I remember all of them. I lived through the 60's and all the demonstrations. The ones that stick with me are the shooting of protestors at Kent State. That was the only way to stop them, I guess. All the songs and I maintain daily a playing of the Cat Stevens song," Peace Train".
My heart feels weak reading about the attacks the current president does to anyone who does not agree with him. Shuttering the free press and artists takes me back to 1964, a coming of age and artistry and the sickening punishment for a supposed sin I committed, being confined to my bedroom, having all my art supplies removed from the room as well as the light through the one window. I will always push back and fight for artist rights and free press. Thank you Ari for telling the truth!
I, too, grew up in the 60s and remember the music, art and demonstrations, riots. Though I did not live in an area close to the mayhem, it could be followed by watching the evening news, listening to the radio and reading newspapers. Now, I feel that so much of what happens now is a “repeat” of those troubled times. I still love the music from the 60 s and 70s. If I ever find myself thinking that the past was simpler or easier, I just take a look at the present. Everything repeats eventually. Peace out…
Beebe Plain Vermont and Beebe Quebec are part of the Village of Stanstead home of the library Kristi Noem's visit made a major tourist attraction and united all of Stanstead in OPPOSITION TO AMERICAN HEGEMONY.
I was in Montreal in 1964. I watched the Hatefest in San Francisco. My father arrived in NYC in 1927 from a town near Camp Auschwitz with a grounding in real Judaism and a Jesuit High School Education. He died at 93 and the sight of Ronald Iscariot Reagan ALWAYS SICKENED HIM. I remember the Hatefest at the Cow Palace and the Klan and REAGAN'S SOUTHERN STRATEGY AND I REMEMBER MY FATHER SAYING IT CAN HAPPEN HERE. ORWELL IN HIS NOTES ON NATIONALISM SAID A RELIGIOUS ISRAEL would be a National Socialist State. My grandfather was a Labour Zionist and Costa Rica looks like a Labour Zionist paradise. It is one of three Fully Democratic States in the Western Hemisphere along with Canada and Uruguay. I suspect in 2026 America will go from a flawed democracy to mixed on the Index of Democracy published by the Economist.
My wife and I considered buying a house on the Beebe border but visitors would need to report to US Customs and Immigration to visit our home in Canada if they came from Montreal.
American Visitors would need to park in Vermont at the Post Office in Beebe Plain if they drove from Chicago, Maine, North Carolina, California, New York, INSIDE the beltway, Minnesota, Seattle, Wisconsin, Florida or Boston where we have family. It was two hours from Trudeau International Airport or three hours from Manchester/Boston Airport in Manchester New Hampshire or Burlington International Airport 2 hours from Beebe by car. Nobody in their right mind drives in Montreal unless they are forced to drive everyday in Montreal.
I am proud to have paid taxes so our tourism council could produce this video that has gone viral.
The old super market is on the bridge over the Tomifobia River WHICH IS THE BORDER THAT DIVIDES THE OLD MILL INTO AMERICAN CANADIAN SIDES.and it had two doors one for Americans and one for Canadians. You could get together with family in the supermarket. Our American bank Is north of US Customs in Derby Line Vermont and houses along the border often have their front doors in Vermont and their bedrooms in Canada.Most of our seniors were born in Vermont's North Country Hospital Newport Vermont They are however Canadian patriots and American citizens. There was a time when I was young
I remember them all. Especially the attempt to deport John Lennon. The Nixon administration was never able to successfully demonize a very popular musician. Jane Fonda, the
actress, became the embodiment of a demonized entertainer based on political activism.
Ari, I LOVED this post! I agree wholeheartedly how important artists (including musicians) are to the culture and often the cause. we need anthems right now. I've been going to protests weekly and sometimes there's music and it makes so much difference. I'm in my 60's, so my favorite on is "For what it's worth" by buffalo Springfield. check it out. again, I'm old, but so are most people at my protests! let's get music in there. and dancing. let's be joyous as we change what's happening here!
