Years ago, I enjoyed Eric Segal’s novel Love Story and the movie which followed. The one line from the movie that has always stayed with me is, “Love is never having to say you are sorry.” Such a simple line but rather profound in many ways, I think. The death of loved ones over the past months reminds me of those lines. We all probably have relatives we are sorry are in our family or at least may feel that way periodically over the course of our lives. If I ever felt that way about my siblings at some point, I can honestly say with deep love now, I never have to say I am sorry for loving my two siblings and for the wonderful memories which will remain for the rest of my life.
We lost our father to suicide in 1982; our mother lived another 20 years. My sister was killed in an auto accident on December 23, 2008. My brother died of cancer on July 1, 2009. I had always expected that my brother, and especially my sister who was four years younger than I, would outlive me; however, there are very few certainties in life. I am still adjusting to being the only member of my immediate family alive. I still reach for the phone to call them and then remember there is no one there to call except my brother-in-law or sister-in-law. Perhaps I will never totally adjust to this new reality.
I have written before about my sister and feel compelled to say a few words about my brother. I think I can do that now more easily than would have been possible a few months ago. I have found that God, time, family, friends, and memories have a way of helping us heal. Given those factors, we all eventually heal or at least learn to cope with our losses.
Not only was I the big brother in size, I was the older by a year. As most big brothers are sometimes, I know I was always overbearing, at times to the point of angering him. He learned to defend himself rather well. I vividly recall a time when I my “orders” caused him to reach his limit. A piece of wire was on the ground near him, and he picked it up and hurled it at me. The wire went through my trousers and lodged in my thigh. Of course when I told mother, he got in trouble—the wire was rusty. I do not recall how or if mother also punished me. If not, it might have been wise to also punish the provoker. From that point on I learned to be more cautious. Such incidents have a way of teaching, don’t they?
While I may have been a better student in many ways than he, I certainly was not brighter, even when I might have thought otherwise. In high school, we once had a biology class together. I always took copious notes. Naturally, he did not. During that entire course, I would study my notes prior to a test; Kenneth would take my notes when I had finished, and while he had one eye on the television, he would review them. He always scored just a few points lower. That was always irritating to me. I think he may have listened in class much better than I, but that was probably not the only reason he did so well on those tests.
His interests were varied. We both enjoyed music, reading, politics, our children, and our grandchildren. While my tastes in music and books may have been a bit more varied, we enjoyed many of the same books and some of the same music. I could appreciate his musical tastes and learned a few years ago that he could tolerate, if not appreciate, my musical tastes, a nice surprise for me. He enjoyed his farm work, mechanical work and things, but I always hated to get my hands dirty. We both loved politics and discussing the topic, but when we disagreed, the “discussions” could become rather heated. Our tastes in food were very similar and leaned toward rather simple fare. We both loved hamburgers with no onions or pickles and eggs. We could eat eggs three times a day, seven days a week, and be content. I never realized how much alike we were until we moved to Texas in 2006 and saw each other more often.
My wife and I made three trips to Branson, Missouri with Kenneth and my sister-in-law. One included our sister. I have wonderful memories of those trips. In addition, we did other things together. I had always thought that we were so different, but once we were together more often, I saw we were more alike in so many ways.
In many ways he was one of a kind. He was always well liked and had many friends. He was kind, generous, but he could be blunt and sometimes seemingly harsh. He loved to tell stories and jokes and knew how to create attention. Kenneth was quick with the one-liners, quicker than I have ever been. He attended church regularly; I know enough about his beliefs to be confident that we will be together once again. Following the death of his first wife in an auto accident, he went through a period of depression. My sister and I worried about him often during that period. Then four years later he remarried. He and his second wife had a wonderful five years together. I am so thankful that his last years were happy ones with a loving wife, a wife who lovingly cared for him in his last months when he was bedridden. “Love IS never having to say you are sorry.”
He was also a prankster. He was a party to the prank my sister played on me regarding his second wife that I mentioned in the blog on my sister, “In Time of Need, Where’s Your Support?” posted early in the year and which appears below. He also loved Halloween pranks as a kid. One Halloween, he and some of his friends turned over someone’s outhouse. Unfortunately for him, he fell in and had to ask a lady who lived nearby to hose him off before he dared come home. I loved to tell that story over the years, but it was not one he cared to talk about. An overbearing big brother for you!
For years, I have laughed about a letter he wrote me in 1965. Our mother had told him I was getting married. He sent me a letter, the only letter I ever received from him. Among other things, he said, “I do hope you are marrying a Republican because if not, she will not function too well in this family.” Naturally, I did not make the mistake of marrying outside our “politics.” It has always been a source of pleasure for me to reflect on this being the only reason for him to ever write me a letter. I guess it proves we shared politics as perhaps more than just an interest; it was a passion.
We were alike in so many ways, but even with our differences, I loved him deeply. Some may have thought a little brother a burden, but he was never a burden; he was my brother, and I miss him.
Copyright 2009 by Don Emerson
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Life in the Asylum
According to Albert Einstein, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I can hardly believe what is happening in Washington, D. C. and with the American voter. Of course, we have problems needing solutions, but proposing government-run solutions is absurd. Government programs and government-run solutions hardly have a track record for inspiring faith in any government-run health care system. For example:
- Medicare and Social Security have problems and as baby boomers retire those problems will only multiply.
- The U.S. Postal Service lost about $7 billion last year.
- The Federal Reserve, created in 1913, to maintain a stable financial system, has not accomplished that goal.
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were declared insolvent on September 7, 2008 but both continue to operate.
- Amtrak has never made a profit in its 39 years, yet it continues.
- The War on Drugs and the War on Poverty have accomplished little, except spending billions.
About twenty or so years ago, the government seized the Mustang Ranch in Nevada for tax evasion and then ran it. Of course it failed and eventually closed. Now, the government that could not operate a brothel and make money is going to run our banking and auto industries, and Congress and the President are proposing to add our health care system. Those in Washington, D.C. seem to be nuts, but do we also have to be nuts to tolerate and allow this?
One of the health care plans is supposed to come to a vote in the Senate this coming week. The chairman of another Senate committee with a health care plan admits he has not read his committee’s bill because he would not understand it anyway. Obviously, most legislators have not read these bills due to their length and the inability to understand what they contain, but the clowns are going to pass legislation anyway. Bills will not be posted on the Internet so we can read them for ourselves. That might clue us in to what nonsense the bills contain. Congress is exempted from the health care legislation; the “elites” have their own health care system. The proposed health care is good enough for the average taxpayer but not for themselves? The President has been saying all along that health care reform will not increase the deficit. Anyone who falls for this sham must be suffering from some delusional ailment. Supposedly, waste and fraud, especially in Medicare, will be eliminated so no addition to the deficit. If indeed that is true, this old man wonders why the waste and fraud cannot be eliminated now. Why must health care reform be passed before waste and fraud can be eliminated? None of this passes the smell test. Of course, fix the problems with health care, but not with a government-run solution.
