I've been aware of the time going by
They say in the end it's the wink of an eye
When the morning light comes streaming in
You'll get up and do it again
Amen.
"The Pretender" -Jackson Browne-
A few weeks ago in a gastronomical clinic I lay on a gurney awaiting my turn to be taken into the procedure room for my colonoscopy. I noticed the pattern on the curtains that protected my privacy, I listened to the chatter between the nurses on the other side of that curtain and I looked about the little room. I looked down at my left wrist and noticed the plastic bracelet that had been placed there with all my information needed so they would know for sure who they were doing the procedure on, which is a pretty good idea I think.
I looked at and read all of the information that was contained on that band. As I read who I was my eyes landed on the last line of text that was written there. "Age: 61 years". Maybe it was being by myself with nothing to distract me, I am not sure, but seeing that number "61" suddenly brought to my mind the question of where the time had gone.
I have always heard that as you age the time seems to go by faster and faster and seeing my age printed out brought it all home to me. They are right, the time does start to fly by as you age. When I was a boy it seemed like a decade between Christmas' and over the last few years it feels like there is only a month or two between each Christmas. Time is flying by and nothing I can do will slow it down.
One summer day, I was working in the garden with my Grandpa Hill when he suddenly stopped and looked up into the sky with a far away look in his eye. He was quiet for a few seconds before telling me that if he could choose anytime in which to live, he would choose the time in which he had lived. During those seconds of gazing into the hot summer sky, I suppose he was looking back on his life, where he had been, what he had done and where life had taken him. He went on to explain that his time here on earth had allowed him to see horse and buggy days turn into seeing a man walk on the moon. He had gone from working on steam engines to diesel locomotives. His main source of news had gone from newspapers and radio to television and on to not just television, but color television. I have thought about that afternoon often over the years. This July will mark the 110th anniversary of his birth.
As I lay there seeing my age in print, I thought of that day once again. I wonder how old Grandpa was on that summer day. I imagine he probably wasn't much older then than I am now. Grandpa passed away at the age of 82 in July of 1990, twenty eight years ago. He was only twenty one years older than I am now. I think back to the day we laid him to rest on that hot July day. I remember the thoughts that went through my mind as I contemplated a future without the old man to go visit at least once a week throughout the year. I remember that day so very clear and as I think back on it, it does not seem like it has been even close to twenty eight years ago. The first year without him seemed like forever but now, July first and July tenth come around so very quickly anymore and this July seems to be approaching much fast than last July did.
This weekend members of the family will gather in Alabama to celebrate my father's ninetieth birthday. Ninety years. For my dad to reach the age of ninety is almost a miracle. No, it is a miracle. To understand why I say this I encourage you to read my entry My Dad: A Special Life . It is a long complicated story of which I have written a few times and so I won't go into the details here. Suffice it to say that dad has lived around sixty years past what they thought he would. Our sixty one years as father and son have, well let's say, had some rocky times, some very rocky times. But as each of us has grown over the years and we notice the years going by, I think both of us have come to realize what a special relationship we do have together. The times are not rocky any more, not at all these days. I feel there is a mutual respect and love for one another that we had a little trouble expressing when I was younger. That isn't to say we didn't have great times as well. Over the last sixty one years, me and my dad have had more good times than bad. Looking back over the years I can easily and honestly say there were many more good , if not great, times than rocky ones.
I remember a photograph that use to be in mom and dad's house. I must have been about fourteen, maybe a little younger. It was a picture of a baseball game taken at Jay Allard's ball fields. A game was being played that I remember very well. It was kind of a father/son game. The picture shows me at bat in mid swing. I was a fairly good hitter and the form that is depicted in this picture shows why. Not to brag or anything, but I always thought my form shown in that picture looked like a young right handed George Brett or Carl Yastrzemski (I know... dreamer. I can almost see my dad, Uncle Jim and Jay Allard rolling their eyes at this description of my swing). Back foot planted solid, front foot stepping into the pitch and straight with the arms extended, the bat level and my head down looking at the ball. Beautiful form. Of course, I don't know if I actually hit the ball or totally missed it when that picture was taken. The special part of that picture though is not the perfect swing of the bat by me, but rather squatting behind me, trusting me not to bash in his head with the bat, is my father. He is also in perfect form, just as he had taught my little brother to do when he was catching. Glove is stretched out towards the plate, the ungloved hand is fisted, and his head is tilted down a bit with his eye spot on the ball. It was just a moment in time but as I look back all those years ago, what a special moment it was. A dad and his son, playing the great American game on a dusty dirty ball field in the middle of a pasture.
That picture was taken so many years ago. If I was fourteen or so, dad would have been early forties. Could it really have been forty five or fifty years ago that picture was taken? It is times like that when you realize how fast time does go by.
So what have I learned as time continues to speed up? Time is so very precious. Time is wasted all too easily. People I have loved for a lifetime are gone and all I have are memories of the time spent with them. Grandparents, Uncles. Aunts, Siblings, Cousins, Nieces and Nephews are special people. They are family and one of the most important commodities we have in our lives are our families. Friends, close friends are the same way. Some friends are so close and you have spent so many years being friends that they are just as important as family. They pass away eventually and once they are gone, you are out of time to let them know how important they are to you. We shouldn't think that we have an eternity to let them know because although time is infinite, time in the form of life is very short and finite.
Time will go by fast. That is a given. The trick is to take advantage of that time.
Showing posts with label Quote. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quote. Show all posts
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Sunday, February 18, 2018
FIVE YEARS OF JOHN LENNON
John Lennon only lived on this earth for forty years. During this forty years, a transition took place as to how John Lennon presented himself and his philosophy.
Lennon's life was very complicated. As a child his father abandoned he and his mother Julia. His mother turned the young boy over to the care of his Aunt Mimi. He was extremely intelligent and talented. He was an artist in all aspects. He could draw, write prose, write music, play several instruments and had a mind that saw the world and came up with a philosophy that was his and his alone, as most philosophers do.
His professional music career began with a group called The Quarrymen which would later morph into what became one of the world's all time great pop bands, The Beatles. When The Beatles solidified into the final line up of Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey (Commonly known as Ringo Starr) John found his life turned upside down. Sudden fame that towered over the fame of Elvis and Dylan forced his outward life into a mold that the public wanted The Beatles to be. He was married and a father in real life but in public, John was expected to be seen as one of "the boys" single and fancy free. This forcing of his personification would put a strain on his marriage to Cynthia and he would drift away from her as well as his son Julian.
It seemed that everything The Beatles put out went to the top. They could not do anything wrong when it came to music. He and McCartney collaborated on songs giving each credit for the majority of songs The Beatles released. As the group grew through the years Lennon, McCartney and Harrison began to be able to get away from the simple love songs they had been writing and Lennon, McCartney and Harrison began to write songs with a deeper meaning incorporating their individual styles and messages into their music. By the time their 1968 album was released, known as "The White Album" each of the three were writing songs that were easily picked out as to who wrote what. While McCartney stayed mostly with his pop love songs, Lennon and Harrison began to write more songs that expressed their ideologies that they were beginning to form.
Just to be clear, this was and is my own personal take on John Lennon's philosophy that he was forming. I have always admired and respected Lennon as a philosopher, just as I do most philosophers. And just as I do most philosophers I did not agree with a lot of it. Anyone who can form a complicated view of life and nature and be able to present it in a form that is understood gets my respect. It is not an easy thing to do and something that I have tried but come up very lacking in that ability.
The first song of Lennon's that I think was an in your face philosophical statement was "Revolution". It was here that Lennon showed pure genius with his words to get a point across. I think this song was written, not as Lennon lecturing us, but as Lennon saw society lecturing him and others of his generation. Here are the lyrics and perhaps you can see what he was doing with the words:
He continued to write songs as The Beatles slowly grew apart and eventually broke up. When they went their individual ways and began to record solo albums, Lennon was totally free to do and write whatever he wanted. He did a biographical song called "Mother" in which he was able to express his disappointment with his childhood and lack of relationships with his mother and father. He wrote about his religious views and his belief in only his wife, Yoko, and himself, called "God" telling the world that he doesn't' believe in Jesus, buddah, or any cult or religion. He expressed his anti war sentiment in several songs before writing his most beloved song "Imagine".
This song musically is so very beautiful. The words of the song, however, show his political thinking and that was one of communism/socialism. The words are often taken out of context and quoted to make statements of people getting along, of humankind's desire of love for one another. If you take the lyrics as a whole however, you see the true political philosophy of John Lennon. No God, No Satan, no heaven or hell, a one world government, the idea that everything belongs to everyone, there are no individual possessions. It is "Revolution" as written from Lennon's point of view instead of from the western philosophy of a republic or democracy. Here are the lyrics taken as a whole:
In a live recording of this during a concert in Madison Square Garden, When he gets to "Imagine no possessions" he says under his breath "I try" because let's face it, John Lennon had a LOT of possessions. He owned a few mansions, lots of private land and was doing fairly well monetary wise. The song, to me, kind of like mostleaders in a socialistic system, where those at the top, those who condone the system the strongest, also live against everything the philosophy states.
Lennon continued writing and recording this type of philosophy until 1975 when he suddenly stopped recording and entered into private life in New York. He and Yoko had a son, Sean, and Lennon retired from music to live the life of a father and husband. After he had done to Cynthia and Julian much the same thing that his own parents had done to him, he had a chance to do things right and that was what he wanted to do. He became an average New Yorker. He could be found walking through Central Park with his son on his shoulders. He never hid from people, but embraced them as friends, fellow New Yorkers. There are clips of him stopping and just chatting with people in New York, not acting as though he were anything special. I believe he was extremely sincere during this time of his life. He had become just an everyday normal man living his life while raising his family. For five years he lived this life, playing music in private but not releasing any new music to the public. Music had become a hobby for him.
Then in 1980 after five years away from the music, he and Yoko released a new album titled "Double Fantasy". This album showed a new Lennon. It showed the family man, the loving husband and the father of a son he dearly loved. The songs were of a more personal nature and more biographical than philosophical. "Watching The Wheels" is a song on this album that somewhat explains what he had been doing for five years, where he had been and what he was about. It was a mature Lennon that came out. He may have still held onto his philosophy from the past, he he put it in a different place as far as importance was concerned. He had a new perspective on what was important in life.
Lennon had spent five years putting the things of life in what he thought were their proper perspective. He had come out on the other side a more mature man and the respect that came with this release was much more than five years previous. Sadly, this album brought Lennon back into the spotlight and he once again became a public figure. The new mature John Lennon's 1980 statement on his view of life would lead to his death shortly after the album was released.
This is the Lennon I hope that the world will remember. The ordinary family man finally happy with life and where it had taken him
Lennon's life was very complicated. As a child his father abandoned he and his mother Julia. His mother turned the young boy over to the care of his Aunt Mimi. He was extremely intelligent and talented. He was an artist in all aspects. He could draw, write prose, write music, play several instruments and had a mind that saw the world and came up with a philosophy that was his and his alone, as most philosophers do.
His professional music career began with a group called The Quarrymen which would later morph into what became one of the world's all time great pop bands, The Beatles. When The Beatles solidified into the final line up of Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey (Commonly known as Ringo Starr) John found his life turned upside down. Sudden fame that towered over the fame of Elvis and Dylan forced his outward life into a mold that the public wanted The Beatles to be. He was married and a father in real life but in public, John was expected to be seen as one of "the boys" single and fancy free. This forcing of his personification would put a strain on his marriage to Cynthia and he would drift away from her as well as his son Julian.
It seemed that everything The Beatles put out went to the top. They could not do anything wrong when it came to music. He and McCartney collaborated on songs giving each credit for the majority of songs The Beatles released. As the group grew through the years Lennon, McCartney and Harrison began to be able to get away from the simple love songs they had been writing and Lennon, McCartney and Harrison began to write songs with a deeper meaning incorporating their individual styles and messages into their music. By the time their 1968 album was released, known as "The White Album" each of the three were writing songs that were easily picked out as to who wrote what. While McCartney stayed mostly with his pop love songs, Lennon and Harrison began to write more songs that expressed their ideologies that they were beginning to form.
