Celebrating the Proletariat: Labor Day 2013

From Marx and the Proletariat (Philosophy & Philosophers)

prōliˈte(ə)rēət/

noun

workers or working-class people, regarded collectively ."the growth of the industrial proletariat"

synonyms: the workers, working-class people, wage earners, the working classes, the common people, the lower classes, the masses, the rank and file, the third estate, the plebeians; the lumpen, the lumpenproletariat. derogatory: the hoi polloi, the plebs, the proles, the great unwashed, the mob, the rabble.

Labor Day, an annual celebration of workers and their achievements, originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters. In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages. People of all ages, particularly the very poor and recent immigrants, often faced extremely unsafe working conditions, with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities and breaks. Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later, when a watershed moment in American labor history brought workers’ rights squarely into the public’s view. On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. On June 26, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers. In the wake of this massive unrest and in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories. ~ from HISTORY.com

A Brief History of Labor day

This weekend—Labor Day Weekend—is the one time each year Americans celebrate the hoi polloi, the plebs, the proles, the great unwashed, the mob, the rabble. Sometime in the last 119 years since the first Federally affirmed Labor Day, the meaning has been lost to picnics, beginning of school, a few parades, and lots of alcohol consumption.

For a lessening few, this is a time to remember and celebrate the working men and women of the United States. I suppose there are many ways to this; I rather prefer the music of the proletariat to any other.

Woody Guthrie

 There are all sorts of songs: some are humorous; some are motivating; some celebrate heroes; some remember tragedies. Below are a few that I was able to locate as videos on the Internet: 

HUMOROUS: High Sheriff of Hazard (Tom Paxton)

MOTIVATING: Which Side Are You On (Pete Seeger)

Tragedies: Ludlow Massacre (Woody Guthrie)

HEROES: Joe Hill (sung by Paul Robeson)

That’s all for this Labor Day weekend post. If by chance you are interested in learning or hearing more, may I suggest:

`

Please

Serious Thoughts: The Great Mandela Redux

I first published this blog post in January of 2009. I think it's time to again share it:

If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is  part of yourself. 

What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us. ~ Hermann Hesse

He's a martyr.
He thinks he's a prophet
But he's a coward.
He's just playing a game.He can't do it,
He can't change it.
It's been going on for ten thousand years.~ The Great Mandela

The single clenched fist lifted and ready,

Or the open hand held out and waiting.Choose:

For we meet by one or the other. ~ Carl Sandberg 

I was seeking a video of The Great Mandela to accompany a post I was in the process of writing. When I can upon the video below—which features the voices of Richie Havens as well as Peter, Paul and Mary—it stopped me cold. This video says more than I can ever say—and in a very powerful way.
Please take the short time required to watch all of it. Please.

The Great Mandela

(The Wheel of Life)

So I told him

That he'd better
Shut his mouth
And do his job like a man.
And he answered,
"Listen, father,
I will never
Kill another"
He thinks he's better
Than his brother that died.
What the hell does
He think he's doing
To his father
Who brought him up right?

Take your place on
The Great Mandela
As it moves through your brief moment of time.
Win or lose now,
You must choose now,
And if you lose you're only losing your life.

Tell the jailor
Not to bother
With his meal
Of bread and water today.
He is fasting
Till the killing's over.
He's a martyr.
He thinks he's a prophet
But he's a coward.
He's just playing a game.
He can't do it,
He can't change it.
It's been going on for ten thousand years.

Take your place on
The Great Mandela
As it moves through your brief moment of time.
Win or lose now,
You must choose now,
And if you lose you're only losing your life.

Tell the people
They are safe now.
Hunger stopped him.
He lies still in his cell.
Death has gagged his accusations.
We are free now.
We can kill now.
We can hate now.
Now we can end the world.
We're not guilty.
He was crazy,
And it's been going on for ten thousand years!

Take your place on
The Great Mandela
As it moves through your brief moment of time.
Win or lose now,
You must choose now.
And if you lose you've only wasted your life.

A Fabulous Performance for Your Sunday Enjoyment

Here is excellent video I discovered yesterday on You Tube. Take an hour this afternoon and truly enjoy this performace by Noel Paul Stookey.

May I recommend more:

A Day in My Life

Thy shall not take thyself seriously ~ The 11th Commandment

The only thing that makes life possible is permanent,
intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.
~ Ursula K. LeGuin

Whatever it is, embrace it and remember it because it might just be these little things that make life worthwhile. ~ Enola Reverof

September 16, 2009

• 03:20 AM Awake after 5 hours sleep; switch from C-PAP to nose hose; upper respiratory congestion/hard to breath
• 03:35 AM Take meds; sit until able to breath; BBC World Service on radio
• 03:50 AM Breathing OK; feed, water, groom, hug, pet Alex; open front door for the cat who owns me; BBC World Service on radio
• 04:20 AM health measurements & breakfast; BBC World Service on radio
• 04:40 AM Alex: snacks & hugs; BBC World Service on radio
• 04:55 AM Online: news/bank account statement/emails/Facebook; BBC World Service on radio
• 05:15 AM Morning prayers & mediation
• 05:50 AM Join Alex in an early morning nap
• 08:10 AM Coffee on the deck while playing with Alex
• 08:35 AM Draft & post FaceBook comment: I don't believe that President Carter is speaking of those who disagree with the policies or philosophy of President Obama as they would if he were a "white man," but of the "... inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president."
• 08:45 AM: Dudes here (much too early) to cut grass; Alex frightened by sound of gas-powered trimmer & blower. Hold/cuddle Alex until trimming ends.
  