I continue to hear noise about a third stimulus piece of legislation, so much noise in fact that I remove my hearing aids. The other two stimulus bills have worked out so well, haven’t they? Unemployment continues to rise. Do these clowns in Washington, D.C. want it to rise more and/or faster? Maybe they have a fourth stimulus bill in the planning stages.
While I still have some hope, I think this “change you can believe in” is not working out too well. I would ask, “How has living in this asylum we seem to have become worked out for you?”
The following quotes from Thomas Jefferson make sense to me:
“My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.”
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”
Copyright 2009 by Don Emerson
- Medicare and Social Security have problems and as baby boomers retire those problems will only multiply.
- The U.S. Postal Service lost about $7 billion last year.
- The Federal Reserve, created in 1913, to maintain a stable financial system, has not accomplished that goal.
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were declared insolvent on September 7, 2008 but both continue to operate.
- Amtrak has never made a profit in its 39 years, yet it continues.
- The War on Drugs and the War on Poverty have accomplished little, except spending billions.
About twenty or so years ago, the government seized the Mustang Ranch in Nevada for tax evasion and then ran it. Of course it failed and eventually closed. Now, the government that could not operate a brothel and make money is going to run our banking and auto industries, and Congress and the President are proposing to add our health care system. Those in Washington, D.C. seem to be nuts, but do we also have to be nuts to tolerate and allow this?
One of the health care plans is supposed to come to a vote in the Senate this coming week. The chairman of another Senate committee with a health care plan admits he has not read his committee’s bill because he would not understand it anyway. Obviously, most legislators have not read these bills due to their length and the inability to understand what they contain, but the clowns are going to pass legislation anyway. Bills will not be posted on the Internet so we can read them for ourselves. That might clue us in to what nonsense the bills contain. Congress is exempted from the health care legislation; the “elites” have their own health care system. The proposed health care is good enough for the average taxpayer but not for themselves? The President has been saying all along that health care reform will not increase the deficit. Anyone who falls for this sham must be suffering from some delusional ailment. Supposedly, waste and fraud, especially in Medicare, will be eliminated so no addition to the deficit. If indeed that is true, this old man wonders why the waste and fraud cannot be eliminated now. Why must health care reform be passed before waste and fraud can be eliminated? None of this passes the smell test. Of course, fix the problems with health care, but not with a government-run solution.
I continue to hear noise about a third stimulus piece of legislation, so much noise in fact that I remove my hearing aids. The other two stimulus bills have worked out so well, haven’t they? Unemployment continues to rise. Do these clowns in Washington, D.C. want it to rise more and/or faster? Maybe they have a fourth stimulus bill in the planning stages.
While I still have some hope, I think this “change you can believe in” is not working out too well. I would ask, “How has living in this asylum we seem to have become worked out for you?”
The following quotes from Thomas Jefferson make sense to me:
“My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.”
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”
Copyright 2009 by Don Emerson
Monday, January 12, 2009
In Time of Need, Where's Your Support?
Where does one turn when that time comes that support is needed? We seem to be able to face life alone as long as things are going well. When life becomes difficult however, as it so often does, where does one turn for help? God? Church? Family? Friends? Neighbors? If fortunate, we are able to rely on them all in our time of need.
In early December, a family in our development suffered a tragedy no family should have to face. Their youngest son, who was a playmate of our grandson Jack, passed away as a result of an auto accident. He was about a month younger than Jack who will be five in the spring, and the two of them shared the same middle name, Alexander. The boy’s seven-year old brother suffered a serious leg injury in the accident. After three surgeries, he was released for his little brother’s funeral service but was back in the hospital early the next morning for his fourth surgery. On Tuesday, December 23, I checked my e-mail and received the update--he was to be released from the hospital around noon that day to have Christmas with his family. I was thrilled for him and his family.
As I was forwarding the update to others in the development, the phone rang. It was my brother calling to say that our only sister Glenda had been killed in an auto accident on icy roads an hour or so earlier. In less than a minute, my happiness for the boy and his family became sorrow over the loss of my only sister.
Glenda was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and sister. She and my brother-in-law would have been married 47 years on January 20. Unlike so many marriages today, they shared a long, successful, and happy marriage. They had been high school sweethearts and were the love of each other’s life. For her, my brother-in-law and their children and grandchildren always came first; they were her life. She was much like our mother in that she always said what she thought, and too bad if you did not like it. As her pastor said during the funeral service, “Glenda always told you what she thought you needed to hear.” I fondly remember being the recipient of many of those words over the years. Glenda always enjoyed a good joke, but I seldom recall her telling many. I never knew her to be a practical joker either, until she pulled one on me. But at her funeral service, her pastor, who had gone through school since the second grade with her and my brother-in-law, told of another of her pranks. He said his mother always called Glenda that “mean girl,” but that he never knew why until later in life. On a school trip, Glenda had dumped a bucket of water over his mother’s head. My guess is there was a message to the pastor’s mother, something Glenda thought she needed to hear, in dumping that bucket of water over her head.
Of all the memories I will always have of my sister, the practical joke she pulled on me in the spring of 2005 will be a standout. My brother’s first wife had also been killed in an auto accident a number of years earlier, and we were all delighted when he decided to marry again. None of us had met his new wife, but they had planned to visit our sister and brother-in-law after a short trip. I had asked my sister to call me with her impressions after they left. She called while we were in Disneyland with our daughter and family.
Glenda told me that she liked our sister-in-law very much, but then asked that I guess to whom she was related. I found that rather odd, but obviously not odd enough. After I told her numerous times that I had no clue, she kept saying, “Guess.” Finally, I guessed Bill Clinton who did not even register on my favorite people list. Responding to my Clinton guess, she said, “No. It's worse.” From my perspective, what could possibly be worse? Finally, I said, “Not Hillary?” She replied, “Yea. She is Hillary’s first cousin; their mothers are sisters.” Hillary did not come from Arkansas as my new sister-in-law did, but in my shock did I think of that? Of course not! I could not even think. I just became unnerved with this blow to the family pride. I let out a few curse words, embarrassing my family and earning a few stares.
