The modus operandi of any guerrilla movement is to operate within the civilian population so that those conventional forces that they are combating will think before violently acting, placing them in an ethically compromised position. In times past, the only way to combat such tactics was to openly declare that no difference existed between the two and that both would be treated with equal impunity. Civilian support networks are the backbone of guerrilla movements, which, for the most part, cannot operate successfully without them. That said, and given that reality, the commonly employed tactic of ‘winning hearts and minds’ is exposed for the pointless exercise that it is, especially with regards to major US military actions in the later half of the 20th Century and the first seven years of this one.

The greatest advantage that the United States possesses when initially militarily involving itself in a foreign country is, in my opinion, the perception of that country’s population with regards to what America itself supposedly stands for. Of course, there are those that are not entirely without first hand experience with regards to American complicity, but is an interesting phenomenon that it usually isn’t until after they’ve significantly involved themselves that public perception is often changed for the worse. And that is something that should certainly not be overlooked with regards to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Obviously, this does not apply to the Second World War, though it could be said that the Japanese population was so demoralized after the obliteration of their country that their national trauma prevented them from doing anything but embracing the presence of the Americans, who would forever change the face of that nation. But it certainly does apply to US involvement in South East Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

All of this leads to an interesting question. When guerrillas constitute the primary enemy in a conflict, how do we view their tactics? There’s no question that military commanders are going to immediately condemn them as cowards and claim that were they at all honourable they would come out into the open and fight. And, of course, what Western military commander wouldn’t say that given that they have far superior conventional weapons at their disposal, not to mention air and naval forces that their enemies don’t possess. The reality is that guerrillas are guerrillas precisely because they lack the ability to meet their opponents squarely in a conventional sense. What fool, given such circumstances, would? The Vietnamese didn’t, and after ten years, and over 50,000 US deaths, it became clear that there wasn’t a military solution left the United States short of employing nuclear weapons. They had, of course, dropped more bombs on North Vietnam, parts of Cambodia – primarily the Ho Chi Minh Trail - than had been dropped in World War Two, and it had not stopped the Vietcong. In fact, it didn’t stop the regular North Vietnamese Army either.

Like the Americans in Vietnam, the Soviets learned the hard way in Afghanistan in the 80’s that a considerable conventional advantage was no match against those willing to surrender their lives for their beliefs, an irony considering the immense sacrifices of the Soviets during the Second World War. The same rule applied in Vietnam as well. This, in no small way, also has a significant impact on those fighting guerrillas who, unlike them, are dedicated enough, for the most part, to their beliefs and cause to stand up and take death without the burden of questions such as ‘why am I doing this?’ or ‘why am I here?’ spinning around in their heads. The truth is that no tank built, nor bomber designed, can combat that sort of dedication. And that is precisely why the arrogance of vastly militarized nations lands them in trouble in such situations – because they believe that the combination of transparent goodwill and the employment of overwhelming conventional force will somehow sway those opposing them that their cause is futile.

What has transpired in Iraq since 2003, and in Afghanistan since late 2001, is no exception to this rule. Call them what you will, be it ‘terrorists’ or ‘freedom fighters’, the tactics of those that have opposed the occupations of both countries have been incredibly effective, and yet that success and determination is not cast the operations of those currently occupying either country as ineffective, only slightly misguided. The solution to the problem has been, as it has in the past, to throw more money, men, and materials at the problem while refusing to contemplate the historical realities of past failures. In 1967 many Americans did not believe that US efforts in Vietnam should be abandoned, and that to abandon them would lead to disaster. But in 1975, the United States, after 10 years of war, did just that, it left Vietnam.

The Soviets were forced to do the exact same thing with regards to Afghanistan.

While many American combat troops in Iraq wonder why they’re there, George Bush has no intention of abandoning the disaster that he created, nor the entirely unrealistic ‘show of democracy’ that has been created and supplanted behind the fortress walls of the Green Zone. And while Iraq continues to be gripped by turmoil, and the complexities of the situation are amplified, one wonders why there aren’t more pressing discussions occurring with regards to the fact that the Iraqi adventure, like Vietnam, is one that will ultimately end in the United States simply leaving, no matter their investment in the country at present, no matter their commitments to private interests promised lucrative rights, no matter the intentions of this administration. The fact remains that the majority of Iraqis don’t want them there, and that is something that, given enough time, may only renew or amplify public support for anti-occupational guerrilla groups.

Hospital Music is now streaming on the website and on iTunes radio. To hear it here on the site you have to be a registered member, which is free.

As many of you might be aware by now, several cars were discovered outside of a nightclub in Haymarket filled with petrol, gas cylinders, and nails yesterday. According to British authorities, neither car contained a device that could have detonated the contents. Of course, given the contents of the vehicles, there would have been alternative methods to detonating the contents of the cars, but it thus far remains unclear as to who was responsible, though CCTV footage is currently being examined by authorities in an attempt to find out more.

