‘Fly Free’ song download – 75% to Ukraine and Gaza

 'Fly Free'.  What is that?

When I was a young child, my Grandad told me 'Freedom is not free' as he smoked by the coal fire watching his football on black and white TV. I heard him but had no idea what he was talking about. I now realise the idea of freedom is not fully understood by a child and even sometimes disregarded by adults who are free.

Grandad served in the RAF in World War II, stationed at RAF Henlow in the R&D section of the parachute test unit. RAF Henlow is one of only five RAF stations existing in 1918 that still remain open today.  During those war years, RAF Henlow was the home of the parachute testing unit and played an important part in the Battle of Britain by assembling and repairing Hawker Hurricanes damaged during the Battle. The defensive victory of the Battle of Britain in 1940 helped keep many people in this and other countries free.

The real heroes of the Battle of Britain are the young men who flew the fighter planes, who normally did not survive more than a week or two. The Supermarine Spitfire is another 'hero', being faster and more manoeuvrable then than everything else. One unsung 'hero' was the Hurricane aeroplane (commonly mistaken for a Spitfire). The Hurricane was the first RAF monoplane, first production plane to top 300 mph, and very different in design to a Spitfire. A Hurricane was constructed mostly of doped Irish linen covering an outer wooden frame (vs. Spitfires which had metal outer 'skins').

But both planes were powered by the same unmistakable V12 Rolls-Royce Merlin engine (named after the Merlin, small falcon bird of prey). The more glamorous, 'golden poster boy' Spitfire is commonly credited with the victory in the Battle of Britain, but more than half the invading enemy planes destroyed in the Battle were defeated using Hurricanes (not Spitfires!) The Hurricane was a reliable workhorse and could take more damage than a Spitfire. It was easier to take off and land in, and quicker to repair. The Spitfire may well have been the best aircraft in most outright performance stakes, but the Hurricane in any dogfight could even outturn the Luftwaffe's Messerschmidt 109, which was the nemesis of both RAF planes.

Without the Hurricane in World War II  .  .   .    .      .

As that young boy, nosing around my Grandparents' house in Cobholm, Norfolk, I once found part of a broken parachute and asked my Grandad, as he tinkered with a wooden model plane in his shed, if he had been a para trooper. He 'shrugged it off' and the only clue I ever had from him was a cryptic, It was made out of your Grandma's silkie drawers, and his Sergeant had told him he was much too precious to jump out of a plane with a parachute. But he was only allowed to travel inside a parachute! (Yes, enough to puzzle and confuse any child for a lifetime 🙂 . Ironically though, he was telling me a truth.)

My Grandad was a professional cabinet maker after the war and wasn't one to talk 'much' about what he had done. He was also a serial offender at what we used to call 'pulling someone's leg', where he would tell me things like, I could easily catch any bird I wanted, just by putting salt on its tail. (If only it was that easy! And my Mum was not pleased at having to buy large quantities of extra salt 🙂 .)

I now live close to Henlow, quite near to Stotfold with my Wife, where my Grandparents lived during World War II when Grandad was stationed and served at RAF Henlow. It is a place on the edge of the Chiltern Hills where the ground is hard and stoney and there are large birds of prey (Buzzards and Kites mainly) 'flying free', effortlessly roaming the skies. Henlow or 'henna hlaw' in Old English, as mentioned in the Domesday Book, means 'Hill of Birds'. I cannot think that observing, listening to, and photographing these wild birds flying free over miles of open countryside has not had some influence on this song.

The song, 'Fly Free' was written and recorded in 2005, and as of the start of April 2024, it is the only recording and nobody apart from me has ever heard it!  (Yes strange, and it was meant to stay that way.)

