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BS: As trust dies so dies a nation
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Subject: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Donuel Date: 15 Oct 10 - 10:40 PM With the death of trust a nation dies. The failed trust for an amount as small as $1.99 or a trust as large as 40 trillion dollars is spiritually equal. When trust dies so do children. Today I heard of a CVS pharmacist who refused to hand over an asthma inhaler to a woman who was having an attack at the counter. All the insurance and prescription details were in order but the woman and her boyfriend only had a $20 bill and the medicine was $21.99. As the young woman collapsed the boyfriend gave the pharmacist his wallet and watch and his ring promising that it would only take a short while to look for more money in his car," please take these I will be right back" he said as the woman gasped for air on the floor. The pharmacist was adamant and said he would do no such thing. The boyfriend called 9-11 for paramedics and when they arrived she was given a life saving epi shot and a paramedic lent the $1.99 so an inhaler could be purchased. It was a matter of failed trust that nearly took this woman's life. What is taking the life of my nation is a massive loss of trust in the banks, the financial rating companies, the SEC watchdogs, the justice department and the ceaseless greed in which even having everything is not enough. Today Mr. Mozzillo the CEO of Countrywide Mortgage and Loan accepted a fine instead of facing civil fraud in which over a million people lost sums collectively over many billions of dollars due to his insider trading and fraud crimes. He paid $67.3 million dollars and walked away keeping twice that fortune for himself. In fact not one financier has gone to jail over this world wide credit default swap gambling losses and bundled mortgage scam losses. Who can trust the Justice Department in their response to Wall St. crimes at this point. I was always impressed by the bold simple words of FDR when he said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself". Today it seems small and maudlin to the truth of the only thing a nation has to breathe which is trust itself. When trust grows thin and disappears, the body of our nation suffocates to death. It was in the second year of the Bush administration when I saw trust suffer a seizure of abject fear and a coughing fit of seething hatred. When the urge for revenge and a son's urge to settle a score that his father had not we were asked to believe that if you are not with us, you are against us. With every line drawn and every fenced freedom zone erected the remaining supply of trust was halved. Neighbors that could chat on the sidewalk redefined relationships by with or against issues. One neighbor of mine whom I used to joke with regarding the whole concept of political extremists one day saw a cartoon I did of Rush Limbaugh. His face literally went ashen. It was as if I had made a cartoon of Mohammed and shown it to a Muslim Cleric. In weeks to come he notified the election board that I did not reside at my address so I was refused the right to vote when I arrived at the polls. I don't know whether there was any connect but two months later my website of cartoons poems and an illustrated book I was working on for seven years disappeared from the web. My trust suffered a near fatal blow. We all cheered for hope when Obama was elected. It seems to me that it wasn't for a nebulous ill defined hope that we cheered for, it was for trust. All this week banks are in the news for robo signing and processing phony affidavits to foreclose on hundreds of thousands of homes a month. May of the mortgages they were trying to process in a hurry were bundled and sold to other firms and investors. The banks did not hold the note for the homes that were seriously past due up to 20 months late. Yet they are trying to claim ownership to property they cannot prove is theirs by rushing to foreclosure and presenting fraudulent forgeries of loan agreements to judges. Everywhere I look I see the effects of dead trust rotting relationships. The man across the street saw a four year old child come out his front door and jump into a hot car in the sun with the windows up. Twelve seconds later he watched the father come out the front door, car keys in hand, looking for his son. The boy was too small to be seen while standing just a few steps from the car. The father realizing his worst fears rushed to swimming pool but with mixed feeling he did not find the boy. The dad wnet back inside and searched the house. All this time the neighbor watched andat this point pretended to rake the same grass beside the end of his driveway. The father was now extremely upset and ran to the ends of the sidewalk and looked as far as he could for his son at which point he looked under and in the car and found his 4 year old son in the sweltering hot car baked by the August sun. The neighbor averted his eyes and walked away rake in hand. There was no difference between these two men except that of religion. They both had a family member named Sarah, they had the same number of children, they both were involved