Introduction
When I was in grade school my classmates and I sang “Old Folks at Home” (also known as “Swanee River“; that’s how I knew it.) Swanee River is a minstrel song written by Stephen Foster in 1851. Since 1935 it has been the official state song of Florida, although in 2008 the original lyrics were revised.
Here is the chorus from this 1851 song:
“All de world am sad and dreary,
Eb-rywhere I roam;
Oh, darkeys, how my heart grows weary,
Far from de old folks at home!”
Stephen Foster, is known as “The Father of American Music” because of the many lyrical and extremely popular songs he wrote, including “Camptown Races“, “My Old Kentucky Home“, “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair“, and “Beautiful Dreamer“. Foster used the Negro dialect of the day for the lyrics.
Should a song like this be sung today? No. Should we rip songs like this and the people who wrote and performed them from our history books, to be replaced by accusations of hate and racism? How about people like Robert E. Lee and Kate Smith? No. Not at all. Should we know and learn from our history–all of it? Yes. Of course. And that’s the topic of today’s 10-minute podcast.
Continuing
Let’s start the discussion by saying that we cannot learn from history if we do not understand it. Insert your favorite quote about learning from history here. That part is clear on its face, yes? And if we distort and twist that history before erasing it, things get even worse.
Here is today’s Key Point. And, yes, we are getting to it early. We need to know, to really get it, that people like Stephen Foster, Robert E. Lee and Kate Smith are not hard-core Nazis, KKK riders or even sad little David Duke. They are ordinary people, like you and me. The lesson we need to learn is how to be sufficiently educated, aware and caring to keep evolving as individuals and as a society. We need to be continually evolving and constantly improving. Tearing down statues and reputations while rewriting history books in an effort to make yesterday look like we think it should have been make that learning and evolving impossible. All of us, including the “tear it down” advocates, need to remember that the learning and evolving needs to continue forever. What we do today will be judged through the lens of history tomorrow. And don’t we want future generations to be learning and improving rather than accusing and tearing down the history we create?
I hold Robert E. Lee accountable for most of the death and destruction in the Civil War, a war that killed more Americans than all of our other wars put together. General Lee was asked by Abraham Lincoln to head the Union Army, but Lee refused, and proved the wisdom of Lincoln’s request by brilliantly leading the Confederates to victory after victory over the superior but poorly led Union forces. Lee’s mistake was in seeing his loyalty to his state, Virginia, as more important than his loyalty to the United states. At the end of the war, Lee petitioned to have his citizenship restored. Because of a clerical error, it never happened.
Kate Smith, had a radio, television, and recording career spanning five decades, which reached its pinnacle in the 1940s. Smith became known as “The Songbird of the South” after her enduring popularity during World War II. Later, sports teams including the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Yankees featured her. I remember how the Flyers thought that having her sing a ringing rendition of “God Bless America” before games was a lucky charm. Ms. Smith was the featured performer in tours that raised the equivalent of $10B (billion) in today’s dollars to fight Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in WWII. Then came the news of her 1931 recordings of “That’s Why Darkies Were Born” and “Pickaninny Heaven.” Both songs contained clearly racist lyrics. And they were 2 of 3,000 songs she recorded. At the same time, Smith was noted for having African-American musicians and entertainers on her radio show in the 1940s and her television shows in the 1950s. She had African-American musicians on her radio show more than 40 times, including Bill Robinson (Bojangles), Count Basie, Cozy Cole, the Deep River Boys, the Delta Rhythm Boys, Duke Ellington, Eddie Haywood, Ethel Waters, the Ink Spots, the King Cole Trio, Lionel Hampton, Maurice Rocco, and the Southernaires.
Was I a racist for singing “Swanee River” in grade school? Should Lee’s statues be removed or destroyed because he fought for the Confederacy? Should the Flyers remove Smith’s statue because of her two 1931 recordings?
Or do we need to grow up, leave the statues in place, and leave the pages in the history books? Don’t we need to leave our history in place so that we and others can learn from it? Much of the conversation about the Mueller Report is focused on the redactions. “What’s under those redactions? What is being hidden? Where is the whole truth?” Why are some of the same people who are asking those questions working so hard to redact history?