I wrote the lyrics, played all instruments including drums, sang all vocals on the track. It was recorded once on antiquated equipment on a day it was quieter. (My Mum and Grandmother liked music and were quite gifted in that sense, but unfortunately my late Dad was a coercive, controlling and conniving 'character' and even objected aggressively when I tried once to send my Mum some of my 'musical efforts' on CD. He was the kind of Dad who would prevent my Mum and find a reason not to come to you doing 'quite well' when asthmatic in the 800m final at senior school sports day.  But those days are long gone now, 'that was yesterday.') I Learnt and played much on my Grandma's piano in Cobholm at a very early age. (The bass notes sounded terrible and 'out of tune' to me and the piano had survived, although drenched by the North Sea flood that battered Yarmouth in 1953 with thousands of homes destroyed and many killed. My Grandma and Grandad had to go upstairs and others had to climb on their roofs to survive.) I think I have always remembered the disturbing, haunting tone of those damaged piano bass notes (and maybe I still used them). The upper scale keys were fine though.

I have written several songs for musical or personal reasons and never released any of them. Of all of them, 'Fly Free' was the song I disliked most. It distressed and exhausted me to write and perform. A song like that should not need to be written or sung. In 'the thick' of creating it, it made me feel down and I broke a keyboard when writing and recording the song. I know a keyboard 'is a percussion' instrument and should 'rightly be bashed', but I use it for guitars and drums too.  (It obviously had some 'special attention' that day!) For example: the percussive, ordnance-like drum sound was 'thrashed out by hand' on keyboard. All percussive sounds are raw/basic including toms detuned by ear, snare, and the initial 'arrow-like' opening sound is actually a reversed cymbal. i.e. sampled backwards but then played live by keyboard.

Like most of us, I have never experienced 'live gun fire in anger'. (Only 303 blank fire during some military training.) So it is impossible for me to fully comprehend. This created some dilemma in terms of the song, as percussion is an important part of any track and music nearly always has a regular beat.  But live fire, artillery, bombing attacks and ricochets have shocking and unpredictable 'rhythms'. And I have no doubt if being assaulted, that normal rhythms do not apply and the perceived timescales and tones of normal life get warped.

I now realise the percussion elements for the verses manually laid down by my hands are complex. A 'regularly circulating irregular rhythm' (if I were to try to put it into any 'box') and quite a contrast to the standard 2/4 marching-type rhythm of the chorus. However, the approach when creating the song was to quickly try and tell the reoccurring story by whatever means then available and just leave it at that. I also do not like 'explaining a song', but realise some people may appreciate some background and It could help raise money for the good causes.

So 'Fly Free' is far from another 'happy classic song' you would 'boogie out to'.  But a raw, stripped-back, blues-type story, prediction (or warning even) related to a real recurring problem. On deciding more recently in 2023 (nearly 20 years too late!) that the original song recording from 2005 should maybe be heard, I then added a simplistic/rough video to help tell one possible interpretation of the story within the song. (You get that included in the download.) The video interpretation is with respect to the attack on Ukraine. The latest attacks on tens of thousands of innocent people in Gaza had not yet then occurred. (To be clear: This 'timeless song' was written, performed and recorded in 2005 about a repeating problem that will not easily go away. Even if the injustices in Ukraine and Gaza are somehow solved, the overall encroaching problem I try to describe and communicate within the song will still remain for 'some time longer'.)

I think this song will mean different things to different people. It may be hated (I did), . . liked, cancelled, appreciated, objected to, or even blocked.  But if it raises some money for freedom in Ukraine and for the Palestinians in Gaza, then that is the important thing. I also think the song may be better appreciated without this waffly explanation of mine and video! (But 'there you go', you're here now 🙂 )

If you are interested in hearing the track and/or want to help all of us stand up against unprovoked aggression to democracies in Ukraine and Europe and to the injustices in Gaza as many Palestinians (mostly women and children) are being slaughtered and now 'carefully starved', then please help to donate by downloading. It may also help all of us have a better chance of remaining free from controlling autocrats and tyrants, whoever they are. And whether they start far away in some foreign land, or are now much closer to home. (It is clearly 'unelected', autocratic 'leaders' and authoritarian systems that rob people of their individual freedom.)

