---o0o---
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Bobby Kennedy's brave (and amazing) speech on April 4, 1968, following MLK's assassination
By Jack Brummet,
(research by Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor)
One of the great moments in American political history (see video, below) happened the night Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
Bobby Kennedy had arrived in Indianapolis to speak at an RFK for President campaign rally, three weeks after jumping into the race (and only a few days after President Johnson saw which way the wind was blowing and dropped out). When RFK stepped off the airplane, he was told about King's death.
Instead of giving his usual inspiring stemwinder speech, he had to break the news of MLK's death to a large and potentially angry African-American audience. The Indianapolis cops pressured Kennedy to ditch an appearance in what they considered to be a dangerous ghetto about to erupt. But Kennedy, God bless his soul, insisted on going on. The crowd was pumped to see the rising firebrand political star, and a brother of a President they all loved. They were enthusiastically waving RFK campaign signs. Just before Kennedy stepped up on stage, he asked his hosts if the crowd knew of the assassination. They did not.
RFK made what has to be one of the greatest extemporaneous/impromptu speeches in American history. Below is a good video clip of the speech (with Italian subtitles... of course) and a transcript. According to a Wikipedia article on RFK's campaign: "Riots broke out in 60 cities in the wake of King's death, but not in Indianapolis, a fact many attribute to the effect of this speech."
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I'm only going to talk to you just for a minute or so this evening, because I have some -- some very sad news for all of you -- Could you lower those signs, please? -- I have some very sad news for all of you, and, I think, sad news for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world; and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis, Tennessee.
Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it's perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black -- considering the evidence evidently is that there were white people who were responsible -- you can be filled with bitterness, and with hatred, and a desire for revenge.
We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization -- black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand, and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, compassion, and love.
For those of you who are black and are tempted to fill with -- be filled with hatred and mistrust of the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.
But we have to make an effort in the United States. We have to make an effort to understand, to get beyond, or go beyond these rather difficult times.
My favorite poem, my -- my favorite poet was Aeschylus. And he once wrote:
Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget
falls drop by drop upon the heart,
until, in our own despair,
against our will,
comes wisdom
through the awful grace of God.
What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.
So I ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King -- yeah, it's true -- but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love -- a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke.
We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times. We've had difficult times in the past, but we -- and we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it's not the end of disorder.
But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings that abide in our land.
And let's dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.
Thank you very much.
(research by Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor)
Senator Robert F. Kennedy, months before he, too, was assassinated
One of the great moments in American political history (see video, below) happened the night Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
Bobby Kennedy had arrived in Indianapolis to speak at an RFK for President campaign rally, three weeks after jumping into the race (and only a few days after President Johnson saw which way the wind was blowing and dropped out). When RFK stepped off the airplane, he was told about King's death.
MLK with Malcolm X
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
RFK made what has to be one of the greatest extemporaneous/impromptu speeches in American history. Below is a good video clip of the speech (with Italian subtitles... of course) and a transcript. According to a Wikipedia article on RFK's campaign: "Riots broke out in 60 cities in the wake of King's death, but not in Indianapolis, a fact many attribute to the effect of this speech."
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I'm only going to talk to you just for a minute or so this evening, because I have some -- some very sad news for all of you -- Could you lower those signs, please? -- I have some very sad news for all of you, and, I think, sad news for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world; and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis, Tennessee.
Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it's perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black -- considering the evidence evidently is that there were white people who were responsible -- you can be filled with bitterness, and with hatred, and a desire for revenge.
We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization -- black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand, and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, compassion, and love.
For those of you who are black and are tempted to fill with -- be filled with hatred and mistrust of the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.
But we have to make an effort in the United States. We have to make an effort to understand, to get beyond, or go beyond these rather difficult times.
My favorite poem, my -- my favorite poet was Aeschylus. And he once wrote:
Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget
falls drop by drop upon the heart,
until, in our own despair,
against our will,
comes wisdom
through the awful grace of God.
