Why "Christmas in Fallujah" is Miserably Inaccurate

Cass Dillon: With his hipster clothing, long hair, and lack of comprehension of Iraq, he makes an excellent spokesman for the troops!







Recently, Billy Joel teamed up with hipster Cass Dillon to release a song "Christmas in Fallujah". The Boston Hearld wrote a blurb about it, and you can see the Youtube video here. While I think their heart is in the right place since the proceeds from the song are going to "Homes for our Troops", I can't help but criticize the ridiculous lyrics of the song.

It’s Evening In the Desert, I’m Tired and I’m cold, But I’m just a solder, I do what I am told

We Came with the Crusaders, to save the holy land, It’s Christmas In Fallujah, and no one gives a damn

And I just got your letter, And this is what I read you said, I’m fading from your memory, so I’m just as good as dead

We are the armies of the empire, We are the legionnaires of Rome, It’s Christmas In Fallujah, and we ain’t never coming home

We came to bring these people freedom, we came to fight the infidel, there is no justice in the desert, Because there is no god in hell

They say osama’s in the mountains, deep in a cave near Pakistan, But there’s a sea of blood in Baghdad, A sea of oil in the sand

Between the Tigris and Euphrates, another day comes to an end, it’s Christmas In Fallujah, Peace on earth goodwill to men

it’s Christmas In Fallujah, hallelujah hallelujah(hoorah) (The self-righteous yodeling goes on for some time after this...)

Okay, where to begin. First off, if the song was supposed to be about somewhere violent and grief-stricken, I would recommend finding a city in Iraq that has not seen a decline in violence for a consecutive 11 months. Don't take my word for it, read Michael Totten's first-hand account of the city. Second off, I'm not sure where this "crusaders" and "legionnaires of Rome" business is coming from. The US military personnel in Anbar province wear uniforms that clearly state they are members of the United States Armed Forces. I have yet to see someone with the big Knights of Templar cross emblazoned on their IBA. Third, the Youtube synopsis commends the song with "Hats off to these two for being brave enough to use their talent in a positive way!" Ahem, don't you think you should be giving credit to the brave men and women who are actually in Fallujah? As much respect as I have for the piano man Billy Joel, I would not categorize him as "brave" amongst the context of people who got shot at on a daily basis from 2004-2006. Fourth, why does this song have to be so politically biased? Can't celebrities with all their "good will" just do something nice for people without promoting their ill-informed agenda. Fifth, the song is really god-awful, I'll take "Captain Jack" any day of the week, but not this drivel.