Just to be clear, this was and is my own personal take on John Lennon's philosophy that he was forming. I have always admired and respected Lennon as a philosopher, just as I do most philosophers. And just as I do most philosophers I did not agree with a lot of it. Anyone who can form a complicated view of life and nature and be able to present it in a form that is understood gets my respect. It is not an easy thing to do and something that I have tried but come up very lacking in that ability.
The first song of Lennon's that I think was an in your face philosophical statement was "Revolution". It was here that Lennon showed pure genius with his words to get a point across. I think this song was written, not as Lennon lecturing us, but as Lennon saw society lecturing him and others of his generation. Here are the lyrics and perhaps you can see what he was doing with the words:
You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be
All right, all right, all right
You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We're doing what we can
But if you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be
All right, all right, all right
You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know it's gonna be
All right, all right, all right
He continued to write songs as The Beatles slowly grew apart and eventually broke up. When they went their individual ways and began to record solo albums, Lennon was totally free to do and write whatever he wanted. He did a biographical song called "Mother" in which he was able to express his disappointment with his childhood and lack of relationships with his mother and father. He wrote about his religious views and his belief in only his wife, Yoko, and himself, called "God" telling the world that he doesn't' believe in Jesus, buddah, or any cult or religion. He expressed his anti war sentiment in several songs before writing his most beloved song "Imagine".
This song musically is so very beautiful. The words of the song, however, show his political thinking and that was one of communism/socialism. The words are often taken out of context and quoted to make statements of people getting along, of humankind's desire of love for one another. If you take the lyrics as a whole however, you see the true political philosophy of John Lennon. No God, No Satan, no heaven or hell, a one world government, the idea that everything belongs to everyone, there are no individual possessions. It is "Revolution" as written from Lennon's point of view instead of from the western philosophy of a republic or democracy. Here are the lyrics taken as a whole:
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace, you
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
In a live recording of this during a concert in Madison Square Garden, When he gets to "Imagine no possessions" he says under his breath "I try" because let's face it, John Lennon had a LOT of possessions. He owned a few mansions, lots of private land and was doing fairly well monetary wise. The song, to me, kind of like mostleaders in a socialistic system, where those at the top, those who condone the system the strongest, also live against everything the philosophy states.
Lennon continued writing and recording this type of philosophy until 1975 when he suddenly stopped recording and entered into private life in New York. He and Yoko had a son, Sean, and Lennon retired from music to live the life of a father and husband. After he had done to Cynthia and Julian much the same thing that his own parents had done to him, he had a chance to do things right and that was what he wanted to do. He became an average New Yorker. He could be found walking through Central Park with his son on his shoulders. He never hid from people, but embraced them as friends, fellow New Yorkers. There are clips of him stopping and just chatting with people in New York, not acting as though he were anything special. I believe he was extremely sincere during this time of his life. He had become just an everyday normal man living his life while raising his family. For five years he lived this life, playing music in private but not releasing any new music to the public. Music had become a hobby for him.
Then in 1980 after five years away from the music, he and Yoko released a new album titled "Double Fantasy". This album showed a new Lennon. It showed the family man, the loving husband and the father of a son he dearly loved. The songs were of a more personal nature and more biographical than philosophical. "Watching The Wheels" is a song on this album that somewhat explains what he had been doing for five years, where he had been and what he was about. It was a mature Lennon that came out. He may have still held onto his philosophy from the past, he he put it in a different place as far as importance was concerned. He had a new perspective on what was important in life.
People say I'm crazy
Doing what I'm doing
Well, they give me all kinds of warnings
To save me from ruin
When I say that I'm okay, well they look at me kinda strange
"Surely, you're not happy now, you no longer play the game"
People say I'm lazy
Dreaming my life away
Well they give me all kinds of advice
Designed to enlighten me
When I tell them that I'm doing fine watching shadows on the wall
"Don't you miss the big time boy, you're no longer on the ball?"
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go
Ah, people ask me questions
Lost in confusion
Well, I tell them there's no problem
Only solutions
Well, they shake their heads and they look at me, as if I've lost my mind
I tell them there's no hurry, I'm just sitting here doing time
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go
Lennon had spent five years putting the things of life in what he thought were their proper perspective. He had come out on the other side a more mature man and the respect that came with this release was much more than five years previous. Sadly, this album brought Lennon back into the spotlight and he once again became a public figure. The new mature John Lennon's 1980 statement on his view of life would lead to his death shortly after the album was released.
This is the Lennon I hope that the world will remember. The ordinary family man finally happy with life and where it had taken him
Friday, July 28, 2017
IN MY MIND
"I’ll be all around in the dark – I’ll be everywhere. Wherever you can look – wherever there’s a fight, so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever there’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there. I’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad. I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry and they know supper’s ready, and when the people are eatin’ the stuff they raise and livin’ in the houses they build – I’ll be there, too."
(John Steinbeck)
"I've got nothing on my mind,
Nothing to remember,
Nothing to forget.
And I've got nothing to regret.
But I'm all tied up on the inside,
No one knows quite what I've got,
And I know that on the outside
What I used to be
I'm not anymore."
(Don McLean)
"Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself."
(Richard Nixon)
"You can go to church and sing a hymn
You can judge me by the color of my skin
You can live a lie until you die
One thing you can't hide
Is when you're crippled inside"
(John Lennon)
"The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we’re gone, and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, ’cause that’s what it does. It’s a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed. And if it’s true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new paradigm: the earth plus plastic. The earth doesn’t share our prejudice toward plastic. Plastic came out of the earth. The earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children. Could be the only reason the earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the first place. It wanted plastic for itself. Didn’t know how to make it. Needed us. Could be the answer to our age-old egocentric philosophical question, “Why are we here?” ... PLASTIC!!
(George Carlin)
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
(Declaration of Independence)
It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.
(Rene Descartes)
"I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes. You’d know what a drag it is to see you."
(Bob Dylan)
"When they knock you down, you not only have to get up, but you have to make it clear that you won't be knocked down a second time."
(Lenny Bruce)
"I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired
I know right now you don't care
But soon enough you're gonna think of me
And how I used to be"
(Rob Thomas)
"Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours."
(John Locke)
"The world is like a ride in an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. The ride goes up and down, around and around, it has thrills and chills, and it's very brightly colored, and it's very loud, and it's fun for a while. Many people have been on the ride a long time, and they begin to wonder, "Hey, is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and say, "Hey, don't worry; don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." And we … kill those people. "Shut him up! I've got a lot invested in this ride, shut him up! Look at my furrows of worry, look at my big bank account, and my family. This has to be real." It's just a ride. But we always kill the good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok … But it doesn't matter, because it's just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money. Just a simple choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one. Here's what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace."
(Bill Hicks)
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
(John Adams)
"See the children of the earth
Who wake to find the table bare
See the gentry in the country
Riding off to take the air
See the jailer with his key
Who locks away all trace of sin
See the judge upon the bench
Who tries the case as best he can
See the wise and wicked ones
Who feed upon life's sacred fire
See the soldier with his gun
Who must be dead to be admired
See the man who tips the needle
See the man who buys and sells
See the man who puts the collar
On the ones who dare not tell
See the drunkard in the tavern
Stemming gold to make ends meet
See the youth in ghetto black
Condemned to life upon the street"
(Gordon Lightfoot)
"Books, in all their variety, offer the human intellect the means whereby civilization may be carried triumphantly forward."
(Winston Churchill)
"There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right."
(Martin Luther King, Jr.)
"It is well known that when you do anything, unless you understand its actual circumstances, its nature and its relations to other things, you will not know the laws governing it, or know how to do it, or be able to do it well."
(Mao Tse Tung)
"I've built walls
A fortress, steep and mighty
That none may penetrate
I have no need of friendship
Friendship causes pain.
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.
I have my books
And my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room
Safe within my womb
I touch no one and no one touches me
I am a rock
I am an island
And a rock feels no pain
And an island never cries"
(Paul Simon)
"Shadows are falling and I'm running out of breath
If I leave you it doesn't mean I love you any less
When you get up in the morning and you see that crazy sun
There's a train leaving nightly called when all is said and done
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Sometimes when you're doing simple things around the house
Maybe you'll think of me and smile
You know I'm tied to you like the buttons on your blouse
Hold me in your thoughts, take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view
When the winter comes keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you
Engine driver's headed north to Pleasant Stream
These wheels keep turning but they're running out of steam
Keep me in your heart for awhile"
(Warren Zevon)
Plus lots more ... maybe a "Part II" in the future.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
BOB DYLAN AND THE NOBEL
Since 1901 the Nobel Organization has awarded 113 prizes for Literature. When I stop to think about it, over the last 115 years only 113 authors have been selected to be the recipients of this prestigious award. I looked over a complete list of these authors and discovered that I had actually only read 17 of these men and women who used literature as a means for promoting new ideas in philosophy, poetry and general humanitarianism. I haven't even heard of well more than half of the names on the list. Until this year the most recent Literature Nobel that I had read was awarded in 1983 to William Golding whose "Lord Of The Flies" I have read. Most of the authors that have been read by myself were from the twenties to the fifties. These are the seventeen Nobel Literature authors that I have read over my lifetime:
Bob Dylan 2016
William Golding 1983
Isaac Bashevis Singer 1978
Saul Bellow 1976
Jean-Paul Sartre 1964
John Steinbeck 1962
Albert Camus 1957
Ernest Hemingway 1954
Sir Winston Churchill 1953
William Faulkner 1949
Pearl Buck 1938
Eugene O'Neill 1936
Sinclair Lewis 1930
Thomas Mann 1929
George Bernard Shaw 1925
William Butler Yeats 1923
Rudyard Kipling 1907
The Nobel committee assesses who will win the prize for literature on the whole of a writers work. It is not based on just one book or work as the Pulitzer Prize does. The committee each year gives an explanation of why a certain writer is awarded the prize. I read all of the explanations of all the literature winners over the years and there seems to be one thing in common. Their works promote a philosophy that addresses the state of mankind and to expose the failings and victories of mankind to help promote the betterment of the human race throughout the world.
There are novelists on that list as well as poets, historians and philosophers. There is one that is different from all the others though. This years recipient is Bob Dylan who is a singer/songwriter.
The literature world exploded when the Nobel announced Dylan's awarding of the prize. A songwriter? Sentiments ran deep and one writer suggested that if that is the case they might as well put Hemingway in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. Songwriting is not literature and fears were expressed that there will now be a flood of songwriters being considered and receiving the Nobel for literature.
The explanation the Nobel gave for awarding the prize to Dylan was this:
"for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition"
They considered his lyrics as poetry, which they are. His canon of work dates all the way back to the late fifties which means that for at least the last fifty five or so years, Bob Dylan has been writing and recording songs that speak of individual rights that all men should be made available to. The vast majority of his songs, or poems, deal with human conditions that have changed over the years. He has written about civil rights. He has written about the equality of man. He has written about injustices. He has written about political wrongs. He has written of religion and his quest to find it. He has written about the search for meaning and the search for truth.
If you don't like Dylan because of his style of music or because of his voice, then look up his lyrics and just read them. Search for what the message is in each one of them. Many people see Bob Dylan as a rebel, an instigator, a protestor and to a point he is. Those parts of his philosophy are key to his special outlook on the American experience over the last half century. He writes of things that need fixing.
Probably one of his most famous songs was one of his earliest. "Blowing In The Wind" is a beautiful wonderful song but the words go deep. The song lists problems and questions that the American people were addressing in the early sixties. He addressed these problems and came to the conclusion at the end of each verse that "The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind..."
