I thought we would enjoy something away from the dreary weary analysis of our continuing crisis. That’ll sure hold for another day. Here is my continuing effort to write a poem.
Looking Out at the Bay
Winter
Kate and I live on a bay called Moriches.
Our theatre to the world outside,
A twenty foot glass wall.
Off in the distance lies Fire Island.
The name comes from fires set
To warn incoming square riggers to stay clear.
Now a barrier beach.
It keeps the Atlantic Ocean out of our backyard.
A little way east is Swan Island.
Home it seems to thousands of gulls,
Called Herring, Bonaparte’s, Laughing and Great Black-backed.
One summer day I sailed into their home,
Dive bombed and screamed at by flocks,
I learned what “intruder” meant,
With due apologies and inordinate haste
I was out of there.
Now I watch the Gulls in the morning
Making there fifteen mile flight to where?
The Town of Brookhavens dump
For a great feast of garbage.
It’s a gull war for the best of the dump.
A piece of chicken here, a piece of bread there.
No matter, this is their feast.
The trip home may be a stop at our beach
For a clam or crab and a high flight
And a drop to crack it open.
It’s not necessarily the droppers
As other Bonapate’s on their way home
Will scream and continue to fight for each morsel.
As a man of rationality I wonder about Gull efficiency?
Fifteen miles west fifteen miles east,
Just for some old garbage feast?
Don’t make much sense to me.
Oh you see the difference?
Gulls just do what they have to do.
While we humans concentrate and ruminate
On what we are doing and why?
Thank you Kate N.H.W.Y.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
After the Ball is Over
A popular 1890’s song:
“After the ball is over, after the break of morn.
After the dancers’ leaving, after the stars are gone,
Many a heart is aching, if you could read them all-
Many the hopes have vanished after the ball."
That’s how I remember the 1945 Inauguration. It was considerably warmer in ‘45 than it was yesterday in Washington. Still, after the celebrating was over people didn’t seem to know what to do. We went from one hotel ballroom to another (or was it a bar) just to try to keep the spirit of the day going. But by the late wee hours of the morning fatigue took over and we knew it was time to give it up and get on with whatever each of us had to do.
Watching the Obama celebration yesterday I knew that a lot of those folks in DC wanted that party to go on forever. Unfortunately, wether it was Caesar coming home to Rome, or Napoleon returning to Paris where they built those beautiful Victory Arches, or Times Square at the end of WW 2, after a few days of partying life somehow has to return to our everyday existence. So it is today. Everybody back to our own little daily lives of our existence.
I see the euphoria of the Inauguration wing-ding as both a blessing and a curse. The blessing part gives Obama a head of steam going into his first 100 days. Watching Obama deliver his Inaugural Address, I said to Kate that he reminded me of a character out of Greek mythology. This handsome, brilliant orator, who in some ways seemed far above us, has hopefully come to save us. So much for the blessing.
I am frankly far more concerned about the curse of expectations that goes with Godliness. It is a common phenomena for people in need to believe that someone has come to save them. The roots of that idea are buried in scripture. Someone is coming to save us. Yes, I know that Obama keeps telling us that correcting all our overindulging is going to take time. But I also know that my fellow citizens have been infected with the notion that “we can have it all.” What has been lost during the years of the Miliken/Madoff style of the big steal has been the idea of delaying gratification until the day you can afford it. Now I wonder how long will the country put up with the economic crisis before they turn on our new savior and start throwing stones.
Here is another observation of the difference between the crisis of the thirties and FDR’s first 100 days and now. Back then the major media was the press. Radio was relatively new and FDR made full use of it with his fireside chats. I remember people coming to my Uncle Zeigfried’s house because he had a great old Atwater Kent radio that could be heard in the whole living room. In contrast, I believe that Obama is becoming overexposed by the media, and that contributes to the rising expectations. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, there was no safety net back in the thirties so FDR was able to propose all that legislation that become known as The New Deal.
Clearly I think that FDR had the advantage over Obama. He could come up with new legislation and he had much better control over the new media, the radio. Now as for the press, that’s another story. FDR had to deal with a basically hostile newspaper world, and that’s where the radio was able to save him. He also had a powerful left represented by a dynamic labor movement and an array of left wing organizations that could carry support of his programs into the streets. Unfortunately, unless the Obama folks can figure out how to turn that new internet base into an active political organization, he is headed for trouble. Or should I say big trouble. But we shall see.