with music, the universal language. Yet there was not enough trust between them to save the life of a child. As in the aftershock of a civil war, people need to extend a hand. Today it seems more people are investing time and effort to create a new civil war. Tell me how to regain trust between us, between our nation and others. I need to know. The most fundamental Christians I know are not turning cheeks or loving their neighbors very well. Instead they are pursuing a path to shut down the government, as though it is the government itself that is the tyrannical beast from hell that is stealing their crops and money. We can't breathe. The only thing a nation has to breathe is trust itself. I don't want hope. I want to breathe, but there isn't even a $1.99 worth of trust left to take one last breath. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Rapparee Date: 15 Oct 10 - 10:54 PM The pharmacist should be reported to the State licensing authority. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 15 Oct 10 - 10:57 PM The corporate peddlers of hate are making too much money to stop - and why should they care? They are pretending to be Good Xtians.... it's all about appearances. I can remember as a kid getting US dollars sent to me in the mail by my US relatives for birthdays, etc - it always changed into much more Aussie dollar/pounds. The Aussie Dollar reached parity with the US dollar today - it's about 26/7 years since that was the case - our dollar was pushed right down to nearly 40c $US. Our loonies here have kept our interest rates 4-5 times higher than the rest of the world for years (hurting the little guys), and the only remedy the local loonies have against the international corporate currency gamblers is to push the rates higher - which will cause more people to want the Aussie Dollar, pushing it higher (hurting the little guys more), till they decide to take profits, which will cause the Aussie Dollar to fall so they can make more profits on the other side of the swing. Our rates have been rising for quite a while now. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 15 Oct 10 - 11:01 PM Failed trust - back in the 1970s, I stopped by the side of the road at 3 am for a guy with a flat tyre - I gave him a pressure tyre fixit can to get him going - and my address so he could repay me. He never did. Nowadays I just drive past cars stopped on the side of the road, because such tricks are used to get people to stop to rob them. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Rapparee Date: 15 Oct 10 - 11:02 PM Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws. -- Edward Abbey, "Abbey's Road", 1979 |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Bobert Date: 15 Oct 10 - 11:13 PM Google up "Germany,1933" for a sneak preview of what the corportists have in mind for America... And they own the media and have their sights, thanks to the Roberts/Thomas/Alito "legislative" court, on every corner of power... Hope ya'll righties here like what ya'll have been saying you want 'cause it's gonna be playing in yer neighborhood very soon... b~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Richard Bridge Date: 16 Oct 10 - 12:03 AM Rapaire - 1792. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Peter K (Fionn) Date: 16 Oct 10 - 12:16 AM Donuel, I don't believe the pharmacy story, but if it were true it would be nothing new. It's not so much about trust as about a national ethos whereby each individual is expected to fend for himself. Isn't that why Bessie Smith died, or i that story apocryphal too? What happened to circling the wagons? |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: LadyJean Date: 16 Oct 10 - 12:44 AM I was watching some guy on the local "Christian" channel tonight. (Cat stepped on the remote. I think they do it on purpose.) The fellow, his name is Dick Hatch, was hinting, not so subtly, that armed rebellion against the current administration would be a good thing. It made me more than a little jumpy. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: michaelr Date: 16 Oct 10 - 12:50 AM The myth of America has always been "every man for himself" -- the John Wayne syndrome. That's what they use against us: you can see it in the decline of the unions. Europe - and Japan - aren't historically like that, which is why they are still hanging on and doing somewhat better. But globalism and neo-liberalism are fast encroaching on them, too. Be afraid -- if not for yourselves, then for your grandchildren. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Sawzaw Date: 16 Oct 10 - 01:05 AM But look at what Mr. Mozzillo did for hi buddy Christopher Dodd. Dodd was a friend of Angelo. Do you trust your Mayor? The mayor of the city of San Gabriel was in custody Friday on charges of felony robbery and assault after he allegedly took a woman's purse and sped down a residential street with her clinging to the side of his sport-utility vehicle. Mayor Albert Y.M. Huang was being held at the San Gabriel police station, said Lt. Ariel Duran of the San Gabriel Police Department. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Ebbie Date: 16 Oct 10 - 02:13 AM Sawz, your cryptic post leaves something to be desired. I did find what you're talking about but... The Mayor quite obviously knew the woman whose purse he snatched. Doesn't excuse his driving off with her clinging to his car but there's more to the story than what you posted. Mozillo and Chris Dodd? I'm not sure what you are implying- other than it is no good. Ah. Must be because Dodd is a Democrat. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Richard Bridge Date: 16 Oct 10 - 04:11 AM What happens when citizens rise against their government? The government wins and citizens die. National guard used at Kent State university. US army used in the whisky tax rebellion. Offhand I can only think of two relatively recent armed insurrections, (Ireland and the deposition of the Shah of Iran). The government generally has overwhelming firepower (and the disparity daily grows greater) so if it is prepared to use it (that is the key, the preparedness to rule a nation of corpses) the kill ratio will be overwhelmingly one-sided. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 16 Oct 10 - 05:14 AM Richard, don't forget the Washington uprising where certain, later to be famous in WWII, Generals sent the tanks in and pushed out the annoying poverty stricken WWI vets (just wanting some money owed them by the Govt) who had set up a slum city (set fire to) just up the road from the White House... |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 16 Oct 10 - 05:54 AM The problem is, we are living in The Age of Suspicion. An Age that has been almost deliberately, imo, conjured up by those in charge, that is those *behind* the politicians, to create chaos and insecurity. Everyone is being encouraged to spill the beans on their neighbours or workmates, with regard to tax dodges, invalidy benefits, any benefits, etc... Everyone is 'watching' everyone else, and wondering... "Hey, is my neighbour a paedeophile?" "Can he *really* not walk?" "Should he *really* even be in my country?!" Add to that The Corporate Bastards who lay down the laws for their workforce...Why, even in The National Trust I was told to NOT help people up or down the steps to our shop, because if they should fall over or injure themselves whilst I'm helping, the Trust could get sued.....I stared in astonishment at the member of staff who told me this, and then went to help the elderly lady up the steps, regardless... Lawyers and the Legal System have done a great deal to foster this age of total lunacy, where even a builder whistling to a pretty girl can get sued for being sexist... It's all such total crap. What worries me is that so many people I talk to are *afraid* of 'going against the rules*....They're afraid of keeping their kids off school, being branded a parent who doesn't care about their child's education, or *afraid* of sending them back too soon after an illness, fearing being branded an uncaring parent.. Or they work their butts off to try to meet unrealistic 'targets', or change shop layouts completely around within hours, according to head office desires... Well, fuck 'em all. This Corporate Bullying has gone way too far. I turned the women I worked with in my last place of employment into rebels...Once they began to realise that the Top Notch Bastards didn't give a shite about any of them, they began to slow down, to relax, and say "Sorry, but we can't do that in that time slot..." Everyone feels spied upon, watched, monitored.....'Nineteen Eighty Four' really is here, I'm afraid... Love turned to Sex Hate turned to Acceptable Bitchiness turned to Highly Fashionable Competitiveness turned to A Way Of Life Bullying turned to 'This is what your job is about!' (fook that!) Loyalty turned to Lowest Wages Possible whilst demanding a 24/7 workforce on an 8 hour contract.. Self-Respect turned to 'I don't give a shit about myself, I'll just do whatever everyone else does!'. Respect for others turned to 'Hey, buddy, I don't even respect myself, so WHY the fuck should I respect YOU!' The other day I was 'told' in my new place of employment, that come Christmas week ALL staff, regardless of contract hours or anything else, MUST be in work all week long without any days off, FULL TIME. There was to be no discussion about it, everyone had to do it, no matter what. Not a 'please' was heard, not a 'we'd be so very grateful' uttered from the lips of 'those in charge' Up went my hand... "Sorry, but I'm *not* doing that." The room froze... "Why not?" said the young Ice Queen Corporate Basatardess In Training "Because I've an elderly (ex) mother-in-law to care for and I have my dog, Tigger...and no way can either of them be left alone all day long, five days on the trot...People have lives and committments outside of work, you know.." She still hasn't quite recovered... ;0) Once, I used to stay overnight at my place of work, during train strikes, because the folks I worked for valued me, were loyal to me, and I returned their trust in me a hundred fold...... No more. You pay me minimum wages, you get minimum work back, it's that simple. I also won't be wearing the 'red devil horns' they have planned for Halloween, nor the Sari they have planned for their Bollywood special day, expecting the staff to buy their own sari ??????? I have my own devil horns of course, ones that I was born with, but they only come out of my head during combat with Corporate Bastards who look upon me as nowt more than a 'human resource'. When the Ice Queen came out with the compulosry devil horns, I said "Where are we going with this, I mean..as a species?"