So what is the answer that is blowing in the wind? Well, I am not positive what Dylan was thinking but as I have listened to that song nearly my whole life, and have sung it just as long, I have my own idea of what Dylan was trying to say. The answer blowing in the wind was the American flag and what it stood for. You take that flag and look at it and think of what it represents, the country it represents and the hopes that it gives us as Americans and you will find the answers in that thinking. It is the Declaration of Independence. It is the United States Constitution. It is the freedom of Americans, some who have had to fight hard and give the ultimate sacrifice to save or gain that freedom and the hope of some who are still fighting for the freedom that this country strives to obtain for all of its citizenry. That is what is blowing in the wind. The flag and all it stands for. Read these words and see what the answer is in your mind in this message from Dylan:
I don't think the literature world needs to be worried about the Nobel being plowed through by a lot of songwriters. The Nobel does not work that way. You have to be a very special writer that really makes hard statements that promote your beliefs. Think about it. Out of all of the great authors over the last century or so and only 113 of them have gained this level of recognition. There are not that many songwriters that even approach the bar that Dylan has set for them to win a Nobel. I sat and thought about it a long time. I thought of all the songwriters I know and if any of them approach what Dylan has accomplished over the last fifty years. I came up with only four names. Woody Guthrie, Paul Simon, Neil Young and Leonard Cohen. Those four have written a lifetimes worth of song lyrics that addresses the social condition on a very steady basis. But those three, as good as they are, do not come close to the quality and clarity that Dylan's songs do. I don't think we will see another songwriter receive the Nobel for Literature anytime in the near or even the far future.
Dylan is special. His music is special but most important, his message is special.
Bob Dylan more than deserves the Nobel for Literature 2016.
Bob Dylan 2016
William Golding 1983
Isaac Bashevis Singer 1978
Saul Bellow 1976
Jean-Paul Sartre 1964
John Steinbeck 1962
Albert Camus 1957
Ernest Hemingway 1954
Sir Winston Churchill 1953
William Faulkner 1949
Pearl Buck 1938
Eugene O'Neill 1936
Sinclair Lewis 1930
Thomas Mann 1929
George Bernard Shaw 1925
William Butler Yeats 1923
Rudyard Kipling 1907
The Nobel committee assesses who will win the prize for literature on the whole of a writers work. It is not based on just one book or work as the Pulitzer Prize does. The committee each year gives an explanation of why a certain writer is awarded the prize. I read all of the explanations of all the literature winners over the years and there seems to be one thing in common. Their works promote a philosophy that addresses the state of mankind and to expose the failings and victories of mankind to help promote the betterment of the human race throughout the world.
There are novelists on that list as well as poets, historians and philosophers. There is one that is different from all the others though. This years recipient is Bob Dylan who is a singer/songwriter.
The literature world exploded when the Nobel announced Dylan's awarding of the prize. A songwriter? Sentiments ran deep and one writer suggested that if that is the case they might as well put Hemingway in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. Songwriting is not literature and fears were expressed that there will now be a flood of songwriters being considered and receiving the Nobel for literature.
The explanation the Nobel gave for awarding the prize to Dylan was this:
"for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition"
They considered his lyrics as poetry, which they are. His canon of work dates all the way back to the late fifties which means that for at least the last fifty five or so years, Bob Dylan has been writing and recording songs that speak of individual rights that all men should be made available to. The vast majority of his songs, or poems, deal with human conditions that have changed over the years. He has written about civil rights. He has written about the equality of man. He has written about injustices. He has written about political wrongs. He has written of religion and his quest to find it. He has written about the search for meaning and the search for truth.
If you don't like Dylan because of his style of music or because of his voice, then look up his lyrics and just read them. Search for what the message is in each one of them. Many people see Bob Dylan as a rebel, an instigator, a protestor and to a point he is. Those parts of his philosophy are key to his special outlook on the American experience over the last half century. He writes of things that need fixing.
Probably one of his most famous songs was one of his earliest. "Blowing In The Wind" is a beautiful wonderful song but the words go deep. The song lists problems and questions that the American people were addressing in the early sixties. He addressed these problems and came to the conclusion at the end of each verse that "The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind..."
So what is the answer that is blowing in the wind? Well, I am not positive what Dylan was thinking but as I have listened to that song nearly my whole life, and have sung it just as long, I have my own idea of what Dylan was trying to say. The answer blowing in the wind was the American flag and what it stood for. You take that flag and look at it and think of what it represents, the country it represents and the hopes that it gives us as Americans and you will find the answers in that thinking. It is the Declaration of Independence. It is the United States Constitution. It is the freedom of Americans, some who have had to fight hard and give the ultimate sacrifice to save or gain that freedom and the hope of some who are still fighting for the freedom that this country strives to obtain for all of its citizenry. That is what is blowing in the wind. The flag and all it stands for. Read these words and see what the answer is in your mind in this message from Dylan:
"Blowin' In The Wind"
Bob Dylan
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
Yes, and how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, and how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
Yes, and how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, and how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
I don't think the literature world needs to be worried about the Nobel being plowed through by a lot of songwriters. The Nobel does not work that way. You have to be a very special writer that really makes hard statements that promote your beliefs. Think about it. Out of all of the great authors over the last century or so and only 113 of them have gained this level of recognition. There are not that many songwriters that even approach the bar that Dylan has set for them to win a Nobel. I sat and thought about it a long time. I thought of all the songwriters I know and if any of them approach what Dylan has accomplished over the last fifty years. I came up with only four names. Woody Guthrie, Paul Simon, Neil Young and Leonard Cohen. Those four have written a lifetimes worth of song lyrics that addresses the social condition on a very steady basis. But those three, as good as they are, do not come close to the quality and clarity that Dylan's songs do. I don't think we will see another songwriter receive the Nobel for Literature anytime in the near or even the far future.
Dylan is special. His music is special but most important, his message is special.
Bob Dylan more than deserves the Nobel for Literature 2016.
Monday, December 5, 2016
2016 ELECTION THOUGHTS
“Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won.”
– President Obama to House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, January 23, 2009.
Looking back over the last eight years it is clear that the President was very sincere in what he said upon taking office and his Democratic leadership in Congress followed him down that path that has weakened The United States foreign policy, weakened the economy and empowered many governments around the world in relation to the United States including most importantly Russia and China. We have seen Senator Harry Reid turn Senate rules upside down in order to silence the Republicans in that chamber and Representative Pelosi push through legislation without appropriate hearings. Pelosi famously said in pushing through the Affordable Care Act, "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it" What we found was a health insurance act that is crumbling beneath it's own weight. It is a dismal failure that, while not necessarily needing to be repealed certainly needs a lot of tweaking to make it even close to workable. After eight years of executive orders, it is over. A new election has been held and Americans across the board from the White House, to Congress and on down to the state legislatures voted for change. Elections do indeed have consequences but not the kind of power that President Obama thought his election gave him. The country is set to go in a new direction.
This election, to me, very much mirrors the election of Ronald Reagan over President Carter. We want to be strong again. We want to be respected. We want our country to be safe. We want a figure in charge that President Putin will respect instead of push around. Americans voted to return to a Reaganesque type of government. The difference between this election and the 1980 election is that everyone knew, even President Carter, that the country was ready to head in a different direction. In 2016 though, voters, especially young voters, absolutely knew that Clinton would become President. They felt entitled to what they wanted. They were not prepared for what could happen, it never crossed their minds. We live in such an entitled society that it carried over to the election and when it didn't turn out the way they wanted, they took to the streets protesting the outcome. There were destructive riots in the streets across the country. It seems that they had never heard of "a peaceful transfer of power". One month out from the election and those that supported Clinton still can not or will not accept the outcome. Donald Trump won and it is time to put all of this behind us and move on to setting up a government for the next four years.
Here are some of my thoughts that have crossed my mind since the election. I have been fairly quiet about things taking time to observe how social media and the press were reacting to the Trump victory.
Before the election, the people who were sure that Clinton was a lock were sending out messages that hopefully after the election, we can all come together in peace and harmony and support the new administration for the good of the country. I was certainly all for that no matter who won. I am not a great fan of President-elect Trump but neither am I a fan at all of Clinton. Since the Trump victory, those same people who called for peace, harmony and acceptance have deluged social media with some of the most hate filled messaging and ideas I have seen since the campaign started a year ago. Disagree with their sentiments? Well, that is simply not allowed. They will argue, put you down, call you names, insult your intelligence and question your sanity. It is hypocrisy at its finest.
Clinton won the popular vote yet lost the Electoral vote, therefor amend the constitution to disband the Electoral College because it means your vote doesn't count. Actually, the Electoral College makes sure that your vote does count if you broaden your thinking out a little bit. Wait, I forgot that I am the narrow minded one ... I'll get to that a little later though. ANYWAY, the Electoral College is based upon how each state is represented in congress. Each state has two Senators and then are given a number of representatives that correlate with the population of each state in the country. What this means is that in congress, each state is fairly represented and has a fair say in legislation and all the other duties of congress. It has the same effect on the national vote. No one state can control the outcome of an election. Each state has its representative say in how each state effects the election. Think about it. If our elections were run on a pure popular vote method, then basically five states would elect the President. California, New York, Florida, Illinois and Texas would elect the president. These five states have a mass of population that leaves the voters in the rest of the country meaningless. However, thanks to the Electoral College, a lot of eyes were set on New Hampshire. New Hampshire? Trust me, without the Electoral College, New Hampshire wouldn't have been given a second thought and the votes of the good people of New Hampshire would not have mattered. Can the Electoral College be improved? Yes, I think it can. If it were changed so that electors in each district of each state cast their ballot based on their district outcome instead of a winner take all for the state, it would be more representative of how each state went and would make our individual votes mean that much more to the process. I would be all for that. Actually I have been all for that for many years now. But I do not want my vote dismissed because I do not live in one of the big five. With the Electoral College, my vote does mean something, which is better than nothing.
Demand a recount in three strategic states that could turn the Electoral college to Clinton's advantage. First off, the three states, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan went to Trump by popular vote and wasn't even that close. The recount is a futile excersize in which it's only purpose is to drag out the process and give those who absolutely knew that Clinton was going to win false hope. It keeps in the headlines that Clinton won the popular vote even though the recount will not change anything. I predict that like the 2000 election, this will somehow end up at the Supreme Court which will have the same outcome as it did in 2000. It is a waste of time and a waste of money. I can look back in history and see how much things have changed. How much the politicians and the electorate have changed. It is well documented particularly in Theodore White's book "The Making of a President-1960" that in an extremely close election between Kennedy and Nixon that then Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago held back releasing the Chicago vote until the southern districts in Illinois released the vote tally from that part of the state. In doing this, Daley inflated the numbers from Chicago (the infamous dead voters) so that Kennedy would get the Electoral votes from that state and put Kennedy over the top and become President. Many of Nixon's advisors tried to encourage him to call for a recount, not to give up. But Richard Nixon, being the evil crook that he was, insisted on not putting the country through the upheaval that a recount would bring. Nixon as much said that the people had spoken and he accepted the outcome. The stability of the country was more important to him. I am not saying that Gore did not have good cause to ask for a recount in Florida in 2000, I think he did. I also think that it brought to a standstill the organization of a new administration and precious time was lost in the endeavor. The recount in 2016 though has absolutely no merit what so ever and should just be dropped so we can move along with the transfer of power.
Then there is the stereotyping of the Trump voter. It goes something like this. If you voted for Trump you are Racist, homophobe, anti-semetic ... well the list goes on and on. Anything that would be a bad quality in any person is placed on the shoulders of a person who voted for Trump. I will say right now, right up front that I did vote for Trump but anyone who knows me even a little bit knows how I feel about race relations, about what my feelings are concerning the LGBT community and that I am not a Nazi or a supporter of the Ku Klux Klan. To hang those tags on me because I voted for Trump is an insult to me. It isn't the way I was raised and it isn't the way I believe or act. Being a white male who voted for Trump though, throws out the reality of who I am and replaces it with everything I am not. I believe my actions over the last sixty years shows what I believe and how I think.