Thanks Kate N.H.W.Y.
“After the ball is over, after the break of morn.
After the dancers’ leaving, after the stars are gone,
Many a heart is aching, if you could read them all-
Many the hopes have vanished after the ball."
That’s how I remember the 1945 Inauguration. It was considerably warmer in ‘45 than it was yesterday in Washington. Still, after the celebrating was over people didn’t seem to know what to do. We went from one hotel ballroom to another (or was it a bar) just to try to keep the spirit of the day going. But by the late wee hours of the morning fatigue took over and we knew it was time to give it up and get on with whatever each of us had to do.
Watching the Obama celebration yesterday I knew that a lot of those folks in DC wanted that party to go on forever. Unfortunately, wether it was Caesar coming home to Rome, or Napoleon returning to Paris where they built those beautiful Victory Arches, or Times Square at the end of WW 2, after a few days of partying life somehow has to return to our everyday existence. So it is today. Everybody back to our own little daily lives of our existence.
I see the euphoria of the Inauguration wing-ding as both a blessing and a curse. The blessing part gives Obama a head of steam going into his first 100 days. Watching Obama deliver his Inaugural Address, I said to Kate that he reminded me of a character out of Greek mythology. This handsome, brilliant orator, who in some ways seemed far above us, has hopefully come to save us. So much for the blessing.
I am frankly far more concerned about the curse of expectations that goes with Godliness. It is a common phenomena for people in need to believe that someone has come to save them. The roots of that idea are buried in scripture. Someone is coming to save us. Yes, I know that Obama keeps telling us that correcting all our overindulging is going to take time. But I also know that my fellow citizens have been infected with the notion that “we can have it all.” What has been lost during the years of the Miliken/Madoff style of the big steal has been the idea of delaying gratification until the day you can afford it. Now I wonder how long will the country put up with the economic crisis before they turn on our new savior and start throwing stones.
Here is another observation of the difference between the crisis of the thirties and FDR’s first 100 days and now. Back then the major media was the press. Radio was relatively new and FDR made full use of it with his fireside chats. I remember people coming to my Uncle Zeigfried’s house because he had a great old Atwater Kent radio that could be heard in the whole living room. In contrast, I believe that Obama is becoming overexposed by the media, and that contributes to the rising expectations. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, there was no safety net back in the thirties so FDR was able to propose all that legislation that become known as The New Deal.
Clearly I think that FDR had the advantage over Obama. He could come up with new legislation and he had much better control over the new media, the radio. Now as for the press, that’s another story. FDR had to deal with a basically hostile newspaper world, and that’s where the radio was able to save him. He also had a powerful left represented by a dynamic labor movement and an array of left wing organizations that could carry support of his programs into the streets. Unfortunately, unless the Obama folks can figure out how to turn that new internet base into an active political organization, he is headed for trouble. Or should I say big trouble. But we shall see.
Thanks Kate N.H.W.Y.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Inauguration
I wasn’t at all sure when exactly I had been to a Presidential Inauguration. So I went foraging through old files and low and behold here it is--the F.D.R. Inauguration of 1945. Here was the setting. I was New York State President of the Machinists Union (the IAM). The International President of the IAM had appointed me to the Democratic National Labor Committee of which Dan Tobin, President of the Teamsters, was the head man.
While World War II was still going on, it was becoming increasingly clear that fascism was going to be defeated. The Allies were going to win. (As I write this, I am looking for similarities and differences between that inauguration and the one coming up.) The ‘45 one was post WW II and the major issues before the country were the transition from wartime to peace time production. FDR’s concerns were how world peace could be assured. With Eleanor leading the charge, the United Nations would become the vehicle to insure that the world would never again see anything the likes of the war that had such a devastating effect on civilization. It was becoming increasingly clear that we were nearing the end of the FDR era. That made the country fearful of what might be lurking around the corner; similar, I think, to the present Inauguration mood. As a result of the economic meltdown, the country is suffering a severe fear of what might be coming. That is the commonality of these two inaugurations. I hasten to add however, the differences are enormous.