Let’s say that we, you and I, are on a multi-day road trip together and we made a navigation mistake that added three hours of unnecessary driving. It could have been an error in reading the legend on the map, or entering data in the wrong order in the GPS. Either way, it cost time and gas. Should we get angry at ourselves for playing the fool, and use our mental disk space to erase all memory of the mistake? Or would we be better served by acknowledging our error-prone humanity, analyse and remember the mistake, and likely never make the same error again? Let’s add a third person to our trip, and make him responsible for navigation, or directions, as we used to call it. Assume that he made a thoughtless error, resulting in adding the unwanted hours of driving. Do we get upset, and take the responsibility away from him? Or do we tell him why handling his responsibility is important, and motivate him to do better? And aren’t all three of us much better off if we take the latter strategy? Whichever way we answer those questions, is the way that we should deal with things that others have done in our nation’s past.
Let’s all learn from and build on the good that was done by the people before us, and learn from and remedy–or at least not repeat–the bad that was done by people before us. And in almost every case, from the Kate Smiths to the Christopher Columbuses of the world, both occur in the same person. And in us.
Segueing from the specifics of today’s topic to overall principles, the core, driving principles at Revolution 2.0, are:
- Personal Responsibility; take it, teach it and,
- Be Your Brother’s Keeper. The answer to the biblical question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” is a ringing, unequivocal “Yes.” There is no other answer.
And do it all in love; without love, these are empty gestures, destined to go nowhere and mean nothing.
If we apply those two core principles, personal responsibility and brother’s keepers, simultaneously, never only one or the other, we will always be on the right path. Depending upon what we face, one principle or the other may appropriately be given more emphasis, but they are always acted upon together.
The Founders, Revolution 1.0, were declared traitors by the British Crown, and their lives were forfeit if caught. We risk very little by stepping up and participating in Revolution 2.0™. In fact, we risk our futures if we don’t. I am inviting you, recruiting you, to join Revolution 2.0™ today. Join with me in using what we know how to do–what we know we must do–to everyone’s advantage. Let’s practice thinking well of others as we seek common goals, research the facts that apply to those goals, and use non agenda-based reasoning to achieve those goals together. Practice personal responsibility and be your brother’s keeper.
Let’s continue to build on the revolutionary vision that we inherited. Read the blog, listen to the podcast, subscribe, recruit, act. Here’s what I mean by “acting.”
- Read the blogs and/or listen to the podcasts.
- Comment in the blogs. Let others know that you are thinking.
- Subscribe and recommend that others subscribe as well.
- Attach links from blogs into your social media feeds. Share your thoughts about the link.
- From time-to-time, attach links to blogs in emails that mention related subjects. Or just send the links to family and friends.
Revolution 1.0 in 1776 was built by people talking to other people, agreeing and disagreeing, but always finding ways to stay united and go forward. Revolution 2.0 will be built the same way.
Join me. Join the others. Think about what we are talking about and share these thoughts and principles with others. Subscribe, encourage others to subscribe. Act. Let’s grow this together.
And visit the store. Fun stuff, including hats, mugs and t-shirts. Recommend other items that you’d like to see.
Links and References
Contact
As we get ready to wrap up, please do respond in the blog with comments or questions about this podcast or anything that comes to mind, or connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. And you can subscribe to the podcast on your favorite device through Apple Podcasts, Google, or Stitcher.
Now it is time for our usual parting thought. It is not enough to be informed. It is not enough to be a well informed voter. We need to act. And if we, you and I, don’t do something, then the others who are doing something, will continue to run the show.
Know your stuff, then act on it. Knowing your stuff without acting is empty; acting without knowing is dangerous.
Will Luden, writing to you from my home office at 7,200’ in Colorado Springs.
The core, driving principles at Revolution 2.0, are:
1. Personal Responsibility. Take it, teach it.
2. Be Your Brother’s Keeper. Taking care of our brothers and sisters.
If we apply those two core principles simultaneously, we will inevitably be on the right path.
- Ending Gun Violence: Punish The Criminals (EP. 405) - July 15, 2022
- How To Get Good Government: The Formula (EP. 404) - July 1, 2022
- The Candy Bomber Lives: Is It You? (EP. 403) - June 24, 2022
113 Responses
Well said Will. To bad that we Americans do not understand the quote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.