Dictatorship, Genocide and Apartheid is always wrong, wherever and whenever it occurs. And power commonly does corrupt. It is always a mistake to support or appease any bully or autocratic 'leader' in the hope he will stop, or that it may encourage him not to do even worse. We made that mistake with Hitler in World War II and it cost us many more lives. It is now the start of April 2024 and I am also mindful that it will soon be the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy Landings on 6th June later this year, remembering the largest seaborne invasion in history, and which helped defeat the Nazis' murderous police states, halt the genocidal extermination of the Jews, and liberate France and western Europe so we could then remain free. The D-Day invasion was spearheaded by US, British and Canadian troops. All these men are heroes and only a few percent of them or less in terms of living history are still alive now to recollect what happened.

So surely now could be a good time (instead of squabbling and making it more difficult for people who make their free choice not to be controlled by autocrats) for all good, free, like-minded people to closely cooperate in any way they can? I am completely sure that is what all those who served and died for us would have wanted.

All free nations and people owe their present freedom and democracy to D-Day. But now 'Freedom going forward' will be dependent on us.

I know I numerously mention 'he/him' here or within the song. But let's be straight: 'These types' are normally 'hims' who are really in charge when committing terrible acts. So let's call a 'man a man', if only because they are!  But perhaps more importantly, who is 'the real him' within this song?

Now two years into Putin's invasion, Ukraine in Europe needs to be fully supported with the very best military equipment, including more hefty and longer range munitions, but also effective jet aircraft air cover to enable Ukraine to 'Fly Free' and win a war they never chose. (Not just to loose more slowly! but to be able to get the essential 'job done'.) This is especially important now US Senate politicians have been squabbling and delaying over support still going to Ukraine. Perhaps these leaders of countries should as a priority always promptly stand up more clearly for the values they tell 'their' people they stand for? (Delay in support and in the delivery of munitions to Ukraine can only play more into the hands of Putin, and hence threaten all free people.)

If we leave Ukraine to bravely fight on 'with any arm behind their back', then that can only encourage the ex-KGB man, Putin (and other anti-democratic, 'full goose-stepping, Nazi types' of a similar ilk). Am I anti-Russian? Well, Russians helped defeat Nazism in World War II and that cannot be bad! But things are not quite that simple. And Gorbachev in the 1980's helped guide the Russian people then towards free social democracy and freedom. But as alluded to elsewhere within this piece, 'chameleon-like' leaders can sometimes 'pop up' to the detriment of their people and others, and then undo 'all the good work'. And then when others follow 'in that mode', many decent, democracy-loving, free people can suffer. (I.e. just because a country or even a leader once expressed a preference for freedom and democracy, certainly does not mean it will remain that way. Freedom needs constant vigilance.)

It is ironic that Putin (after saying he was not going to attack Ukraine when sending tanks there) has been claiming that the free democratic people of Ukraine are Nazis!  But that is what manipulative, authoritarian, psychopathic-types repeatedly do. They can appear reasonable and can 'quite convincingly' tell you that 'black is white'. And whenever they want to do something terrible, they commonly first create a false 'pretext' for it which is meant 'to justify' the following action.  (i.e. They are charming and can fool many until it is maybe too late. I would like to think that unless we were 'born on the top of a Xmas tree', it would not be a problem. But it clearly is a problem for all of us here.)

If Putin defeats Ukraine, he will not leave it there.

As a German pastor and poet once 'belatedly confessed', as written on Holocaust Memorials to the effect:

First they came for socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for trade unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me.

