence, as well as cruelty to animals and children. No one under the age of eighteen should watch this program
d.: Why do you ask, Cal.E., your way over eighteen!
C.: In human years, but not in real years.
d.: You have a point. Maybe you shouldn’t watch that program.
C.: But I hate to miss the six o’clock news! I always watch it before I go to work.
d.: Oh, this isn’t a scripted show?
C.: No, I never watch those.
d.: (And the news isn’t scripted to slant our opinions in the direction the newscasters want us to think?) Well, it’s up to you, Cal.E. I stopped watching the news years ago, and Eudora will quickly change the channel when I walk into the room if she’s watching the news.
C.: Why?
d.: Because I get upset by the opinions given by the newscasters. Most people don’t realize that’s what the newscasters do now, give their opinions. One commentary stated that the real news ended when Roger Mudd retired. I think it ended before that…
C.: When?
d.: When Walter Cronkite retired.
C.: Who was he?
d.: The most trusted television newscaster of all time. He was so trusted that he was often referred to as “Uncle Walter.” Although “Uncle Walter” was a die-in-the-wool liberal in his personal life, one would never know that from watching his newscasts. He was the epitome of a professional newscaster, which is a dying (or already dead) breed.
C.: So, if these newscasters are just stating their opinions, and not facts, whom should I believe when it comes to local and world events?
d.: I read the newspaper every day, but that’s a little slanted as well. However, when seeing the words on the page, it’s sometimes easier to tell the way the story is slanted.
When I was in college and nursing school, I always read the textbook if my instructor wrote it. That way, I knew how to answer the questions on a test. I could tell which way the instructor leaned in his or her personal life. It shouldn’t spill over into one’s professional life, but it often does.
C.: So when I looked you up on the internet, d.c., you were described as a “conservative author.” Is that true?
d.: For the most part, yes. I don’t think that there is a real conservative political party in this century, though. Both sides try to lean to the middle, and end up not having any real convictions.
I don’t favor one party over the other, I usually just vote for the best candidate for the office that’s being voted on. That’s why I term myself an “independant.”
C.: So newscasters are trying to influence us to think and vote a certain way?
d.: Yes.
C.: Is that legal?
d.: It is, if the person is working for a for-profit entity. Most television stations and networks fit that description. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be in business.
C.: What about newspapers?
d.: Most of them are for-profit organizations as well…
C.: So, the newspapers are as bad as the t.v. commentators?
d.: Sometimes they are. If you understand that almost all news reporters lean one way with their opinions, you can take their commentaries with a grain of salt. That will help you make up your own mind.
C.: Well, I guess I have a few months to make up my mind about whom to vote for in the next election. That’s confusing on this planet.
d.: How do y’all decide who your leaders are on POTT-C?
C.: Cat fights.
d.: So, the winner of the cat fight is the elected official?
C.: No, it’s the loser.
d.: Why would the loser be put into office?
C.: Because, d.c., it’s a horrible job. Who would want to decide the fate of a whole country or planet? One wrong decision may destroy the planet as we know it. No one wants to be blamed for that!
d.: I guess we really are from different worlds.
C.:(Heavy sigh). That’s all the time we have for today. Please join us tomorrow for another stimulating episode of Cal.E.’s Korner.