Beyond body counts

U.S. Marines met “resistance,” which means a number of young men were killed and wounded. The body count will be a certain number today and a bigger number tomorrow morning. The Army helicopter pilots were still held captive. Other photos of captives were causing outrage (so, even if we invade a country for specious reasons, one must play by the rules).

The grim aspects of war, I’m sorry to say, will be splayed across the daily paper for many mornings to come. If you then turn to your dawn dose of National Public Radio, there is still more war reporting and the added downer of hearing about protests around the world condemning the country in which you live. If you dare to turn on the TV, you’ll see pictures of the Iraqi civilians killed and injured by the bombing. Hard for you, sitting in suburbia, to imagine what they’re going through in Baghdad? Read “Shock and awe … in Sacramento,” on page 10.

If you were one of those predicting a quick victory for Bush and the troops, get over it. Your morning reality will be delivered every day for weeks (months?).

Possibly the best antidote is simply to get moving. A drive down tree-lined streets puts you in another world, one where life goes on in surprising normalcy. We’ve chosen to carry on a celebration of our local music scene with the Sacramento Area Music Awards (Sammies) on April 2. Our cover story this week, “Evolver” on page 16, documents the history of that scene and one scenester who was involved for decades.

The things that counted before the war, such as art and music, still count. Perhaps more.