The 1945 Inauguration was a sad experience for me. After the ceremony Tobin took me on the greeting line to “meet the President.” FDR was in a large chair with his legs under a blanket. As we approached I became alarmed by the sight of a very tired, sick-looking old man. Tobin introduced me as “the young man who helped us win Pennsylvania.” The President shook my hand and said to Tobin, “What’s this kid with all that black hair doing with the rest of you gray heads.” Then, with that great FDR smile, he said to me, “Be careful of those old guys, boy.” There was a lot of prescience in that last remark. The next day I met Tobin at the Mayflower. He said the “Great White Father,” that’s how he referred to FDR, had given Tobin a number of jobs he could give to deserving friends. One of them was the Administrator of Yellowstone National Park. Tobin thought it would be great for me. I laughed and said, “Do you really want to send me to Siberia?”
I must tell you that there had been a most vigorous effort to dump me out of the IAM. And so Tobin said, “Bub,” thats what he called me, “your life in the Labor Movement would be short. They have tagged you as a commie trouble maker. So far you have been successful in beating them back. But remember, they have a lot more money than you and the country is headed for a very reactionary time.” Tobin said the employers have been furious with what they saw as the unions gaining enormous advantages through the Wagner Act and the New Deal during the war. They were now going to get even. Four months after his inauguration FDR died in his favorite home in Warm Springs, Georgia. The country was in deep mourning.
With FDR’s passing, Harry Truman became President. He was an old time political hack from Missouri. With the defeat of Wallace at the convention, it became clear that the age of the New Deal was about to come to a close, and it sure did. In the 1948 election between Truman and Dewey, Truman, to prove his bona fides as a conservative, issued a Presidential order requiring all Federal employees to sign a loyalty oath. That would be the start of one of the biggest witch hunts in our history. I believe that was the trigger that set off the McCarthy witch hunt and a wave of anti-labor legislation, resulting in the passage of the Taft Hartley Law. Together with the daily newspaper headlines about the Reds in Hollywood the country was gripped in fear.
As I contrast that ’48 Inauguration period with the upcoming Obama one, I am struck by the similarities and even more so the differences. The primary similarity in the two periods is dealing with fear, especially economic uncertainty. The primary difference is that once WW II was over, the economy began to roar. There was pent-up demand for everything--housing, automobiles, appliances, services, etc. All manufacturing had been devoted to materials necessary to win the war. The economy blossomed. Our current fate is as yet unknown, but no one suggests that our issues will be resolved quickly. What will get our economy going? How long will it take? Can we as individuals make it? We do not have pent-up demand.
Most unfortunate for Obama is the fact that we do not have a powerful labor movement or an organized left, like we had back in the thirties, that can take advantage of the economic crisis to advance the interests of the working masses (now called the middle class). I believe Obama would like to do that, but he needs the kind of political left backup that FDR had in the thirties. I hope I am wrong, but I see Obama underestimating the kind of fierce opposition he is about to encounter as he tries to fulfill his campaign promises. I do wish him the best of luck. But I would rather he had a powerful labor movement and left wing organizations to carry the banners of change in the streets. At any rate, as our first Black President I wish him well. But let us not underestimate what he will be up against.
Thank you Kate. N.H.W Y.
While World War II was still going on, it was becoming increasingly clear that fascism was going to be defeated. The Allies were going to win. (As I write this, I am looking for similarities and differences between that inauguration and the one coming up.) The ‘45 one was post WW II and the major issues before the country were the transition from wartime to peace time production. FDR’s concerns were how world peace could be assured. With Eleanor leading the charge, the United Nations would become the vehicle to insure that the world would never again see anything the likes of the war that had such a devastating effect on civilization. It was becoming increasingly clear that we were nearing the end of the FDR era. That made the country fearful of what might be lurking around the corner; similar, I think, to the present Inauguration mood. As a result of the economic meltdown, the country is suffering a severe fear of what might be coming. That is the commonality of these two inaugurations. I hasten to add however, the differences are enormous.