The unprovoked attack on Ukraine is already a war in Europe! And Gaza in many peoples' views is already another genocide, this time with the war crimes being perpetrated by Israel. That is 'as plain as day'. At this time of writing, it has been six months since the October 2023 Hamas terrorist attack and the US and UK states are still supplying most of the arms killing the very large numbers of Palestinians in Gaza. (No, in fact Germany when I checked has supplied even more military equipment to Israel than the UK.) Perhaps if these countries' leaderships were genuinely concerned (as they now say) about so many innocent people being killed in Gaza then they would stop being complicit by continuing to supply the large quantities of military equipment that are helping to kill those people?

The latest I see reported is that Israel, after killing hundreds of reporters and humanitarian volunteer aid workers since October 2023, are now killing more aid workers (including 'Brit', US-Canadian, Pole, Australian and Palestinian). This time fatally targeting a convoy of vehicles, clearly marked with a humanitarian aid charity logo, and when the volunteer aid workers were given specific permission by the IDF to be where they were. But apparently this is 'just another mistake', when most truck-aid has otherwise been consistently blocked and delayed by Israel. A one-off stray missile? (Well three separate, surgically-struck, targeted munitions.)

It is a 'well-trodden pattern', these munitions are targeted into civilian areas, and there will be many more 'mistakes'. I personally do not believe a word the Israelis say anymore.  And as for them properly investigating themselves  .   .    .     .

I realise it is me being disproportionate here since I should have first mentioned the tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children the Israeli's 'are proportionately killing' in Gaza.

It also concerns me that while very large numbers of citizens in the UK and US are calling for a cessation of killing in Gaza and peace, that the leaderships of these 'democratic countries' seem completely averse to it while focusing on cracking down on protest against the genocide. It looks like 'a disconnect' to me.

Unfortunately most countries do suffer from terrorist attacks. But when for example we have terrorists in London, we do not then 'flatten most of London' with its high population, killing huge numbers of innocent men, women and children, then spend weeks attacking hospitals containing the people who 'we' have not yet successfully killed, and then follow up by starving the population at large by blocking essential food and humanitarian aid getting in.

There is clearly also a pattern of Israel telling the Palestinians 'for their own safety' to move from A to B (and if only the alphabet were shorter), and then attacking B in various ways, as the Palestinian people are forced to move around, corralled within the only small strip of land that has not as yet been fully thieved from them (If ignoring the West bank, where Israel has been doing similar for a considerable time. Is now the right time to steal all of that land too?) I have not heard Ben Netanyahu or his 'war cabinet' saying anything about what he plans for Gaza this time around, but suspect I know and I think you too can guess by his 'stumm stance'.  He says he will kill and eradicate Hamas, but when he is predominantly killing innocent women and children and those trying to help those, or report what is going on. And how he is going to kill the leaders of Hamas is beyond me, since most of those are safe in Qatar!  I only see Netanyahu acting as an effective recruiting agent for other people who detest what he and his war cabinet, clearly on behalf of Israel are doing, at the same time as uniting decent people around the world against what the Israelis are doing.)

Yes everyone has a legitimate right to self defence. I completely believe in that when any entity attacks you and makes your life truly unbearable. But we also have to digest the fact that when any individual entity is attacked, the law is (and onus should always be) to defend and not then kill, especially not kill innocent friends and family, plus neighbours and 'countrymen' of the 'guilty party' (if the latter is guilty without trial). As for the moronic 'happy shooting kill zones', the Israelis clearly employ: It is no wonder they want to cancel open, transparent reporting! Their judgement is even so bad that they kill their own hostages, even when they appear waiving white flags! Wow. But I guess the Israelis may have thought they were just more innocent Palestinians holding white flags, and a 'mindless kill zone' is just that. So that would therefore 'explain it, and be legitimate'. (Human rights groups have documented numerous instances of Gazan civilians waiving white flags and then being shot by Israeli soldiers.)