This is my favourite anthem from the 60’s, 1967 to be specific. Here’s what I wrote to a friend today who happen to post the song in Fb:
Summer of love! I always felt this song created a sea change that spearheaded the free love, flower child, hippie, back to the land “movement”. All the music of the next few years was revolutionary and iconic in terms of impact and generational legacy. Vietnam War played large in that,… shaping a counterculture that rose against authoritarianism and a developing American war machine. The patriarchy turned on us (the rebelling youth movement), on women, and on brown-skinned cultures at home and around the world, much like is happening today.
this might be repeat of my reply but I'm sooo technilogically challenged I'm sending again. Tricia, I LOVE this song by the Youngbloods and had completely forgotten about it. it's perfect. should be played at all rally's. thanks so much for this!! if you can think of others just let me know. you rock. Holly
While I was too young to remember Pete Seeger's appearing before the committee, I have seen videos of it many times and have seen Seeger perform dozens of times. But one thing I remember clearly was when the Smothers Brothers had him on the comedy variety show in direct opposition to their network and the government blacklist. Their bravery helped break the blacklist of Seeger and many other people.
I have often heard Seeger referred to as "the greatest American patriot". Dissent is patriotism.
Pete Seeger, should not be labeled so much a dissident as a humanist because, while not an untrue aspect of who he was, a dissident can have unsavory implications. Pete composed and sung on behalf of all peoples of the world being denied justice, equality and compassion, from the past, present and future.
At 75, I remember too much — the lives of family and friends disrupted, torn apart. Their courage stands more vividly profound than ever in our present landscape.
Such an insightful post, Ari! Thank you for bringing truth forward and bridging the generation gap. I was a teem in the 60’s went to high school of music and art and learned about politics and Social justice there. Would love an updated hair revival!!! Appreciate your steadfast outspoken truthfulness
Listen -- I'm an 81 year now Seattleite / US Army "brat" / US Navy Vet (early Vietnam Theater:
--- that has something I feel is very important to say to you - and all of your colleagues at MSNBC.
When I was very young - having a US ARMY Officer Dad - you live where he was assigned two and a half years after the end of WW II in Europe.
That was in Germany, living and playing with kids who had Nazi parents and those that didn't.
Both the kids - and their parents were very different -- and I've never forgotten them - for what they were and more importantly what I came to understand - was the totally sick Nazi Ideologies those parents had been teaching their kids.
Those Nazi parents believed in and had been teaching their kids the following:
1.) "...Totalitarianism..." - where the Party controls the Government and seeks to punish it's political enemies - eliminating any and all decent - from anyone.
2.) "...Dictatorship..." - with "The Leader" controlling absolutely everything - by 'Personal Orders'.
3.) "...Limiting Personal Freedom..." - taking away personal Freedoms without cause or recourse.
4.) "...Xenophobia..." - perpetuating the White / Nordic Heritage race, and eliminating all others as being "inferior".
5.) "...Nationalism..." - rebuilding the Country - because "...it had been persecuted against by literally all other Nations...".
6.) "...Loyalty..." - every Nazi swears Total Loyalty to The Leader as the Leader of the Party -- and then to the Country.
7.) "...Sovereign Economy..." - the Government, through The Leader, runs everything "...for it's war needs..." - economic - or "otherwise".
Does this sound ideology sound familiar to you and your colleagues at MSNBC?
It should -- because it was the exactly ideology of Adolph Hitler's Third Reich Nazi Government.
It also should -- because that Nazi ideology is the direct source ideology of the former Republican Party - now Trump Nazi MAGA Party - as found, chapter and verse, in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025.
We here in Seattle - and across the Nation - know this: because it is being shoved in our faces every time one turns on either MSNBC or CNN - as Fox News is, and has always been a firehose of misinformation, innuendo, and flat out lies - until one of their talking heads goes too far - or has had enough -and they are fired.
So what's with you and your colleagues?
What's with all of the tap-dancing around the obvious?
I'm old enough to have watched the Joe McCarthy real witch hunts - with Edward R. Murrow in the flesh.