For two weeks my sister let me live with this. Still not thinking this through, I even told a friend whose response was, “That’s awful. I thought it bad enough that I share a birthday with Bill Clinton, but this is worse Don.” Now I had to plan how I would respond to this woman if I ever met her - ignore her, be nasty, or be pseudo-pleasant. Two weeks later, my sister called to say this tale was not true. Needless to say, I did not like being the butt of her prank, but when you are stupid enough to believe such a tale without thinking it through, you just smile and take it. I told her that if it took the rest of my life, she was going to receive her payback. All my payback attempts failed. And that is probably what I deserved. Anyone should have known better than to swallow such a tale, but I had never known Glenda to play a prank on anyone.
Glenda’s prank will be only one of my many happy memories of her. I will miss her terribly. She was always supposed to be there. Isn’t that the way we all feel about loved ones? They will always be there, thus we seldom take the time to truly enjoy each minute we spend with them. Life is all too short, and we do not always get second chances!
My cousin DeRenda said of my sister, “Glenda was just like a second mother to me when Mike, Jeff, and I were kids. Not to mention that while my mother was going through chemo and radiation, Glenda was a God-send to both of my parents. She cooked full meals for them every time, so that my mother didn’t have to worry about cooking. It was hard to say good-bye to her, but I also know that she is in a better place now.”
A friend in Washington State and her husband sent a sympathy card containing these words, “In your memories may you find comfort. In your friends and family may you find love. And in your heart may you find the strength to help you through this sorrowful time.” Enclosed was a business-type card that said, “God’s love does not exempt us from trials. God’s love walks with us through our trials.”
To paraphrase the Reverend Rickie Rush, pastor of Inspiring Body of Christ Church (Dallas, Texas), presiding over a recent fallen Dallas police officer’s funeral: Just as it is when tucking your children into bed, there comes a time when we have to know that God will take care of you. Good night, Glenda, we’ll see you in the morning.
In facing the death of my only and dearly loved sister, I found great comfort from God, my pastors, our family, church friends, friends from the past living far away, and neighbors. When tragedy happens, we all need support. I am fortunate and thankful to have had that support.
From where will your support come in your time of need?
Copyright 2009 by Don Emerson. All rights reserved.
In early December, a family in our development suffered a tragedy no family should have to face. Their youngest son, who was a playmate of our grandson Jack, passed away as a result of an auto accident. He was about a month younger than Jack who will be five in the spring, and the two of them shared the same middle name, Alexander. The boy’s seven-year old brother suffered a serious leg injury in the accident. After three surgeries, he was released for his little brother’s funeral service but was back in the hospital early the next morning for his fourth surgery. On Tuesday, December 23, I checked my e-mail and received the update--he was to be released from the hospital around noon that day to have Christmas with his family. I was thrilled for him and his family.
As I was forwarding the update to others in the development, the phone rang. It was my brother calling to say that our only sister Glenda had been killed in an auto accident on icy roads an hour or so earlier. In less than a minute, my happiness for the boy and his family became sorrow over the loss of my only sister.
Glenda was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and sister. She and my brother-in-law would have been married 47 years on January 20. Unlike so many marriages today, they shared a long, successful, and happy marriage. They had been high school sweethearts and were the love of each other’s life. For her, my brother-in-law and their children and grandchildren always came first; they were her life. She was much like our mother in that she always said what she thought, and too bad if you did not like it. As her pastor said during the funeral service, “Glenda always told you what she thought you needed to hear.” I fondly remember being the recipient of many of those words over the years. Glenda always enjoyed a good joke, but I seldom recall her telling many. I never knew her to be a practical joker either, until she pulled one on me. But at her funeral service, her pastor, who had gone through school since the second grade with her and my brother-in-law, told of another of her pranks. He said his mother always called Glenda that “mean girl,” but that he never knew why until later in life. On a school trip, Glenda had dumped a bucket of water over his mother’s head. My guess is there was a message to the pastor’s mother, something Glenda thought she needed to hear, in dumping that bucket of water over her head.
Of all the memories I will always have of my sister, the practical joke she pulled on me in the spring of 2005 will be a standout. My brother’s first wife had also been killed in an auto accident a number of years earlier, and we were all delighted when he decided to marry again. None of us had met his new wife, but they had planned to visit our sister and brother-in-law after a short trip. I had asked my sister to call me with her impressions after they left. She called while we were in Disneyland with our daughter and family.
Glenda told me that she liked our sister-in-law very much, but then asked that I guess to whom she was related. I found that rather odd, but obviously not odd enough. After I told her numerous times that I had no clue, she kept saying, “Guess.” Finally, I guessed Bill Clinton who did not even register on my favorite people list. Responding to my Clinton guess, she said, “No. It's worse.” From my perspective, what could possibly be worse? Finally, I said, “Not Hillary?” She replied, “Yea. She is Hillary’s first cousin; their mothers are sisters.” Hillary did not come from Arkansas as my new sister-in-law did, but in my shock did I think of that? Of course not! I could not even think. I just became unnerved with this blow to the family pride. I let out a few curse words, embarrassing my family and earning a few stares.
For two weeks my sister let me live with this. Still not thinking this through, I even told a friend whose response was, “That’s awful. I thought it bad enough that I share a birthday with Bill Clinton, but this is worse Don.” Now I had to plan how I would respond to this woman if I ever met her - ignore her, be nasty, or be pseudo-pleasant. Two weeks later, my sister called to say this tale was not true. Needless to say, I did not like being the butt of her prank, but when you are stupid enough to believe such a tale without thinking it through, you just smile and take it. I told her that if it took the rest of my life, she was going to receive her payback. All my payback attempts failed. And that is probably what I deserved. Anyone should have known better than to swallow such a tale, but I had never known Glenda to play a prank on anyone.
Glenda’s prank will be only one of my many happy memories of her. I will miss her terribly. She was always supposed to be there. Isn’t that the way we all feel about loved ones? They will always be there, thus we seldom take the time to truly enjoy each minute we spend with them. Life is all too short, and we do not always get second chances!
My cousin DeRenda said of my sister, “Glenda was just like a second mother to me when Mike, Jeff, and I were kids. Not to mention that while my mother was going through chemo and radiation, Glenda was a God-send to both of my parents. She cooked full meals for them every time, so that my mother didn’t have to worry about cooking. It was hard to say good-bye to her, but I also know that she is in a better place now.”
