Tuesday, May 3, 2005

Seeger Fest FEATURED ARTICLES - The Pete Seeger Birthday Celebration, Seegerfest - Pete Seeger Is 86, by Studs Terkel - RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE: Open Letter to Howard Dean, by Tom Hayden QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Some may find them merely diverting melodies. Others may find them incitements to Red revolution. And who will say if either or both is wrong? Not I." - - Pete Seeger ("Rolling Stone" April 13, 1972) KNOW YOUR HISTORY: May 3rd 1919 -- Radical songster Pete Seeger is born in Patterson, New York. Outspoken lefty musician who was blacklisted in the 50s & 60s (ABC-TV, under pressure from folksingers boycotting their "Hootenanny" program, invite him to appear ˜ if he signs an oath of loyalty to the US. He doesn't & ABC extends its blacklist/ban). 1971 -- 7,000 people arrested in attempt to shut down the Pentagon. Last of the 14,000 arrests related to May Day Vietnam War protests (Nixon administration illegally arrests 12,614 antiwar protesters in 3 days). 1981 -- US: 100,000 march on the Pentagon to protest US aid/intervention in El Salvador. RHINO HERE: Today's Bottom Line is an open letter to the Chairman of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean, written by veteran progressive activist Tom Hayden. Published in the current edition of The Nation Magazine, Mr. Hayden could not speak any more eloquently in my behalf when he says, "I do not believe the Iraq War is worth another drop of blood, another dollar of taxpayer subsidy, another stain on our honor. Our occupation is the chief cause of the nationalist resistance in that country. We should end the war and foreign economic occupation. Period." Rhino sez, "It is so time for the Democrats to get some gorm regarding this inhumane, illegal war for oil and bases." But first... Today is Pete Seeger's Birthday. Below you‚ll find a heart warming piece by Studs Terkel who calls Pete, "the boy with that touch of hope in the midst of bleakness." The Rhino was fortunate enouth to meet him in person last year near the gate at Ft. Benning Georgia; to speak with him a bit, and hear him sing for, and inspire the thousands of human rights activists that had gathered to chant out about the crimes of the U.S. Army's School Of The Americas. In the next couple of weeks, there will be events across the country to celebrate and express gratitude for the life work of Pete Seeger. To find events in your area, check out the Pete Seeger Birthday Celebration webpage. The Pete Seeger Birthday Celebration http://www.seegerfest.com (o/)(o/)(o/) Pete Seeger Is 86 by Studs Terkel, The Nation, April 28, 2005 ...Pete breathes and sings, mesmerizing audiences, whether they be Democrats, lefties, vegans or even a sprinkling of Republicans. For sixty-five years, he has held forth continuously through periods known more for their bleakness than for their hope: the cold war, the witchhunt, the civil rights and civil liberties battles. Pete has been in all of them. Wherever he was asked, when the need was the greatest, he, like Kilroy, was there. And still is. Though his voice is somewhat shot, he holds forth on that stage. Whether it be a concert hall, a gathering in the park, a street demonstration, any area is a battleground for human rights.... READ IT ALL: http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050516&s=terkel (o/)(o/)(o/) 3:46:49 PM    comment

RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE - Open Letter to Howard Dean Open Letter to Howard Dean by Tom Hayden, intro by Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation, 4/28/05 ...I do not believe the Iraq War is worth another drop of blood, another dollar of taxpayer subsidy, another stain on our honor. Our occupation is the chief cause of the nationalist resistance in that country. We should end the war and foreign economic occupation. Period. To those Democrats in search of a muscular, manly foreign policy, let me say that real men (and real patriots) do not sacrifice young lives for their own mistakes, throw good money after bad, or protect the political reputations of high officials at the expense of their nation's moral reputation. At the same time, I understand that there are limitations on what a divided political party can propose, and that there are internal pressures from hawkish Democratic interest groups. I am not suggesting that the Democratic Party has to support language favoring "out now" or "isolation." What I am arguing is that the Democratic Party must end its silent consent to the Bush Administration's Iraq War policies and stand for a negotiated end to the occupation and our military presence. The Party should seize on Secretary Rumsfeld's recent comments to argue that the Republicans have never had an "exit strategy" because they have always wanted a permanent military outpost in the Middle East, whatever the cost... READ IT ALL AT: http://www.thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?bid=7&pid=2356 (o/)(o/)(o/) Rhino's Blog is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. Feedback & requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged. (rhino@kifaru.com) See The Latest Greatest Political Cartoons      While You Read Rhino's Blog AT : http://www.rhinosblog.info Rhino's Other Web Sites: http://www.dreamcatchers.org  (Indigenous Assistance & Intercultural Dialog) http://www.kifaru.com  (Native American Relations Video Documentaries) Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html All copyrights belong to original publisher. Tell a friend about Rhino's Blog 2:44:01 PM    comment

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