• 09:05 AM: Another FaceBook comment written & posted:"Theologians have found a similar relationship regarding the belief in angels: when times are changing or rough or frightening, angelology is prevalent only to almost disappear when times are more serene (whenever that is)."
• 09:10 AM Various telephone calls. Unable to reach human beings at AT&T or Direct-TV. Talked with humans at bank & VA.
• 09:20 AM Prep for visit by my physcian from MD2U.
• 09:30 AM Use portable oxygen tank; walk down the street ro where my CR -V is parked; drive CR-V back to parking spot in fron of my house.
• 09:45 AM After parking car, watched a well disciplined cat (not Alex, who doesn't meet the criteria) chase a squirrel across its lawn but stop at the curb when squirrel ran into the street. I was amazed that the cat didn't follow the squirrel into the street.
• 09:55 AM Claudette, my doc from MD2U, arrived. Good examination; again she was pleased with my health. On Saturday Claudette is leaving for three weeks of hiking around Europe. She has promised to make me a CD of the pictures she takes in Europe so that I can go on the trip vicariously.
• 10:30 AM I sent Naeema, my new care giver, to the drug store to pick up a prescription refill that Claudette called in.
• 10:45 AM Posted another comment in response to Bill on Facebook: The Klu Klux Klowns article is accurate & more than a bit concerning. I've been a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center for years; their "Klan Watch" has reported stuff that is more than concerning. It is frightening.
• 10:55 AM Printed a copy of Monday's T.I.B.M. post for Naeema.
• 11:00 AM Read a few chapters of current mystery book
• 11:40 AM Replied to note regarding this video: Cute cat, isn't it. Alex, of course, did not LOL when he saw it. I think that's why he used his blog to tell the world that that cat is weird.
• 11:50 AM Alex and I went out on the deck; he sunned himself and I read.
• 12:35 PM Lunch/watch end of CSI
• 01:10 PM Can't find Alex
• 01:50 PM Found Alex! Naeema had shut himl in the food pantry. Lots of snuggling of the silly furball, whose exploring keeps getting him into trouble. Why didn't the furball meow while I was searching for him for 40 minutes? Damn! He really scared me.
• 02:20 PM Down for long afternon nap.
• 06:05 PM Awake from nap;treats and snuggles for Alex.
• 06:15 PM Get and read snail mail out of mailbox. Damn! A $70.00 water bill! (Only $18.00 is for water; the remainder are miscellaneous charges, such as sewer tax and rain water run-off charge, etc).
• 06:20 PM Refresh Alex's food; put potato in microwave for me.
• 06:35 PM Dinner/watch NCIS on TV
• 07:05 PM Snuggle Alex and hand him some cat treats
• 07:15 PM Telephone my mother: she told me in detail everything that she did today, including her 4 visitors and what each said.
• 07:35 PM Out on the porch with Alex and a book, hoping to watch the sun set.
• 08:05 PM It becoming too dark to read outside, I came in to play with the Farm Town game on FaceBook. Alex remains on the porch, looking for a buddy with whom to cat around. I left the door open so he can come in whenever he wants.
• 08:20 PM Alex stampeded into house and leaped on my desk and demanded to use the computer to work on his blog, Alexicon.
• 08:30 PM Gave up on using computer since Alex in now sleeping in front of it. So I went into the living room to watch TV.
• 10:10 PM Saddened by the death of Mary Travers from leukemia.I posted this to FaceBook: I just learned of her death. I knew that her leukemia had her hospitalized and that her death was imminent. I miss her already. Did you know that she was from Louisville? I first met Mary when I was in high school. I spoke briefly with her again after I was discharged from the army and P,P,&M played a concert here.
• 10:40 PM Alex clawed me to open the front door for him. He's sitting in the doorway, looking out. I am beginning to put together this blog post.

On line at 5:00 AM

Claudette, my MD2U physcian

Naeema, my 9-hours-per-week care giver

My latest mystery (in second library)

Flag Counter for Nick's Bytes

My Farm Town farm

Alex & the Pantry

Alex & Alexicon

I Miss You, Mary Travers

Sunday Thoughts about Saturday

This song is one of my favorites. It came to my mind yesterday afternoon as Alex and I were sitting on our front porch. It seems that obese dudes hooked up to oxygen are quite humorous to some people. That's OK; I enjoy bringing laughter to others. But I really wish that they had not called me such degrading names.

The Ides of March: Auto Industry Woes

Take Me for a Ride in Your Car-Car ~ Peter, Paul, & Mary 

1966 Pontiac GTO

The above photo is similar to the first new car that I ever bought

I remember when I was a kid in the 1950s that folks got excited each fall when the next year’s automobile models came out. It was a big event! 

