posted on July 8, 2004 08:38:30 PM new
taken from the WSJ op-ed section today.
Andrew, Tim and We
Andrew Sullivan opines that "Tim Noah first observed" that Langston Hughes's poem, "Let America Be America Again," whose title is a John Kerry campaign slogan, is "clearly a call to Communist revolution."
Noah argues in his recent Slate column that "LABAA" is "didactic and influenced by naive admiration for the Soviet experiment."
We agree. But we wrote something almost identical last May in this column: "Langston Hughes, the poet who inspired John Kerry's new campaign slogan, 'Let America be America again,' turns out to be a favorite of communists."
No, we're not saying anyone is copying anyone else--these ideas are common enough, framed differently, etc.
But it seems to us that Noah didn't "first observe" that Hughes was a communist sympathizer.
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me.)
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.
(It never was America to me.)
O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.
(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free."
Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?
I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek--
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.
I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!
I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean--
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.
Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That's made America the land it has become.
O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home--
For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a "homeland of the free."
The free?
Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've sung
And all the hopes we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay--
Except the dream that's almost dead today.
O, let America be America again--
The land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME--
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.
Sure, call me any ugly name you choose--
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!
O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!
Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!
posted on July 8, 2004 09:02:08 PM new
taken from www.andrewsullivan.com
THE POEM: Wouldn't it be helpful to read the Langston Hughes poem?
Here it is in full [link].
It is indeed beautiful and lyrical if a little trite at times. But it is also clearly a call to Communist revolution, as Tim Noah first observed and Bill Buckley noticed.
The poem is rooted in the notion that the ideal of American freedom was a lie from the beginning for many people, and that public ownership of private property was the only hope:
I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!
Then there's this:
Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!
Now I know Kerry is a liberal, but does he really want to cite a man who wanted to abolish private property and loved Stalin?
Again, the right-left double standard. If a fascist poet in 1938 had called to remake a pure racial America on the lines of Hitler's Germany, would he now be quoted by any leading politician? But the communists get a pass. Again. And again. And again.
end
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posted on July 8, 2004 09:03:57 PM new
Linda_K is passing gas again. Personally speaking, if you wish you can call me any old name you want as long as Bush and Cheney don't get reelected.
BUSH AND CHENEY ARE FAILED LEADERS ITS TIME TO OUTSOURCE THEM.
posted on July 8, 2004 09:16:29 PM new
bigpeepa - I think you'd better go back to counting the number of posts I make. Might want to count how many posts others make too.....just to give you something that appears to excite you so much.
I think you're beginning to hallucinate though...as there's
no mention of YOUR name was in this thread.
...and YOU'RE the one that has called me names....not I to you.
But hey....that could change since what's fair for the goose must be fair for the gander.....no double standards on your part I'm sure.
posted on July 8, 2004 09:30:33 PM new
What a preposterous stretch...desperation rears it's ugly head once again...."LOL"
___________________________________
If the world made sense, men would ride sidesaddle.
posted on July 8, 2004 09:34:35 PM new
If you play Kerry's speech made announcing Edwards at 2x speed and backwards you can clearly hear "I owe my allegiance to the Communists International" spoken in ancient Greek.
posted on July 8, 2004 09:36:28 PM new
That's true davebraun, a "friend" forwarded that to me....
___________________________________
If the world made sense, men would ride sidesaddle.
posted on July 8, 2004 09:38:29 PM new
LOL...that wouldn't surprise me one bit. There is a memorial where the communists have HONORED kerry for the part he played in the Vietnam war - and it wasn't for being on our side either.
posted on July 8, 2004 09:49:52 PM new
So what. It may surprise you but I have a picture of George Bush in my toilet. Not in the bathroom but in the toilet.
I did not require his permission to place it there.
But to the subject, I wish there were more people of conscience like Kerry in his opposition to the Vietnam war. Perhaps it would have ended sooner saving countless lives on both sides.
posted on July 8, 2004 10:05:44 PM new
And as history proves....the VN communist leader thanked all those war protestors for convincing American's we needed to withdraw. He said they were ready to give up the fight, but people like kerry made them decide they should hang in there just a little while longer...they did....
Exactly what the far left is trying to do now with Iraq....and terrorism. Take away the will of the people to fight and defend this great country.
posted on July 8, 2004 10:18:15 PM new
Yes and because we pulled out of Vietman the Domino theory was proven to be true and today all of Asia is under control of the dark empire....not
We should have never become involved in the war in French Indochina. Covering the French retreat at Dien Bien Phu cost thisa nation in blood and money. But that really is not the issue at hand.
They who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Mine eyes have seen the terror of the coming of the reds....they are marching down on mainstreet they are hiding neath our beds...I counted 4 this morning that included mom and dad...paranoia goes marching on.
My name is davebraun and I approve this message
[ edited by davebraun on Jul 8, 2004 10:18 PM ]
posted on July 8, 2004 10:25:10 PM new
Linda, You linked to Andrew Sullivan...