A friend in Washington State and her husband sent a sympathy card containing these words, “In your memories may you find comfort. In your friends and family may you find love. And in your heart may you find the strength to help you through this sorrowful time.” Enclosed was a business-type card that said, “God’s love does not exempt us from trials. God’s love walks with us through our trials.”
To paraphrase the Reverend Rickie Rush, pastor of Inspiring Body of Christ Church (Dallas, Texas), presiding over a recent fallen Dallas police officer’s funeral: Just as it is when tucking your children into bed, there comes a time when we have to know that God will take care of you. Good night, Glenda, we’ll see you in the morning.
In facing the death of my only and dearly loved sister, I found great comfort from God, my pastors, our family, church friends, friends from the past living far away, and neighbors. When tragedy happens, we all need support. I am fortunate and thankful to have had that support.
From where will your support come in your time of need?
Copyright 2009 by Don Emerson. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
To My Children and Grandchildren
Many months ago I read Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. While I do not have a terminal illness as he did, I like the idea of leaving some thoughts, a “legacy” so to speak, before I depart this life, hopefully years from now. While I can wish you good health, wealth, and wisdom, I cannot leave you health or wealth, only some thoughts.
Wisdom comes from a relationship with God and from growing older, but whether there is any truth to the “growing older” part I am not sure. Hopefully, I gained a bit of wisdom just having been here for so long. That old saying, “Youth is wasted on the young,’ has meaning. Had I known all I know now as a youth, maybe my life would have been lived differently and perhaps better. Those little “bits of wisdom” I picked up on the bumpy journey to my old age I now share with all of you. Even though they are numbered, they are in no special order, except for #1, the most important.
#16. Be yourself; don't let others influence you to become someone you are not. #15. Accept the hand of cards you are dealt, and play them to the best of your ability as your life unfolds. Life isn’t fair, so dwelling on fairness is wasteful; just move on. #14. Respect your parents; they are not stupid, boring, or incompetent. Respecting your parents is an example for your children. After all, your kids may have to care for you in your old age. #13. Some of you attended “modern” schools where everyone wins, there is little discipline, there are no failing grades, there are no wrong answers, and you can take tests over until you pass. Unfortunately, this nonsense has no resemblance to the real world. Everyone does not win, there must be discipline and self-discipline, we all fail at something, there are wrong answers, and we aren’t allowed to keep “repeating.” #12. In the real world, you are not paid to get it together and you most certainly should not “bite the hand that feeds you.” Get your own act together, and ask those “stupid” parents to explain that last item should you not understand it. #11. Protect the environment, yet remember people live here. Creating economic havoc or hardships for people in some idealist (or wacko) attempt to save trees, the spotted owl, some crawling creature, or anything else is wrong. Where would we be today if we had saved the horse and buggy in some wild-eyed scheme to prevent damage from autos? Probably listening to lines such as, “The droppings of those animals pulling the wagons are going to kill us” We landed on the moon; surely we have the scientific knowledge to create a safe environment and still enjoy business and economic growth and advancements. #10. Life is from God, thus it has value. “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” When we do not value and protect the lives of a fetus or baby, the most innocent among us, we devalue the lives of all. Our society is dangerously perverted when the lives of animals and plants have more worth than the lives of our most innocent citizens. America’s “Holocaust” is the 48 million babies killed since the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973. God will surely, at some point, deal harshly with a society that permitted such an atrocity. There are many options available other than abortion; support them. #9. Treat people with respect. God created us all equal. #8. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, so never trust in or depend on any government. The major lesson we should have learned from fascism, Nazism, socialism, communism, and our own federal government’s behavior in the last seventy years or so is that “any government powerful enough to give you everything you want is also powerful enough to take away everything you have.” Government can give us nothing unless it has first taken it away from someone else through taxation. That is as onerous and immoral as personal stealing! Government does not create wealth, it spends, or more accurately wastes, that which is the hard-earned wealth of its citizens. #7. Terrorism will be an American fact of life for years. This evil, as with all evil, must be opposed. One does not compromise with evil; one defeats it! If not, it will consume, overwhelm, and defeat you. #6. Be responsible for your own actions; actions have consequences. Think of the consequences before acting. Do not blame others for your actions. Be one of those who accepts personal responsibility. #5. Become an active citizen--take an interest in your country, in politics, in voting, and in government at all levels. Your life and that of your family are directly related to the well being of your nation. America, as imperfect as we may be, is still “man’s last and best hope.” When asked in the late 1780s by a woman passing him on the streets of Philadelphia after the Constitutional Convention, “What have we, a monarchy or a republic?” Ben Franklin replied, “A Republic Madam, if we can keep it.” And over 200 years later, the question still is, “Can we keep it?” Our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, are man’s best attempt at freedom. Both are based on Judeo-Christian principles, and our laws reflect those principles. Individuals who tell you our nation has no religious foundation are dead wrong; either they have not read our founding history or intend to deceive. #4. There is a right and a wrong, so do what is right! Doing what is right is not always popular, and doing what is popular is not always right. General Sam Damon, the main character in the novel, Once an Eagle, has a great piece of advice, “You can’t help what you were born, and you may not have much to say about where you die, but you can and should try to pass the days in between as a good man.” To paraphrase my brother-in-law James’ great advice, “When you were born, your name came to you unblemished. It is yours for as long as you may live. Guard it wisely, and you will be glad the name is still spotless when you pass it along to your own children.” #3. Have firm moral beliefs. Nothing was sadder for me during my lengthy teaching career on the high school and college levels than to have students with no strong moral system, no firm belief in what is right or what is wrong. Society is in serious trouble when the line between right and wrong blurs, our country’s situation now. It is no longer politically correct to be judgmental; almost everything has become acceptable. Everything is not acceptable! Accepting everything cannot continue or our society, as we know it, will collapse. Be judgmental, be politically incorrect, and stand up for principles and for what is moral and right, regardless of what the world hurls your way! The sinful, secular world will definitely oppose you though! #2. Have dreams and purpose and strive to attain them. The great American, Black poet, Langston Hughes said, Hold onto your dreams, for if your dreams die, your life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” #1. There is a God; honor Him! God promises to be with us as we journey life’s road, but He does not promise there will be no bumps along the way. Early in our country’s history, William Penn said, “If men are not governed by God, they shall be ruled by tyrants.” And tyrants do not have to be government rulers; they can be habits, money, evil, or something else “ruling” your life.
I do not think my own death, whenever it may come, is the worst thing that can happen to me; I think the loss of a child or grandchild would be far worse. So, Rod and Dina, Randy and Cindy, Derek, Logan, Ellie, Jack, Evelyn, Jamie, and Michael, may you have long lives and enjoy your “bumpy road” to old age. Love God, love life, love family and others, and pass wisdom on to your own children and grandchildren.
