Celebrating Our Government and a Man of Peace

Today we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Today is also the day we hold the second inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama, the first black President of the United States. Bob Dylan would call it a "simple twist of fate." I would call it "just desserts."

Today, I'm re-posting my blog from Martin Luther King Day 2012. Take the day to enjoy your civil rights and celebrate your government.

The Civil Rights Movement: The Times Were A Changin'

“You are not only responsible for what you say, 

but also for what you do not say.

...Martin Luther King Jr.

The time of the civil rights movement was also the time of Vietnam war protests.  A lot of the music from that time was interchangeable between the two, in the ideas put forth.

In "Blowin' in the Wind," Bob Dylan wrote "How many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free. How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see."  The song also contains the line "How many times must the cannonballs fly, before they're forever banned."  

A song that was sung on the steps of the Washington Monument along with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., perhaps one of the greatest songs ever written...listen to "Blowin' in the Wind" performed by Peter, Paul & Mary.

For a personal view of a moment from the civil rights movement era, read "Martin Luther King Jr.: Defining a Life" on Kat's Theory of Life.

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Horses and Bayonets: The Sopranos Connection

"Next time you come, you come heavy or not at all.” 

So said Uncle Junior to Tony in Episode 4 of the first season of The Sopranos.

What does that line have to do with the debate last night? Hold your horses, yep I said that, I'll get around to it. 

First of all, I did not enjoy the setup for the debate. I want my politicians standing up, pacing and looking like they are ready to pounce on their opponent. Sitting at a table with their hands folded, does not make for a riveting show.

Now I was watching the debate on CNN. I missed the explanation, so can someone tell me what the hell that flat line graph of Florida undecided voters was supposed to mean? I think it might have been a veiled reference to the age of the population of Boca...it seemed everyone was sleeping peacefully. Eh, I hope they were just sleeping.

Anyway...

While last night wasn't nearly as interesting as the week before, there were still a few fun quotes. Unfortunately, when the moderator ends the night with the best one...well maybe it's a good thing the election is only weeks away.

So let's just savor the few honorable mentions from last night.

"Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route to the sea" Have you looked at a map at all?

"It still doesn't work" I believe the subject was MittMath, unless they were referencing the "yours is bigger than mine" quote from the last debate.

"Attacking me is not an agenda" But let me attack you and call it policy.

But of course the best line came from President Obama...

"We also have fewer horses and bayonets..."

So here we have a vision of unnaturally large horses, armed...ready for battle, or as Uncle June would say...Heavy

I give you Jethro Tull's "Heavy Horses"

"Iron-clad feather-feet pounding the dust

An October's day, towards evening

Sweat embossed veins standing proud to the plough

Salt on a deep chest seasoning

Last of the line at an honest day's toil

Turning the deep sod under

Flint at the fetlock, chasing the bone

Flies at the nostrils plunder.

The Suffolk, the Clydesdale, the Percheron vie

With the Shire on his feathers floating

Hauling soft timber into the dusk

To bed on a warm straw coating.

Heavy Horses, move the land under me

Behind the plough gliding --- slipping and sliding free

Now you're down to the few

And there's no work to do

The tractor's on it's way.

Let me find you a filly for your proud stallion seed

To keep the old line going.

And we'll stand you abreast at the back of the wood

Behind the young trees growing

To hide you from eyes that mock at your girth,

And your eighteen hands at the shoulder

And one day when the oil barons have all dripped dry

And the nights are seen to draw colder

They'll beg for your strength, your gentle power

Your noble grace and your bearing

And you'll strain once again to the sound of the gulls

In the wake of the deep plough, sharing.

Standing like tanks on the brow of the hill

Up into the cold wind facing

In stiff battle harness, chained to the world

Against the low sun racing

Bring me a wheel of oaken wood

A rein of polished leather

A Heavy Horse and a tumbling sky

Brewing heavy weather.

Bring a song for the evening

Clean brass to flash the dawn

Across these acres glistening

Like dew on a carpet lawn

In these dark towns folk lie sleeping

As the heavy horses thunder by

To wake the dying city

With the living horseman's cry

At once the old hands quicken ---

Bring pick and wisp and curry comb ---

Thrill to the sound of all

The heavy horses coming home."

Oh yeah, the best of the night. Bob Schieffer quoting his mother "Go Vote. It Makes You Feel Big And Strong." 

Mom always knows best.

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Birds Again? The Presidential Debate

In my defense, one reason I could never run for office is the debate thing. OK, so the whole shady past is another, but I digress. I know if I was in a debate on nationally broadcast TV, there would come a point where I would look at my opponent and say "...are you really that fucking stupid?" sigh

However, as luck would have it, there are plenty of other candidates ready to be seen as buffoons. Case in point...there was a little debate last night. I swear they do these things just so all of us have something to write about.

So here are a few comments from last night. Let's play the match game...I'll give the response, you figure out the candidate.

"Government doesn't create jobs" ...Elect me into office and I'll create jobs. WTF?

"It's not as big as yours" ...I think they were talking about pensions, but maybe not.

On oil drilling: "What was the cost, 20 or 25 birds were killed" ...Was Big Bird one of them?

"Now all of a sudden, you're a big champion of coal"  ...How nice, we all need to excel in something.

While tweeting last night about this prime time entertainment, a connection between a couple of things came to mind. In the spirit of good citizenship and with tongue planted firmly in cheek, I give you the musical taste of the day.

The Police "Canary in a Coal Mine"

Tweet, tweet...

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Getting the Shaft: Politicians and Rock Songs

Stick with me for a minute...this one might be a stretch.

It is a year of presidential politics...god help us. While there's still plenty of time for me to get into that little can of worms, today is the anniversary of a horrible trend which still continues today. The use or rather misuse of rock songs by politicians.

In an effort to appear "hip," throughout the past twenty years or so, candidates have hijacked perfectly good rock songs and used them as their entrance music, background music, or their mantra. Now if an artist is endorsing the candidate and allows the music to be used, that is one thing. However, just grabbing a song because a line from it fits your platform...well isn't that what they always complain happens to them...taking something out of context. duh.

Well, on this day in 1996 Isaac Hayes, who co-wrote the famous Sam & Dave song "Soul Man," sent a cease and desist letter to Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole to stop using his song in the campaign. Apparently supporters of Bob Dole had changed the lyrics to, get this... "I'm a Dole Man." ugh.

And how can we forget when Ronald Reagan invoked a great patriot Bruce Springsteen and his flag-waving song "Born in the USA." Now, I would never disagree that Bruce is a patriot, but did anyone bother to actually listen to the song before old Ronnie used it in a speech. didn't think so.

Added to the list of song-swiping politicians are: John McCain using Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty," Sarah Palin with Heart's "Barracuda," George W. Bush with the Orleans song "Still the One," and most recently Newt Gingrich using Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger."

But it isn't only Republicans making the major faux pas. Sam Moore of Sam & Dave apparently wasn't thrilled with Barack Obama using the song "Hold On, I'm Coming."

So in honor of the late Isaac Hayes and his letter writing to Bob Dole, I offer you his most famous song and the one whose title defines the effect on the artists when their songs are hijacked.

"Shaft"

shut your mouth.

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