Germany and other countries understand this concept. The Germans enacted Holocaust Denial Laws. By doing so, they are not celebrating the Holocaust. Rather, they are forcing themselves to look in the mirror and remind themselves, and their progeny, of the horror of their County’s history; so that history will not repeat itself.
Kevin, so very well said; thank you! So many, perhaps especially the young, but certainly only them, are so arrogant as to believe that if it is not happening now, it does not matter. One of the reasons is that they have been taught only to memorize names and dates from history, but not the real and lasting importance of the events attached to those names and dates.
Liberals in their haste to score SJW points will rip themselves apart… pack of hyenas catalyzed by Russian psyops….and drive centrists so far away they disappear…
Sooooo we get stuck with default-in-power wreck-our-God-given-environment hate mongers
We The People lose either way
It’s the complete antithesis of all the Great Teachings of all great religions…
I bet it so saddens Christ that He will NOT bother showing up, just to prove to to us all HE does not approve!
yup, this is the end of civilization as we know it….
Listen to Dr. Slocum (MIT Ph. D. and Prof.); one of the many Revolution2.0 followers who are a lot smarter than I am! Cheers, Will
online pharmacy india [url=https://indiapharmast.com/#]top 10 online pharmacy in india[/url] top 10 pharmacies in india
reddit canadian pharmacy [url=http://canadapharmast.com/#]pharmacy in canada[/url] best canadian online pharmacy reviews
vipps canadian pharmacy [url=https://canadapharmast.com/#]best canadian online pharmacy reviews[/url] canada drugs
best rated canadian pharmacy [url=https://canadapharmast.com/#]precription drugs from canada[/url] canadian pharmacy oxycodone
purple pharmacy mexico price list [url=https://mexicandeliverypharma.online/#]mexican mail order pharmacies[/url] best online pharmacies in mexico
mexican pharmacy [url=https://mexicandeliverypharma.com/#]mexican drugstore online[/url] mexican drugstore online
mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa [url=http://mexicandeliverypharma.com/#]medicine in mexico pharmacies[/url] medicine in mexico pharmacies
best online pharmacies in mexico [url=https://mexicandeliverypharma.online/#]medicine in mexico pharmacies[/url] п»їbest mexican online pharmacies
reputable mexican pharmacies online [url=https://mexicandeliverypharma.com/#]mexican online pharmacies prescription drugs[/url] reputable mexican pharmacies online
mexican rx online [url=https://mexicandeliverypharma.online/#]mexico pharmacy[/url] mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa
mexico drug stores pharmacies [url=http://mexicandeliverypharma.com/#]reputable mexican pharmacies online[/url] best online pharmacies in mexico
pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa [url=https://mexicandeliverypharma.online/#]mexico drug stores pharmacies[/url] medication from mexico pharmacy
reputable mexican pharmacies online [url=https://mexicandeliverypharma.online/#]mexico drug stores pharmacies[/url] reputable mexican pharmacies online
mexican online pharmacies prescription drugs [url=http://mexicandeliverypharma.com/#]reputable mexican pharmacies online[/url] mexican drugstore online
purple pharmacy mexico price list [url=http://mexicandeliverypharma.com/#]mexico drug stores pharmacies[/url] п»їbest mexican online pharmacies
mexico drug stores pharmacies [url=https://mexicandeliverypharma.com/#]mexico pharmacies prescription drugs[/url] medication from mexico pharmacy
mexico drug stores pharmacies [url=https://mexicandeliverypharma.online/#]mexico drug stores pharmacies[/url] mexican pharmaceuticals online
mexico pharmacy [url=http://mexicandeliverypharma.com/#]mexican online pharmacies prescription drugs[/url] mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa
mexican mail order pharmacies [url=http://mexicandeliverypharma.com/#]mexico pharmacies prescription drugs[/url] mexico pharmacy
tamoxifen estrogen [url=https://nolvadexbestprice.pro/#]tamoxifen postmenopausal[/url] liquid tamoxifen
lisinopril 12.5 [url=https://lisinopril.guru/#]Lisinopril online prescription[/url] lisinopril 5 mg price
furosemide 100 mg [url=https://furosemide.win/#]furosemide online[/url] furosemida
