June 23, 2009

“Torture”: The Song

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Nearly two decades ago, lyricist Ellen Fitzhugh and composer Jan Hammer wrote a ditty called “Torture” for a Star Wars musical that never came to light. The tune was supposed to be crooned by a robot controlled by Darth Vader. Instead, it’s being released to lament the robotic torture policies controlled by Vader’s doppelganger, Dick Cheney, for Friday’s U.N. International Day in Support of Torture Victims and Survivors.

Today, the words ring eerily true. Sample lyric: “For you it’s just a pain/For us it’s justified/But you’re too self-absorbed/To see it from our side.”

Watch the song’s YouTube treatment—set to creepy old cartoons—here:

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With just hours left, we need a huge surge in reader support to get to our $400,000 year-end goal. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters. All gifts are 3X matched and tax-deductible.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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