...and she grew a little frostier, right in front of my eyes...I could see the absolute puzzlement and incomprehension in her eyes... If someone needs help, I help them. If someone doesn't help someone who needs help, I step in, then rage at the bastard who stands by watching... Brains have been turned off. Dumbing Down has been achieved, en masse. Donuel's story of the man who calmly watched his neighbour desperately searching for his son was just plain awful, as was the one about the girl needing her inhaler..... Donuel, that was a wonderful piece of writing, so moving and filled with many of the same emotions that I feel about this crazy, inside out, upside down world, that has become so devoid of love, compassion, empathy and Trust! We have so very many things to change. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: VirginiaTam Date: 16 Oct 10 - 06:26 AM Donuel - Did you witness this scenario of silent neighbour looking on while father frantically searched for son? If so, was there not something you could do to alleviate that father's terror and shame the neighbour standing idly by? I wholeheartedly agree with the loss of trust issue and the consequences likely to be experienced in the future. We are are already reaping the I too mourn for future generations. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Richard Bridge Date: 16 Oct 10 - 07:28 AM Regrettably, Lizzie, not all your examples are sound. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 16 Oct 10 - 07:59 AM A while ago at my place of work they wanted me to wear a tie - seeing as how I was screwed over for years, I stopped wearing ties. Full Stop. I got a promotion - long overdue, after the schizophrenic who had screwed me over was exposed. But I still refused to wear a tie, except on very special occasions when important visitors or 'head office' turned up. The new place came up with the brilliant idea of 'casual fridays' - wear jeans, t-shirts no ties, etc - the idea being to reduce stress at work! :-) wait for it .... So I told them that I wore the 'business style' pants and shirt to work, and jeans and t-shirts when I was not being paid, in my own time, in order to get away from the stress. I would not wear the clothes I wore to relax away from work, to work, as they did not pay me enough for taking over my whole life, and giving me no way to release stress by wearing different clothing styles. I said I would compromise and wear the neat tidy stuff all week and no tie all week! :-) They gave up! :-) Hehe! |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Bobert Date: 16 Oct 10 - 08:43 AM Great post, Lizzie... Just have to add one thing... It's about folks turning each other in... Yeah, the corportists have rammed that into our heads... Suspect yer neighbor and turn him if you have the slightest suspicion that he or she is doing this 'or that... But don't turn in yer boss if he is cutting corners on making those widgets that are going to go into that tank or military aircraft... No, that is the sin-of-all-sins... We used to protect and admire "whistle blowers" because it meant that shoddy crap that the industrialists were making made US less safe... No more... Whistle blowers that turn in the corportists are now considered the ***enemy***... Man, we have certainly found ourselves on that slippery slope and with the corporate pigs now controlling the information and a severely dumbed down society I really don't see any way off of it... But great post, Lizzie... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Greg F. Date: 16 Oct 10 - 09:32 AM ...don't forget the Washington uprising where certain, later to be famous in WWII, Generals sent the tanks in and pushed out the annoying poverty stricken WWI vets... There was no "uprising"- the so called "Bonus Army" was entirely peaceful. And it wasn't "generals" - it was Douglas MacArthur - hat prince of bombast and bullshit - convinced that the Bonus Marchers were a Communist plot to subvert America (sound familiar?) exceeding his authority and orders. That jackass Hoover should have cashiered him then & saved Truman the trouble. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Rapparee Date: 16 Oct 10 - 09:45 AM "Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. His best-known works include the novel 'The Monkey Wrench Gang,' which has been cited as an inspiration by radical environmental groups, and the non-fiction work Desert Solitaire. Writer Larry McMurtry referred to Abbey as the "Thoreau of the American West"." Ireland, Iran, India and others were disarmed societies. I am NOT advocating violent overthrow of ANY government, but there are some differences in the US that would work to the advantage of revolutionaries. