Music video: Something appropriate for our times

Back in the hippy-dippy `60s, I was a member of the folk-song army. Well, not a member, exactly. More like a camp follower. I loved the songs of protest and/or solidarity, and sang them lustily. Hey, I did a lot of things lustily back then. 

But I didn't subscribe to the political sentiment of such songs as "Whose Side Are You On?" or "We Shall Overcome". And you could write your own lyrics for songs of general protest like "We Shall Not Be Moved" and (my favourite) "Solidarity Forever".

There was one song, however that almost no-one could disagree with. It was written in 1949 and became a big hit for the Kingston Trio as early as 1955. "The Merry Little Minuet" pretty much encapsulated the state of the world in the early `60s, when I was at skule. And you know what? After six decades of "Give Peace A Chance", the world is just the same today... maybe even worse. 

Feel free to substitute your own lyrics. You could begin with "They're dropping bombs on Is-ra-el..." It's hard to rhyme "Muslims" or "Hamas", but "Jews", "Iran", "war" and "more" are easy. If you come up with something half-way brilliant, you could sing it at whichever demonstration -- anti-Israel or anti-Palestine -- you choose to attend. Or maybe not. It won't help.

"We are not as divided as we seem." Right??!!??

Do you believe that? Does anyone believe that? Does even the Prez believe that? Before we all get in a circle and start singing "Kumbaya", let us consider...

The Democrats are divided. Will the Sanderistas really hold their noses and vote for Hellery?
The Republicans are divided. Can Trump find any credible, moderate conservative to be his V-P nominee?
The Catholics are divided. Modernists vs fundamentalists. (Let us pray for those who hold to the Faith of our fathers.)
The Muslims are divided. Or so they claim. "Moderate Muslims" vs Islamic jihadists.
The British are divided. Europhiles vs Eurosceptics (= Brexiteers).
The Europeans are divided. Refugees, asylum-seekers and other immigrants vs white, Christian, native-born.
Everybody 's divided! The LGBTQ2SIetc "community" vs normal (male and female) people. Which toilet should I use??
No matter who you are, or who you think you are, you're being forced, nowadays, to take sides. "We are not divided" is the veriest bullshit!

Walt is reminded of "The Merry Minuet" (popularized by the Kingston Trio, back in the daze).

They're rioting in Africa
They're starving in Spain
There's hurricanes in Florida and Texas needs rain
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls
The French hate the Germans
The Germans hate the Poles
Italians hate Yugoslavs
South Africans hate the Dutch
And I don't like anybody very much!

But we can be tranquil and thankful and proud
For man's been endowed
With a mushroom shaped cloud
And we know for certain that some lucky day
Someone will set the spark off
And we will all be blown away!

Walt thinks the spark was set off in Britain on June 23rd, and in America last week. The fire is smoldering, and we will be very lucky to avoid a terrible conflagration.