Although I wonder if Nelson DeMille intended it in any religious sense, he closes his novel The Gate House, with a line that has personal meaning for me as a Christian, “Every journey has to end, and the end of the journey is always called Home.” For me, that “Home” is Heaven and an eternity with God and Jesus. May it also be yours!
Love, Dad and Granddad
Copyright 2008 by Don Emerson. All rights reserved.
Wisdom comes from a relationship with God and from growing older, but whether there is any truth to the “growing older” part I am not sure. Hopefully, I gained a bit of wisdom just having been here for so long. That old saying, “Youth is wasted on the young,’ has meaning. Had I known all I know now as a youth, maybe my life would have been lived differently and perhaps better. Those little “bits of wisdom” I picked up on the bumpy journey to my old age I now share with all of you. Even though they are numbered, they are in no special order, except for #1, the most important.
#16. Be yourself; don't let others influence you to become someone you are not. #15. Accept the hand of cards you are dealt, and play them to the best of your ability as your life unfolds. Life isn’t fair, so dwelling on fairness is wasteful; just move on. #14. Respect your parents; they are not stupid, boring, or incompetent. Respecting your parents is an example for your children. After all, your kids may have to care for you in your old age. #13. Some of you attended “modern” schools where everyone wins, there is little discipline, there are no failing grades, there are no wrong answers, and you can take tests over until you pass. Unfortunately, this nonsense has no resemblance to the real world. Everyone does not win, there must be discipline and self-discipline, we all fail at something, there are wrong answers, and we aren’t allowed to keep “repeating.” #12. In the real world, you are not paid to get it together and you most certainly should not “bite the hand that feeds you.” Get your own act together, and ask those “stupid” parents to explain that last item should you not understand it. #11. Protect the environment, yet remember people live here. Creating economic havoc or hardships for people in some idealist (or wacko) attempt to save trees, the spotted owl, some crawling creature, or anything else is wrong. Where would we be today if we had saved the horse and buggy in some wild-eyed scheme to prevent damage from autos? Probably listening to lines such as, “The droppings of those animals pulling the wagons are going to kill us” We landed on the moon; surely we have the scientific knowledge to create a safe environment and still enjoy business and economic growth and advancements. #10. Life is from God, thus it has value. “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” When we do not value and protect the lives of a fetus or baby, the most innocent among us, we devalue the lives of all. Our society is dangerously perverted when the lives of animals and plants have more worth than the lives of our most innocent citizens. America’s “Holocaust” is the 48 million babies killed since the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973. God will surely, at some point, deal harshly with a society that permitted such an atrocity. There are many options available other than abortion; support them. #9. Treat people with respect. God created us all equal. #8. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, so never trust in or depend on any government. The major lesson we should have learned from fascism, Nazism, socialism, communism, and our own federal government’s behavior in the last seventy years or so is that “any government powerful enough to give you everything you want is also powerful enough to take away everything you have.” Government can give us nothing unless it has first taken it away from someone else through taxation. That is as onerous and immoral as personal stealing! Government does not create wealth, it spends, or more accurately wastes, that which is the hard-earned wealth of its citizens. #7. Terrorism will be an American fact of life for years. This evil, as with all evil, must be opposed. One does not compromise with evil; one defeats it! If not, it will consume, overwhelm, and defeat you. #6. Be responsible for your own actions; actions have consequences. Think of the consequences before acting. Do not blame others for your actions. Be one of those who accepts personal responsibility. #5. Become an active citizen--take an interest in your country, in politics, in voting, and in government at all levels. Your life and that of your family are directly related to the well being of your nation. America, as imperfect as we may be, is still “man’s last and best hope.” When asked in the late 1780s by a woman passing him on the streets of Philadelphia after the Constitutional Convention, “What have we, a monarchy or a republic?” Ben Franklin replied, “A Republic Madam, if we can keep it.” And over 200 years later, the question still is, “Can we keep it?” Our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, are man’s best attempt at freedom. Both are based on Judeo-Christian principles, and our laws reflect those principles. Individuals who tell you our nation has no religious foundation are dead wrong; either they have not read our founding history or intend to deceive. #4. There is a right and a wrong, so do what is right! Doing what is right is not always popular, and doing what is popular is not always right. General Sam Damon, the main character in the novel, Once an Eagle, has a great piece of advice, “You can’t help what you were born, and you may not have much to say about where you die, but you can and should try to pass the days in between as a good man.” To paraphrase my brother-in-law James’ great advice, “When you were born, your name came to you unblemished. It is yours for as long as you may live. Guard it wisely, and you will be glad the name is still spotless when you pass it along to your own children.” #3. Have firm moral beliefs. Nothing was sadder for me during my lengthy teaching career on the high school and college levels than to have students with no strong moral system, no firm belief in what is right or what is wrong. Society is in serious trouble when the line between right and wrong blurs, our country’s situation now. It is no longer politically correct to be judgmental; almost everything has become acceptable. Everything is not acceptable! Accepting everything cannot continue or our society, as we know it, will collapse. Be judgmental, be politically incorrect, and stand up for principles and for what is moral and right, regardless of what the world hurls your way! The sinful, secular world will definitely oppose you though! #2. Have dreams and purpose and strive to attain them. The great American, Black poet, Langston Hughes said, Hold onto your dreams, for if your dreams die, your life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” #1. There is a God; honor Him! God promises to be with us as we journey life’s road, but He does not promise there will be no bumps along the way. Early in our country’s history, William Penn said, “If men are not governed by God, they shall be ruled by tyrants.” And tyrants do not have to be government rulers; they can be habits, money, evil, or something else “ruling” your life.
I do not think my own death, whenever it may come, is the worst thing that can happen to me; I think the loss of a child or grandchild would be far worse. So, Rod and Dina, Randy and Cindy, Derek, Logan, Ellie, Jack, Evelyn, Jamie, and Michael, may you have long lives and enjoy your “bumpy road” to old age. Love God, love life, love family and others, and pass wisdom on to your own children and grandchildren.
Although I wonder if Nelson DeMille intended it in any religious sense, he closes his novel The Gate House, with a line that has personal meaning for me as a Christian, “Every journey has to end, and the end of the journey is always called Home.” For me, that “Home” is Heaven and an eternity with God and Jesus. May it also be yours!
