Two well known people have just passed away this week. One was Black and proud, while the other was a criminal and proud.
I remember well the billboards for concerts that James Brown seemed to do on a routine basis in Dallas where I grew up. He was a spokesperson and entertainer for a community that got no respect and still gets none. His message was simple to the Black community. It was that they had nothing to be ashamed of and everything to be proud of.
His style stood in vivid contrast to the prayerful and begging pastors who occasionally would pray on the steps of the Dallas City Hall abubble with their Jesus nonsense. JB brought thousands out in Dallas, while the chattering preachers brought few forward to any action. Instead, they bored any church listeners to sleep all together. They presented a sad picture to me in deed with their minute Dallas prayer vigils on the City Hall steps.
Today, James Brown’s death leaves many saddened, and more than his music it was his message that stirrred peoples hearts. And it was a message brought forward in style and pride. Contrast him to the supposed ‘activists’ from the Black churches of his time, who folded up ship as soon as they got a postion or two handed down to them as crumbs by the White power structure. A Condoleeza here, and a Clarence there are about all there is to show really for so many Black folk. And lots of jail cells.
Also, contrast James Brown to Gerald Ford. The current news accounts are utterly nauseating about this criminal, Ford, that colluded with another criminal, Nixon, and ultimately led the way to the criminality of the Reagan era, and the criminality of the Bush Klan being accepted as today’s societal norm. Instead of this easily remembered reality being recognized publicly, the American media has been aglow with comments about what a supposedly nice man, Ford was. In actuality, both him and Nixon belonged in a jail cell together. They burglarized together in fact.
Gerald Ford was Nixon’s vice president, and the one that colluded to let him go without criminal charges being filed for the Watergate burglaries. The Democrats, as usual, went along readily with the con that was done on the American people. They burglarized the moral and spiritual fiber of the American people. Shop ’till you drop is about all we have left. Thanks DP for going along with Gerald and letting Nixon off the hook. You really got us all a great deal!
Unfortunately, so many liberals seem utterly prepared to accept today, a repeat of the Nixon ‘pardon’. They have seemed to learn nothing from history, and that is what is leading our country down deeper into a dead end alley, more than even the Republican supporters themselves.
The only possible cure I can see for these sad sack liberals might be to just listen some to James Brown’s music. They might realize then, that they lack the pride in themselves that is the core of the message that JB brought forth to his own racial community. Liberals today are not proud, they are just demoralized from theconstant use of their own supposed eternal pragmatism they constantly praise themselves for supposedly having. They need a little soul, and soul without so much Jesus in it, too. And a lot less of the supposedly pragmatic approach fo depending mainly on elections to accomplish anything.
Can one imagine though?, a White James Brown singing loudly while dancing across the stage… “Say it loud, I’m Liberal and proud!”
It’ll never happen it seems. Just more lit candles as they count more dead. No soul to them at all. And a lack of rythym, too.
I do not dispute your feelings about James Brown and his charismatic appeal to people, but he had his well documented personal problems like every human. And I do share your repugnance for the pardon Ford issued to Nixon. As for Ford, the facts are the Watergate burglary took place in 1972 during the presidential campaign period. Gerald Ford was appointed 10/12/73. The Senate voted 92 to 3 to confirm on 11/27/73 and the House voted to confirm 387 to 35 on 12/06/73. Prior to that he was in the House of Representatives for 24 years. Nothing stellar about his service, but he was acceptable to the powers that be to quote Carl Albert, Speaker of the House, “We gave Nixon no choice but Ford..” Historians say he granted the pardon in his words “for the best interest of the country” 09/08/74. Disgusting, but not criminal. I recommend reading Woodward’s book ‘Shadows’ for greater details on this subject. Did the people let the pardon slide? Ford served 2 years and lost the election to Carter partly due to pardon according to historians.
Alexander Cockburn in his couterpunch.com commentary, calls Gerald Ford America’s greatest president. Unfortunately, I cannot even begin to agree with this fondness for the man that Cockburn seems to express. Gerald Ford was a bipartisan appointee whose principal job was seen to run damage control for America’s political establishment. And that he did, and he did well.
I also feel that Ford’s pardon of Nixon was a criminal act by itself. The top political leaders of this country all colluded to not prosecute a man, Nixon, obviously guilty of running a burglary operation. This is aiding and abetting a criminal. If you or I were to hide away and try to conceal a burglary by a relative or friend, the police would bring charges against us. And they would be felony charges at that. In addition, if we secretly arranged support from others for hiding away a criminal (bipartisan support), all of us would be indicted for Conspiracy.
Yes, I am also aware that James Brown was no saint in his personal life and also committed some criminal acts. But why the double standard in this country regarding prosecuting felonies against the lower classes and then ignoring the crimes and making them possible to continuously pull off, for the upper echelons of our society?
PC, I know that you basically agree with me on what I am saying here. What you and Cockburn seem to have done though, is to be so repulsed by the criminality of others in the US political establishment that your hearts grow soft when it comes to Gerald Buffoon, I mean Gerald Ford.
OK, no slipup here. Ford was the master of using a seemingly buffoon public image to manipulate others into going along with his criminality. Before him, we never saw that style. After Gerald did his con Reagan later took the style up, and the current Dubya Bush has polished it off into even higher levels of political deception.
That’s the real story behind Mr. Affability, Gerald Ford. He was America’s first presidential political clown. He took the McDonald’s approach to political image making. He was Ronald McDonald at the White House, and with that, got folks too distracted to really watch what he was actually doing. He got us to accept a first act, of criminally accepting the ongoing and increasing criminality of our presidents. By chewing gum and playing the clown.
MY heart grows SOFT?!!! Never assume, sir. What I was pointing out was where the criminal responsibility for the actions of Watergate lay. Now,Tony, let me tell you why I don’t like Gerald Ford.
Ford selected GHWBush in 1974, to be his liason to the Peoples Republic of China and then in 1975, he made him Director of the CIA. Want to know how well that turned out for South America – read “Veil”
Ford’s transition chairman and 1st chief of staff was Donald Rumsfield. In 1975, he appointed him to be his Secretary of Defense.
Ford chose in 1975, as a replacement for his Chief of Staff, Richard Cheney.
Do you get the direction I’m going with this? Was he an incompetent bumbling idiot used by the powers that be to set in motion a series of events to bring us where we are today or was he just evil. At this point, does it matter? We are where we are and must deal with the facts. And that is what matters – always stick to the facts.
Come on, PC! I know that you are a softy at heart. Are, too. Though I think it not for that dopey dope, Gerald Ford.
All of us keep trying to find something to differentiate these Establishment thugs we are yoked with, from one another. Who’s worse and who’s worser? Who’s stupider, and who’s from Jupiter (from my kid)?
Now that hippy chick and her Kucinich, that’s another matter? She has gone soft on Dennis I do believe. But you, PC? I think you are a softy for real people, dogs, and cats, and not political hacks, celebrities, and corporate criminals. And that’s the way it should be. Don’t hug the vampires!
you know, these ex-presidents dying being coincidental to Soul stars taking the final dance, that’s too eerie.
Clinton has had massive heart surgery.
GHW Bush doesn’t look all that healthy….
Carter has every right wing lunatic in the world involuntarily twitching his trigger finger…
Do we have enough Soul singers left to cover it?
(remembering that Ray Charles died the same time as Ronnie Ray-gun.)