Let's see.... then there is the "if you voted for Trump, you are narrow minded". Well, you know after thinking about this a bit, I probably am more narrow minded than the Clinton fanatics who think they are insulting me by say that. The way I see it, to vote for a former first lady, Senator, and Secretary of State who was the cause of the largest breach of security in the nation's history and then covered it up by lying over and over and over and over again, it would take a pretty broad minded person to over look that and cast a vote for her. And it isn't just the scandals that Clinton created as Secretary of State. She has had two indictments written against her that were never issued. That's right they were not issued, but on the other hand, to have those two indictments written means, to me, that there must have been enough evidence there to at least take that step. Scandal had might as well be Clinton's middle name. All the way from the governors mansion in Little Rock to the White House to her cabinet position, scandal has been tailing her every step of the way. "READ THE BENGHAZI REPORTS" they say. She was cleared twice by the House. That is true. But what they refuse to acknowledge is the third report. The report that Representative Gowdy released after the third hearing, which was held after the private insecure email server was discovered. That report is extremely damning to Clinton but the minority on the committee blocked it's release. It is out there on the web. You can read it if you care to. It is on the House oversite gov site. It does anything but clear Clinton. Some of you should give it a read sometime although you will probably end up saying that the third one was partisan while the first two weren't. <sigh>
Another thing I have noticed is that Clinton, in spite of all the evidence, is not a liar but Trump is. I swear if the press asked Trump what he had for breakfast and he said "toast with strawberry jam" and the press found out he had toast with grape jelly the post all over social media and in the press would scream out that TRUMP IS A LIAR... WHAT ELSE WILL HE LIE ABOUT? .... My response is simply, really? After decades of serious lies by Clinton, this is the best you can come up with?
I want to take a moment to clarify what I mean by a "Clinton Fanatic". I do not consider anyone who voted for Clinton or supports Clinton a fanatic. Actually the term "Clinton Fanatic" isn't really accurate, I should change that to be "Anyone But Trump Fanatic". I know plenty of people and friends who do still support Clinton over Trump and wish it had gone the other way but are not fanatics. A fanatic, in my mind, is one who can not accept the fact that the election is over. They scream and yell about how the election was stolen. Anyone who does not agree with them is stupid and narrow minded. If you vote for Trump, you are not smart enough to know why you shouldn't have. They deny that Clinton ever lied. There is the idea that Trump is furthering his racist agenda by the people he is appointing to his cabinet. Trump, to them, is the devil reincarnate, to many he is the actual anti-christ. They deride those who hold a different opinion and hang labels on them. A new thing I have noticed by the fanatics now is that if you don't agree with them, they simply delete your response to whatever crazy thought they had posted.
I want to make it clear that I do not consider Trump the best man for the job. I do, however, consider him to be more fair, stronger, and trustworthy than I do Clinton. There are several candidates that I would rather see in the White House then either one of these two. The fact is that these were the choices Americans were given and all of us had to choose one or the other more or less and the American people chose Trump.
You can wear all the safety pins you want, cry on each others shoulders, skip classes because you are too traumatized to handle the outcome. You can, in my mind, over react and be scared and frightened because Trump is president (the only reason that you should really be a little afraid is if you are doing something wrong in the first place like being here illegally), but in the end things are going to be okay. Look people, we have a constitution. It has checks and balances that work. It has held true time after time. Afraid of the Supreme Court? I'm not. The Court is extremely stingy about overturning precedence. No matter if it is a conservative court or a liberal one, that stinginess is there and it will stay there. I can feel confident enough to say that Roe v Wade will not be over turned. I feel confident to say that gay rights afforded to the states will not be over turned. It takes a special case, with a special set of circumstances to cause the court to overturn precedence. This country has survived so much over the years since we came into existence. This country has survived because of that constitution. I firmly believe in that document and I believe it will protect us and our country. I always have and I always will believe that.
My suggestion, my desire, is that we put this last election behind us, accepting it for what it is. That we have faith in the Constitution and the way it keeps the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial branches of our government from taking over the country and turning it into something it has never been or something we do not want it to be.
It is indeed time for this country to unite as much as it can, because the tighter we are united the stronger we are, and prepare for the next four years.
To some this may sound snarky, to others it will sound like utter non-sense .... to that I say .."meh" or "whatever". It is my thoughts and mine alone. I want this country to move on and forward and in another four years, we can change things if we desire.
Well, that is it. I have kept silent, reading others thoughts and ideas and have mulled this over in my mind. As far as I am concerned, the election is over and there is no point in arguing about anymore.
Have a Merry Christmas all.
– President Obama to House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, January 23, 2009.
Looking back over the last eight years it is clear that the President was very sincere in what he said upon taking office and his Democratic leadership in Congress followed him down that path that has weakened The United States foreign policy, weakened the economy and empowered many governments around the world in relation to the United States including most importantly Russia and China. We have seen Senator Harry Reid turn Senate rules upside down in order to silence the Republicans in that chamber and Representative Pelosi push through legislation without appropriate hearings. Pelosi famously said in pushing through the Affordable Care Act, "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it" What we found was a health insurance act that is crumbling beneath it's own weight. It is a dismal failure that, while not necessarily needing to be repealed certainly needs a lot of tweaking to make it even close to workable. After eight years of executive orders, it is over. A new election has been held and Americans across the board from the White House, to Congress and on down to the state legislatures voted for change. Elections do indeed have consequences but not the kind of power that President Obama thought his election gave him. The country is set to go in a new direction.
This election, to me, very much mirrors the election of Ronald Reagan over President Carter. We want to be strong again. We want to be respected. We want our country to be safe. We want a figure in charge that President Putin will respect instead of push around. Americans voted to return to a Reaganesque type of government. The difference between this election and the 1980 election is that everyone knew, even President Carter, that the country was ready to head in a different direction. In 2016 though, voters, especially young voters, absolutely knew that Clinton would become President. They felt entitled to what they wanted. They were not prepared for what could happen, it never crossed their minds. We live in such an entitled society that it carried over to the election and when it didn't turn out the way they wanted, they took to the streets protesting the outcome. There were destructive riots in the streets across the country. It seems that they had never heard of "a peaceful transfer of power". One month out from the election and those that supported Clinton still can not or will not accept the outcome. Donald Trump won and it is time to put all of this behind us and move on to setting up a government for the next four years.
Here are some of my thoughts that have crossed my mind since the election. I have been fairly quiet about things taking time to observe how social media and the press were reacting to the Trump victory.
Before the election, the people who were sure that Clinton was a lock were sending out messages that hopefully after the election, we can all come together in peace and harmony and support the new administration for the good of the country. I was certainly all for that no matter who won. I am not a great fan of President-elect Trump but neither am I a fan at all of Clinton. Since the Trump victory, those same people who called for peace, harmony and acceptance have deluged social media with some of the most hate filled messaging and ideas I have seen since the campaign started a year ago. Disagree with their sentiments? Well, that is simply not allowed. They will argue, put you down, call you names, insult your intelligence and question your sanity. It is hypocrisy at its finest.
Clinton won the popular vote yet lost the Electoral vote, therefor amend the constitution to disband the Electoral College because it means your vote doesn't count. Actually, the Electoral College makes sure that your vote does count if you broaden your thinking out a little bit. Wait, I forgot that I am the narrow minded one ... I'll get to that a little later though. ANYWAY, the Electoral College is based upon how each state is represented in congress. Each state has two Senators and then are given a number of representatives that correlate with the population of each state in the country. What this means is that in congress, each state is fairly represented and has a fair say in legislation and all the other duties of congress. It has the same effect on the national vote. No one state can control the outcome of an election. Each state has its representative say in how each state effects the election. Think about it. If our elections were run on a pure popular vote method, then basically five states would elect the President. California, New York, Florida, Illinois and Texas would elect the president. These five states have a mass of population that leaves the voters in the rest of the country meaningless. However, thanks to the Electoral College, a lot of eyes were set on New Hampshire. New Hampshire? Trust me, without the Electoral College, New Hampshire wouldn't have been given a second thought and the votes of the good people of New Hampshire would not have mattered. Can the Electoral College be improved? Yes, I think it can. If it were changed so that electors in each district of each state cast their ballot based on their district outcome instead of a winner take all for the state, it would be more representative of how each state went and would make our individual votes mean that much more to the process. I would be all for that. Actually I have been all for that for many years now. But I do not want my vote dismissed because I do not live in one of the big five. With the Electoral College, my vote does mean something, which is better than nothing.
Demand a recount in three strategic states that could turn the Electoral college to Clinton's advantage. First off, the three states, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan went to Trump by popular vote and wasn't even that close. The recount is a futile excersize in which it's only purpose is to drag out the process and give those who absolutely knew that Clinton was going to win false hope. It keeps in the headlines that Clinton won the popular vote even though the recount will not change anything. I predict that like the 2000 election, this will somehow end up at the Supreme Court which will have the same outcome as it did in 2000. It is a waste of time and a waste of money. I can look back in history and see how much things have changed. How much the politicians and the electorate have changed. It is well documented particularly in Theodore White's book "The Making of a President-1960" that in an extremely close election between Kennedy and Nixon that then Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago held back releasing the Chicago vote until the southern districts in Illinois released the vote tally from that part of the state. In doing this, Daley inflated the numbers from Chicago (the infamous dead voters) so that Kennedy would get the Electoral votes from that state and put Kennedy over the top and become President. Many of Nixon's advisors tried to encourage him to call for a recount, not to give up. But Richard Nixon, being the evil crook that he was, insisted on not putting the country through the upheaval that a recount would bring. Nixon as much said that the people had spoken and he accepted the outcome. The stability of the country was more important to him. I am not saying that Gore did not have good cause to ask for a recount in Florida in 2000, I think he did. I also think that it brought to a standstill the organization of a new administration and precious time was lost in the endeavor. The recount in 2016 though has absolutely no merit what so ever and should just be dropped so we can move along with the transfer of power.
Then there is the stereotyping of the Trump voter. It goes something like this. If you voted for Trump you are Racist, homophobe, anti-semetic ... well the list goes on and on. Anything that would be a bad quality in any person is placed on the shoulders of a person who voted for Trump. I will say right now, right up front that I did vote for Trump but anyone who knows me even a little bit knows how I feel about race relations, about what my feelings are concerning the LGBT community and that I am not a Nazi or a supporter of the Ku Klux Klan. To hang those tags on me because I voted for Trump is an insult to me. It isn't the way I was raised and it isn't the way I believe or act. Being a white male who voted for Trump though, throws out the reality of who I am and replaces it with everything I am not. I believe my actions over the last sixty years shows what I believe and how I think.
Let's see.... then there is the "if you voted for Trump, you are narrow minded". Well, you know after thinking about this a bit, I probably am more narrow minded than the Clinton fanatics who think they are insulting me by say that. The way I see it, to vote for a former first lady, Senator, and Secretary of State who was the cause of the largest breach of security in the nation's history and then covered it up by lying over and over and over and over again, it would take a pretty broad minded person to over look that and cast a vote for her. And it isn't just the scandals that Clinton created as Secretary of State. She has had two indictments written against her that were never issued. That's right they were not issued, but on the other hand, to have those two indictments written means, to me, that there must have been enough evidence there to at least take that step. Scandal had might as well be Clinton's middle name. All the way from the governors mansion in Little Rock to the White House to her cabinet position, scandal has been tailing her every step of the way. "READ THE BENGHAZI REPORTS" they say. She was cleared twice by the House. That is true. But what they refuse to acknowledge is the third report. The report that Representative Gowdy released after the third hearing, which was held after the private insecure email server was discovered. That report is extremely damning to Clinton but the minority on the committee blocked it's release. It is out there on the web. You can read it if you care to. It is on the House oversite gov site. It does anything but clear Clinton. Some of you should give it a read sometime although you will probably end up saying that the third one was partisan while the first two weren't. <sigh>
Another thing I have noticed is that Clinton, in spite of all the evidence, is not a liar but Trump is. I swear if the press asked Trump what he had for breakfast and he said "toast with strawberry jam" and the press found out he had toast with grape jelly the post all over social media and in the press would scream out that TRUMP IS A LIAR... WHAT ELSE WILL HE LIE ABOUT? .... My response is simply, really? After decades of serious lies by Clinton, this is the best you can come up with?