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Little Hawk Date: 16 Oct 10 - 10:53 AM If you want to change the world, you have to do it one person at a time. The one person you have to change is yourself. By making yourself far more positive, confident, happy, expressive, creative, forgiving, generous, loving, friendly, and kind, you make a better world. You set an example that will inspire others around you, and some of them will change themselves too. Try it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Sawzaw Date: 16 Oct 10 - 10:57 AM "Must be because Dodd is a Democrat." Now that you brought that up, what does that imply? |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: GUEST,bubblyrat Date: 16 Oct 10 - 11:05 AM Not in Great Britain you wouldn't , and they won't !! |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Ebbie Date: 16 Oct 10 - 11:50 AM In fairness to the administration of the time, the bonuses for the military veterans were not due to be paid to them until 1945 when they would mature. The veterans were demanding them to be paid close to 15 years early because of the unemployment that had made them destitute. Had the bonuses been paid then, I wonder what would have happened? The Great Depression was far from over in 1932 so the monies paid would have helped - briefly - but would have done nothing to help the greater population who were NOT veterans. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Sawzaw Date: 16 Oct 10 - 12:10 PM "By making yourself far more positive, confident, happy, expressive, creative, forgiving, generous, loving, friendly, and kind, you make a better world. You set an example that will inspire others around you, and some of them will change themselves too." In short, drop the tribal bullshit. And LH needs to drop the tribal bullshit about Canada and the US. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Rapparee Date: 16 Oct 10 - 12:12 PM No, Ebbie. Food could have been purchased at local stores, for instance. This would have spread the money around; it wouldn't have been kept in one place. It would have gotten people help instead of having them on soup kitchens and lessened (not eliminated) the need for things like the CCC and other federal government projects of the time. It would have been helpful. Not THE answer, but helpful. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Little Hawk Date: 16 Oct 10 - 12:15 PM I do not speak here as a representative of Canada, Sawzaw. I speak as an individual. Everything I say here is as a unique individual. I disagree with many of the official policies of the Canadian government. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Donuel Date: 16 Oct 10 - 01:07 PM Yep Dodd did get a VIP mortgage from Mozillo. That means he got a mortgage at 3% and all fees were waived. In fact Dodd had 3 loans with Mozillo. btw the reason Japan has unions and other protections for the middle class is because it was put there as terms of their surrender. Thats right. America insisted that Europe and Japan had more rights for their citizens than America has. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Donuel Date: 16 Oct 10 - 01:15 PM My money says in god we trust. Trust in God as we trust in our money? Thats becoming a hard sell. I can't trust conservatives to preserve public schools or the 14th ammendment or even the 1st, which is most ironic. I can't trust acts of kindness by people who formerly commited deliberate acts of malevolence to my family. Sure I can forgive, but trust? I don't think so. When people commit predatory acts I will always hold them repondsible even after I forgive them. Weigh your acts carefully for they are forever in a lifetime's scheme of things. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Little Hawk Date: 16 Oct 10 - 01:16 PM It's on the money, because the money IS the ruling God of the present society. Needless to say, it's a false God. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Ebbie Date: 16 Oct 10 - 01:17 PM Rap, as you know, after a bond, certificate or whatever matures, it is worth much more than if you 'pick' it early. I understand that the Germans during WWII when times got hard literally unearthed potatoes that were not nearly ready- it helped them temporarily but they paid for it later. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: kendall Date: 16 Oct 10 - 02:59 PM General MacArthur was a republican.He ordered his troops to fire on men who had served in his own army. He was a narcissistic, posturing prick.Truman was right by not letting him get away with disobeying orders again. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Rapparee Date: 16 Oct 10 - 03:20 PM Dead right on that, Kendall. "Dugout Doug Macarthur lies a-shivering on The Rock Away from all this shelling and the bombing's mighty shock..." --Sung on Bataan, 1942 Ebbie, sometimes you have to pick early to have anything to eat at all. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Jim Dixon Date: 16 Oct 10 - 03:49 PM I was skeptical about the pharmacy story, too, but apparently it's not just an Internet urban myth. It was reported on "My FOX New York" which I assume is a local version of Fox News. They give names, dates, places. You can read a text report and view a video at this page. As far as I can tell, the story is based entirely on statements by the woman who was suffering an asthma attack and her boyfriend; that is, there were no independent witnesses. The store manager refused to comment. The woman admitted that she had been having asthma attacks every day for five days, yet she left home without her inhaler. The Toronto Sun picked up the story. They don't cite any source, but they don't give any facts that weren't in the Fox story. I can't find any other "major news source" that has covered the story, but it is being mentioned in lots of blogs and web sites with names like "dagblog" "Gawker" and so on. I assume the Fox story was the source for all of them. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Little Hawk Date: 16 Oct 10 - 04:36 PM The Toronto Sun lives for the following things: Outrage! Fury! Violence! Vengeance! Accusation! Scandal! Right Wing fulmination of the most extreme sort. And prurient obsession with exploiting tawdry sex stories and pictures of scantily clad bimbos. They are the scummiest, stupidest, most fascist newspaper in the entire history of Canada. This does not stop them from occasionally being right about something, but I thought it was worth mentioning. It's a good paper to use if you want to wrap fish or start a fire. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: GUEST,mg Date: 16 Oct 10 - 04:53 PM And why exactly are we calling these women bimbos? And being righteous about other people at the same time? mg |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Little Hawk Date: 16 Oct 10 - 04:58 PM Go ahead and call them whatever you like, then. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 16 Oct 10 - 07:51 PM Is Fox actually a "major news source"? |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: kendall Date: 16 Oct 10 - 07:57 PM NO! Faux Noise is nothing but a mouthpiece for the republican party. Opinion journalism. Don't get me started. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Bobert Date: 16 Oct 10 - 08:08 PM Takes more than changing one's self, LH... Martin Luther King was a nice man but being a nice man wasn't enough... He went out an organized and preached and mixed it up... Yeah, ya' gotta get yerself squared away but that's only the first step if ya' ain't willin' to walk the walk... I mean, I think of my mother... She was a nice lady... Always had the best tastin' dishes at the Wednesday night church potluck suppers... Always going to visit the sick... Always reading her Bible... But what sticks in my mind was that she dressed up in her pink suit with her white gloves and stood shoulder to shoulder with other folks in front of the US Capitol building in the name of civil rights and got hauled off to jail, white gloves and all with the other folks who were willing to walk the walk... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Little Hawk Date: 16 Oct 10 - 08:44 PM I am not advising taking no social action, Bobert. I am advising setting a magnificent example. That may include taking social action...or it may not...but it will definitely inspire others to change themselves when you set a magnificent example, which is exactly what I'd say people like Martin Luther King and Gandhi did. Dylan did it too...not be taking much social action, but by writing brilliant songs. Different people have different ways of inspiring other people. Each person must find the way that suits them best. We are not all meant to walk the same walk or in exactly the same fashion, but each of us should strive to walk the best walk we can. Joan Baez always dove straight into social action. I admire her for that. Bob Dylan didn't, but he wrote the songs that made the most difference. I admire him for that. They both walked the walk that suited them best, and that was as it should have been. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Rapparee Date: 16 Oct 10 - 09:23 PM Utah Phillips said it: current protest songs and movements are about "I", not about "we." It's now, "What's in the strike/protest/demonstration for ME?" and not "What's in it for US?" "One big union" -- the old Wobblies had that right. It can't be a mish-mash of gay rights, women's right, civil rights, religious rights -- it's got to be a call for "Human Rights", the rights of everyone to live freely and responsibly (for they got hand-in-hand), to allow people to be different and to celebrate the differences, to see that all who can work can get work for decent wages and benefits in decent and safe working conditions, and, perhaps most importantly, for people to have the hope and vision that things will be better for their children. We should be building a better future on the past. Ol' Ben Franklin said it best: If we don't all hang together, we'll all hang separately. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Little Hawk Date: 16 Oct 10 - 09:55 PM True enough. |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Bobert Date: 16 Oct 10 - 10:23 PM That's a real Chriastain ideal, LH... You know, living by example... Givin' more love than you take.... Mark Twain said it perhaps as well as Utah or ol' Ben said it when he said, "Live your life so that when you die... Even the undertaker will be sad..." Nice goal... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: As trust dies so dies a nation From: Little Hawk Date: 17 Oct 10 - 06:38 AM Absolutely. Mark Twain was a brilliant man. |