The 1945 Inauguration was a sad experience for me. After the ceremony Tobin took me on the greeting line to “meet the President.” FDR was in a large chair with his legs under a blanket. As we approached I became alarmed by the sight of a very tired, sick-looking old man. Tobin introduced me as “the young man who helped us win Pennsylvania.” The President shook my hand and said to Tobin, “What’s this kid with all that black hair doing with the rest of you gray heads.” Then, with that great FDR smile, he said to me, “Be careful of those old guys, boy.” There was a lot of prescience in that last remark. The next day I met Tobin at the Mayflower. He said the “Great White Father,” that’s how he referred to FDR, had given Tobin a number of jobs he could give to deserving friends. One of them was the Administrator of Yellowstone National Park. Tobin thought it would be great for me. I laughed and said, “Do you really want to send me to Siberia?”
I must tell you that there had been a most vigorous effort to dump me out of the IAM. And so Tobin said, “Bub,” thats what he called me, “your life in the Labor Movement would be short. They have tagged you as a commie trouble maker. So far you have been successful in beating them back. But remember, they have a lot more money than you and the country is headed for a very reactionary time.” Tobin said the employers have been furious with what they saw as the unions gaining enormous advantages through the Wagner Act and the New Deal during the war. They were now going to get even. Four months after his inauguration FDR died in his favorite home in Warm Springs, Georgia. The country was in deep mourning.
With FDR’s passing, Harry Truman became President. He was an old time political hack from Missouri. With the defeat of Wallace at the convention, it became clear that the age of the New Deal was about to come to a close, and it sure did. In the 1948 election between Truman and Dewey, Truman, to prove his bona fides as a conservative, issued a Presidential order requiring all Federal employees to sign a loyalty oath. That would be the start of one of the biggest witch hunts in our history. I believe that was the trigger that set off the McCarthy witch hunt and a wave of anti-labor legislation, resulting in the passage of the Taft Hartley Law. Together with the daily newspaper headlines about the Reds in Hollywood the country was gripped in fear.
As I contrast that ’48 Inauguration period with the upcoming Obama one, I am struck by the similarities and even more so the differences. The primary similarity in the two periods is dealing with fear, especially economic uncertainty. The primary difference is that once WW II was over, the economy began to roar. There was pent-up demand for everything--housing, automobiles, appliances, services, etc. All manufacturing had been devoted to materials necessary to win the war. The economy blossomed. Our current fate is as yet unknown, but no one suggests that our issues will be resolved quickly. What will get our economy going? How long will it take? Can we as individuals make it? We do not have pent-up demand.
Most unfortunate for Obama is the fact that we do not have a powerful labor movement or an organized left, like we had back in the thirties, that can take advantage of the economic crisis to advance the interests of the working masses (now called the middle class). I believe Obama would like to do that, but he needs the kind of political left backup that FDR had in the thirties. I hope I am wrong, but I see Obama underestimating the kind of fierce opposition he is about to encounter as he tries to fulfill his campaign promises. I do wish him the best of luck. But I would rather he had a powerful labor movement and left wing organizations to carry the banners of change in the streets. At any rate, as our first Black President I wish him well. But let us not underestimate what he will be up against.
Thank you Kate. N.H.W Y.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Tremont & Prospect
What with the economic crisis that the country and the world are confronting, people often ask me how it was back in the great depression of the thirties. I have many memories of those times and here is one that I decided to write as a piece of prose poetry. Enjoy. RS
A time confused nonagenarian am I.
It was around nineteen thirty three,
The golden age of Burma Shave and Moxie.
Referring to the whole friggin’ country as “we,”
We were deeply, I mean deeply mired
In a very severe depression.
So were the people around Tremont & Prospect.
Locals called it “Four Corners College of the Streets.”
Communists, Trotskyites, DeLeonists, Evangelists,
Single Taxers, Townsendites and Anybodies.
Absolute salvation was to be found in
Dictatorship of the Proletariat, World Revolution,
General Strike, Jesus is our leader.
One tax for all and $200 for all over 60,
Free gas for GM cars, stuff like that.
Fervently we believed in our messages of deliverance.
All had the answers to what was ailing us.
Each hollered it from one corner to the next
Right there on four corners in the Bronx.
The Young Communist League was singing
“Hold The Fort,” “Arise Ye Prisoners of Starvation.”