Love, Dad and Granddad
Copyright 2008 by Don Emerson. All rights reserved.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Regarding The Weavers blogs
Shortly after publishing the Addition to The Weavers blog below, I received an e-mail from the Manager of Information Services for The Education and Research Institute in Washington, D. C. who had tried to post a comment to it but got an error. I will quote below the highlights of his correspondence.
"McCarthy never tried to impose any loyalty oath. Loyalty oaths first appeared in the United States in the 1930s in connection with President Franklin Roosevelt's National Recovery Administration. They became common and in some cases mandatory during World War II. In 1947, President Truman promulgated executive order 9835, requiring loyalty oaths for current and prospective employees of the Federal government, and Civil Service Commission rules extended this to include employees of institutions funded by the Federal government. McCarthy had nothing to do with the loyalty oath of 1947, and in fact did not even enter the fray until his infamous Wheeling speech of 1950.
"Several states had their own state laws requiring loyalty oaths for employees of state government and institutions funded by state government. Among these was California, which required that instructors at state universities such as the Universty of California, Berkeley, take loyalty oaths. Needless to say, McCarthy had nothing to do with any of this.
"It's a shame that McCarthy routinely gets falsely blamed for the acts not just of HUAC, but of Truman, while Truman himself is generally lionized as a good Cold War liberal, as opposed to an evil McCarthyite. I agree with you that Evans' book is a much-needed antidote for this sort of thing."
It is unfortunate that the true story of the McCarthy years has been mostly hidden all these years, intentionally I believe. The media and many others share the responsibility for that. M. Stanton Evans' book, referred to in the blog below, corrects that record. It is troubling that even today individuals, who continue to throw "McCarthy" labels so carelessly at others, are not better informed.
As a new teacher in the State of Washington in 1962, mentioned also in the blog below, I signed a loyalty oath. I never have considered it intrusive or a violation of my rights. Since the state was ultimately my employer, requiring my signature on a loyalty oath was well within its purview. I did not have to sign; I could have sought employment elsewhere. Obviously, many thought loyalty oaths were intrusive, a violation of their rights, and made another decision regarding signing. There are lots of employer requirements for prospective employees that may be or seem onerous, such as drug testing, but employers are in control and well within their rights to make such requirements. Loyalty oaths were/are only one such requirement. In sensitive positions, and that could include colleges and universities receiving federal funds for certain projects, they should be mandatory. Requiring them for other positions is another matter, although I had no problem at a much younger age with signing the loyalty oath--one did not teach in the State of Washington without signing in 1962. I do think they are intrusive, onerous, and a violation of personal rights.
Copyright 2008 by Don Emerson
"McCarthy never tried to impose any loyalty oath. Loyalty oaths first appeared in the United States in the 1930s in connection with President Franklin Roosevelt's National Recovery Administration. They became common and in some cases mandatory during World War II. In 1947, President Truman promulgated executive order 9835, requiring loyalty oaths for current and prospective employees of the Federal government, and Civil Service Commission rules extended this to include employees of institutions funded by the Federal government. McCarthy had nothing to do with the loyalty oath of 1947, and in fact did not even enter the fray until his infamous Wheeling speech of 1950.
"Several states had their own state laws requiring loyalty oaths for employees of state government and institutions funded by state government. Among these was California, which required that instructors at state universities such as the Universty of California, Berkeley, take loyalty oaths. Needless to say, McCarthy had nothing to do with any of this.
"It's a shame that McCarthy routinely gets falsely blamed for the acts not just of HUAC, but of Truman, while Truman himself is generally lionized as a good Cold War liberal, as opposed to an evil McCarthyite. I agree with you that Evans' book is a much-needed antidote for this sort of thing."
It is unfortunate that the true story of the McCarthy years has been mostly hidden all these years, intentionally I believe. The media and many others share the responsibility for that. M. Stanton Evans' book, referred to in the blog below, corrects that record. It is troubling that even today individuals, who continue to throw "McCarthy" labels so carelessly at others, are not better informed.
As a new teacher in the State of Washington in 1962, mentioned also in the blog below, I signed a loyalty oath. I never have considered it intrusive or a violation of my rights. Since the state was ultimately my employer, requiring my signature on a loyalty oath was well within its purview. I did not have to sign; I could have sought employment elsewhere. Obviously, many thought loyalty oaths were intrusive, a violation of their rights, and made another decision regarding signing. There are lots of employer requirements for prospective employees that may be or seem onerous, such as drug testing, but employers are in control and well within their rights to make such requirements. Loyalty oaths were/are only one such requirement. In sensitive positions, and that could include colleges and universities receiving federal funds for certain projects, they should be mandatory. Requiring them for other positions is another matter, although I had no problem at a much younger age with signing the loyalty oath--one did not teach in the State of Washington without signing in 1962. I do think they are intrusive, onerous, and a violation of personal rights.
Copyright 2008 by Don Emerson
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Addition to The Weavers Blog
Shortly after publishing my The Weavers--Erik Darling RIP blog, I received the following E-mail (used by permission) from my friend Jim Morrison in Munster, Indiana. Jim and I go back many years. We met over 40 years ago when we were both teaching in Aberdeen, Washington and have been friends ever since.
Jim wrote: "I tried to answer the blog, but it is so limiting that it would not accept this story that also needs to be told.
We have been and remain great friends, colleagues and politically compatible a great percentage of the time. That would be a rarity these days considering we were purveyors of the arts and teaching. Being a singer/musician I, of course, also remember and sang many of these artist's works. It does take me back.
However, I am also taken back to that McCarthy era. My uncle, Dr. Hubert Coffey, was a professor of clinical psychology and a pioneer in the field of group therapy and dynamics at the University of California, Berkeley. He was most assuredly a Democrat; not a Communist by any stretch. However, he refused to sign a loyalty oath McCarthy tried to impose, considering it a breach of freedom if not just plain infantile. He was one of a few who had the courage to stand up to McCarthy and the price he paid was to temporarily leave California for a position at Cambridge University. He later returned to teach until his death.
I remain a staunch economic conservative, and I suspect we differ only on a very few social issues. Nonetheless, to those of us who had family or friends wrongfully accused and unfairly affected by this Lenin-like paranoia and hysteria, this remains a sad moment in our history.
Unfortunately, being so limited in characters (300) by the rules, I could not get a meaningful response to your readers. I understand, but that is too bad. All truth needs to be recalled."
Jim, you are correct, "all truth needs to be recalled," and I appreciate your comments.
