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They will not be listed as casualties of war\r\nTheir photos will not appear in the newspapers among the war dead\r\nTheir names will not be engraved\r\nUpon monuments in small towns across America\r\nHonoring those who made the supreme sacrifice\r\n\r\nThey will not be called American Heroes\r\n\r\nNo, those poor folk lying dead\r\nIn the polluted waters of New Orleans\r\nWill be remembered as those poor folks\r\nMaybe even those poor Black folks\r\nOr, more likely, those poor victims of a natural disaster\r\n\r\nMasters of deceit don\'t want us to connect the dots or deaths\r\n\r\nIsn\'t it just too bad what happened to them?!\r\nHow tragic! How awful! But what can you do?\r\nHow can you help people who won\'t help themselves?\r\nWhy didn\'t they leave\r\nLike they were ordered to do\r\nBefore the hurricane hit?\r\nGotta shoot those looters!\r\nBesides, since when do Black citizens have any rights\r\nThat Government is bound to respect?\r\nGotta kill those terrorists!\r\nWe need to fight them over there before they hit us over here\r\n\r\nAd nauseum\r\n\r\nIn New Orleans, it was the old ordeal:\r\nRacism was delivered, and racism was denied\r\nIn Baghdad, it was more body bags:\r\nRich man\'s war, and a poor man\'s fight\r\n\r\nIn both, truth became the first casualty\r\nIn both, the invisible in life became visible in death:\r\nThe cannon fodder became heroes\r\nAnd the nobodies became statistics\r\n\r\nNow, in death, they count\r\nThat is at least something\r\nBut it is not enough, not by a long shot\r\n\r\nThe count that would really make a difference\r\nBetween life and death\r\nIs yet to be taken\r\n\r\nIt is that long list of counts on an indictment\r\nAgainst those responsible for this organized murder\r\nAnd those masters of disasters\r\nWho left the penniless in New Orleans defenseless\r\nAnd who wage war without end and without truth in Iraq\r\n\r\nYour numbers are up -\r\n\r\nCounts 1-2000:\r\nYou lied, and some 2000 Americans in uniforms died in Iraq\r\nCounts 2000-4000+:\r\nYou lied, and some 2000 Americans in rags died in New Orleans\r\n\r\nYour time is up -\r\n\r\nA storm of righteous anger is brewing in the hearts of Americans\r\nAnd this time those below contempt\r\nNot below sea level and the poverty line\r\nWill be swept from power