I want to take a moment to clarify what I mean by a "Clinton Fanatic". I do not consider anyone who voted for Clinton or supports Clinton a fanatic. Actually the term "Clinton Fanatic" isn't really accurate, I should change that to be "Anyone But Trump Fanatic". I know plenty of people and friends who do still support Clinton over Trump and wish it had gone the other way but are not fanatics. A fanatic, in my mind, is one who can not accept the fact that the election is over. They scream and yell about how the election was stolen. Anyone who does not agree with them is stupid and narrow minded. If you vote for Trump, you are not smart enough to know why you shouldn't have. They deny that Clinton ever lied. There is the idea that Trump is furthering his racist agenda by the people he is appointing to his cabinet. Trump, to them, is the devil reincarnate, to many he is the actual anti-christ. They deride those who hold a different opinion and hang labels on them. A new thing I have noticed by the fanatics now is that if you don't agree with them, they simply delete your response to whatever crazy thought they had posted.
I want to make it clear that I do not consider Trump the best man for the job. I do, however, consider him to be more fair, stronger, and trustworthy than I do Clinton. There are several candidates that I would rather see in the White House then either one of these two. The fact is that these were the choices Americans were given and all of us had to choose one or the other more or less and the American people chose Trump.
You can wear all the safety pins you want, cry on each others shoulders, skip classes because you are too traumatized to handle the outcome. You can, in my mind, over react and be scared and frightened because Trump is president (the only reason that you should really be a little afraid is if you are doing something wrong in the first place like being here illegally), but in the end things are going to be okay. Look people, we have a constitution. It has checks and balances that work. It has held true time after time. Afraid of the Supreme Court? I'm not. The Court is extremely stingy about overturning precedence. No matter if it is a conservative court or a liberal one, that stinginess is there and it will stay there. I can feel confident enough to say that Roe v Wade will not be over turned. I feel confident to say that gay rights afforded to the states will not be over turned. It takes a special case, with a special set of circumstances to cause the court to overturn precedence. This country has survived so much over the years since we came into existence. This country has survived because of that constitution. I firmly believe in that document and I believe it will protect us and our country. I always have and I always will believe that.
My suggestion, my desire, is that we put this last election behind us, accepting it for what it is. That we have faith in the Constitution and the way it keeps the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial branches of our government from taking over the country and turning it into something it has never been or something we do not want it to be.
It is indeed time for this country to unite as much as it can, because the tighter we are united the stronger we are, and prepare for the next four years.
To some this may sound snarky, to others it will sound like utter non-sense .... to that I say .."meh" or "whatever". It is my thoughts and mine alone. I want this country to move on and forward and in another four years, we can change things if we desire.
Well, that is it. I have kept silent, reading others thoughts and ideas and have mulled this over in my mind. As far as I am concerned, the election is over and there is no point in arguing about anymore.
Have a Merry Christmas all.
Monday, December 21, 2015
IGNORANCE AND WANT
I have read a lot of books during my lifetime. The vast majority of books that I have read are non-fiction. I think I prefer non-fiction because they tell of the times and events that have led the human race to the place where we see ourselves now. We learn from the history of us and it is said that this knowledge keeps us from repeating mistakes of the past. That isn't exactly the case as history has repeated itself a lot through the millennia, but for the most part we strive to remember mistakes and vow to not let them happen again.
I do read some fiction but I am rather particular about the writers of fiction that I read. There are two writers in my library that stand out above the rest when it comes to fiction. John Steinbeck and Charles Dickens. I have read all of Steinbeck's novels and the major works of Dickens. What makes these writers stand out in my mind is that they write a fictional story that is based on the period of time in which they are living and mold these stories to present to us a lesson in humanity much more personal than a history book could. When I read Steinbeck or Dickens, a picture is painted by their words that take you into the time that the story is taking place. They place your mind inside the minds of the characters so that you understand what they are thinking, what they are feeling and how the world is seen through their eyes. Both of these writers are masters of presenting their works in such a manner.
In 1843, Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol". It was a short story compared to the length of his novels but carried as strong of a message as the longer works did. Most of us are familiar with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. The old miserly man who had a firm dislike for mankind, particularly the poor. The story revolves around Scrooge being changed overnight into one of the most beloved men who lived in London by the lessons of three spirits who visit him on Christmas Eve and show him how he must change for his own benefit as well as mankind's. It is truly a story for the ages and one that is celebrated every year through movies, plays and readings. It is a story that will never fade away I hope.
Every Christmas season over the last few years, myself and some cousins of mine have attended a production of "A Christmas Carol" at a local university. The production is magnificent and very entertaining as well as thought provoking. It brings to life the characters that Dickens created all those years ago.
This year, for some reason, made me stop and think about the message Dickens was bringing to us. There was one scene in particular that filled my mind. Towards the end of the visit by the Spirit of Christmas Present, two children are revealed from under the Spirit's robes. The children are in rags, with sunken eyes and skeletal figures. The Spirit explains to Scrooge who the children are:
Ignorance and Want. I thought about "Ignorance" and "Want" for a long time. I did a little research to see what the experts thought of these children as presented by Dickens. I came to one of two conclusions. "Ignorance" is the one we are to beware most of all. "Want" is what ignorance brings. Anytime there is ignorance, there will be people wanting. Not wanting out of greed, but rather wanting to just survive. Ignorance blinds us to what the needs are to make society a more perfect place in which to live.
Keeping the poor ignorant will trap them in a cycle of poverty from generation to generation without a means to escape. Education is a must, and was a must for Victorian London. Schools were not very available then and most times the children could not go to school because they were forced to help the family by spending their time in the work houses. Without at least a minimal education, these children would grow up in ignorance as their parents had and the poor, they extreme poor would always be with us. In Dickens time, this was the case. Very little education that would allow for children to have at least a chance at breaking that cycle of poverty.
"Ignorance" can also be applied to the well off. Those that do not live in poverty tend to not see what they don't want to. They are ignorant of the plight of the poor who live around them. Indeed, if anything, the poor provide a much needed service to the well off. The cheap labor that the poor provide make it possible for the well to do to continue living that life style. But ignorance of the poor is not a solution. Ignorance of the poor, and keeping the poor down, will eventually bring society down as well. I think perhaps the spirit was pointing out to Scrooge his own ignorance of the poor and how he, as well as society, fair better with a more prominent working class.
The result of ignorance is always more want, more need. We should make ourselves aware of those in need and to do what we can to help them out of the cycle they find themselves in. It is a problem that has faced man for centuries and continues to do so.
I am not sure what Dickens personal philosophy was as to how to break the cycle of poverty, but he is correct I think that the first step is getting rid of ignorance by both the poor and the wealthy. I feel that once we make a dent in ignorance, once we teach and give those in the poverty cycle the tools to begin to climb out of it, then every generation after that should become a little more self reliant. I think that once we take away the ignorance of the wealthy and they learn what tools need to be given to help the poor out of poverty then their investment in this endeavor will bring society as whole up to a better level. With the wiping out of ignorance, there will be less crime, less bigotry and racism. There will be more of an understanding of our fellow man. There will be less want.
I also think that it is important that while the poor are given the tools to climb out of that hole, it must not be blindly given, but earned. For those things that are earned are vastly more appreciated by an individual than that which is given freely and blindly.
So let's take Dickens wisdom to beware ignorance and work on eliminating it, which will result in less want.
Society will be the better for it.
I do read some fiction but I am rather particular about the writers of fiction that I read. There are two writers in my library that stand out above the rest when it comes to fiction. John Steinbeck and Charles Dickens. I have read all of Steinbeck's novels and the major works of Dickens. What makes these writers stand out in my mind is that they write a fictional story that is based on the period of time in which they are living and mold these stories to present to us a lesson in humanity much more personal than a history book could. When I read Steinbeck or Dickens, a picture is painted by their words that take you into the time that the story is taking place. They place your mind inside the minds of the characters so that you understand what they are thinking, what they are feeling and how the world is seen through their eyes. Both of these writers are masters of presenting their works in such a manner.
In 1843, Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol". It was a short story compared to the length of his novels but carried as strong of a message as the longer works did. Most of us are familiar with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. The old miserly man who had a firm dislike for mankind, particularly the poor. The story revolves around Scrooge being changed overnight into one of the most beloved men who lived in London by the lessons of three spirits who visit him on Christmas Eve and show him how he must change for his own benefit as well as mankind's. It is truly a story for the ages and one that is celebrated every year through movies, plays and readings. It is a story that will never fade away I hope.
Every Christmas season over the last few years, myself and some cousins of mine have attended a production of "A Christmas Carol" at a local university. The production is magnificent and very entertaining as well as thought provoking. It brings to life the characters that Dickens created all those years ago.
This year, for some reason, made me stop and think about the message Dickens was bringing to us. There was one scene in particular that filled my mind. Towards the end of the visit by the Spirit of Christmas Present, two children are revealed from under the Spirit's robes. The children are in rags, with sunken eyes and skeletal figures. The Spirit explains to Scrooge who the children are:
“They are Man's and they cling to me, appealing
from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance and this girl is Want. Beware
them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy for
on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be
erased.”
Keeping the poor ignorant will trap them in a cycle of poverty from generation to generation without a means to escape. Education is a must, and was a must for Victorian London. Schools were not very available then and most times the children could not go to school because they were forced to help the family by spending their time in the work houses. Without at least a minimal education, these children would grow up in ignorance as their parents had and the poor, they extreme poor would always be with us. In Dickens time, this was the case. Very little education that would allow for children to have at least a chance at breaking that cycle of poverty.
"Ignorance" can also be applied to the well off. Those that do not live in poverty tend to not see what they don't want to. They are ignorant of the plight of the poor who live around them. Indeed, if anything, the poor provide a much needed service to the well off. The cheap labor that the poor provide make it possible for the well to do to continue living that life style. But ignorance of the poor is not a solution. Ignorance of the poor, and keeping the poor down, will eventually bring society down as well. I think perhaps the spirit was pointing out to Scrooge his own ignorance of the poor and how he, as well as society, fair better with a more prominent working class.
The result of ignorance is always more want, more need. We should make ourselves aware of those in need and to do what we can to help them out of the cycle they find themselves in. It is a problem that has faced man for centuries and continues to do so.
I am not sure what Dickens personal philosophy was as to how to break the cycle of poverty, but he is correct I think that the first step is getting rid of ignorance by both the poor and the wealthy. I feel that once we make a dent in ignorance, once we teach and give those in the poverty cycle the tools to begin to climb out of it, then every generation after that should become a little more self reliant. I think that once we take away the ignorance of the wealthy and they learn what tools need to be given to help the poor out of poverty then their investment in this endeavor will bring society as whole up to a better level. With the wiping out of ignorance, there will be less crime, less bigotry and racism. There will be more of an understanding of our fellow man. There will be less want.
I also think that it is important that while the poor are given the tools to climb out of that hole, it must not be blindly given, but earned. For those things that are earned are vastly more appreciated by an individual than that which is given freely and blindly.
So let's take Dickens wisdom to beware ignorance and work on eliminating it, which will result in less want.
Society will be the better for it.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
TRAGEDY IN THE ART WORLD - DECEMBER 8, 1980
John Lennon was one of a kind. People will argue that his song writing partner, Paul McCartney, was just as much of an influence if not more and that may be. John and Paul were different. They thought along different lines. While Paul was indeed a great song writer and performer, he seemed to stay out of putting his thoughts, his philosophy out front. Not so with John Lennon.
John was a complete artist. He was a philosopher. He was, in some ways, a politician. He wrote books and poems. He drew sketches portraying his life experiences. He also,of course, wrote music. His music changed over the years with each topic being a mirror as to what he was going through life at a particular time. He was one of a kind.
Even the titles of some of his songs tell you what he was thinking or going through. Such song titles as "Crippled Inside", "Gimme Some Truth", "Instant Karma", "Power To The People", "Mind Games", "Imagine", "All You Need Is Love" and "Revolution" are examples of this. There have been plenty of writers who wrote songs along such topics but in my opinion none came close to touching the genius of John Lennon.
