This week in 1954, the U.S. Senate voted 67 to 22 in favor to “condemn” paranoid, communist-hunting Senator Joseph McCarthy for “conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute.” Because the resolution used the seemingly unenforceable term condemn rather than censure, McCarthy’s supporters on the Senate floor erupted into laughter. Within moments, … Continue reading
“You’ve got to find some way of saying it without saying it.” Duke Ellington, born this day in 1899
April is National Stress Awareness Month! And from the looks of things, April is going to be our longest month on record. Are you stressed? Of course you are – with thanks to the Mayo Clinic, here’s how you can prove it to yourself: Common effects of stress on your body: Headache … Continue reading
Read the horrific demands of the Equal Rights Amendment! Continue reading
The book, a bold stab at slavery, sold second only to the Bible in its year of publication and for the rest of the Century — in spite of it pre-dating the Civil War. Here are a few blurbs from reviews in 1852: Continue reading
This week in 1954, one man had the courage to stand up for a nation. Luckily, it was captured on tape. Courage is grace under pressure. ~Ernest Hemingway *** For more on the dark side of television’s Golden Age, check out Lester & Charlie’s new book: ***
Each year on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we ask you to find time to read this powerful letter that captures a moment of history and still rings true today. Prison Desk Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963 My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement […]
Happy Birthday to the Statue of Liberty, dedicated this day in 1886. //giphy.com/embed/eBTcddpOyGrlK via GIPHY Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name … Continue reading
“A sad soul can kill quicker than a germ.” ~John Steinbeck, awarded the Nobel Prize in literature this day in 1962 From The Economist: […] America has problems, but this picture is a caricature of a country that, on most measures, is more prosperous, more peaceful and less racist than ever before. The real threat … Continue reading
Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. ~American Indian Proverb ABOUT THE TRAIL OF TEARS: “Under orders from President Jackson the U.S. Army began enforcement of the Removal Act. The Cherokee were rounded up in the summer of 1838 and loaded … Continue reading
”Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. “Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.” ~Abraham Lincoln Happy Labor Day to all those who built and maintain this nation! ***
Address to civil rights marchers by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28, 1963 Link to audio recording from the event at the bottom of the page. I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in … Continue reading