I am appalled that both our UK government and its political opposition are so stupid (or maybe corrupt now?) to still support this totally disproportionate response by funding this type of behaviour.  It is completely unBritish and perhaps it is now time for a thorough cleanout and real change? I have to say, I have listened carefully to the arguments from some who 'pipe up' concerning why 'it is legitimate' for Israelis to attack the people in Gaza and why 'it is not right' to criticise them for doing so, including to the effect that: 'it is self defence', 'it is not the only genocide', 'you are just criticising us because we are Jews', .  .   .  and I am not convinced in any way by any of them. I am a fair-minded person, but can also see the facts and that the majority of these assertions come from people closely (or very closely) linked to Israelis in some way. People do see and really can tell what is going on.

I have to say that I do see parallels between the invasion of Gaza and the invasion of Ukraine. To my mind and opinion, both the 'leaderships' of the invaders are very autocratic and seem to do what they do (including murdering innocent people and stealing land) by subterfuge and not caring much about what others feel or think about it. They also have a high tendency to attempt to silence and/or censor (by whatever means) people and organisations who criticise them in any way, or who try to 'shed light' by risking their own lives to accurately report what is occurring.

These are obviously bad psychopathic traits. Yes both 'leaders' can seem charming to some or many, but clearly lack basic morals and judgement, and when 'under the hood' they are egotistical, narcissistic, aggressive, and violent in nature. To describe it in 'plain English' (please forgive me since I am that), these are the sorts of people who act as if they are above the laws and moral codes that most fair-minded people accept. To them, knowing what they want (however inappropriate and destructive to others) is the most, or only important thing.

These 'leaders' have both left us a pattern of 'clues along the way' as to their true damaging nature:

Netanyahu - has commonly opposed disengaging from occupying the Palestinians land in Gaza and the West Bank. He clearly has had a policy of expanding Israeli settlements into the West bank which is illegal under International Law. He has been indicted on charges related to bribery, breach of trust and fraud. And more recently Netanyahu's government has been accused of genocide when killing tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians. In 1997, Israeli police recommended he be indicted on corruption charges (influence-peddling) and in 1999 the Police recommended he be tried for a $100,000 corruption charge where he had received free services from a government contractor.

In terms of Netanyahu's judgement: in 2002  he testified that "There is no question whatsoever that Saddam is seeking and is working and is advancing towards the development of nuclear weapons – no question whatsoever", he said. "And there is no question that once he acquires it, history shifts immediately." In his testimony, Netanyahu also stated, "If you take out Saddam, Saddam's regime, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region."  (But we all know what happened there and how false it was.)

Is the same man applying similar false logic now to the innocent Palestinian people?

Benjamin Netanyahu seems to commonly resign upon any agreement towards peace, pulling Israel out of Gaza , or establishing a fair two-state solution. (That indicates to me he may have always been in favour of stealing and occupying by any means, the remainder of the Palestinian's land that is still left.)

Amongst many of Netanyahu's 'muddled falsities', he even claimed that the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem had given Adolf Hitter the idea for the Holocaust just before the second World War started. (It is Impossible, since the Muslim leader, Haj Amin al-Husseini did not even meet Hitler until about five months after the mass murder of the Jews had begun. Yes it is a mad and false claim, but both Putin and Netanyahu commonly do this type of thing where they come out with complete falsity to 'help justify' their subsequent damaging and/or murderous actions. Some refer to this as 'false pretext'.)

Concerning other 'nice things' the Israeli leader has been involved with: In 2017 his government withdrew $6 million it duly owed to the United Nations Security Council because the UN had strongly criticised Israel's settlement policies by way of a democratically agreed UN resolution. Also in 2017, Netanyahu's government left UNESCO (which promotes World Peace and security through International Cooperation) maybe on account of Netanyahu not liking more truths being told?

In 2023, Netanyahu approved and legalised nine illegal settler outposts occupied in the West Bank Palestinian territory, and took further measures to encourage more. (i.e. changing the Israeli rules about stealing other people's land after their own law had already been broken!) In the same year, Netanyahu refused to send any weapons to Ukraine, this time claiming that if arms were supplied to Ukraine, then they may be passed to Iran!!! ('Pretty unlikely' since Ukraine is not 'completely awash' with too many weapons and most of the drones attacking Ukraine are actually made in Iran!)

