Daily Blues & Views

 c2021BLGreene He was unknown the first time I saw him.   He wasn’t supposed to be on television that night.   But, an unexpected early knockout left the Friday Night Fights telecast with some time to kill.   It was a four-round bout.   Two skinny’ young Black men, teenagers really’ took turns landing big shots on one another.   This frenzied bout saw both hit the canvas before the kid named Cassius finally prevailed.   He said nothing after the fight.   No interview.   Just another Gillette Blue Blade commercial and a quick sign-off.   The two fledgling warriors I’d seen were a guy called Curly Lee and his opponent Cassius Clay.   The record doesn’t reflect this fight. Maybe it was an amateur or Golden Gloves bout?   Still, I swear this is who I saw.   As sure as I can still repeat the lyrics of the Gillette commercials, (Look sharp! Feel sharp! Be sharp)! Lee vs. Clay was the extra fight that night.   Far as I can t...

 A certain TV commercial currently has my attention.  It's an ad for General Motors and features two guys out in nature, either camping or fishing, or both.  But the rugged scenery accompanied by a rugged truck is not the story here.  What is particularly fascinating is the background music.  A catchy little ditty that most viewers will not recognize but is utterly mystifying is not lost on me.   The background song is none other than "Haywire" Mack McClintock singing his renowned hobo song "Big Rock Candy Mountain."  Of course, the lyrics are heavily edited with only the simpler, more acceptable non-political verses are heard...briefly. So what's the big deal?  Well, friends that song, like its author, is heavily associated with the Industrial Workers of the World, the radical left labor union of historical fame.  The IWW, better known as the Wobblies, were advocates of one big union, and their efforts at organizing played a major role ...

 How do you change someone's mind?  There are lots of theories, tricks, and subtle strategies, but nothing is certain.  All told, the gentle work best. Nobody likes to be bullied into thinking against their will. In the U.S. today, we could use a good dose of mind-changing.  We have a pandemic of the unvaccinated that continues to have a major impact on all our institutions and is slowly eroding our economy, educational system, and what's left of our democracy.   We have a few million people who are determined not to be vaccinated against COVID19 and who continue to throw fits about any sort of mask mandate.  They resist all attempts to do what is necessary for this critical time, so are in need of mind-changing.  But how to reach them? Clearly, this is a value conflict of the first magnitude.  They value their right to not be forced to do these things over their obligation to public health.  Apparently, the concept of a "social contract...

People are beginning to make the comparison.  They see the obvious.  Reactionary politics is the same whether it's Afghanistan or Texas.  But this week, when the state of Texas passed a version of a law that would not only ban abortion but penalize any person or organization that would aid in helping a woman secure one, the concept was obvious. The irony of the unevolved having much in common seems to be lost on very few.  Yet, the optics are remarkable.  Out of one side of the right-wing newscaster's mouth comes the barbarity of the Taliban, out of the other comes the same notion of control of women with the approval and belief in a barbaric law.   So what accounts for this paradoxical symmetry?  At the bottom, as a common denominator is a belief in fundamentalism.  Both the cowboy and the terrorist are unable to change with the times.  They cling to archaic notions and are determined to hold their dwindling power until the end.  B...