What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.
So I ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King -- yeah, it's true -- but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love -- a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke.
We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times. We've had difficult times in the past, but we -- and we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it's not the end of disorder.
But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings that abide in our land.
And let's dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.
Thank you very much.
---o0o---
All This Is That contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make these materials available to advance the understanding of political, economic, literary, artistic, and social issues. In some cases we satirize, parody, or lampoon materials from other sources. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of copyrighted material as provided for by section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research, educational, and entertainment purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', please read and follow our Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license and attribute the work to All This Is That, along with our URL (http://jackbrummet.blogspot.com).
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
ATIT Reheated: Robert Hershon's wonderful poem, Ichabod
By Jack Brummet, Poetry Editor
Our reader and friend Pete wrote to us in January 2007, "I seem to recall a poem you published once (in email I think, not in the literary sense) that ended something like 'the shitheads that run the show.' Always like that one. How about a reprise?"
Alas, it wasn't mine, but the poem of Robert Hershon, a guy we knew in NYC, a poet, publisher, and editor. He has published over 10 books of his own poems, and through his press, Hanging Loose, published hundreds of other folks. Hershon's Hanging Loose does two incredible things: 1) They never, ever let a book they've published go out of print; and 2) Their literary magazine always include the works of fledgling poets/high school students. He was a great mentor for KeeKee and I when we were publishing our little magazine, Scape, in NYC, in the early 80's. Bob writes some of the most trenchant and funny poetry I have ever read. This particular poem was probably written 30 years ago, but it could have been today. Or tomorrow.
Ichabod
Everyone's first name means
Beloved of the Lord
or Bearer of Glad Tidings
or Valiant in Battle
except Ichabod
which means The Glory
has Departed
and must be considered
the name for the future
along with The Liar is Thriving
Unbearable Cruelty and
The Shitheads are Running the Show
- Robert Hershon
---o0o---
All This Is That contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make these materials available to advance the understanding of political, economic, literary, artistic, and social issues. In some cases we satirize, parody, or lampoon materials from other sources. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of copyrighted material as provided for by section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research, educational, and entertainment purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', please read and follow our Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license and attribute the work to All This Is That, along with our URL (http://jackbrummet.blogspot.com).
Our reader and friend Pete wrote to us in January 2007, "I seem to recall a poem you published once (in email I think, not in the literary sense) that ended something like 'the shitheads that run the show.' Always like that one. How about a reprise?"
Alas, it wasn't mine, but the poem of Robert Hershon, a guy we knew in NYC, a poet, publisher, and editor. He has published over 10 books of his own poems, and through his press, Hanging Loose, published hundreds of other folks. Hershon's Hanging Loose does two incredible things: 1) They never, ever let a book they've published go out of print; and 2) Their literary magazine always include the works of fledgling poets/high school students. He was a great mentor for KeeKee and I when we were publishing our little magazine, Scape, in NYC, in the early 80's. Bob writes some of the most trenchant and funny poetry I have ever read. This particular poem was probably written 30 years ago, but it could have been today. Or tomorrow.
Ichabod
Everyone's first name means
Beloved of the Lord
or Bearer of Glad Tidings
or Valiant in Battle
except Ichabod
which means The Glory
has Departed
and must be considered
the name for the future
along with The Liar is Thriving
Unbearable Cruelty and
The Shitheads are Running the Show
- Robert Hershon
---o0o---
All This Is That contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make these materials available to advance the understanding of political, economic, literary, artistic, and social issues. In some cases we satirize, parody, or lampoon materials from other sources. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of copyrighted material as provided for by section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research, educational, and entertainment purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', please read and follow our Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license and attribute the work to All This Is That, along with our URL (http://jackbrummet.blogspot.com).
Alien Lore No. 223 — Those sunspots and sun flares in the news lately may just be aliens refueling their vehicles on the sun
By Jack Brummet, Alien Lore & Paranormal Editor
[Thanks to Guy Brummet for the "news tip."]
