September/October 2003 Issue

Combat Rock

Whether it is to psych themselves up or break prisoners down, American troops and law-enforcement agents have a somewhat discordant record of deploying music for martial ends.

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Whether it is to psych themselves up or break prisoners down, American troops and law-enforcement agents have a somewhat discordant record of deploying music for martial ends.


SONG OR ARTIST USED BY GOAL RESULT INSIDE DOPE
“Ride of the Valkyries” by Richard Wagner U.S. infantry, Ramidi, Iraq, June 21, 2003 Get pumped up Apocalypse Now-style before a raid Raised specter of Vietnam-type quagmire And we thought only fictional GIs liked the Ring cycle.
Themes to Barney, Sesame Street; “Enter Sandman” by Metallica U.S. Army Psy-Ops Company, Iraq, June 2003 Interrogate prisoners about the whereabouts of WMDs WMDs still MIA It’s not easy being fedayeen.
Celine Dion, Sheryl Crow, Dixie Chicks U.S.”Commando Solo” planes, broadcasting tunes and propaganda into Iraq, spring 2003 Persuade Iraqis they had “nothing to fear” from U.S. invasion Society unprepared for assault of Titanic theme song devolves into looting “I’m sure she would be happy to do anything to help,” said Dion’s spokesperson. Crow, Chicks less sure.
“Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses, as well as Hendrix, Quiet Riot, etc. 4th Psy-Ops Group, Vatican Embassy, Panama City, December 1989 Force Manuel Noriega to leave Vatican Embassy, where he’d taken refuge A lifelong opera lover, the Pineapple surrenders. “We received a note from the nuncio protesting either the loudness of the music or the quality, I’m not sure which,” a U.S. official said.
“These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” by Nancy Sinatra, “Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus FBI, Waco, Texas, March 19, 1993 Get David Koresh and his followers to leave Waco compound FBI later admits sleep-deprived Davidians may actually have been more susceptible to Koresh as a result. Koresh’s own recordings, like “Sheshonahim,” more in singer/songwriter/ megalomaniac mode
“Rock the Casbah” by The Clash U.S. Armed Forces Radio, Saudi Arabia, 1990 Kickoff to Gulf War I GIs proceed to rock Iraq and roll into Kuwait. Still asking ourselves, Should we stay or should we go?

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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