I also watched George Clooney's World-wide play, "...Good Night, and Good Luck..." about how Murrow directly fought McCarthy's lies --- by telling the truth about McCarthy.
That is what I am asking you to do -- concerning the "unidentified, i.e., "The Base" - 800 pound Gorilla in the room --which is not the Nazi Donald Trump (as we all know what he is) -- but about the Nazi MAGA Base itself - and the fact that every one of them - and we don't give a damn about "why" - did the following:
1.) individually / personally / conscientiously - decided to vote for a publicly self-declared "...Dictator on Day 1...". -- which in itself as an "act" - is not illegal.
2.) However: casting a vote for a person wo has told the voting public what he intends to do on Day 1 -- "...will bring harm..." to this Country / it's Constitution / and the people within it's boarders; either citizens or not yet documented:
--- is, by legal definition in the Constitution -- an overt act of Treason -- because that vote "...gives aid and comfort to the enemy..." - which by legal definition - any Dictator is - because again by legal definition:
--- a Dictator works to hold all power unto himself (paraphrase) - which:
--- automatically brings harm to this Country / it's Constitution / and all of the people within it's boarders - as the squealing Republican voters are finding out -- includes them.
It is of no consequence that they are saying "...I didn't vote for this..." -- because Trump told them repeatedly what he was going to do if elected.
They're now "...squealing like 'stuck pigs in a slop'..." -- because they voted for "...'stuff' to happen to the other guy - not them..." - and they are beginning to feel the brunt of what they did - to themselves.
So will you start calling this Trump Government for what it is -- an "...coup d'ete..." from within, long-term planned and orchestrated by leadership of both the Nazi Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society - as exhibited in their Project 2025.
They did it though the US Court system - effectively "stacking the deck" with their carefully fostered and groomed sycophant lawyers - till they successfully placed the "Supreme Court 6" - under the guidance of one Republican Senator Mitch McConnell - who has been quoted as stating "...he's proud of what he has done..." -- full stop.
MSNBC has been tap-dancing around this for long enough.
The present "old foggie institutionalist Democratic Party Leadership" hasn't got a clue.
They think they can negotiate with their "Nazi colleagues", with their "bring a knife to a gun fight" mentality:
--- while the Country is being ripped apart;
--- the stature of the US in the eyes of the World destroyed;
--- and people being hauled of to who knows where.
Do your job -- lay out the news as it is -- because we can take it.
WOW! You said it and it's all true. Same as I have thought it but never heard or saw it corroborated by anyone so concretely. I hope Ari can implement your suggestions despite limitations on him as a TV journalist on MSNBC.
Hi John -- Mr. Melber, or anyone else at MSNBC or CNN (as you can forget "Fox" - as there is no news content coming from that Nazi firehose) has no limitations on himself - that he alone has placed on himself. So -- is it his job at MSNBC or the truth of the matter -- that is more important to him / them. I make no claim to knowing - but as stated in my comment back to him -- which he requested of us that follow him. I've lived long enough to have interacted with Nazis before -- and it is nothing that I care to have happen again.
If you didn't see George Clooney's closing delivery of what we are actually up against here in the US - in his ending of his play "Good Night, Good Luck" - on Edward R. Murrow versus Joe McCarthy; whom I am also old enough to have heard and watched Mr. Murrow as I grew up -- you need to see it and take it in:
--- because there is no other "US" that is going to come to our aid at this or any other time.
Unless we "really get real" about the Nazis already here -- cultured from within the US - who are attempting a complete Nazi led "coup-d'tat" -- we need to "non-violently - "really take it to every single Nazi that has any part of this disaster":
--- through the US Court - quickly forcing the "Supreme Court 6" to either show the US that they are Nazis and again "stab this Country in the back" as they have repeated done;
--- thus killing this Country as the Republic it has been for 249 years -- or":
--- resign in disgrace for their previous actions:
--- the US will cease to exist.
I, for one, am asking all attorneys - who really know the Law: -- - to step up and take on the Military Leadership in the US Courts - with the unadulterated truth -- which was what George Clooney was asking for - and I as a US Vet - am asking for:
--- help save this Country from those Nazi Bastards.
