"Sometimes it seems that we have to keep fighting the same battles over and over. But every now and then the mist does rise and we can see how far we have come...

"Each step forward came as the result of enornmous work and courage, some bloodshed, and mjhsic like tghis which kept people's spirits alive."

(From Pete's introduction to Carry it on! - a history in song and picture of the working men and women of America.)

Any time something happens that makes you want to give up on America - whether you're an American or not - think of Pete Seeger. It's like the story in the Bible where Abraham is bargaining with God to save Sodom and Gomorrah, and they get down to needing five righteous men to justify saving place. Pete Seeger would justify saving America on his own.

But the real hope is that, right across America and round the world, there are people essentially like him, and nobody knows about them - and that is what he would probably say if he was reading this thread.

Maybe he is. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE!!