(We should perhaps not be too surprised that Netanyahu is 'Putin-friendly', just as 'birds of a feather' . . . .   Netanyahu has had a warm, personal friendship with Putin and has described him as, "smart, sophisticated and focused on one goal – returning Russia to its historical greatness". Putin is obviously also close to the Chinese authoritarian leader.)

In terms of any premeditation of war crimes and genocide being carried out in Gaza: Netanyahu with respect to Gaza, referred to Gaza as "the city of evil" and threatened to "turn all the places where Hamas is organised and hiding into cities of ruins." (The latter clearly means the cities in Gaza where more than two million innocent men, woman, and children are corralled in by the Israelis.) Netanyahu also describes civilian casualties in Gaza as "collateral damage." There are much worse accusations than this (against women and minors concerning his alleged behaviour well before any Hamas terrorist attack in Oct 2023) which I will not describe here.

Some may believe he wants to kill as many Palestinians as he can and then steal what remains of Palestinian land. I hope that is not true, and time will tell. But declaring war on Gaza is clearly one of the things which has delayed Netanyahu's trial for fraud, bribery, and breaching trust. His corruption trial started back in May 2020! and he has delayed it by declaring war.

Clearly Netanyahu when in office has commonly reneged on commitments previously made by the Israeli's in terms of the peace process and Oslo Accords. (Using ridiculous arguments like the one already mentioned concerning Adolf Hitter.)

I could go on, and I really do genuinely like to see the best in people because I believe the majority of people are decent and fair at heart. But there can come a point when you have much more evidence than you would like to see that someone is completely 'unsavoury' and will cause havoc wherever they go, if not prevented. You may no more want them at your Birthday party, than controlling any country anywhere near you (or on the planet). With an 'impressive C.V.' containing the above items, it is no wonder there has been no fair solution yet for the Palestinians to live in freedom in their own land. It is also a sad fact that Netanyahu was supported and voted into power by the Israelis, who's army is accused of now carrying out genocide against tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians, and when many Israelis do (or have already) commonly served in that same army when it has treated Palestinians in this way. It is disappointing that our current 'British' state leadership supports him and what Israel has been doing. It will taint them also if it has not already. That is my view. I am surprised that Netanyahu and many other Israelis have not yet been found guilty of war crimes.

Putin - As already mentioned previously: Putin's aggressive attack on Ukraine needs to be halted and reversed. And the Ukraine people supported as much as possible, and similar to the Palestinians, be allowed to live free and peacefully in their own land. It is abundantly clear that Putin is a dictator and liar (e.g. he said he was not going to invade Ukraine), he is an opposer of democracy and individual freedoms, and anyone who opposes him tends 'to disappear' or be murdered. As with Netanyahu, reporters are often killed and media communications are cancelled or shut down if the truth is reported or contradicts 'the official authoritarian line'. (And one of Netanyahu's corruption charges is specifically to do with using bribery to try to get good coverage of him and his wife via a/the main Israeli telecom company in order to 'make him look good or not bad' on their website. Yes I think 'that boat' may have already sailed now though! But these Narcissistic types commonly do not see it that way.  Both 'leaders' seem to cancel and manipulate modern communication facilities in various ways. Netanyahu has also just changed Israeli law, adding a new media law so he can shut down free broadcasting from Israel by reporters who report what is really happening on the ground in Gaza. This will likely be used to block free Al Jazeera broadcasting and has already been used on 21 May 2024 by Israeli officials to seize camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press.

I believe that either both these 'leaders' will be checked and seriously held accountable, or we will not be having freedom as we have come to enjoy it. That is my own personal view.