So (sadly) true and accurate on all counts. We said Scott!
How about a story on this Ari? You could probably pull quotes from Project 2025 to compare with each Nazi goal. Or is that what our country is becoming?
You don't have to go to Project 2025 to see what has already happened to the US -- because the Nazis, in one form or another - have been here in the US since it's fight for freedom.
Re-read what the description of what a Nazi's ideology is -- and then look at what the Republican Party's ideology is, and has been for decades now.
To that you can also add two things: Republicans - for decades:
--- have never look to help the US population as a whole or in part / they never reach out to anyone who isn't a member of their "kind" - as they view people - and they only have one direction:
--- making or saving as much money as they can for themselves - to the total exclusion of what that money could doo for people in making their lives better.
This is what we are witnessing now -- as they have finally come out from behind the curtains, as in "The Wizard of Oz" -- except we don't find a kindly, little old man "pulling the strings" - we find all of the ulcerated Nazi infected remains of what was part of the US population -- who played by the jointly accepted rules -- of not actively working to bring harm to others in this Country's population - natural born citizen, documented or not.
.
Why were slaves brought here -- to do work for their "owners" and "their owners betterment financially.
And that's it -- it was all for financial gain.
Why do immigrants want to come here -- because for 249 years; this Country has been the place on this rack that we all live on - where one can come; work and get-ahead in life; i.e., "having a life".
Find any Republican that really believes in help a person get a better life -- and you will have found the first one -- because "...doing-that-is-not-in-their-ideologies...":
And they will, and do; lie through their teeth -- from Trump on down to the individual Republican voter - in order to attain more wealth - for themselves only:
--- because they view all others as not being like them - they are the hated Democrat - or what ever they try and label the rest of us.
So it's not a case of what the Country is becoming -- it's a case of what the Country has become -- and unless we "get really, really, real - and forget the institutionalized b.s. that you can negotiate with a Nazi infested rabid animal -- the Country will continue to be torn apart - because one part of it decided on turning themselves into Nazis - with Trump as The Leader.
It's up to us as that whether this continues of not.
Hello, all! Ari, if we're taking votes on what we'd like to see on The Beat, I have two:
1. More breakdown - if possible - of the uses AND misuses of the law and Constitution, both by Trump et al and those trying to put the brakes on MAGA. I've seen you explain matters of law in various interviews, and I always feel like I've learned something. (I'm not a lawyer, but I am a teacher - I like to think I know a good explanation of anything when I hear it.)
2. Interview with Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries, if you can get him. He's given a bunch of talks, has several books out, and offers what I feel like is a different insight into behavior we see, not just from the MAGA movement, but all around us every day. It's an insight that might not be easy for folks to hear - it demands that we see clearly AND compassionately at the same time - but it's definitely worth considering if we're serious about real change.
I followed all the musicians you mentioned. Also, in 1954, Woody Guthrie wrote and sang a song " Old Man Trump." An artist on YouTube called Relix, sang Guthrie's word by word song in November 2016. Also on YouTube you can find Guthrie's singing it to. The lyrics can be found on most lyric apps.
As you read and or listen you will find out more about the abuse from Fred Trump.
The Trump children were exposed to this ideology. His father's arrest for participating in a KKK protest as well as code violations in 1976 for a building he owned.
Imprinting and abuse turned him into Donald into a monster. This, as we have witnessed, has been imprinted into his children. This awful legacy continues... Possibly for generations to come.
I couldn't agee with you more. Yelp, I have listen to the YouTube's Wood Guthrie sing "Old Man Trump". Song about Woody living in one of OLD MAN TRUMP's buildings and Fred charged too much and Wood had to move out, if my take on the song is correct. When the building violation of 1976 it was Fred but Donald was 30 years old and much involved with Fred and the family business. Listen to an interview with Donald's nephew the other night on another PodCast and he spoke of Fred his granddfather and his influence of meanness. I wondered if Fred's father was the same.