One the most infamous events in Lennon's career was when he said on March 4, 1966 that "We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity". The world, especially the Christian world too great offense at this statement and it created a huge backlash against The Beatles which produced huge record burning parties and boycotts. Lennon was soon to apologize for something that he said that he did believe. “I’m not anti-God, anti-Christ or anti-religion. I was not saying we are greater or better. I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I’m sorry I said it, really. I never meant it to be a lousy anti-religious thing. From what I’ve read, or observed, Christianity just seems to be shrinking, to be losing contact.”
I look back at that time in 1966 and what Lennon said had some truth to it. The Beatles were huge. They were filling stadiums. Their fans were more or less worshiping them. No doubt more people, especially kids, were showing more interest and belief in The Beatles then they were into religion. That is all Lennon was saying. But that one line was pulled out of context "We're bigger than Jesus" was all that was heard. Lennon's foresight that he would have to apologize for something that he thought he was in the right about was a part of his maturing process. The initial statement and following apology was probably the most important statements Lennon ever made.
The lyrics to his songs were the most efficient way that Lennon got his message across. One of his most popular songs titled "Imagine" has become a mantra for peace and equality and held up as a slogan by most people who only hear what they want to hear in the song. These people do not really listen to the lyrics though. The same people who were so very upset at the "bigger than Jesus" remark hold "Imagine" up as a great song that lays a blueprint down for how mankind should live. Yet the opening verse in "Imagine" is "Imagine there's no heaven, It's easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us only sky". The second verse also attacks religion with "Imagine there's no countries. It isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for. And no religion too. "Imagine" is a song about socialism, close to communism and yet not only Americans, but people all over the world have held this song as a blueprint for life because they do not listen to the words. Don't get me wrong, "Imagine" is a great song, even a masterpiece and I love it. I love the lyrics to it but I don't agree with them very much. It was, at that time, Lennon's philosophy however.
One thing that John Lennon did that impressed me was that he was able to listen to new ideas and often he would accept new ideas and throw away old ideas that he thought were flawed. Not many men, especially artists, have that ability. Lennon did.
By the time 1980 rolled around, John Lennon had been out of the public eye for five years. He had not recorded or written during that time but had evolved into a more stable, down to earth man with family being one of the most important things in his life. As this thinking progressed he began to write again and his last album, released just months before he was murdered, reflect a philosophy of love and family and people just getting along. The music was toned down and not as angry as some of his earlier works were. One of my personal favorite Lennon songs come from this album. It is almost a biographical song which explains where he was at that moment in time. It is titled "Watching The Wheels".
WATCHING THE WHEELS
People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing,
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin,
When I say that I'm o.k. they look at me kind of strange,
Surely your not happy now you no longer play the game,
People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away,
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me,
When I tell that I'm doing Fine watching shadows on the wall,
Don't you miss the big time boy you're no longer on the ball?
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,
I really love to watch them roll,
No longer riding on the merry-go-round,
I just had to let it go,
People asking questions lost in confusion,
Well I tell them there's no problem,
Only solutions,
Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind,
I tell them there's no hurry...
I'm just sitting here doing time,
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,
I really love to watch them roll,
No longer riding on the merry-go-round,
I just had to let it go.
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin,
When I say that I'm o.k. they look at me kind of strange,
Surely your not happy now you no longer play the game,
People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away,
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me,
When I tell that I'm doing Fine watching shadows on the wall,
Don't you miss the big time boy you're no longer on the ball?
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,
I really love to watch them roll,
No longer riding on the merry-go-round,
I just had to let it go,
People asking questions lost in confusion,
Well I tell them there's no problem,
Only solutions,
Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind,
I tell them there's no hurry...
I'm just sitting here doing time,
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,
I really love to watch them roll,
No longer riding on the merry-go-round,
I just had to let it go.
Despite all of the controversy that followed him, despite all of the brilliance in his words, his music, his writing and his art, John Lennon was a true renaissance man. He was a man who was always true to himself even if it did temporarily cost him some fans and admirers. It seemed like they always came back because when John Lennon said something it was truth in his own mind. He was a special artist that come along in history all too rarely. Part of the reason that Mark David Chapman gave for murdering Lennon was that Lennon had stood for helping the poor and yet all Chapman saw was a man with tremendous wealth. In other words, Chapman saw Lennon as selling out. To this I say read some of Lennon's lyrics and you will hear him talk about the poor and disenfranchised and how we, as mankind, should help them out. You will also find that Lennon believed in working for what you get and deserve. Read the lyrics to "Revolution" and you find that he is telling people to get things straight before you go off and just rant about revolution in the streets. There is a right way and a wrong way, and Lennon was seeing that it was being approached the wrong way.
REVOLUTION
You say you want a revolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright
You say you got a real solution
Well you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well you know
We're doing what we can
But when you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell you is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright
You say you'll change the constitution
Well you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well you know
You better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright
Well you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright
You say you got a real solution
Well you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well you know
We're doing what we can
But when you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell you is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright
You say you'll change the constitution
Well you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well you know
You better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright
The world could use a few John Lennons these days. On December 8, 1980, the world lost one of it's finest thinkers and artists. His works will live for a very long time if we are lucky.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
GETTYSBURG THEN AND NOW
Today it can be looked back upon as three days of hell. On July first through July third in 1863 chances are that many of the thousands of men who were caught on the battlefield outside of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania thought that they were in hell. Three days of battle that left approximately fifty thousand dead Americans defined the American Civil War. There will be those readers who say that there weren't fifty thousand Americans because half of the battle was waged by members of the Confederate States of America. To me, even the Confederates were still Americans who had beliefs that conflicted with the United States establishment. These beliefs were strong, so strong that they felt they had to fight for the rights they believed in. On November 19, 1863 President Lincoln visited the battlefield at Gettysburg, stood before a small crowd that had gathered to dedicate the battlefield and spoke seven words that every American would recognize as he said, "Four score and seven years ago....". He spoke but ten sentences that day. Ten sentences that every American should revisit and find out what truth that short speech holds for each of us.
It seems like every nation goes
through what the United States went through during those four years that
marked the bloodiest war in the history of our country. Most countries
go through this type of upheaval more than once. Thinking back on my
history lessons in school, the American Revolution comes to mind as well
as the Russian revolution, the French revolution, the Spanish Civil War
and so on up through today's wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Syria
and many others that are being waged around the globe as I write this.
It seems to be a necessary step that a country must go through to obtain
some kind of civility and stability for it's people. The civility and
stabilization seldom lasts though and we, as humans, tend to go through
these wars over and over never learning the lessons we thought we had
been taught.
I look at my country and see that battles are still being waged. We have been in many armed conflicts such as Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and others, but we are also still fighting among ourselves here in our country. It's as if the Civil War ended for a short period of time, but then continued on other fronts. True we have never had a bloody conflict between our shores to rival that of the 1860's but the battles being waged in our country carry just as much passion and belief as those that brought about the fifty thousand casualties in Pennsylvania 150 years ago.
We now fight several wars among ourselves. The battle between the people of different races in this country still rage on. We can look back and see how much progress has been made, but the progress has not gotten to the point of where all people feel themselves equal. Like the Civil War, there are soldiers on each front waging this war. There are Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Middle Eastern people looking for what this country showed promise of, that being that all men are created equal. The battle lines are blurred at times as there are people of each race who do come together in agreement but still have to fight for what they have come to believe. There are people of different races who try to enter the country illegally to take part in the American Dream causing a chain reaction that results in limiting those who can enter and become Americans in their own right. I am proud to say that my Grandfather was a soldier in the war of the races, and he was on the right side I think. He did not believe himself to be better than anyone else based on race or a number of other qualifiers and he stood up to be counted for what he believed in. His legacy has been one that has seen those that follow him in life carry on his thoughts and beliefs.
There is a war raging among the economic classes in this country. This war has been raging for many years as well and still continues to be fought on a daily basis. This land was once known as a sort of promised land where people from all over the world would immigrate to and try to partake of what became known as the American Dream. Some say the dream is dead, or at least dying. No man, woman or child should go hungry in this country that supplies so much of the food for the world and actually pays our farmers not to grow too many crops. It is a complicated war though with many different ideas clashing on what is the proper way to keep the American Dream alive. I do not have an answer to that. I do have my own ideas and beliefs that every person who is lucky enough to be a part of this great country should also contribute to the greatness of this land. The great battle seems to be between the overly rich and the overly poor and it is up to the middle class to take most of the casualties in this war. There is an answer to this situation and perhaps we will stumble across it one day, it doesn't appear to be close at hand.
Perhaps the biggest war that is pushing this country against itself is the war of political philosophy. We casually pigeonhole everyone in to one of two categories. Liberal or conservative. Democrat or Republican. In reality, Americans fill a broad spectrum of philosophies that lie between those two extremes. Lately though the extremes have seem to have taken over the battle cry for each side. This did not start with the current administration or the one before it. I am not sure when it started. My thinking is that this battle has been raging ever since the days of John Adams vs Thomas Jefferson. Never before has it been as loud of a conflict or as dividing a conflict as it has grown to be in the current age of politics. New weapons have come out that heighten the level of this war for the minds of people. Radio, television, cable television and now the internet all contribute to information being fed world around in a split second taking away the time needed to do some thinking, and digesting of ideas and news before reacting to them. This is, I believe, why the extremes of conservatism and liberalism have come to the forefront so fast. We react to news or ideas as soon as we hear of them instead of having the time to think things through and figure out what the proper reaction would or should be. The President is expected to react almost immediately when something happens on the other side of the world. Gone are the days when our leaders, our thinkers, our writers and our philosophers could take time to think, to look at different sides, to listen to different ideas before setting up a policy to deal with whatever the event is. This, I believe is the most dangerous war we, as citizens, are involved in. This is the kind of war that can once again tear our country apart and replay those four terrible years of 150 years ago. We need to back off, sit and think. All of us need to do this, not just the leaders of our country. As Americans, we are still seen as leaders of not only the free world, but of the world in general. I see our grasp on that claim slowly slipping. cool heads and thoughtful minds are call for in these turbulent fast moving times. We all, the whole world, needs to put on the brakes just a little bit.
There are many other wars being fought in The United States today. Too many for me to write about. We need to find a way to deal with these situations that all of us face every day. What President Lincoln said in Pennsylvania is a good start I think.
As Americans, we should never forget those ten sentences that President Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg on that November day in 1863. We should read them. We should consider them. We should make those words come alive as we live in this great country along side of each other.
Read it. Consider it. Think about the words and what they mean to all of us today, because these words do have meaning to us today. These words sum up the history of The United States and the future of The United States. No matter what philosophy each of us subscribe to, these words have a message for all of us.
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| After the battle - Gettysburg Pennsylvania July 1963 |
I look at my country and see that battles are still being waged. We have been in many armed conflicts such as Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and others, but we are also still fighting among ourselves here in our country. It's as if the Civil War ended for a short period of time, but then continued on other fronts. True we have never had a bloody conflict between our shores to rival that of the 1860's but the battles being waged in our country carry just as much passion and belief as those that brought about the fifty thousand casualties in Pennsylvania 150 years ago.
We now fight several wars among ourselves. The battle between the people of different races in this country still rage on. We can look back and see how much progress has been made, but the progress has not gotten to the point of where all people feel themselves equal. Like the Civil War, there are soldiers on each front waging this war. There are Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Middle Eastern people looking for what this country showed promise of, that being that all men are created equal. The battle lines are blurred at times as there are people of each race who do come together in agreement but still have to fight for what they have come to believe. There are people of different races who try to enter the country illegally to take part in the American Dream causing a chain reaction that results in limiting those who can enter and become Americans in their own right. I am proud to say that my Grandfather was a soldier in the war of the races, and he was on the right side I think. He did not believe himself to be better than anyone else based on race or a number of other qualifiers and he stood up to be counted for what he believed in. His legacy has been one that has seen those that follow him in life carry on his thoughts and beliefs.