Back then my Uncle Frank purchased a new car every other year; it was part of the persona he wanted to display as a top salesman. My Uncle Otto, who owned his own business, also purchased a new car every couple of years; it was always the same model—an Oldsmobile 98. 

As an adult I have always enjoyed driving, but I have never purchased cars that frequently. Until an automobile has gotten to the point that the expense of keeping it running is more than a car payment would be, I have not considered a new one. Thus, I paid little attention to the new models. 

Times do change, however. Today fewer and fewer fols are purchasing new cars. So at the moment we are in a period when the automobile industry is in crisis—big crisis:

The crisis is so dire that the photos below (I received them in a recent email) purport to be of the current accumulation of unsold automobiles:

80 percent of consumers say they would not buy a car from a bankrupt automaker. ~ Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm (CNN Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer)

Wednesday Stuff

I’ve not yet gotten around to thanking Penelope Anne at Café at the End of Universe for this neat award:

Thank you, Penelope Anne!

The comments to Monday’s post, LEST WE FORGET: The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. are quite noteworthy. There is some valid dialogue going on there, which, incidentally, one of the original goals I had for blogger. I, for one, never seek people to agree with my ideas, but I do seek people who willingly express their thoughts. That’s the way the ancient rabbis did theology: talking, debating, disagreeing. They had no bishops to create dogma, no professors to enforce politically correctness. The simply did God Talk, which is what the Greek origin of the word theology means. I really like that.

For a musical break, click over to Carol for Peace and watch the video Hey Hey Nancy addressed to Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi

Tomorrow I have two appointments with the VA medical folks, again at two different locations. I hope the bottled oxygen lasts me while I’m away from home.

Alex still has not been outside. The furball has, however, posted something about the nasty fluffy white water on his blog.

The next part of the Muffin Saga will highlight ways in which Muffin outsmarted me! Because of Thursday’s appointment, I shall most probably post it on Friday.

To end this post, I should like to share a song that I dedicate to everyone who has been up most of the night on the Internet: Virtual Party from the Peter, Paul, and Mary CD, Lifelines Live. Enjoy and smile:

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Recently I have had some email correspondence with Ann, whose blogs Roc Rebel Granny and Is America Burning I really must add to my list of Great Blogs to Read.

Part of our dialogue has revolved around homophobia and the prejudice against gays and Lesbians that seems to be increasing in the United States.

Tonight, as I have been unable to sleep, I was thinking about that as the Peter, Paul, and Mary CD, Songs of Conscience and Concern, that was playing came to the song by Sally Fingerett, Home Is Where the Heart Is.

Sometimes, especially at 3:00 a.m. when one wants to sleep, but can't, music can trigger images of events and people in ways that are, for lack of a better word, unique--different from previous memories. As I listened to the acceptance and love expressed in Home Is Where the Heart Is, my mind turned to the Gay and Lesbian people who have touched my life: my cousin (has he really be dead over a year) and his daughter; my ex-wife and her sister; the pastors who have influenced my understanding and theology; the folks who were taken from this life at such young ages by AIDS.

I thought of their stories, especially the non-acceptance, prejudice, and even hostility that they encountered from people and, in many cases, their own families. And I weighed those images against the love and acceptance with which the mother and daughter in this song express toward their neighbors. I remember that line from the Ash Wednesday service: As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to struggle against everything that leads us away from the love of God and neighbor.

I replayed the song, three times, and realized that it says more than I could ever write about love, compassion, and acceptance. So I decided that I want to share it with you and hope that I am not violating any copyright, since it is more potent than any sermon I have ever written or heard on the issue.

You can hear the song here: Home Is Where The Heart Is by Peter, Paul and Mary

Home Is Where the Heart Is
(Sally Fingerett)

On the corner there's this nice man
His name is Mark, He's always smiling
He's got this mom who comes on Wednesdays
In the evening with soup so steaming
He shares his house with his friend Martin
They're not brothers, they're not cousins
My little girl wonders all about these men
I take hold of her hand, and I begin

[Chorus:]
Home is where the heart is
No matter how the heart lives
Inside your heart where love is
That's where you've got to make yourself
At home

Across the yard live Deb and Tricia
With their tools and ladders
And their room addition
My kid yells over, "Are ya having a baby?"
They wink and smile, they say, "Someday maybe."
But through their doors go kids and mommies
Funny how you don't see the daddies go in
My little girl wonders
'Bout this house with no men,
I take hold of her hand
And I begin

[Chorus]

'Round the corner, here comes Martin
He's alone now, he tries smiling
He roams around his well stocked kitchen
He knows that fate will soon be coming
My little girl wonders where he will live
I take hold of her hand and I begin

[Chorus]

Martin sits and waits with his windows open
His house is empty, his heart is broken
We bring him toys and watercolors
He loves to hear my little baby's stories
She's the gift I share
She's his companion
She's the string on the kite
She guides him into the wind
My little girl wonders who will care for him
We take hold of his hand and we begin