So this matter in Palestine obviously did not first occur in October 2023. I do condemn all terrorist attacks and we must always do so, but we must also remember that sometimes states can commit the worst form of 'terrorism'. Many people, including UN representatives, acknowledge the Israelis have illegally occupied the Palestinian's own land for over five decades, and violated the Palestinian culture and sovereignty, while also flouting International humanitarian law. Collective punishment is always wrong, and even worse when the large numbers of people maimed and slaughtered are predominantly innocent women and children. It is also unintelligent (i.e. stupid) because it can create even more angry and aggrieved people (irrespective of whether you then label them terrorists or freedom fighters). i.e. It can create a 'cycle of revenge' and retaliation where a 'tit for tat, playground mentality' clouds the situation and can make it even worse. How would you feel if you and your own family had been regularly persecuted for decades in your own land, when most of it had been stolen from you beforehand, and when you had just wanted to live a free, normal life in your land?  It is a fair question. Are you meant to just 'crawl under a stone'?

It amazes me when I see innocent Palestinians loosing their homes, limbs and family members, how they commonly seem not to be angry and revengeful. I guess when you have been abused for so long, you become more numb to it and just do your best under the circumstances. I also admire the volunteer doctors, who risk their own lives and try to deal with the carnage put upon innocent Palestinian people, continually caused by Israel, day after day, and when Israel constantly protests it is not targeting Palestinians. (The Doctors clearly know differently and also know that many innocent woman and children hide in their hospitals because being anywhere else means they and their families are more likely to be murdered.)

I cannot think the actions of Israel concerning the Palestinians in Gaza will endear many fair-minded people to them from around the world. But I do consider many people will remember for a very long time what Israel is now doing. Autocratic leaders do not occur in a 'singular vacuum'. Their deranged, unjust aims commonly need support not only from similarly bad individuals, but also from weaker, 'sheep-like' characters, who act more like 'weather vanes', in order to fully fulfil the resulting carnage. In any real democracy, we elect the leaders we are able to choose and then if we also serve or contribute 'to that army' then that pretty much defines our 'true colours' and who we are.

If 'you' are complicit in committing genocide and other war crimes, it is never any excuse to claim you were 'just following orders'. Many Nazi's (and politicians) tried 'that one' with respect to the Holocaust and the terrible extermination of large numbers of Jews in the last World War. And 'the excuse' (judged then at Nuremberg) is never any valid defense for war crimes. The details of this are enshrined in the United Nations 'Nuremberg Principles I-VII'.  Original halakha Jewish Law also states at its core to the effect that if a person is sent to perform an evil act, then he cannot defend his behaviour by saying he was only acting as another's messenger.

As I say, 75% of download proceeds from this song on this site will go to Ukraine currently being attacked by Putin, and to help the Palestinian people presently being attacked and starved in Gaza (being equally divided between the two good causes concerning justice and freedom). The remaining 25% will likely be 'swallowed' by transaction fees, objections, or else help me better communicate this message and/or maybe recover some element of the other costs of producing and now maintaining this fund-contributing download.

Personally, I would have never wished to release this song and there are happier things to hear about.  But 'all that is needed for evil to conquer good is for good people to look on and do nothing'.

I felt I had done nothing yet over Ukraine and Gaza (apart from sign a few petitions, which our state governments commonly seem to ignore, delay or 'cancel', depending on the current 'direction of the wind').

I felt the comment and stare of my Grandad looking down from within his 'parachute on high'.

Please help by downloading.

Fly Free!

Miles

VE DAY UPDATE: -

Today on 8 May 2025, it is now as good a time as any to update on the need to help with the good causes described above. As this all relates to Freedom and the importance of firmly facing up (and not cosying up) to aggressive authoritarian regimes.

In World War II, Freedom in Europe was achieved and protected by standing up to Adolf Hitler and the evil ambitions of the Nazi regime.