As my friend accurately points out, many academics were also victims of this 1950s period. Just as those in the entertainment industry paid the price for their personal beliefs, many in academia also paid dearly. That was a disgrace. Today, I see a pattern occurring, not really unlike that 1950s period. Of course, there is no committee of Congress behind the situation today; it is much more subtle, including not hiring in the entertainment industry and having your name and beliefs besmirched and ridiculed on college and university campuses, in television shows, and in newsprint by the mainstream media if you happen to be a conservative. The result is the same today for conservative entertainers, writers, and academics as it was in the 1950s for those on the left--employment and personal reputation suffer. This is not a pretty picture, and in the land of free speech, the free exchange of ideas should be available. I find it sad that conservatives did not defend those under attack on the left who were not in sensitive government positions during the 1950s and that those on the left do not defend conservatives under attack today. I am reminded that someone said of the Hitler years, "I did not speak out when the Nazis came for the Communists, I did not object when they came for the homosexuals, I did not object when they came for the disabled, I did not object when they came for the Jews, and when they came for me, there was no one left to defend me." Yea, I know these are not the exact words, but you get my point.
I still have no serious problems with the Senate committee headed by Senator Joseph McCarthy; it investigated Communist influence in the government and the Army. That is why Presidents Truman and Eisenhower disliked him so much and why Ike was instrumental in his downfall. M. Stanton Evans' Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Joseph McCarthy (2007), the most recent book on this era, is an informative read. However, I would be remiss if I did not also point out that the work of Senator McCarthy is almost always confused (and maybe deliberately by the press) with that of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC or HCUA). Senator McCarthy had no direct involvement with this committee; he was a member of the Senate not the House. The HCUA was the committee responsible for the Hollywood Blacklist and more than likely the suffering of academics during the period, not Joseph McCarthy. "Googleing" this committee for information on it, its activities, and the results of its work is enlightening. I would further recommend reading Ayn Rand's HUAC testimony of October 20, 1947 available at www.google.com by entering "Ayn Rand's October 20, 1947 testimony before HUAC."
I am well aware of those "loyalty oaths" Jim mentioned. I had to sign one when I first started teaching in the state of Washington in 1962. However, when I returned to employment in Aberdeen, Washington following graduate school at The University of Arizona in 1967, the things had disappeared. How they originated I am not sure, but I suspect they were not directly related to McCarthy but rather to the work of the HUAC. Regardless of how they originated, loyalty oaths in public schools, universities, or government were not something McCarthy could have required; instead, the various states and institutions involved required them. There was something onerous and invasive about them certainly, except when they were and are required in sensitive government positions.
The excesses and individual suffering and pain resulting from the hysteria of the 1950s era "remain a sad moment in our history."
Copyright 2008 by Don Emerson
Jim wrote: "I tried to answer the blog, but it is so limiting that it would not accept this story that also needs to be told.
We have been and remain great friends, colleagues and politically compatible a great percentage of the time. That would be a rarity these days considering we were purveyors of the arts and teaching. Being a singer/musician I, of course, also remember and sang many of these artist's works. It does take me back.
However, I am also taken back to that McCarthy era. My uncle, Dr. Hubert Coffey, was a professor of clinical psychology and a pioneer in the field of group therapy and dynamics at the University of California, Berkeley. He was most assuredly a Democrat; not a Communist by any stretch. However, he refused to sign a loyalty oath McCarthy tried to impose, considering it a breach of freedom if not just plain infantile. He was one of a few who had the courage to stand up to McCarthy and the price he paid was to temporarily leave California for a position at Cambridge University. He later returned to teach until his death.
I remain a staunch economic conservative, and I suspect we differ only on a very few social issues. Nonetheless, to those of us who had family or friends wrongfully accused and unfairly affected by this Lenin-like paranoia and hysteria, this remains a sad moment in our history.
Unfortunately, being so limited in characters (300) by the rules, I could not get a meaningful response to your readers. I understand, but that is too bad. All truth needs to be recalled."
Jim, you are correct, "all truth needs to be recalled," and I appreciate your comments.
As my friend accurately points out, many academics were also victims of this 1950s period. Just as those in the entertainment industry paid the price for their personal beliefs, many in academia also paid dearly. That was a disgrace. Today, I see a pattern occurring, not really unlike that 1950s period. Of course, there is no committee of Congress behind the situation today; it is much more subtle, including not hiring in the entertainment industry and having your name and beliefs besmirched and ridiculed on college and university campuses, in television shows, and in newsprint by the mainstream media if you happen to be a conservative. The result is the same today for conservative entertainers, writers, and academics as it was in the 1950s for those on the left--employment and personal reputation suffer. This is not a pretty picture, and in the land of free speech, the free exchange of ideas should be available. I find it sad that conservatives did not defend those under attack on the left who were not in sensitive government positions during the 1950s and that those on the left do not defend conservatives under attack today. I am reminded that someone said of the Hitler years, "I did not speak out when the Nazis came for the Communists, I did not object when they came for the homosexuals, I did not object when they came for the disabled, I did not object when they came for the Jews, and when they came for me, there was no one left to defend me." Yea, I know these are not the exact words, but you get my point.
I still have no serious problems with the Senate committee headed by Senator Joseph McCarthy; it investigated Communist influence in the government and the Army. That is why Presidents Truman and Eisenhower disliked him so much and why Ike was instrumental in his downfall. M. Stanton Evans' Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Joseph McCarthy (2007), the most recent book on this era, is an informative read. However, I would be remiss if I did not also point out that the work of Senator McCarthy is almost always confused (and maybe deliberately by the press) with that of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC or HCUA). Senator McCarthy had no direct involvement with this committee; he was a member of the Senate not the House. The HCUA was the committee responsible for the Hollywood Blacklist and more than likely the suffering of academics during the period, not Joseph McCarthy. "Googleing" this committee for information on it, its activities, and the results of its work is enlightening. I would further recommend reading Ayn Rand's HUAC testimony of October 20, 1947 available at www.google.com by entering "Ayn Rand's October 20, 1947 testimony before HUAC."
I am well aware of those "loyalty oaths" Jim mentioned. I had to sign one when I first started teaching in the state of Washington in 1962. However, when I returned to employment in Aberdeen, Washington following graduate school at The University of Arizona in 1967, the things had disappeared. How they originated I am not sure, but I suspect they were not directly related to McCarthy but rather to the work of the HUAC. Regardless of how they originated, loyalty oaths in public schools, universities, or government were not something McCarthy could have required; instead, the various states and institutions involved required them. There was something onerous and invasive about them certainly, except when they were and are required in sensitive government positions.
The excesses and individual suffering and pain resulting from the hysteria of the 1950s era "remain a sad moment in our history."
