I'm not sure if I can phrase it clearly...but I was struck by one thing: both of my currently favourite music acts, Suzanne Vega and R.E.M., are performing in these days for one of the (many?) "..for Change" organizations in the USA.... of course a change is urgently needed! And of course I'm happy to see them doing so much to make it happen, and I'm happy to see that **once more** they deserve all my admiration not only for their music and talent, but also for their committment to such (world) relevant issues.

Thank you, Suzanne, and thank you to the Admin for letting us know.

Miki

my deepest thank you to suzanne is twofold: first, for acknowledging a need for change by joining this concert, and second, but most importantly, because it just makes so much sense that her music should be heard and understood at this very particular time.

i wrote recently, regarding the song "big space", that the aim, whatever it might be, behind every suzanne vega song, is important, but, even more important than that, is what is *done* - the (re)actions, the movement - to eventually achieve that aim, or not.

"some things just don't get through
into this world, although they try"

this change might not get through, but we must try, and that's what matters the most, and what ultimately defines us.

love,
fátima

Good on you, Suzanne.

And Catherine ... you jammy dodger Enjoy it on behalf of all of us!

Love, Stella x

at this point i would like to offer prayers for the Bigley family in Liverpool.

Yes, James, absolutely. There are no words to convey the horror of what has happened to those poor three men. I am so thoroughly sickened by today's news, as I know we all are, and devastated to think that such cruelty is possible in this supposedly civilised age. What on earth is happening to this world? How is it that such disgusting atrocities can occur? God help us all.

I'm with you on this, James. My condolences to his family. My prayers for him.
GG

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“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward

From me too. Condolences and prayers. Violence in any form is not acceptable. And I put much
responsibility on some stupid, stubborn leaders about these shocking outcomes. Also about the recent bomb explosions in Egypt and France. If these on top were sober enough, there might be a lot fewer of these, -or perhaps none.
A kind of human approach is necessary to find some solution. Army intervention and such don't lead anywhere, just oil to the fire.
Sadly,my country ,Hungary was also recently mentioned by an Al-Queda leader in a video message as possible target about attacks. Via our yes-line government here we have managed to 'achieve' this (csak így tovább...,'lendülettel'...- fuck!).
Hoping that threat won't be realized. There should be leaders in position having a universal respect, responsibility and care about each other.
Z

In Britain, our right wing (both press and politicians) are animated by a desire to have us leave the European Union. Some go so far as to suggest that we should join the Dollar zone rather than the Euro zone.

Extending this idea gives rise to the following thought: In Britain we have American bases, our foreign policy under both Labour and Conservative governments is determined by the US, our 'independent' nuclear deterrent requires US codes to be launched, our economic cycle is more closely alligned to the US than Europe and we are both the biggest overseas investor in and the bigggest recipient of overseas investment from, the US.

So why not go the full way, abandon the monarchy, reverse our earlier imperialism and join the Union as the 51st State?

Then I could vote for Kerry.

Because all the really good looking girls would still go out with the guys from Mohawk, because they've got all the money.

thank you Suzanne.

Dear Ms. Vega:

It is a great disappointment you have entered the politic fray. Significant art of any type is a timeless examination of humanity. When you affix your self to a transient ideology, you tie yourself to one point in time and become irrelevant to the future. I saw your concert in Broward and you did not play Men in a War, which seemed reasonable. It is unfortunate that you have limited the audience for your performances by tying your work to a political candidate. Please consider me a former lifelong fan and know I am not alone in this sentiment.

RB

Actually, it seems to me that art, timeless or not, is always rooted in the time and place it springs from (Michelangelo didn't appear to have tried too hard to divorce his work from European Catholicism); and also that, as many of us saw on 9/11, you can ignore the world around you all you want, but that doesn't mean it won't come crashing down on top of you.

And so if Suzanne thinks there is a danger that her daughter will grow up in a world marked by ceaseless war, multicolored terror alerts, poverty, hopelessness, ignorance and growing inequality, all of it worsened by foolish, blundering, perhaps criminally negligent national leadership, maybe she decided to do something to try to change that. (I can't read her mind; I'm just speculating.) Maybe she values that more highly than the danger that a few fans won't be able to tolerate opinions other than their own.

It is unfortunate that you have limited your ability to appreciate timeless art through your allegiance to a transient ideology.

-- Bob

P.S. Want some wood?

“It is unfortunate that you have limited the audience for
your performances by tying your work to a political candidate”

I don’t know if Suzanne’s choice will cause a real limitation of the audience. What I know is that (if possible) I esteem her more, now that she has decided to support the Kerry/Edwards fundraiser. But I want to be clear: it’s not because we think in the same way, but because she had the courage to take up a definite position, in a moment in which could be easier to keep silent.
I don’t think she cares at all about the (improbable?) limitation of the audience.

Maybe Suzanne herself will write few lines on this.

Thanks again Suzanne,
Gianluca.

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“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward

this was written directly to suzanne, so, if she sees fit, she will say something about it. i totally agree with bob, and i would just like to add one more thing: suzanne's work is political to the bone, in the sense that it has always been rooted in the claim for or assertion of freedom of all sorts and of everyone.

one's freedom begins with the respect of that of others. it is so sad that you seem unable to respect suzanne's.

fátima