The best guess I have read about these flares was in a comment on one of the YouTube videos: "the sun is ovulating and will soon have a sun son." There are dozens of theories and speculations in the UFO community about the origin of these sun flares and the outburst of solar activity, but the most tantalizing and prevalent ones focus on the notion that the solar activity is related to Alien Ships a/k/a UFOs causing the flares by flying close to the sun in order to snatch some solar fuel from the sun's surface.
Even The Weekly World News weighs in:
"An alien spaceship has been circling the Sun for the last few weeks. It’s a huge, metallic mothership.
The above picture was released by NASA’s sun-watching Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, known as SOHO – and has become an immediate hit on the internet.
"WWN has spoken to Dr. John Malley of the U.N. Panel on Extraterrestrials and he has confirmed that the ship circling the sun is from Planet Gootan. ”The Gootans have been planning an attack on the Sun – for the last five decades,” said Malley.
"The Gootan ship is unlike anything ever spotted near the Sun and it can withstand the handle the blazing heat thrown off by solar flare activity and the incredibly high temperatures emanating from nuclear fusion generated on the surface of the star.
"SOHO, the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory, is a satellite built to study the Sun from its deep core to the outer corona and the solar wind.
"SOHO was launched on December 2, 1995."
The UFOlogist community is rife with speculation that the alien ships are somehow feeding, or refueling on the sun.
The images of the Sun captured this March appear to show a dark circle connected to the Sun by a dark line (a hose, a filament, an umbilical cord, or a lifeline?). The images show an orb detaching from the Sun after a solar eruption and soaring out into deep space. UFO enthusiasts say the orb is a space-ship.
Many folks have speculated that the images show a UFO spacecraft refueling by drawing energy from solar plasma. Other, less alien-leaning folk have suggested that the images show the birth of a new planet.
NASA scientists, according to Life's Little Mysteries, explain that the images capture what astronomers call a solar prominence, a form of solar activity often observed but about which scientists still know very little. And when there is no rational scientific explanation, Alien Lore flows in to fill the void. . .
All This Is That contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make these materials available to advance the understanding of political, economic, literary, artistic, and social issues. In some cases we satirize, parody, or lampoon materials from other sources. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of copyrighted material as provided for by section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research, educational, and entertainment purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', please read and follow our Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license and attribute the work to All This Is That, along with our URL (http://jackbrummet.blogspot.com).
---o0o---
Monday, April 30, 2012
A list of favorite two word jobs: sandhogs, pearl divers, and corner men
This list is a compilation of some of our favorite two word job titles. . .
Sand Hogs
- Merchant Marine
- Wet Nurse
- Office Boy
- Sandhog
- Card Shark
- Wax Dipper
- Sign Painter
- Public Speaker
- Pearl Diver
- Toll Collector
- Corner Man
- Variety Act
- Wine Steward
- Prison Warden
- Pullman Conductor
- Furniture Mover
- Handy-man
- Pin Boy
- Office Boy
- Mail Boy
- Soda Jerk
- Exotic Dancer
- Sparring Partner
- Auto Mechanic
- Drawbridge Operator
- Bee Keeper
- Meter Maid
- Egg Candler
- Proof Reader
- Traffic Manager
- Construction Foreman
- Piano Tuner
- Elevator Operator
- Security Guard
- Bus Driver
- PBX Operator
- Shipping Clerk
- Green-grocer
- Pastry Chef
- Pattern Maker
- Bag Boy
- Substitute Teacher
- Gutter Sweep
- Goal Tender
- Forest Ranger
- Claims Adjuster
- Goat Herd
- Rope Braider
- Offset Stripper
Poem: Gitmo, years later
by Jack Brummet
1
Is it goodness
To see justice
Administered with a granite fist
In an asbestos glove?
Let it come down
Like thunder and blue lightning,
Like the old surprise visit,
And an image of
Biting through.