I'm reminded of when The Chicks (FKA Dixie Chicks) faced a lot of backlash for their comments about W. While I can't say I love their music, I do admire their integrity and bravery to vocalize criticism over the invasion in Iraq (and risk losing fans in the process).
I am encouraged and inspired to see artists (music and otherwise) use their platforms to amplify resistance and dissent to this current administration.
Yes Ari, I was in HS in the 60s and 70s. wE WALKED OUT IN PROTEST OF THE WAR. Having been a musician most of my life I also was exposed to a variety of viewpoints and did find solace from my music. Of course, I must note, only the very famous and successful musicians have a big enough audience to actually reach... https://pmozen.substack.com/
Having also come of age in the 60’s, I feel the music spoke directly to us and the larger social issues going on all around us. Post 1970’s, music lost that “feel” and (to me) seemed
to reflect a more superficial and less authentic sensibility about social issues. I agree we need to “get back to where we once belonged” (Beatles), “and we’ve got to get ourselves back,… to the garden” (Joni Mitchell). I could go on and on with the relevant lines that still hold so much depth of meaning all these many decades later.
Thank you Ari for linking the importance of music and protest. I went to greet Pete Seeger on the Hudson bringing attention to water pollution. I saw him in Central Park in NYC on earth day 1970 and many times after. Recently a wonderful film was made about Bob Dylan and his friendship with Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie. Timothy Chalomet played Dylan and it’s a ride down memory lane. It shows how dominant folk music and protest songs were. I loved it.
Thank you for introducing me to the Rap artists and lyrics you love. At 72 you help me to stay informed.
Excellent essay, Ari. Thank you. I was very young for Mccarthy, but he was from my state and caused my folks fear of being labeled commie for disagreeing. I protested here and there in the 60's, singing the songs you mentioned, following Seeger, Dylan, and others until the effects of students murdered at Kent State woke the country up, a fear I think similar to what LA feels today, every day. I was out of protesting for most of Lennon's time then participated again against Walker in Wisconsin in 2010, enjoyed being directly in the center under the capitol dome, feeling the beat and cadence of the drum, shouting in unison with UW students and thousands of others "this is what democracy looks like", but I wasn't afraid until they blacklisted protesters from jobs. Today I am most afraid I've ever been. Not for me, but fear for those being disappeared and punished. Thank you for being one who speaks truth to power. It's needed and most appreciated.
Before there was cable and then the internet, the only ways we heard politicians was the six o’clock news and a couple of magazines along with the daily newspaper. Music on the other hand was not only played on the radio but people could play their albums (yes those) over and over, memorizing the words and sharing endlessly. The 60’s revolt to the “institution “ awakened like minds. People were ready for a change and musicians brought that.
So true, the mediums/and reach have a huge impact.. and while today's top artists quickly reach far more people, many operate more like large touring corporate behemoths, and maybe less likely to take some of those risks
I remember it all!! I was born in 43 and I'm still alive today and all the things you mentioned brings back memories of a Time when we thought our government had lost its mind--well look at us now the worst the very worst has come to fruition!! I did not think nor did I see any of this coming--I first got an inkling that that we were on big trouble was when Trump was elected president for the first time and how bad it was but it wasn't as bad as it could get--right??? Little did I (we ) know that it could get much much worse--so here we are today-- in hell on Earth--we must--I repeat we must never be silent!! We must raise our voices in unison to protest and call out the injustices that are going on today!! We must never give up!! In a lot of ways we're like Ukraine--American citizens are under attack for their freedoms, Justice and Truth, and law and order!! Ukraine has been hit with a double whammy--their lives literally are being lost in the hundreds daily--what is a matter of time is the way things are going here in our government that we too will have to run for our lives as well--Ukraine is just a preview, an omen of what's to come to America--we must not let this happen!!! For the sake of our children and for generations to come law and order needs to be restored and sanity must prevail we all want to change the world and welcome to the new readers joining us
I remember all of them. I lived through the 60's and all the demonstrations. The ones that stick with me are the shooting of protestors at Kent State. That was the only way to stop them, I guess. All the songs and I maintain daily a playing of the Cat Stevens song," Peace Train".