Your time would be better spent, Linda, reading Andrew Sullivan's information about Gay's right to marry. He is a conservative homosexual.
Homosexuality...Here Comes the Groom
posted on July 8, 2004 10:30:51 PM new
I have no idea whether this is a communist inspired poem or not. To be frank I don't read poetry, I'm waiting for it to be made into a movie.
I doubt many of you are familiar with it either.
Mine eyes have seen the terror of the coming of the reds....they are marching down on mainstreet they are hiding neath our beds...I counted 4 this morning that included mom and dad...paranoia goes marching on.
[ edited by davebraun on Jul 8, 2004 10:31 PM ]
posted on July 8, 2004 10:42:27 PM new
Linda, I am glad to see you are in fine form. (I was getting a little worried about you in the trenches here! Every dog has its day - but every day only has its 24hours. Not calling you a dog, btw Commentary on the blitz.)
You know one thing that really stops me from aligning with the elistist left (and those on this board are really left - not even a true sampling of regular joe democrats, imo)is somehow according to those who post here, it's utterly doofy to believe in God or have a religion. I'd be really worried if Kerry were president and he didnt consult a higher consciousness before making the biggest decision of his life for the entire country. (Bush's only fault was for admitting to it and giving fodder to those who cannot comprehend a God.) And I dont know where they think they are going with the black community with this. From what I can see, many many black people are of some faith or another. And they like it that way. I dont know. Maybe their votes or voices still dont carry much weight either.
This democratic party is such a mish-mash. You're non-religion, welcome aboard. You're poor, welcome aboard....You're rich, welcome aboard.... ...Youre gay, welcome aboard, Youre straight, welcome aboard....
Always for the little guy, they say, yet they themselves are seemly well endowed and need to continue to be to get their message accross. Why should anybody be fooled by this paradox? It is only a struggle for power. For themselves.
Where and what are the standards in this party? They have come up with the anti-bald thing. I have to give them credit for that. oh, and yes, I forgot, anti-corporate but pro-jobs. ummm, that makes alot of sense to me, too.
posted on July 8, 2004 10:46:05 PM new
Oh, please. There is nothing remotely communistic about that poem.
But it's a funny thing about ultra-conservatives: they absolutely don't like the freedoms in America and the rights in our Constitution, with the exception of the right to bear arms.
Would the Founding Fathers Be Pleased with America this July 4th?
"The American system is the most ingenious system of control in world history," Howard Zinn once wrote. And, while one of the best ways to prove Zinn’s point is to quote him in the first place (Trust me. Someone is bound to protest), if recent history is any indication, many Americans would not only gladly give up freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution, but, in times of duress, have actively distrusted them. Consider the following:
* In the early 1950s, Madison's Capital Times editor John Patrick Hunter took to the streets with a petition, (which was actually the Declaration of Independence, along with portions of the Bill of Rights) and tried to get people to sign it. Only one in 112 did. The rest found it too subversive.
* In May, 1956, Senator A.V. Watkins (R-Utah) "was almost bowled over" when, during Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on a new sedition law, an attorney for Americans for Democratic Action cited one of Thomas Jefferson’s more colorful quotes: "I hold that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing." Watkins responded, "If Mr. Jefferson were here and advocated such a thing, I would move that he be prosecuted."
* After some California state employees refused to allow statements from the Bill of Rights to be posted because they were too controversial, Chief Justice Earl Warren admitted: "It is straws in the wind like this which cause some thoughtful people to ask the question whether ratification of the Bill of Rights could be obtained today if we were faced squarely with the issue."
* Years ago, historian Charles S. Beard noted that, "You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence."
Even more recently, in the fall of 2002, a poll indicated that nearly half of all Americans think the First Amendment "goes too far," while in the spring of 2003 (more than a year before B-actor turned President Ronald Reagan was lauded on TV for days on end), a VH-1 poll showed that fifty-four percent of US citizens believe it's "inappropriate" for celebrities to make political statements.
And so, as July 4th approaches, the divide between patriotic Americans who ache to preserve what’s left of our republic and nationalistic Americans who unwittingly embrace empire is more explosive than a beachside fireworks display. Confusingly, however, those in the latter group often shamelessly back any draconian measure the Bush administration takes "in the fight for freedom," while scoffing at concerns over preserving our freedoms at home.
____________________
We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. -- John F. Kennedy
posted on July 8, 2004 11:14:18 PM new
so what are you saying helen? that you think gays don't have good judgement?
---------------
neroter - lol..I have to work up to it.
I really do understand there are varying degrees of democrats, just as there in the republican side.
But there are only three here who I'd call 'moderate' dems.
kerry isn't a moderate....like clinton was. He's the MOST liberal voting Senator we have - that is when he USE to show up to vote.