There is a war raging among the economic classes in this country. This war has been raging for many years as well and still continues to be fought on a daily basis. This land was once known as a sort of promised land where people from all over the world would immigrate to and try to partake of what became known as the American Dream. Some say the dream is dead, or at least dying. No man, woman or child should go hungry in this country that supplies so much of the food for the world and actually pays our farmers not to grow too many crops. It is a complicated war though with many different ideas clashing on what is the proper way to keep the American Dream alive. I do not have an answer to that. I do have my own ideas and beliefs that every person who is lucky enough to be a part of this great country should also contribute to the greatness of this land. The great battle seems to be between the overly rich and the overly poor and it is up to the middle class to take most of the casualties in this war. There is an answer to this situation and perhaps we will stumble across it one day, it doesn't appear to be close at hand.
Perhaps the biggest war that is pushing this country against itself is the war of political philosophy. We casually pigeonhole everyone in to one of two categories. Liberal or conservative. Democrat or Republican. In reality, Americans fill a broad spectrum of philosophies that lie between those two extremes. Lately though the extremes have seem to have taken over the battle cry for each side. This did not start with the current administration or the one before it. I am not sure when it started. My thinking is that this battle has been raging ever since the days of John Adams vs Thomas Jefferson. Never before has it been as loud of a conflict or as dividing a conflict as it has grown to be in the current age of politics. New weapons have come out that heighten the level of this war for the minds of people. Radio, television, cable television and now the internet all contribute to information being fed world around in a split second taking away the time needed to do some thinking, and digesting of ideas and news before reacting to them. This is, I believe, why the extremes of conservatism and liberalism have come to the forefront so fast. We react to news or ideas as soon as we hear of them instead of having the time to think things through and figure out what the proper reaction would or should be. The President is expected to react almost immediately when something happens on the other side of the world. Gone are the days when our leaders, our thinkers, our writers and our philosophers could take time to think, to look at different sides, to listen to different ideas before setting up a policy to deal with whatever the event is. This, I believe is the most dangerous war we, as citizens, are involved in. This is the kind of war that can once again tear our country apart and replay those four terrible years of 150 years ago. We need to back off, sit and think. All of us need to do this, not just the leaders of our country. As Americans, we are still seen as leaders of not only the free world, but of the world in general. I see our grasp on that claim slowly slipping. cool heads and thoughtful minds are call for in these turbulent fast moving times. We all, the whole world, needs to put on the brakes just a little bit.
There are many other wars being fought in The United States today. Too many for me to write about. We need to find a way to deal with these situations that all of us face every day. What President Lincoln said in Pennsylvania is a good start I think.
As Americans, we should never forget those ten sentences that President Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg on that November day in 1863. We should read them. We should consider them. We should make those words come alive as we live in this great country along side of each other.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that this nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Read it. Consider it. Think about the words and what they mean to all of us today, because these words do have meaning to us today. These words sum up the history of The United States and the future of The United States. No matter what philosophy each of us subscribe to, these words have a message for all of us.
Friday, May 3, 2013
WHAT THE FAMILY IS ALL ABOUT
It was March 23, 1976 and the Attorney General of the State of Missouri was addressing the Supreme Court of the United States. It had been a short three years since the Supreme Court had handed down it's ruling in the famous Roe v. Wade case making it unconstitutional for a state to prohibit the right of a woman to seek and have an abortion. During that three years, the State of Missouri had written a law to comply with the decision from the Court. The Missouri law, however, was filled with provisions that had to be met before an abortion could be performed. Most of these provisions dealt not only with a time table for an abortion and how the abortion would be conducted, but with numerous consents from interested parties having say in whether an abortion would be performed or not. This was the first case that came to the Supreme Court questioning whether it met the constitutionality set out by the Roe V. Wade decision. This case would set the tone for decades to come as to how laws across the country interpreted the Roe v. Wade decision.
The Missouri Attorney General was an up and coming personality in not only Missouri politics, but national politics as well. John Danforth was a tall lean man with a soft voice and a slow cadence of speech. He was always careful with the words he used as to try to get exactly what his meaning was. He was a communicator. When Danforth began enforcing the law the pro-choice organizations were ready. They felt that the Missouri law was too restrictive and was much more stringent than the Supreme Court had intended it to be. It was under this belief that Planned Parenthood of Missouri sued the State of Missouri and started a long three year march to present the law before the Supreme Court.
It was while I was reviewing the case this week that I came across one of, what I consider, Danforth's greatest talks on his philosophy on what a constitutes a family. Danforth was a minister in his non-political life and Roe v. Wade did not sit well with him. He did, however, have a strong belief in his country and the Constitution and he respected the role of the Supreme Court and what their role in government was. With this love of our Constitution and our government, Danforth went about the task of getting a law that would accommodate the Supreme Court's decision and to implement it and defend it for the State of Missouri. So he made the trip to Washington, D.C. and now here he was addressing nine of the most powerful people in the country to try to convince them that the Missouri law met all the requirements.
This entry isn't about Roe v. Wade though. It isn't about Planned Parenthood or the Missouri General Assembly. It isn't about what my feelings are about abortion, nor is it what your feelings may be about the subject. It isn't even about the law really. No, I am writing this because as I was studying this case I came across a few paragraphs in Danforth's presentation to the Supreme Court that made me stop and think. As I read these words it occurred to me how time has gone by and how the thoughts of a society shift and change as that time is slipping by. Gay Marriage was not a national issue yet. The AIDS epidemic had not become a national concern. School shootings were something that didn't happen, and if they did, it was a shocking rarity, as in the Texas Tower shootings.
Looking back on the society of 1976 compared to today. I can see how people were responsible, well more so than they are today. Communities tended to be tight and close. People knew their neighbors and the notion of a hate crime had yet to be defined. I think of it like comparing the 70's to the 50's the same as comparing today to the 70's. The 70's however had society on the edge of a social revolution that we weren't aware was happening under our noses.
So, what did Danforth say that on that March morning in 1976 that captured my imagination? He spoke of family. He spoke of responsibility. He spoke of how an action by a single person can effect so many people because they care and love that person. This was what Danforth said in his remarks to the Supreme Court that made me stop and look back on where we have been and where we are.
"First with respect to spousal consent; the legislature of our State has in effect said through the statute that inherent in marriage is that certain decisions are made jointly by husband and wife or they are not made at all, that this is the very definition of what marriage is all about.
The legislature has done this elsewhere, not only in the State of Missouri, but in other States as well. For example; if a woman has given birth to a child and then decides that she wants to place the child for adoption, if the woman is not married, she alone can make that decision. If the woman is married, her husband must join in that decision to place the child for adoption.
The right to consent is not in the punitive father in the State of Missouri.The right to consent to an adoption is in the husband, because this is fundamental decision relating to what the family is all about.
I believe that the legislature could so provide that has not in this case, I think that the issue becomes elevated to a much different plain when the birth of a -- of a coming child is involved and I would also say that whereas Mr. Susman said that if the husband is not the father of the child, he has no legal obligations.
I think that is just wrong.
I think that is a misstatement of law.
If the husband approves of the wife having the baby, he assumes responsibility for that baby. In fact, there is no stronger presumption in the law than that a husband is in fact the father of any child born of that marriage." - JOHN DANFORTH Attorney General of Missouri 03-23-76.
As I read those words and listened to Danforth speak them, it was evident that what he was saying came from his heart. Family is important. Families are effected by decisions and decisions that effect the family should be made by the family.
I feel that to get the impact of what Danforth was saying, you have to set aside your beliefs on abortion, the right to choose, the idea of being free from a child having to get consent for procedures. All that political baggage has to be set aside for just five minutes as you read these powerful words from Danforth. Responsibility. Family. Fathers and mothers and children.
John Danforth was my U.S. Senator for many years. I have heard him talk many times about many subjects. I always knew where he stood on issues. He was a good Senator. One that I was proud to have represent me.
As I said, I am not writing this as a political issue, pro-life or pro-choice. I am not writing this trying to say that children do need or do not need parental consent. These words that Danforth spoke that day are given to you here completely out of context but even though they are taken out of context, they can stand on their own within their own context. That is how I choose to read these words.
I hope that the reader can set aside politics and personal ideals and read the words as they are. Coming from a man who loves his country, his people, and his family.
Thank you Senator.
The Missouri Attorney General was an up and coming personality in not only Missouri politics, but national politics as well. John Danforth was a tall lean man with a soft voice and a slow cadence of speech. He was always careful with the words he used as to try to get exactly what his meaning was. He was a communicator. When Danforth began enforcing the law the pro-choice organizations were ready. They felt that the Missouri law was too restrictive and was much more stringent than the Supreme Court had intended it to be. It was under this belief that Planned Parenthood of Missouri sued the State of Missouri and started a long three year march to present the law before the Supreme Court.
It was while I was reviewing the case this week that I came across one of, what I consider, Danforth's greatest talks on his philosophy on what a constitutes a family. Danforth was a minister in his non-political life and Roe v. Wade did not sit well with him. He did, however, have a strong belief in his country and the Constitution and he respected the role of the Supreme Court and what their role in government was. With this love of our Constitution and our government, Danforth went about the task of getting a law that would accommodate the Supreme Court's decision and to implement it and defend it for the State of Missouri. So he made the trip to Washington, D.C. and now here he was addressing nine of the most powerful people in the country to try to convince them that the Missouri law met all the requirements.
This entry isn't about Roe v. Wade though. It isn't about Planned Parenthood or the Missouri General Assembly. It isn't about what my feelings are about abortion, nor is it what your feelings may be about the subject. It isn't even about the law really. No, I am writing this because as I was studying this case I came across a few paragraphs in Danforth's presentation to the Supreme Court that made me stop and think. As I read these words it occurred to me how time has gone by and how the thoughts of a society shift and change as that time is slipping by. Gay Marriage was not a national issue yet. The AIDS epidemic had not become a national concern. School shootings were something that didn't happen, and if they did, it was a shocking rarity, as in the Texas Tower shootings.
Looking back on the society of 1976 compared to today. I can see how people were responsible, well more so than they are today. Communities tended to be tight and close. People knew their neighbors and the notion of a hate crime had yet to be defined. I think of it like comparing the 70's to the 50's the same as comparing today to the 70's. The 70's however had society on the edge of a social revolution that we weren't aware was happening under our noses.
So, what did Danforth say that on that March morning in 1976 that captured my imagination? He spoke of family. He spoke of responsibility. He spoke of how an action by a single person can effect so many people because they care and love that person. This was what Danforth said in his remarks to the Supreme Court that made me stop and look back on where we have been and where we are.
"First with respect to spousal consent; the legislature of our State has in effect said through the statute that inherent in marriage is that certain decisions are made jointly by husband and wife or they are not made at all, that this is the very definition of what marriage is all about.
The legislature has done this elsewhere, not only in the State of Missouri, but in other States as well. For example; if a woman has given birth to a child and then decides that she wants to place the child for adoption, if the woman is not married, she alone can make that decision. If the woman is married, her husband must join in that decision to place the child for adoption.
The right to consent is not in the punitive father in the State of Missouri.The right to consent to an adoption is in the husband, because this is fundamental decision relating to what the family is all about.
I believe that the legislature could so provide that has not in this case, I think that the issue becomes elevated to a much different plain when the birth of a -- of a coming child is involved and I would also say that whereas Mr. Susman said that if the husband is not the father of the child, he has no legal obligations.
I think that is just wrong.
I think that is a misstatement of law.
If the husband approves of the wife having the baby, he assumes responsibility for that baby. In fact, there is no stronger presumption in the law than that a husband is in fact the father of any child born of that marriage." - JOHN DANFORTH Attorney General of Missouri 03-23-76.
As I read those words and listened to Danforth speak them, it was evident that what he was saying came from his heart. Family is important. Families are effected by decisions and decisions that effect the family should be made by the family.
I feel that to get the impact of what Danforth was saying, you have to set aside your beliefs on abortion, the right to choose, the idea of being free from a child having to get consent for procedures. All that political baggage has to be set aside for just five minutes as you read these powerful words from Danforth. Responsibility. Family. Fathers and mothers and children.
John Danforth was my U.S. Senator for many years. I have heard him talk many times about many subjects. I always knew where he stood on issues. He was a good Senator. One that I was proud to have represent me.