2
The old kings made iron-clad laws
With exponential penalties.
Is a punishment that fits the crime,
Punishment at all?
When his feet are fastened in the stocks,
And his toes disappear?
When his neck is fastened in a wooden cangue,
And his ears disappear?
When the punished veer
From pleading for life
To pleading for death?
---o0o---
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Jonathan Auer & Tiz Aramini's Grand Royale Kickstarter project
By Jack Brummet, Music Editor
Jon Auer (singer-songwriter), producer, member of The Posies and Big Star) has a new project--Dynamo Royale, with his partner/bandmate, Tiz Aramini--up on Kickstarter. They are looking for funding to complete an album they are working on.
This is an easy one for me to kickstart--I have been a fan of his singing and music for more than 20 years. I look forward to hearing the fruits of this new project. Jump here to learn more about the project, and to donate! They take donations anywhere from one dollar to $1,250.
Jon Auer (singer-songwriter), producer, member of The Posies and Big Star) has a new project--Dynamo Royale, with his partner/bandmate, Tiz Aramini--up on Kickstarter. They are looking for funding to complete an album they are working on.
This is an easy one for me to kickstart--I have been a fan of his singing and music for more than 20 years. I look forward to hearing the fruits of this new project. Jump here to learn more about the project, and to donate! They take donations anywhere from one dollar to $1,250.
DYNAMO ROYALE'S QUEST FOR STRINGS & THINGS FOR NEW RECORD!
Hi All,
My name is Jon Auer and I've been a longtime musician for the last 20 plus years with varying degrees of success with The Posies, Big Star and as a solo artist as well. I've been working on a new duo project with my band mate/partner Tiz Aramini called DYNAMO ROYALE and I'm very excited with the results. Up to this point, with the exception of a few days at a small project studio, we've recorded everything in two modest domestic home recording locales, one just outside of Paris, the other in Seattle, stretching both our time and resources as far as possible. Alas, we have done all we can on our own and are hoping to enlist the aid of a seasoned session drummer to replace the loops, beats, and clicks we've recorded to and some excellent string players to bring to life the digital sketches we've made on our overworked USB keyboard. In other words: we truly want some real talented humans playing and adding life to this stuff and that is going to cost us more that our self-funded effort currently has to expend.
International travel, studio time, and musicians fees will be involved in this for a total of 12 songs-worth of high quality rhythms and nuanced bowing. In addition, in a perfect world, we'd also like to be able to pay for the mastering of our record and an initial run of 1000 CDs so we can honor the rewards we've listed to the right of this message and still have enough to promote the project in its initial stages. So, all said, Tiz and I are hoping to raise $8000 by the end of this Kickstarter 30 day time frame so we can make all of this happen and take our project to the next level artistically and then have something physical and sonic to share. If indeed we can meet our goal, we'll be enlisting the steady aid of Jeremy Stacey on drums, recording at his London studio (formerly Hans Zimmer's studio), and Phillip A. Peterson to arrange and perform strings with whoever he may require. Both are exceptional at what they do and would be amazing to have.
For those who it may apply, I have to say thank you to anyone who has supported the music I've been involved with over the years, be it The Posies, Big Star, or my solo work. In essence, you're the ones who've made it possible for me to be privileged enough to do what I do and that is certainly no small contribution. Honestly, I've wondered to myself if it's a little strange being a professional musician asking for this kind of support... but, times being what they are, it's just getting harder and harder to get financing for these kinds of things in advance, if at all. SO...Thanks for considering to help realize a new musical dream/endeavor here. It is beyond appreciated. Tiz and I have both done other musical things on our own but I really believe this is a unique collaboration and I'm looking forward to hopefully being able to share it in the near future.
Oh yes - a shout out to Jason Tang for the photo above and also a reminder to click on the pic and watch a primitive but heartfelt video showing and telling you a little more...
Thanks for looking!
Jon
---o0o---
Friday, April 27, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)