Too many are saying they aren't voting for him because of his accomplishments of 20 years in the Senate.....no one has even been able to named any....they openly admit it's 'anybody but Bush'. Well...sure we're in a fight for our lives against terrorism....and we should trust someone to protect us that said our democracy was a farce? and someone the communists honored? Not THIS red-blooded American woman.
He rarely says what he's going to do...if elected...only generalities. [ie: we're going to make it all better] LIKE HOW?
And I don't know if you've ever read any links to all his anti-war, anti-his-'band of brothers', or read about his anti-American actions following his 4 months of service, which he tried to avoid, but there's PLENTY out there to read. Many military groups/VN vets are against him EVER becoming our commander-in-chief....after what he pulled....and all their posts can be found online.
Sure lets people see how their 'military hero' really wasn't.
------------------
Anyone interested can just do a google search:
john kerry honored by communists
....read some of the articles....click on their links...see IF you really want a man whose actions were against his own country....helped OUR DEFEAT in VN...to be our next leader. Or a man like President Bush who has shown he's willing to take anyone on who threatens our well being.
You'll see the truth kerry's side doesn't want you to know. And I have full confidence each of you, after reading this information, can make up your own mind....whether that agrees with my position on this issue or not. At least know WHO and WHAT you're voting to support.
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posted on July 8, 2004 11:52:17 PM new
Good for you, Linda! thanks. I will look into some of those links.
You know your gonna hear it for all the "Anti" stuff, right? lol
Here a cute for you. This past week our local newspaper printed this subtitle in their columns about the two candidates speeches:
Chaney spouts-off...
Kerry connects.....
A reader wrote in to point out the disparaging headlines - the newspaper editors begrudgingly complied they could have used a better choice of words to least not appear so biased.
I kinda wish the democrats would be Anti-something, instead of just auntie-asses.
............
[ edited by neroter12 on Jul 8, 2004 11:56 PM ]
posted on July 9, 2004 12:04:28 AM new Bunni, do you still consider yourself an independent?
Doesn't address what I said, but yes, I am an independent. I'm pretty much middle of the road in my outlook, though on some issues I lean toward conservative and on others I lean toward liberal. I have voted for both Republicans and Democrats over the years, depending on how a particular candidate stood on issues or what his or her record stated as to achievements, etc.
____________________
We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. -- John F. Kennedy
posted on July 9, 2004 12:07:07 AM new
And here I was thinking they just ripped off Aaron Sorkin and The West Wing.... Let Bartlett be Bartlett
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on July 9, 2004 12:07:32 AM new
Davebraun, great posts!FUnnnY!
and here's my magic act where I make Linda disappear and twelve reappear....
Linda says,
"Or a man like President Bush who has shown he's willing to take anyone on who threatens our well being."
Linda! HE HE ???? is willing to take anyone on??????
Linda HE NEVER HAS BEEN IN A WAR. IT IS NOT AN OPINION IT IS FACT!
HE is willing to send OTHERS to die though!!!
BUSH was a drunk and hid out in a bottle during the Vietnam war.
What part of this don't you get?
posted on July 9, 2004 12:07:32 AM new
neroter - You know your gonna hear it for all the "Anti" stuff, right? lol
I would think something was wrong if that ever changed. lol I have broad shoulders and as libra mentioned I have skin as thick as steel. [Doesn't sound very attractive - but it sure is needed here ]
Our national security is just too important to let the side issues have as much weight. If we end up like Spain [putting in a socialist electorate] and let these terrorists tell us that if we don't meet their demands they're going to blow us up....then our country as we've known it is finished.
To me...this is the MOST important issue we face today. The differences on funding for this and that...aren't going to matter if we don't win this war on terrorism.
On the "anti" ...I've never understood why it upsets so many to read that. To be anti anything just means you're against it.
posted on July 9, 2004 12:11:19 AM new
I ain't done yet....
did you see linda's last post...I made her disappear...not a great trick considering there isn't much there to start with!
posted on July 9, 2004 12:13:32 AM new
Ain't done yet....
Communist doctrine says that EVERYONE has to think, act, believe exactly the same....hmmmmmmmmm
this sounds like the neocons to me!
[ edited by crowfarm on Jul 9, 2004 12:14 AM ]
posted on July 9, 2004 12:47:28 AM new
:: On the "anti" ...I've never understood why it upsets so many to read that. To be anti anything just means you're against it. ::
Really Linda? Does it honestly baffle you when people are offended because you label them Anti American because they have a different view of things? Are you really just unable to wrap your mind around why some might be offended when labeled anti-marriage when they are fighting for the right to actually be married?
If these truly are difficult concepts for you to grasp, it is because people are shocked and amazed at the audacity of others to believe that their opinion, and theirs alone is the only true and correct one and that anyone that has a different view is not simply in disagreement with you, but that they are actually against the very things they are fighting for. It's insulting and it's condescending.
Hope this helps.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
[ edited by fenix03 on Jul 9, 2004 12:58 AM ]