Benjamin Netanyahu and the regular Israeli attacks killing in total tens of thousands of Gazans in their own country:

Yes unfortunately it continues and as suspected, the Israeli leadership is it seems moving nearer towards stealing the land, performing more illegal settlements in the West bank, and performing ethnic cleansing, when preventing medical help and blocking food getting into Gaza while committing genocide. (Yes 'nice')

As well as being previously indicted on various charges, there is now a warrant out from the International Criminal Court for Mr Netanyahu concerning the investigation of war crimes. I am ashamed that our UK government's 'leadership' (Starmer, despite some words of condemnation) is still complicit in this by their actions in supplying military equipment including for Israeli Jet fighters and when Israel is clearly trying to starve and kill more innocent people in Gaza (Mainly women and children). And this, after the supposed export suspension of attack-related weapons. A report recently revealed that goods imported and labelled as 'bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles and similar munitions of war and parts thereof' are still being supplied to Israel by the UK government leadership. i.e. as tools for what Israelis are clearly doing to those people with 'our' help. It is abhorrent, and these 'top' people in my view, must be held to account.

Even aid workers are still targets . .  when only just recently, yet another clearly marked aid convoy with emergency lights on and flashing, doing humanitarian work, was attacked and where the IDF again lied about it. (Sky News obtained full details and video that completely refutes to 'all' of our eyes the Israeli account that the vehicles did not display headlights). This time it was a strike on humanitarian Red Crescent ambulances plus other aid vehicles attacked systematically one by one, where about 14 massacred bodies were subsequently found in an unmarked mass grave together with their ambulances.

The video clearly shows the ambulances with flashing lights when this cowardly attack occurred. Forensics reveals the humanitarian workers were killed, execution-style, at close range with head and heart shots. The vehicles were crushed and dumped and covered by a bulldozer with sand by the IDF in an attempt to cover up the claimed war crime.

After lying about it, Israel only changed its account of the incident after the video was released, and even then only saying soldiers 'made mistakes'. And with the Israeli army's spokesperson saying the medics had not been killed deliberately.

Any targeted killing of rescue workers, who are protected under international humanitarian law, constitutes a violation of the Geneva Conventions and is a war crime.

To my mind, this clearly shows Israel's 'true colours'. I do not believe people will forget the way Israel is clearly behaving.

As for Putin's aggressive invasion and regular attacks on the Ukraine people:

Yes again it continues and now more than three years on after the initial invasion by Putin into Europe, drone and missile attacks on civilians continue. There has been a period when president Trump, the new President has clearly appeased Putin's behaviour and even accused Ukraine of starting the war! (Yes obvious rubbish). But I hope Trump is now going to get 'up to speed' and acknowledge simply that Putin is the problem, Putin is the aggressor, and Putin must not be rewarded in any way. Also that everyone including the US, UK, and Europe needs to firmly and unequivocally stay united in standing up to such dictators that threaten all free people.

On this VE 'Victory in Europe' day, it may well be the last main celebration and remembrance day of those who gave and/or risked their lives, and so many more European Jews were not exterminated in the terrible genocidal Holocaust, and also that we could continue to enjoy freedom for a period of time, and when there are still some men and women who served still alive to 'tell the tale'.

I would like to thank (as I am sure you do) every one of them (still here or not) for unselfishly giving and sacrificing so we can still have the opportunity to enjoy freedom from authoritarian, manipulative and mindless dictators who 'under the hood' really have no human respect for democratic freedom and people in general.

Decent people need to call out, not cooperate with, and stand up against 'these types' at the earliest (and every) opportunity so deranged leaders have no place to hide when peddling and perpetrating their damaging ambitions.

But please do also step up here to help those now currently afflicted in Gaza and Ukraine, by supporting this fund-raising effort and by communicating firmly with your democratic government if you feel by their actions (or lack of them) that they still support such aggressive behaviour in any way. It is no time for sitting on the fence or being a 'weather vane'.

Miles (8 May 2025)