Congratulations, Mr. President!

It is at the end of a long day. I remained mostly unemotional through the ceremonies, until an Italian American co-worker told me that he was proud to be an American today. Then the tears started to come, but I held them back with a smile. I watched most of the day and had to see the First Lady's gown. I, like most people who voted have no expectation that President Obama will walk on water, contrary to those who are without understanding. I only wish the President the best.

Post Racial?

Recently much has been made of the progress from Martin Luther King Jr. 's time and Barack Hussein Obama's inauguration tomorrow.

Last year reading, seeing and hearing these kinds of comments, I wonder.

Hatred at Palin Rally in Johnstown, PA

This reminded me of the kind of anger and taunts experienced when desegregating lunch counter, schools, and during peaceful protest marches.

The last words of M. L. King's, March on Washington speech are not yet self evident.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

I Have a Dream - Address at March on Washington

The Party of Lincoln - The Betrayal

Quite often the question to Black folk asks why we support the Democratic party when there have been racist among them. Mostly asked by folk who are Republican, as if there were no racist among them, especially in the south. Perhaps a reasonable question, since the first party of Black folk was the party of Lincoln. As I see it, there are two answers to this question; after the Great Depression, Black folk who could vote, voted their self interest and the betrayal by the Republicans.

Weighing in cotton. Pulaski County, Arkansas. Oct. 1935.

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

What Republican forget, is during the Great Depression most Blacks lived in the south. Their jobs were mostly dependent upon service in middle class and rich white homes, share cropping and picking cotton. For the most part, they were poorer than the poorer whites. Most of their destiny was dependent upon white people's fortunes. People without, can not depend upon ideology to provide for them and the programs of FDR offered, appeared to them a better way than do nothing market theory. Still there were many Blacks who remained, quite a few because they were comfortable with the changes that had occurred since Reconstruction. They believed in self determination and the free market model, but they also were aware of the inequality of Black people and the need to be your brother's keeper at times.

The March to Montgomery
March 25, 1965

There is no doubt from the sign in the picture, that "States Rights" is synonymous to "Racial Integrity". It is very clear that it is a code word meaning to keep segregation. That was the Republican Party's stance on desegregation "States Rights." Trying to take the high road with ideology, when every southerner knew what that meant. The liturgy of the racist Democrats, Dixiecrats, who had tainted the Republican Party when they moved their party affiliation. When they were accepted with open arms, that was the final betrayal of Black folks after it became too hard for Republicans to support Black folk after Reconstruction. More recently they have perfected Black bashing, as part of their fight in the cultural wars. It is interesting that those asking the question don't see this or realize that even though some blacks may be conservative, their reaction to racism trumps any other ideology.

When I'm Sixty Four

It will be thirteen days.

When I'm Sixty-Four - with Lyrics

I will be 64 in a few weeks. I am amazed how fast I have gotten here in spite of the fact that many horrific years seemed to have moved so slowly. The Beatles song When I'm Sixty Four poses the questions of love, when time has changed us. When you are young, you might have thought the mind ages with the body. By the time I was forty I knew this was not true, becoming mature is not the same as aging. I still have the same intellect, curiosity, desires and needs as I did at 25. Unfortunately, the body does age and changes so much. Since I have not grown old with someone, I wonder if anyone can love, need and feed me.

2009

Happy New Year,Y'all

No resolutions. No predictions. Only one wish for the world. Quite and Peace!

Amen - Christmas Spiritual

"Amen" - Gospel Christmas

Follow link for more info on concert.

~ Merry Christmas ~

Odetta: Rest in Peace

Best said by Christopher Chambers on his side bar at Nat Tuner's Revenge.

Odetta - Midnight Special [1957 studio recording] (1930-2008)

Happy Thanksgiving

One of My Favorite Things

My Favorite Things/ John Coltrane

Hurry up and Wait

Hurry up and Wait

It's an expression long associated with life in the armed forces: the endless lines, the delays while an assignment is being readied, the long night before a major battle, and finally, the anticipation of final orders. For some who serve during war, the sounds of battle remain tantalizingly distant, as they are left waiting stateside for the duration.

This the beginning of a section of the Library of Congress, Veterans History Project. This project features many veterans stories. These stories describe not only the heroic, exciting, transforming but also the mundane. One story, Irving Oblas' features a quote which is the essence of Hurry up and Wait. I and others have waited months for orders, being in that netherworld of doing odd jobs and many platoons learning the glory of raking sand. There was that anxiousness during Viet Nam from soldiers I knew, on where they would be assigned. The draftees who would rather be elsewhere, submitted to the mundane. If orders came for Viet Nam, they would sigh, but never the less would selflessly serve.