In another incident in Scotland, which Downing Street is currently not linking to the discovery of the vehicles in London, two men drove a Jeep Cherokee that was on fire into the main terminal at Glasgow International airport. Police on the scene were able to respond quickly and apprehend the suspects as they attempted to exit the vehicle, which did not explode.

At this point it is obviously difficult to say if the two incidents are linked and who was responsible for them. There will, no doubt, be immediate links drawn straight back to al-Qaeda, or a-Qaeda affiliated organizations, which is the unfortunate reality of the fear state in which we now find ourselves. But until substantial evidence is presented that links either incident with terrorist groups abroad, cooler heads must, and should, prevail.

Updated: The BBC is now reporting…

“Strathclyde Police told a news conference the attack on Glasgow Airport was now being linked to the car-bomb plot in London - foiled by police on Friday.

Chief Constable Willie Rae said: “There are clearly similarities, and we can confirm that this is being treated as a terrorist incident.”

My primary focus this morning is going to be on what’s currently transpiring in the UK with regards to the vehicles found filled with explosives in London and the recent incident in Scotland in which a vehicle in flames was driven into the airport in Glasgow.

But before I get to that I wanted to address something quickly to do with the streaming of the new record.

This morning Tony asked me if knew that the record is already on the torrent sites? To which I responded - it’s kind of a bummer when something nice gets turned into something not so nice. He also said that by saying anything I would come across as a ‘whiner’, because it’s a no win situation and that’s automatically what people will think.

Obviously, Dale and I are not fools, and knew that the stream would be ripped and floated out onto the net. The steam is transcoded, which means that even if ripped, the quality will be severely reduced. Now, this isn’t going to stop people from ripping it and swapping it, and it may even stop people from actually purchasing the record when it’s released, and it’s that particular aspect that I want to address.

As many of you know, I am an advocate of the web and web freedoms. When bands release albums prior to their release to be streamed, as Wilco has done in the past, I find it both brave and exciting. Of course, it doesn’t deter me from actually purchasing the release when it comes out because I want to ensure that Wilco sells enough records to allow them to keep making more. It’s here that I find that a very bizarre double standard comes into play.

These days, many fans often complain when they’re not treated to special perks by artists, be it the release of a few tracks from an upcoming album, b-sides, or what have you – especially artists that are very proactive online. Yet, ironically, the very same people often take advantage of the fact that artists, who are excited about their work and want to do something special for their fans, have no qualms betraying their trust and even go so far as defending their right to do so.

The truth is, to me, such individuals are not fans, but simply opportunists.

It takes a great deal of work to make an album, no matter what most people might think. On top of that, the creative energies put into producing art by artists that write and perform their own material is also considerable. I wanted to share this album in the form of a stream because I am excited about it and wanted to allow others to enjoy that same excitement. Ultimately, I can’t control what others decide to do with it, and fully realize that some will take advantage of the fact that it has been streamed prior to its actual release and thus find ways to rip it and put it on the web to be downloaded. I also realize that in some ways that can be a positive thing, as it gets new material out there and allows others to experience it. I suppose the point of this entry is to remind people that if you admire an artists work, just keep in mind that you might be contributing to the inability to continue producing high quality recordings by endangering sales – and I am by no means imply a decrease in ‘massive’ sales. None of my past three releases has reached the platinum status, most barely creeping over the gold mark, which in Canada is 50,000 records. Truth be told, I have been in debt due to recording costs with regards to my label, etc, since the late 1990’s, and do not actually make money from record sales as they simply go towards paying that debt down. The days of Beautiful Midnight are gone, and that is something that I am well aware of. That said, I want to continue making records, and have the ability to do so, until someone pries my guitar from my dead fingers, so your help in making that a reality would be most appreciated.

Best to everyone, and please do enjoy the new material.

This is just a notice to those who early this afternoon experienced technical difficulties upon attempting to listen to the iTunes, Winamp, or the Windows Media Player Radio Stream for Hospital Music- the problems have been fixed, and we hope that the connection issues users previously faced have been fixed as well.

The Radio Streams require at least a DSL/Cable connection, and may, from time to time, move slightly forward or back in the playing of the stream. This is out of our control and is usually due to network congestion. Efforts have been made to optimize the stream regardless, to limit those experiences.

As mentioned previously, the Radio Stream will feature track-by-track commentary from Matthew at some point in the weeks ahead, and we’ll post here when that addition is made to the stream.

Live Blogging
Rebecca Bollwitt (Miss 604) is Live Blogging Matthew’s Las Vegas Pool Party show this evening. Check it out here.

Photos
Duane has arrived and has set up shop. Here’s his Flickr link.

