long distance dedication

These are the lyrics to the song "Don't Drink the Water" by the Dave Matthews Band. I have heard that it was written from the perspective of the White Colonial Settler as he is taking land from the Native Americans. Tonight it is dedicated to the people of Palestine and Iraq. Anyone with any reflections?

Come out come out
No use in hiding
Come now come now
Can you not see?
There's no place here
What were you expecting
Not room for both
Just room for me
So you will lay your arms down
Yes I will call this home
Away away
You have been banished
Your land is gone
And given me
And here I will spread my wings
Yes I will call this home
What's this you say
You feel a right to remain
Then stay and I will bury you
What's that you say
Your father's spirit still lives in this place
I will silence you
Here's the hitch
Your horse is leaving
Don't miss your boat
It's leaving now
And as you go I will spread my wings
Yes I will call this home
I have no time to justify to you
Fool you're blind, move aside for me
All I can say to you my new neighbor
Is you must move on or I will bury you
Now as I rest my feet by this fire
Those hands once warmed here
I have retired them
I can breathe my own air
I can sleep more soundly
Upon these poor souls
I'll build heaven and call it home
'Cause you're all dead now
I live with my justice
I live with my greedy need
I live with no mercy
I live with my frenzied feeding
I live with my hatred
I live with my jealousy
I live with the notion
That I don't need anyone but me
Don't drink the water
Don't drink the water
There's blood in the water
Don't drink the water

checking in

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth (yet). Last week I had to push hard and finish my intesive Hebrew class. After I turned in my final grammatical analysis on Wednesday I took a two day nap, waking up just long enough to watch Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Then on Friday Jenn and I went to Tennessee to spend the weekend with some of her old college friends on the lake. Still very sore from water-skiing (more from the falling than the actual skiing). This is how we spent our one year anniversary (yes... it has been one year, and loving it).

And now I am sitting in the Lexington Airport preparing to fly back to Dallas for an unplanned two week trip home. My dad went back to Egypt on business last week (depsite his health), leaving my mom alone with my grandmother (she's 95). Well, two days ago my grandmother's health took a downward turn, and my mother starts back to school tomorrow (she's a special ed teacher). So my mom asked me to fly home and help her with Granny until my dad gets back from the Middle East.

And while we're on the subject of family issues, please be in prayer for my cousin Nathal and his family in Iraq. He is an Iraqi Army vet who came out of retirement to help build Iraqi security, and is now serving as a general. He and his family were threatened for working with the United States, and so he sent his wife and kids to Syria for safety.

And while we're on the subject of the Middle East... well, let me get to Dallas first. Stay tuned.