As I said, I am not writing this as a political issue, pro-life or pro-choice. I am not writing this trying to say that children do need or do not need parental consent. These words that Danforth spoke that day are given to you here completely out of context but even though they are taken out of context, they can stand on their own within their own context. That is how I choose to read these words.
I hope that the reader can set aside politics and personal ideals and read the words as they are. Coming from a man who loves his country, his people, and his family.
Thank you Senator.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
To President Clinton: This is what true character looks like - Part 1
President Nixon's Address to the Nation
August 8, 1974
Good evening.
This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Nation. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest.
In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the Nation. Throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate, I have felt it was my duty to persevere, to make every possible effort to complete the term of office to which you elected me.
In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort. As long as there was such a base, I felt strongly that it was necessary to see the constitutional process through to its conclusion, that to do otherwise would be unfaithful to the spirit of that deliberately difficult process and a dangerously destabilizing precedent for the future.
But with the disappearance of that base, I now believe that the constitutional purpose has been served, and there is no longer a need for the process to be prolonged.
I would have preferred to carry through to the finish whatever the personal agony it would have involved, and my family unanimously urged me to do so. But the interest of the Nation must always come before any personal considerations.
From the discussions I have had with Congressional and other leaders, I have concluded that because of the Watergate matter I might not have the support of the Congress that I would consider necessary to back the very difficult decisions and carry out the duties of this office in the way the interests of the Nation would require.
I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interest of America first. America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad.
To continue to fight through the months ahead for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress in a period when our entire focus should be on the great issues of peace abroad and prosperity without inflation at home.
Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office.
As I recall the high hopes for America with which we began this second term, I feel a great sadness that I will not be here in this office working on your behalf to achieve those hopes in the next 21/2 years. But in turning over direction of the Government to Vice President Ford, I know, as I told the Nation when I nominated him for that office 10 months ago, that the leadership of America will be in good hands.
In passing this office to the Vice President, I also do so with the profound sense of the weight of responsibility that will fall on his shoulders tomorrow and, therefore, of the understanding, the patience, the cooperation he will need from all Americans.
As he assumes that responsibility, he will deserve the help and the support of all of us. As we look to the future, the first essential is to begin healing the wounds of this Nation, to put the bitterness and divisions of the recent past behind us, and to rediscover those shared ideals that lie at the heart of our strength and unity as a great and as a free people.
By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America.
I regret deeply any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision. I would say only that if some of my Judgments were wrong, and some were wrong, they were made in what I believed at the time to be the best interest of the Nation.
To those who have stood with me during these past difficult months, to my family, my friends, to many others who joined in supporting my cause because they believed it was right, I will be eternally grateful for your support.
And to those who have not felt able to give me your support, let me say I leave with no bitterness toward those who have opposed me, because all of us, in the final analysis, have been concerned with the good of the country, however our judgments might differ.
So, let us all now join together in affirming that common commitment and in helping our new President succeed for the benefit of all Americans.
I shall leave this office with regret at not completing my term, but with gratitude for the privilege of serving as your President for the past 51/2 years. These years have been a momentous time in the history of our Nation and the world. They have been a time of achievement in which we can all be proud, achievements that represent the shared efforts of the Administration, the Congress, and the people.
But the challenges ahead are equally great, and they, too, will require the support and the efforts of the Congress and the people working in cooperation with the new Administration.
We have ended America's longest war, but in the work of securing a lasting peace in the world, the goals ahead are even more far-reaching and more difficult. We must complete a structure of peace so that it will be said of this generation, our generation of Americans, by the people of all nations, not only that we ended one war but that we prevented future wars.
We have unlocked the doors that for a quarter of a century stood between the United States and the People's Republic of China.
We must now ensure that the one quarter of the world's people who live in the People's Republic of China will be and remain not our enemies but our friends.
In the Middle East, 100 million people in the Arab countries, many of whom have considered us their enemy for nearly 20 years, now look on us as their friends. We must continue to build on that friendship so that peace can settle at last over the Middle East and so that the cradle of civilization will not become its grave.
Together with the Soviet Union we have made the crucial breakthroughs that have begun the process of limiting nuclear arms. But we must set as our goal not just limiting but reducing and finally destroying these terrible weapons so that they cannot destroy civilization and so that the threat of nuclear war will no longer hang over the world and the people.
We have opened the new relation with the Soviet Union. We must continue to develop and expand that new relationship so that the two strongest nations of the world will live together in cooperation rather than confrontation.
Around the world, in Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, in the Middle East, there are millions of people who live in terrible poverty, even starvation. We must keep as our goal turning away from production for war and expanding production for peace so that people everywhere on this earth can at last look forward in their children's time, if not in our own time, to having the necessities for a decent life.
Here in America, we are fortunate that most of our people have not only the blessings of liberty but also the means to live full and good and, by the world's standards, even abundant lives. We must press on, however, toward a goal of not only more and better jobs but of full opportunity for every American and of what we are striving so hard right now to achieve, prosperity without inflation.
For more than a quarter of a century in public life I have shared in the turbulent history of this era. I have fought for what I believed in. I have tried to the best of my ability to discharge those duties and meet those responsibilities that were entrusted to me.
Sometimes I have succeeded and sometimes I have failed, but always I have taken heart from what Theodore Roosevelt once said about the man in the arena, "whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is not effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deed, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievements and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."
I pledge to you tonight that as long as I have a breath of life in my body, I shall continue in that spirit. I shall continue to work for the great causes to which I have been dedicated throughout my years as a Congressman, a Senator, a Vice President, and President, the cause of peace not just for America but among all nations, prosperity, justice, and opportunity for all of our people.
There is one cause above all to which I have been devoted and to which I shall always be devoted for as long as I live.
When I first took the oath of office as President 51/2 years ago, I made this sacred commitment, to "consecrate my office, my energies, and all the wisdom I can summon to the cause of peace among nations."
I have done my very best in all the days since to be true to that pledge. As a result of these efforts, I am confident that the world is a safer place today, not only for the people of America but for the people of all nations, and that all of our children have a better chance than before of living in peace rather than dying in war.
This, more than anything, is what I hoped to achieve when I sought the Presidency. This, more than anything, is what I hope will be my legacy to you, to our country, as I leave the Presidency.
To have served in this office is to have felt a very personal sense of kinship with each and every American. In leaving it, I do so with this prayer: May God's grace be with you in all the days ahead.
August 8, 1974
Good evening.
This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Nation. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest.
In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the Nation. Throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate, I have felt it was my duty to persevere, to make every possible effort to complete the term of office to which you elected me.
In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort. As long as there was such a base, I felt strongly that it was necessary to see the constitutional process through to its conclusion, that to do otherwise would be unfaithful to the spirit of that deliberately difficult process and a dangerously destabilizing precedent for the future.
But with the disappearance of that base, I now believe that the constitutional purpose has been served, and there is no longer a need for the process to be prolonged.
I would have preferred to carry through to the finish whatever the personal agony it would have involved, and my family unanimously urged me to do so. But the interest of the Nation must always come before any personal considerations.
From the discussions I have had with Congressional and other leaders, I have concluded that because of the Watergate matter I might not have the support of the Congress that I would consider necessary to back the very difficult decisions and carry out the duties of this office in the way the interests of the Nation would require.
I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interest of America first. America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad.
To continue to fight through the months ahead for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress in a period when our entire focus should be on the great issues of peace abroad and prosperity without inflation at home.
Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office.
As I recall the high hopes for America with which we began this second term, I feel a great sadness that I will not be here in this office working on your behalf to achieve those hopes in the next 21/2 years. But in turning over direction of the Government to Vice President Ford, I know, as I told the Nation when I nominated him for that office 10 months ago, that the leadership of America will be in good hands.
In passing this office to the Vice President, I also do so with the profound sense of the weight of responsibility that will fall on his shoulders tomorrow and, therefore, of the understanding, the patience, the cooperation he will need from all Americans.
As he assumes that responsibility, he will deserve the help and the support of all of us. As we look to the future, the first essential is to begin healing the wounds of this Nation, to put the bitterness and divisions of the recent past behind us, and to rediscover those shared ideals that lie at the heart of our strength and unity as a great and as a free people.
By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America.
I regret deeply any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision. I would say only that if some of my Judgments were wrong, and some were wrong, they were made in what I believed at the time to be the best interest of the Nation.
To those who have stood with me during these past difficult months, to my family, my friends, to many others who joined in supporting my cause because they believed it was right, I will be eternally grateful for your support.
And to those who have not felt able to give me your support, let me say I leave with no bitterness toward those who have opposed me, because all of us, in the final analysis, have been concerned with the good of the country, however our judgments might differ.
So, let us all now join together in affirming that common commitment and in helping our new President succeed for the benefit of all Americans.
I shall leave this office with regret at not completing my term, but with gratitude for the privilege of serving as your President for the past 51/2 years. These years have been a momentous time in the history of our Nation and the world. They have been a time of achievement in which we can all be proud, achievements that represent the shared efforts of the Administration, the Congress, and the people.
But the challenges ahead are equally great, and they, too, will require the support and the efforts of the Congress and the people working in cooperation with the new Administration.
We have ended America's longest war, but in the work of securing a lasting peace in the world, the goals ahead are even more far-reaching and more difficult. We must complete a structure of peace so that it will be said of this generation, our generation of Americans, by the people of all nations, not only that we ended one war but that we prevented future wars.
We have unlocked the doors that for a quarter of a century stood between the United States and the People's Republic of China.
We must now ensure that the one quarter of the world's people who live in the People's Republic of China will be and remain not our enemies but our friends.
In the Middle East, 100 million people in the Arab countries, many of whom have considered us their enemy for nearly 20 years, now look on us as their friends. We must continue to build on that friendship so that peace can settle at last over the Middle East and so that the cradle of civilization will not become its grave.
Together with the Soviet Union we have made the crucial breakthroughs that have begun the process of limiting nuclear arms. But we must set as our goal not just limiting but reducing and finally destroying these terrible weapons so that they cannot destroy civilization and so that the threat of nuclear war will no longer hang over the world and the people.
We have opened the new relation with the Soviet Union. We must continue to develop and expand that new relationship so that the two strongest nations of the world will live together in cooperation rather than confrontation.
Around the world, in Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, in the Middle East, there are millions of people who live in terrible poverty, even starvation. We must keep as our goal turning away from production for war and expanding production for peace so that people everywhere on this earth can at last look forward in their children's time, if not in our own time, to having the necessities for a decent life.
Here in America, we are fortunate that most of our people have not only the blessings of liberty but also the means to live full and good and, by the world's standards, even abundant lives. We must press on, however, toward a goal of not only more and better jobs but of full opportunity for every American and of what we are striving so hard right now to achieve, prosperity without inflation.
For more than a quarter of a century in public life I have shared in the turbulent history of this era. I have fought for what I believed in. I have tried to the best of my ability to discharge those duties and meet those responsibilities that were entrusted to me.
Sometimes I have succeeded and sometimes I have failed, but always I have taken heart from what Theodore Roosevelt once said about the man in the arena, "whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is not effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deed, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievements and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."
I pledge to you tonight that as long as I have a breath of life in my body, I shall continue in that spirit. I shall continue to work for the great causes to which I have been dedicated throughout my years as a Congressman, a Senator, a Vice President, and President, the cause of peace not just for America but among all nations, prosperity, justice, and opportunity for all of our people.
There is one cause above all to which I have been devoted and to which I shall always be devoted for as long as I live.
When I first took the oath of office as President 51/2 years ago, I made this sacred commitment, to "consecrate my office, my energies, and all the wisdom I can summon to the cause of peace among nations."
I have done my very best in all the days since to be true to that pledge. As a result of these efforts, I am confident that the world is a safer place today, not only for the people of America but for the people of all nations, and that all of our children have a better chance than before of living in peace rather than dying in war.
This, more than anything, is what I hoped to achieve when I sought the Presidency. This, more than anything, is what I hope will be my legacy to you, to our country, as I leave the Presidency.
To have served in this office is to have felt a very personal sense of kinship with each and every American. In leaving it, I do so with this prayer: May God's grace be with you in all the days ahead.
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