So, I'm going to commit a sin here. Last night while stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, my beloved soon-to-be-no-more radio station played "I want you ( she's so heavy") by the Beatles. After what seemed to be 25 minutes of hearing John wail "she's so Heavy" over and over again I turned off the radio, Nothing, at that moment, was more annoying than the Beatles, or at least that tune and I sat, musing in my silent car, why we used to think everything they did was golden and it was some kind of sacrilege to dislike every single note by John , Paul, George or Ringo, even after they disbanded. I also cannot stand "Hey Jude" the interminable "na, na, na,na na na Hey Jude" goes on for - what- NINE minutes? That's about six minutes too long. We get it Paul. I turn off the radio when it gets to that point too. Anyone else with me?
So there's a lot of noise still about the NFL players kneeling. For the record, I think they should be able to do whatever they feel before the game and I DON'T think it disrespects the flag or the soldiers or the veterans. Didn't they fight and in some cases DIE for our right to freedom of speech, or does freedom of speech ONLY apply if you agree with what is being said? In elementary school, there was a kid in my class who was atheist, which in the sixties was like declaring you worshiped Satan. He refused to salute the flag and was picked on for it. He wasn't one of the "popular" kids, but now over 50 tears later, I admire the courage it must have taken him NOT to go along to get along. He followed his beliefs and stuck to them in the face of peer pressure. As far as the NAACP wanting to change the national anthem because of a reference to slavery. I don't know how I feel about it. I need to look at the whole phrase and see what it says. Does it glorify slavery or just refer to it? After all it DID exist and it part of our past and one of the reasons for the Civil War ( there were others but that was chief among them) I need to see it, although that stanza is never sung anymore.
As we go into Veteran's Day, I want to take a moment to shout out to all those who served and those who are serving now. I KNOW I KNOW a "Veteran" is one who HAS served, but I want to thank those who have put themselves on the line for my freedom to state what is in my head, without fear of being dragged off to the Gulag
Perhaps Sparky and I will need to pack up and move away in the night - to a witness protection plan thingy, but I was never all that crazy about the Beatles. Overrated. Some stuff was fun - but......I always preferred the Stones, for which I was picked on in high school. I was also put down because I liked Tina Turner.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the National Anthem hoohah, I just went and looked it all up - I bet most people didn't even knwo there was a second third or FOURTH stanza. I certainly didn't know there were more than two, and I certainly could never have even made an attempt at even the lyrics of that one. OK, I read it - is it supposed to be pro-slavery, or what? BAH - another big deal over nothing - but then, Ia m an aging, overweight, landed gentry white male, evil overlord oppressor. So what do I know? (However, not a Republican AND I'm gay, so I want some points there!)
Tom