online shopping pharmacy india [url=http://easyrxindia.com/#]indian pharmacies safe[/url] top online pharmacy india
1xbet [url=http://1xbet.contact/#]1xbet[/url] 1хбет
indian pharmacies safe [url=https://indianpharmacy.company/#]world pharmacy india[/url] best india pharmacy
indian pharmacy paypal [url=http://indianpharmacy.company/#]Online medicine order[/url] indian pharmacy paypal
top 10 pharmacies in india [url=http://indianpharmacy.company/#]india pharmacy mail order[/url] best india pharmacy
mexican pharmaceuticals online [url=http://mexicopharmacy.cheap/#]mexico drug stores pharmacies[/url] pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa
mexico drug stores pharmacies [url=http://mexicopharmacy.cheap/#]best online pharmacies in mexico[/url] best online pharmacies in mexico
viagra nz pharmacy [url=https://pharmbig24.com/#]meijer pharmacy viagra[/url] terbinafine online pharmacy
diflucan target pharmacy [url=http://pharmbig24.com/#]Cipro[/url] turkey pharmacy online
best online pharmacy india [url=https://indianpharmacy.company/#]reputable indian online pharmacy[/url] indian pharmacy online
starzbet [url=http://starzbet.shop/#]straz bet[/url] starzbet guncel giris
starzbet [url=https://starzbet.shop/#]starzbet[/url] starzbet guncel giris
betine promosyon kodu 2024 [url=http://betine.online/#]betine com guncel giris[/url] betine promosyon kodu
farmacias online seguras [url=http://farmaciaeu.com/#]farmacia online envio gratis[/url] farmacia online barcelona
Farmacia online miglior prezzo [url=http://farmaciait.men/#]farmacia online piГ№ conveniente[/url] Farmacie on line spedizione gratuita
farmacie online autorizzate elenco [url=http://tadalafilit.com/#]Farmacie che vendono Cialis senza ricetta[/url] comprare farmaci online all’estero
farmacia online [url=http://tadalafilit.com/#]Tadalafil generico migliore[/url] migliori farmacie online 2024
migliori farmacie online 2024 [url=https://farmaciait.men/#]Farmacia online migliore[/url] farmacie online sicure
farmacie online affidabili [url=http://tadalafilit.com/#]Farmacie che vendono Cialis senza ricetta[/url] Farmacie online sicure
п»їFarmacia online migliore [url=https://brufen.pro/#]Brufen 600 prezzo con ricetta[/url] Farmacie online sicure
farmacie online autorizzate elenco [url=http://tadalafilit.com/#]Cialis generico farmacia[/url] farmaci senza ricetta elenco
viagra prezzo farmacia 2023 [url=https://sildenafilit.pro/#]viagra farmacia[/url] viagra subito
Farmacia online miglior prezzo [url=https://tadalafilit.com/#]Cialis generico farmacia[/url] Farmacie on line spedizione gratuita
viagra naturale in farmacia senza ricetta [url=http://sildenafilit.pro/#]acquisto viagra[/url] viagra originale in 24 ore contrassegno
п»їFarmacia online migliore [url=http://farmaciait.men/#]Farmacia online migliore[/url] migliori farmacie online 2024
Farmacia online piГ№ conveniente [url=https://farmaciait.men/#]Farmacia online migliore[/url] farmacia online piГ№ conveniente
migliori farmacie online 2024 [url=http://farmaciait.men/#]Farmacia online piu conveniente[/url] Farmacia online miglior prezzo
indian pharmacies safe [url=https://indiadrugs.pro/#]indian pharmacy[/url] indianpharmacy com
cheapest online pharmacy india [url=http://indiadrugs.pro/#]online Indian pharmacy[/url] indian pharmacy
best canadian pharmacy online [url=http://canadapharma.shop/#]canadian pharmacy no scripts[/url] certified canadian pharmacy
Viagra sans ordonnance 24h Amazon [url=https://vgrsansordonnance.com/#]Sildenafil Viagra[/url] Viagra homme prix en pharmacie sans ordonnance
Acheter Sildenafil 100mg sans ordonnance [url=http://vgrsansordonnance.com/#]Sildenafil Viagra[/url] Viagra pas cher livraison rapide france
Viagra vente libre allemagne [url=http://vgrsansordonnance.com/#]Sildenafil Viagra[/url] Viagra pas cher paris
semaglutide tablets [url=https://rybelsus.shop/#]rybelsus pill[/url] rybelsus coupon
pin up bet [url=https://pinupturkey.pro/#]pin-up casino[/url] pin-up casino giris
pin up зеркало [url=https://pinupru.site/#]пин ап казино вход[/url] пин ап вход
pin-up casino [url=http://pinupturkey.pro/#]pin up casino[/url] pin up guncel giris
pinup azerbaycan [url=https://pinupaz.bid/#]pin-up oyunu[/url] pin up azerbaijan
ivermectin 0.08 – purchase ivermectin stromectol canada
This is a topic that’s close to my heart…Best wishes! Exactly where are your contact detailsthough?
