Discussion for article #234061
Among the thousands, why aren’t the Republican leadership present? Shouldn’t this be a celebration for ALL Americans, regardless of color, or religion, or political party?
Sorry Boehner, a statement is nice, but get your orange ass to Selma.
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A 45 record which I am sure most TeaBaggers will remember was “Eve of Destruction”, a raw, plaintive song dedicated to a cry-out for the suffering world of 1965.
One of the lines of the lyrics talked about the “hate in Red China” and “turn around and look at Selma Alabama”.
I am positive that a large percentage (too large to fully comprehend) of those people who are now TeaBaggers wept at those lyrics, when sung by the raspy-voiced singer.
What happened to those folks?
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Great blast from the past. Barry McGuire sang it. Here are the lyrics:
The eastern world it is explodin’, violence flarin’, bullets loadin’
You’re old enough to kill but not for votin’
You don’t believe in war, what’s that gun you’re totin’
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin’
But you tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction
Don’t you understand, what I’m trying to say?
Can’t you see the fear that I’m feeling today?
If the button is pushed, there’s no running away
There’ll be none to save with the world in a grave
Take a look around you, boy, it’s bound to scare you, boy
But you tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction
Yeah, my blood’s so mad, feels like coagulatin’
I’m sittin’ here just contemplatin’
I can’t twist the truth, it knows no regulation
Handful of Senators don’t pass legislation
And marches alone can’t bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin’
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction
Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
Ah, you may leave here for four days in space
But when you return it’s the same old place
The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead but don’t leave a trace
Hate your next door neighbor but don’t forget to say grace
And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction
And even better the recording & video:
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President Obama gave a terrific speech in Selma. Somehow, maybe he should have given that speech in October, before the election. Nevertheless, it is a speech people will remember.
We’re in an odd era. In most presidencies, there are 200 things to get done. Most modern presidents are lucky if they can get 70-90 things done. In 2009, when Obama entered office, there were 300 things to get done, and not just because of George W., though many blunders had to be fixed. Obama has gotten maybe a 100 to 120 things done, which given the reality of Washington is not bad, and certainly not fully acknowledged. The world is in a period of rapid change and recent presidents, journalists and even the American people themselves, both on the right and left, have been having trouble keeping up.
In recent weeks, people in the eastern half of the U.S. have understandably been complaining about the snow and cold weather. In the meantime, temperatures in large areas of the Arctic, including the North Pole are having periods of temperatures 30 degrees above normal. No joke. Global warming is no longer some abstraction of the future. It is here and having impact. And Obama has been one of the leaders on the issues, despite everything else he has needed to deal with, including the rightward tilt of large areas of the nation.
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What difference do you think it would have made?? Do you think it would have brought more folks to the polls. I doubt it. The democrats time and time again stay home in mid-terms. It is surely something that has to be corrected otherwise the pattern will continue
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Our President is a gift.
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GOP: Obama just used Selma to try and elevate his place in history, and we were too busy plotting impeachment to go.
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I believe Kevin McCarthy was finally shamed into going.
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So my wife says.
The most telling citizenry problem of our time. A population which has within its capability to use representative government to better their lives. And refuses to do so.
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Steve Scalise may have been there… with David Duke in Klan robes.
I’m aware of the problems for Democrats in most midterms. But 2014 was an unusually low turnout even by modern standards. I don’t really know the solution, except the organization that wins an election for Democrats has to somehow be more involved in midterms.
There are experts that know this stuff but I’m not sure even they have the answers. However, I saw an awful lot of cynical comments on various threads during the summer and fall of 2014 that didn’t feel real to me but they were supposedly by progressives defending Putin (though I have no doubt some people let themselves be fooled). If other stuff like that is occurring on other threads on other subjects, this may be something new that has to be understood and honestly analyzed and fought. It’s not new that people pretend to be what they’re not. And it’s not new that some of this gets organized. But this particular stuff felt more organized than usual. It was not rocket science to figure out Putin was heavily involved in the Ukraine.
I don’t think we’ve heard the final word on 2014 yet. I’m an analyst of sorts and I have a knack of picking things up before others. But I’m not a reporter. Some good news people need to take a closer look at this.
As for the point you were making, Arizona is particularly susceptible to the John Birch Society nonsense. One might almost call it libertarian anarchy. We may see more of that if we don’t turn the corner in 2016.
I saw the speech, and I agree. Despite all of the attempts to dehumanize him, I am very proud that he is our President.
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Listen to the speech.
If you love this country–
hatred, bigotry, and narrow-minded spitefulness
will no longer be tolerated; will be swept aside.
Your love for this country,
fellow man and woman,
will cause you to speak and act; for
freedom for all,
respect for all,
and
opportunities for all,
equally.
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I too am proud that he is my President…and, unlike his predecessor, Obama was actually elected.
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The GOP figures to continue to incite the bigot vote. It wouldn’t do for them to give humanity the least nod of acceptance.
Hell, Republicans are mangy everywhere, and that’s not my imagination.
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I doubt that more than a tiny percentage of Teabaggers wept to it—it was an early liberal anti-war protest song. Just three years after it came out, Richard Nixon and George Wallace combined took 57% of the popular vote, and those who cast votes for Nixon and Wallace were not moaning about the injustices at Selma—they wanted them to continue.
From wikipedia: “The American media helped popularize the song by using it as an example of everything that was wrong with the youth of that time. The song also drew flak from conservatives. A group called The Spokesmen released an answer record entitled “The Dawn of Correction”. A few months later, Green Beret medic Sgt. Barry Sadler released the patriotic “Ballad of the Green Berets”. Johnny Sea’s spoken word recording, “Day For Decision”, was also a response to the song. Due to its controversial lyrics, some American radio stations banned the song, “claiming it was an aid to the enemy in Vietnam.””
Ironically, “… McGuire became a born-again Christian, and as a result renounced the song for many years, refusing to perform it.”
President Obama, the perfect man at the perfect time.