Live Setlist
1. Metal Airplanes
2. I Am Not Safer Than A Bank
2. Champions Of Nothing
3. Suburbia
4. I’m A Window
5. Black Helicopter
6. If I Was A Tidal Wave (* Tony Pierce Request)
7. Odette
8. Born Losers
9. True Love Will Find You In The End

Video
Rebecca Bollwitt has a video up of Matt playing ‘Metal Airplanes’.

The other day a friend asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I sat there and, as is always the case, couldn’t think of anything. To be honest, I’ve never really been all that fond of my birthday, and usually choose to spend it quietly and without a lot of whoopla. But having thought it through I’ve come to the realization that there are a few things that I’d like for my birthday, though some might be entirely unrealistic.

I want to see my niece and nephew grow up to become people of integrity, of humility, and to display the sort of openness and kindness that their parents possess.

I want my mother and father to enjoy their retirement. After 41 years together they deserve nothing less, having given up so much for me and my brother.

I’d like to see my best friend happy again. This year has been particularly hard on him, having lost his father, his Godfather, and discovering that his mother has cancer. It’s not that he doesn’t laugh, and that our usual conversations aren’t replete with our usual light heartedness, but I know that, deep down, there is a sadness that grips him. So for my birthday I would like to see that dissipated, and to see the weight that is evident on his shoulders lifted.

I want to wish my ex-wife all the success in her new career venture, as well as her continued happiness with the new love in her life. I want her to know that I am proud of her for dedicating herself to these things whole heartedly and that her happiness, no matter what has transpired between us, has always been of import to me. To say that that isn’t the case would be a lie, for how can any that’s claimed to have loved another not wish them as much? At times we reply on the emotions of the moment in an attempt to make sense of things in our lives, but they must never be allowed to alter our character to such an extent that we lose something of ourselves in the process.

I want to see our fighting men and women back on home soil and not another one of their bodies carried from the belly of a transport plane in a flag draped coffin.

I want to see those held captive and denied their rights afforded them, and all those who suffer the continued denial of their basic human rights become the real focus of our concern.

If only for five seconds, I would like all those that hold fast to an intense hatred within themselves to let it go and spend that five seconds realizing that we are all more alike than not, and that that is the only foundation on which to build a future for our children.

I want to see the morgue in Baghdad empty, the streets of Baghdad silent, and the villages and countryside of Afghanistan filled with any other sound than that of gunfire and explosions.

But more than all of these things, I wish that we could, even in the smallest of ways, realize that this life is the only life that we have, and that to waste it allowing hatred, distrust, and greed to blind us from realizing the true and overwhelming force of our shared commonality only ensures our collective failure.

On this, my 36th birthday, I ask for these things, even though I know most are entirely unrealistic.

A batch of show dates have been announced, you can find them listed on the the updated Shows page.

‘Coming Soon’ buttons will be replaced with ‘Buy Now’ button links when tickets go on sale for each show.

On the shows page you can also write notes to other registered, logged in Community members. Leave a note about which shows you plan on attending and meet-up with others, discuss the shows you’ve seen, etc.

Additionally, you can subscribe to this Shows-specific RSS feed to stay in the loop about new announcements.

More shows will be announced soon.

As an aside, we’re doing our best to shelter ourselves from the pain and anguish we feel about the fact that you Americans have a much more special occassion today.

For you, today is more importantly about the iPhone than Matthew Good’s new album stream, birthday, and show date announcements.

We covet thy neighbour today, oh holy day of technological wizardy beholden to one Steven Jobs.

Matthew’s 7th full-length album, Hospital Music, is now streaming live on the website. The website stream requires that you are a registered user at matthewgood.org. The website stream will be on-demand, playing start to finish as one track.

iTunes Radio
In addition to the website’s stream, iTunes is streaming a radio feed version, available in the Radio section of iTunes listed under Rock. The radio feed plays continuously, and tuning in will take to you to the live play list which replays Hospital Music in full throughout the day.

In the weeks to come, look for the iTunes radio feed to contain exclusive commentary from Matthew about various tracks.

Facebook
Duane’s Hospital Music Facebook application has been updated with link to both the website’s player and the Radio feed. Follow this link and it’ll update it for you. It will refresh the counter to update on the main page, and add “Invite My Friends” to the profile page, a feature that allows you to invite others to add the application to their profiles.

I want to point out to everyone that none of this would be possible without the expertise and dedication of Dale Mugford. So thanks Dale, for everything – Matt.

Today is Casey’s birthday. He is four. He is several thousand miles away and right now I wish he weren’t. It might sound cheesy, but I miss him terribly. Usually I take him to the beach on his birthday, but this weekend he’s on the Island at Kay’s mom’s place. He is one of the few things that I truly trust in this world, and that’s saying something.

Casey likes chasing balls (or anything for that matter), watching the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy so he can bark at the Orcs, and Deadwood because of the horses. He likes to bark at birds, will run up to just about anyone and allow them to pet him, and protects his little brother as if he were a Pitbull.

Happy birthday Babo, and thanks for everything.