india pharmacy mail order – tadalafil uk best online pharmacy usa
Thanks a lot for the post.Thanks Again.
I really like and appreciate your article.Thanks Again. Fantastic.
Really enjoyed this article post.Really thank you! Want more.
I cannot thank you enough for the article post.
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic article.Thanks Again. Really Great.
hydroxychloroquine biden chloroquine phosphate brand name
Hi there friends, how is all, and what you would like to say concerning this article, in my view its in fact remarkable in support of me.
I really liked your article.Thanks Again. Want more.
Hi thanks for this unique content, we need more people with high quality articles these days.
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing some research on that. And he just bought me lunch since I found it for him smile Thus let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!
Utterly indited content , regards for selective information .
Hello my friend! I wish to say that this post is amazing, nice written and include almost all important infos. I’d like to see more posts like this.
Im grateful for the article post.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
Thank you ever so for you article post.Really looking forward to read more. Much obliged.
I really enjoy the article post.Thanks Again. Want more.
Very neat article. Great.
I cannot thank you enough for the article post.Thanks Again. Great.
fantastic points altogether, you just received a new reader.What would you recommend about your post that you just made afew days ago? Any positive?
Appreciate you sharing, great post.Much thanks again. Awesome.
I loved your post.Really looking forward to read more.
There’s certainly a lot to know about this topic. I really like all the points you made.
Trực Tiếp Soccer Thời Điểm Hôm Nay, Link Coi Bóng Đá Trực Tuyến 24h ty le keoĐội tuyển nước Việt Nam chỉ muốn một kết quả hòa có bàn thắng nhằm lần thứ hai góp mặt trên World Cup futsal. Nhưng, nhằm thực hiện được điều này
Yes! Finally something about 엠 카지노 에 오신것을 환영 합니다.
I really enjoy the article.Much thanks again. Want more.
Fantastic post.Really thank you!
I am so grateful for your post. Really Great.
metformin glucophage: metformin 228 – how to get metformin over the counter
Very neat article.Really thank you! Fantastic.
Really informative post.Much thanks again. Really Great.
Maybe that is you! Looking ahead to look you.
pake stabilo pen 88 ini belakangnya tembus gak kak Ai? aku biasanya pake yg glittering, suka aja berkilau gitu haha Maybelle Grace Odetta
Thank you ever so for you post.Much thanks again. Awesome.
wow, awesome post.Much thanks again. Cool.
You actually reported it exceptionally well! canadian pharmacy world
Thanks again for the post. Great.
wow, awesome article.Much thanks again. Cool.
Enjoyed every bit of your article.Much thanks again. Cool.
Looking forward to reading more. Great article.Thanks Again. Great.
It’s really a great and useful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Only wanna admit that this is handy, Thanks for taking your time to write this.
Appreciate you sharing, great post.Much thanks again. Want more.
cialis generique [url=http://tadalmed.com/#]cialis prix[/url] Cialis sans ordonnance 24h tadalmed.com
Thanks so much for the post. Really Cool.
This was beautiful Admin. Thank you for your reflections.
Hi there to all, for the reason that I am genuinely keen of reading this website’s post to be updated on a regular basis. It carries pleasant stuff.
Thanks for discussing financial topics in a simple way.