My heart feels weak reading about the attacks the current president does to anyone who does not agree with him. Shuttering the free press and artists takes me back to 1964, a coming of age and artistry and the sickening punishment for a supposed sin I committed, being confined to my bedroom, having all my art supplies removed from the room as well as the light through the one window. I will always push back and fight for artist rights and free press. Thank you Ari for telling the truth!
I, too, grew up in the 60s and remember the music, art and demonstrations, riots. Though I did not live in an area close to the mayhem, it could be followed by watching the evening news, listening to the radio and reading newspapers. Now, I feel that so much of what happens now is a “repeat” of those troubled times. I still love the music from the 60 s and 70s. If I ever find myself thinking that the past was simpler or easier, I just take a look at the present. Everything repeats eventually. Peace out…
Thanks Grace Beebe
Beebe Plain Vermont and Beebe Quebec are part of the Village of Stanstead home of the library Kristi Noem's visit made a major tourist attraction and united all of Stanstead in OPPOSITION TO AMERICAN HEGEMONY.
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/23/nx-s1-5337411/library-us-canada-border-haskell
https://www.haskelloperahouse.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegemony
I was in Montreal in 1964. I watched the Hatefest in San Francisco. My father arrived in NYC in 1927 from a town near Camp Auschwitz with a grounding in real Judaism and a Jesuit High School Education. He died at 93 and the sight of Ronald Iscariot Reagan ALWAYS SICKENED HIM. I remember the Hatefest at the Cow Palace and the Klan and REAGAN'S SOUTHERN STRATEGY AND I REMEMBER MY FATHER SAYING IT CAN HAPPEN HERE. ORWELL IN HIS NOTES ON NATIONALISM SAID A RELIGIOUS ISRAEL would be a National Socialist State. My grandfather was a Labour Zionist and Costa Rica looks like a Labour Zionist paradise. It is one of three Fully Democratic States in the Western Hemisphere along with Canada and Uruguay. I suspect in 2026 America will go from a flawed democracy to mixed on the Index of Democracy published by the Economist.
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/notes-on-nationalism/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist_Democracy_Index
https://places.us.com/vermont/beebe-plain#google_vignette
https://www.townshipsarchives.ca/beebe-quebec?page=2&sort=lastUpdated&sortDir=desc&listLimit=30
Tell me more not about Noem but the Beebe information please.
Thank you Grace,
Ok
Grace is the German short hair pointer living next door.
Beebe Plain Vermont Beebe Quebec
https://unofficialnetworks.com/2024/05/24/town-split-by-us-canada-border/
My wife and I considered buying a house on the Beebe border but visitors would need to report to US Customs and Immigration to visit our home in Canada if they came from Montreal.
American Visitors would need to park in Vermont at the Post Office in Beebe Plain if they drove from Chicago, Maine, North Carolina, California, New York, INSIDE the beltway, Minnesota, Seattle, Wisconsin, Florida or Boston where we have family. It was two hours from Trudeau International Airport or three hours from Manchester/Boston Airport in Manchester New Hampshire or Burlington International Airport 2 hours from Beebe by car. Nobody in their right mind drives in Montreal unless they are forced to drive everyday in Montreal.
I am proud to have paid taxes so our tourism council could produce this video that has gone viral.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0raUwo2S70A
The old super market is on the bridge over the Tomifobia River WHICH IS THE BORDER THAT DIVIDES THE OLD MILL INTO AMERICAN CANADIAN SIDES.and it had two doors one for Americans and one for Canadians. You could get together with family in the supermarket. Our American bank Is north of US Customs in Derby Line Vermont and houses along the border often have their front doors in Vermont and their bedrooms in Canada.Most of our seniors were born in Vermont's North Country Hospital Newport Vermont They are however Canadian patriots and American citizens. There was a time when I was young
https://www.yhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXdMN8QdAIcoutube.com/watch?v=XTCqN5B-0Qs
Then along came a 53 year old Bimbo who shall remain NAMELESS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXdMN8QdAIc
THIS IS FROM TRUMP 1.0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EocJm3Dry4E
THIS IS 2025 AT MARTHA STEWART'S LIBRARY AND OPERA HOUSE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGyPpS3sFzA
https://places.us.com/vermont/beebe-plain#google_vignette
https://www.townshipsarchives.ca/beebe-quebec?page=2&sort=lastUpdated&sortDir=desc&listLimit=30
4 dead in Ohio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh1E951XaRA
Oops I should’ve known someone already posted. I love that song so much I even sing it and I can barely sing
it's worth repeating 😊
Omg!! I’m so sorry that happened to you!! As a former drama teacher, that breaks my heart!!! Create 😊
You were ahead of your time.