Then one fateful night Esther said,
“It’s your turn to speak.” I said “You’re crazy.”
Somehow I was pushed up there.
A crowd of puzzled faces stared back at me.
From whence it came I shall never know,
But speak I did.
Capitalism will solve its problems
On the backs of the working class.
Fascism is the way it does it.
Big round of applause. My audience grew,
Causing consternation on three corners.
Attacks came from all three,
“He’s a liar! Communist Traitor! Anti Christ!”
Wow, that last one was scary.
“Esther, what am I to do?”
“Just keep going. You’ve got them listening.”
And keep going I did.
Shouted, “You want jobs?”
The crowd responded, “Yes.”
“Join us Friday in Union Square.
The power of the working class will stop fascism.
Yes, we’re on the road to socialism.
Unemployment, bread lines, evictions, poverty,
All will be quaint memories from the past.”
Now me a seasoned “Soap Boxer,”
A regular on Tremont & Prospect.
On fire this night, damming capitalism
Seemed to have me in its grip.
“It’s the Robber Barons, Ford, Dupont, the Fricks
Who have stolen your lives.”
Suddenly the garbage, the rotten eggs came flying.
Splattered, I here Esther say “keep going.”
Defiant fist in the air, “Socialism is the way.”
Pushing through the crowd came
A little old shiny faced lady. “I’m a Nun you know.”
“Yes, the glow told me so.”
Her arms outstretched with a St. Christopher Pendant.
“Remember to always wear this.
He will protect and keep you from harm.”
I really did want to thank her.
Quietly as she came, so she slipped away.
And me always wondering
Where did that soap box voice come from?
Thanks Kate N.H.W.Y.
A time confused nonagenarian am I.
It was around nineteen thirty three,
The golden age of Burma Shave and Moxie.
Referring to the whole friggin’ country as “we,”
We were deeply, I mean deeply mired
In a very severe depression.
So were the people around Tremont & Prospect.
Locals called it “Four Corners College of the Streets.”
Communists, Trotskyites, DeLeonists, Evangelists,
Single Taxers, Townsendites and Anybodies.
Absolute salvation was to be found in
Dictatorship of the Proletariat, World Revolution,
General Strike, Jesus is our leader.
One tax for all and $200 for all over 60,
Free gas for GM cars, stuff like that.
Fervently we believed in our messages of deliverance.
All had the answers to what was ailing us.
Each hollered it from one corner to the next
Right there on four corners in the Bronx.
The Young Communist League was singing
“Hold The Fort,” “Arise Ye Prisoners of Starvation.”
Then one fateful night Esther said,
“It’s your turn to speak.” I said “You’re crazy.”
Somehow I was pushed up there.
A crowd of puzzled faces stared back at me.
From whence it came I shall never know,
But speak I did.
Capitalism will solve its problems
On the backs of the working class.
Fascism is the way it does it.
Big round of applause. My audience grew,
Causing consternation on three corners.
Attacks came from all three,
“He’s a liar! Communist Traitor! Anti Christ!”
Wow, that last one was scary.
“Esther, what am I to do?”
“Just keep going. You’ve got them listening.”
And keep going I did.
Shouted, “You want jobs?”
The crowd responded, “Yes.”
“Join us Friday in Union Square.
The power of the working class will stop fascism.
Yes, we’re on the road to socialism.
Unemployment, bread lines, evictions, poverty,
All will be quaint memories from the past.”
Now me a seasoned “Soap Boxer,”
A regular on Tremont & Prospect.
On fire this night, damming capitalism
Seemed to have me in its grip.
“It’s the Robber Barons, Ford, Dupont, the Fricks
Who have stolen your lives.”
Suddenly the garbage, the rotten eggs came flying.
Splattered, I here Esther say “keep going.”
Defiant fist in the air, “Socialism is the way.”
Pushing through the crowd came
A little old shiny faced lady. “I’m a Nun you know.”
“Yes, the glow told me so.”
Her arms outstretched with a St. Christopher Pendant.
“Remember to always wear this.
He will protect and keep you from harm.”
I really did want to thank her.
Quietly as she came, so she slipped away.
And me always wondering
Where did that soap box voice come from?