Copyright 2008 by Don Emerson
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Weavers - Erik Darling RIP
During the time we lived in California, my friend Glen was diagnosed with liver cancer. Around the time of his diagnosis, he purchased a house to remodel a few blocks from our home. I would go over to that remodel every few days to ask how he was doing. His reply to my question "How are you?" often was, "I got up this morning, read the obituaries, and was not listed, so I must be okay." Having never heard that line before, I always found it humorous and interesting, yet it also struck me as rather upbeat. After moving to Texas, shortly before my friend succumbed to cancer, I used "his phrase" a number of times myself when asked how I was doing. One person looked at me rather oddly and said, "In Texas, we say, 'I am above the grass.'" So, still being "above the grass," I read the obituaries this morning (8-11-08) to see if I were listed. I was not, but the obituary for one Erik Darling caught my eye in scanning one of the obit pages.
The name Erik Darling meant nothing to me, but the headline--"1960s Folk Music Singer-Writer"--lead me to read the obituary. Mr. Darling arranged the hits "Walk Right In" and "Tom Dooley." He also replaced Pete Seeger in The Weavers in 1958/59 after Seeger left to pursue a solo career. The Weavers will not be familiar to most of you, only to those of us as old as Moses.
The Weavers hit the popular music scene in the late 1940s and had their first national hit "Goodnight Irene" in 1950, followed by many other hits. It was "Goodnight Irene" which led me to become a huge fan of The Weavers at the age of 12, and I have remained a fan. I enjoyed their music until they disappeared in 1953. At the age of 15, I did not understand what happened to the group; however, many years later, I learned the group had been blacklisted after being named as members of the Communist Party USA. None of The Weavers ever used their entertainer platform to make political statements as so many artists do today. The accusation came from a dubious source. The best evidence rejects that charge of Communist Party USA membership. The group members may well have had leftist political views, which was their right as Americans. The freedom to hold personal political views, different though they may be from the mainstream, is a part of America's greatness. In the 1950s hysteria* over Communism many artists with leftist views were suspect, and their careers suffered or ended. That most certainly was a disgrace. While I am a political conservative (not a right-wing nut--there are differences), I most certainly would oppose blacklisting any individual or group because of political views, leftist or conservative. However, I respect individuals choosing to avoid entertainers with whom their disagree politically if they wish. There are a few I will not watch or listen to, but there are others, such as Harry Belafonte, Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen, Meryl Streep, and Elton John, with whom I disagree politically but still enjoy.
The Weavers staged a comeback concert at Carnegie Hall in 1955, concluded a farewell tour in 1964, and performed together again at a Carnegie Hall reunion in 1981. In some ways, they overcame the stigma of being blacklisted but probably never reached the stardom and popularity they might have enjoyed without that blemish. It was the Kingston Trio, The Brothers Four, and other folk groups who prospered during the era. Recordings of The Weavers' hits have been available on CDs for many years. And yes, I have some of those and still enjoy listening to them. Compared to most of the popular music today, those old stars, groups, and their music still thrill me. Music was music, and artists were artists in those days.
Erik Darling had a successful musical career. In addition to being a member of The Weavers, he at one time was also a member of the Tarriers known for its version of "The Banana Boat Song (Day O)"--the popular Harry Belafonte recording. Darling died of lymphoma at age 74 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
*(Note: Much of the concern about Communism during the 1950s was justified. The opening of the KBG files after the fall of the Soviet Union provides evidence for that, even though that differs sharply with what leftists wish us to believe about the period. There may well have been a "Witch Hunt" as liberals call it, but their were "witches" (communists with ties to the outlawed Communist Party USA) who were threats to our country in sensitive government positions.)
Copyright 2008 by Don Emerson
The name Erik Darling meant nothing to me, but the headline--"1960s Folk Music Singer-Writer"--lead me to read the obituary. Mr. Darling arranged the hits "Walk Right In" and "Tom Dooley." He also replaced Pete Seeger in The Weavers in 1958/59 after Seeger left to pursue a solo career. The Weavers will not be familiar to most of you, only to those of us as old as Moses.
The Weavers hit the popular music scene in the late 1940s and had their first national hit "Goodnight Irene" in 1950, followed by many other hits. It was "Goodnight Irene" which led me to become a huge fan of The Weavers at the age of 12, and I have remained a fan. I enjoyed their music until they disappeared in 1953. At the age of 15, I did not understand what happened to the group; however, many years later, I learned the group had been blacklisted after being named as members of the Communist Party USA. None of The Weavers ever used their entertainer platform to make political statements as so many artists do today. The accusation came from a dubious source. The best evidence rejects that charge of Communist Party USA membership. The group members may well have had leftist political views, which was their right as Americans. The freedom to hold personal political views, different though they may be from the mainstream, is a part of America's greatness. In the 1950s hysteria* over Communism many artists with leftist views were suspect, and their careers suffered or ended. That most certainly was a disgrace. While I am a political conservative (not a right-wing nut--there are differences), I most certainly would oppose blacklisting any individual or group because of political views, leftist or conservative. However, I respect individuals choosing to avoid entertainers with whom their disagree politically if they wish. There are a few I will not watch or listen to, but there are others, such as Harry Belafonte, Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen, Meryl Streep, and Elton John, with whom I disagree politically but still enjoy.
The Weavers staged a comeback concert at Carnegie Hall in 1955, concluded a farewell tour in 1964, and performed together again at a Carnegie Hall reunion in 1981. In some ways, they overcame the stigma of being blacklisted but probably never reached the stardom and popularity they might have enjoyed without that blemish. It was the Kingston Trio, The Brothers Four, and other folk groups who prospered during the era. Recordings of The Weavers' hits have been available on CDs for many years. And yes, I have some of those and still enjoy listening to them. Compared to most of the popular music today, those old stars, groups, and their music still thrill me. Music was music, and artists were artists in those days.
Erik Darling had a successful musical career. In addition to being a member of The Weavers, he at one time was also a member of the Tarriers known for its version of "The Banana Boat Song (Day O)"--the popular Harry Belafonte recording. Darling died of lymphoma at age 74 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
*(Note: Much of the concern about Communism during the 1950s was justified. The opening of the KBG files after the fall of the Soviet Union provides evidence for that, even though that differs sharply with what leftists wish us to believe about the period. There may well have been a "Witch Hunt" as liberals call it, but their were "witches" (communists with ties to the outlawed Communist Party USA) who were threats to our country in sensitive government positions.)
Copyright 2008 by Don Emerson
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