Thanks Kate N.H.W.Y.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Welcome to 2009
Happy New Year is going to be okay for New Years Day. After that it’s anybodies guess. Here’s my Dream Ticket for the Republicans in 2012: Illinois Governor Blagojevich and Sarah Palin. The two of them together will be absolutely unbeatable on Saturday Night Live.
Okay, so here’s a list of things that I have been collecting from the media on what President Obama has to do when he “hits the ground running.” If he isn’t running he might be looking back. Then as Satchel Paige the famous Black pitcher said, “He might be gaining on you.” “He” is clearly the guy with the horns. No matter now because Obama got himself elected. Here’s the start of his “To Do List” that I collected from the media.
Jump start the economy with a trillion dollar bailout.
Relief for all those poor folks who bought sucker mortgages. The government as mortgager. Banks to auction off all foreclosed housing.
Stop the war between Israel and the Palestinians.
Keep the Indians and Pakistanis from going to war over Kashmir and terrorists.
Convince China not to dump the Trillion Treasury Notes we owe them.
Get the U.S. troops out of Iraq in the 16 months that you promised.
Rescind all the last minute Bush big corporate giveaways, like drilling and mining in the Grand Canyon.
Re-establish some kind of U.S. hegemony in Latin America.
Clear up the immigration mess, particularly as it concerns Mexico, Honduras, etc.
Get every pre-school child into a Head Start program.
Make sure that all high school graduates can go to college either through taxbrakes or tuition or government loans.
Get a National Health Care program underway that will relieve all businesses great and small of that burden. (Remember Main Street and Joe the Plumber.)
Rebuild our infrastructure of roads, bridges, schools, public transportation, and swimming pools for ghetto kids.
Develop a renewable energy program to overcome our obsession with oil.
Make sure Social Security is around for the Baby Boomers.
Get those Wall Street regulations back to prevent another meltdown like the one we are witnessing now.
Don’t forget the “card check” for the unions to be able to organize places like Wal-mart.
Okay, I got some more stuff from the Media, but I think that’s enough for you to chew on for starters, especially if you “hit the ground running.” Just make sure you are running away from the devil and not towards him. Anyhow, Happy New Year and Good Luck. Man you are going to need it.
Thanks Kate N.H.W.Y.
Okay, so here’s a list of things that I have been collecting from the media on what President Obama has to do when he “hits the ground running.” If he isn’t running he might be looking back. Then as Satchel Paige the famous Black pitcher said, “He might be gaining on you.” “He” is clearly the guy with the horns. No matter now because Obama got himself elected. Here’s the start of his “To Do List” that I collected from the media.
Jump start the economy with a trillion dollar bailout.
Relief for all those poor folks who bought sucker mortgages. The government as mortgager. Banks to auction off all foreclosed housing.
Save the automobile corporations from their meltdown.
Stop the war between Israel and the Palestinians.
Keep the Indians and Pakistanis from going to war over Kashmir and terrorists.
Convince China not to dump the Trillion Treasury Notes we owe them.
Get the U.S. troops out of Iraq in the 16 months that you promised.
Rescind all the last minute Bush big corporate giveaways, like drilling and mining in the Grand Canyon.
Re-establish some kind of U.S. hegemony in Latin America.
Clear up the immigration mess, particularly as it concerns Mexico, Honduras, etc.
Get every pre-school child into a Head Start program.
Make sure that all high school graduates can go to college either through taxbrakes or tuition or government loans.
Get a National Health Care program underway that will relieve all businesses great and small of that burden. (Remember Main Street and Joe the Plumber.)
Rebuild our infrastructure of roads, bridges, schools, public transportation, and swimming pools for ghetto kids.
Develop a renewable energy program to overcome our obsession with oil.
Make sure Social Security is around for the Baby Boomers.
Get those Wall Street regulations back to prevent another meltdown like the one we are witnessing now.
Don’t forget the “card check” for the unions to be able to organize places like Wal-mart.
Okay, I got some more stuff from the Media, but I think that’s enough for you to chew on for starters, especially if you “hit the ground running.” Just make sure you are running away from the devil and not towards him. Anyhow, Happy New Year and Good Luck. Man you are going to need it.
Thanks Kate N.H.W.Y.
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