Four Dead in Ohio
I remember them all. Especially the attempt to deport John Lennon. The Nixon administration was never able to successfully demonize a very popular musician. Jane Fonda, the
actress, became the embodiment of a demonized entertainer based on political activism.
Fonda's use of her voice is another interesting example -- interesting that you lived through them all! thanks for reading, Judith
Ari, I LOVED this post! I agree wholeheartedly how important artists (including musicians) are to the culture and often the cause. we need anthems right now. I've been going to protests weekly and sometimes there's music and it makes so much difference. I'm in my 60's, so my favorite on is "For what it's worth" by buffalo Springfield. check it out. again, I'm old, but so are most people at my protests! let's get music in there. and dancing. let's be joyous as we change what's happening here!
https://youtu.be/1xKVh3O4e9k
This is my favourite anthem from the 60’s, 1967 to be specific. Here’s what I wrote to a friend today who happen to post the song in Fb:
Summer of love! I always felt this song created a sea change that spearheaded the free love, flower child, hippie, back to the land “movement”. All the music of the next few years was revolutionary and iconic in terms of impact and generational legacy. Vietnam War played large in that,… shaping a counterculture that rose against authoritarianism and a developing American war machine. The patriarchy turned on us (the rebelling youth movement), on women, and on brown-skinned cultures at home and around the world, much like is happening today.
this might be repeat of my reply but I'm sooo technilogically challenged I'm sending again. Tricia, I LOVE this song by the Youngbloods and had completely forgotten about it. it's perfect. should be played at all rally's. thanks so much for this!! if you can think of others just let me know. you rock. Holly
While I was too young to remember Pete Seeger's appearing before the committee, I have seen videos of it many times and have seen Seeger perform dozens of times. But one thing I remember clearly was when the Smothers Brothers had him on the comedy variety show in direct opposition to their network and the government blacklist. Their bravery helped break the blacklist of Seeger and many other people.
I have often heard Seeger referred to as "the greatest American patriot". Dissent is patriotism.
I had forgotten this. Thanks for jogging my memory. Oh that banjo!!!
Pete Seeger, should not be labeled so much a dissident as a humanist because, while not an untrue aspect of who he was, a dissident can have unsavory implications. Pete composed and sung on behalf of all peoples of the world being denied justice, equality and compassion, from the past, present and future.
Beautiful. Thank you.
At 75, I remember too much — the lives of family and friends disrupted, torn apart. Their courage stands more vividly profound than ever in our present landscape.
Thank you Lynn
Such an insightful post, Ari! Thank you for bringing truth forward and bridging the generation gap. I was a teem in the 60’s went to high school of music and art and learned about politics and Social justice there. Would love an updated hair revival!!! Appreciate your steadfast outspoken truthfulness
Hi Ari,
Listen -- I'm an 81 year now Seattleite / US Army "brat" / US Navy Vet (early Vietnam Theater:
--- that has something I feel is very important to say to you - and all of your colleagues at MSNBC.
When I was very young - having a US ARMY Officer Dad - you live where he was assigned two and a half years after the end of WW II in Europe.
That was in Germany, living and playing with kids who had Nazi parents and those that didn't.
Both the kids - and their parents were very different -- and I've never forgotten them - for what they were and more importantly what I came to understand - was the totally sick Nazi Ideologies those parents had been teaching their kids.
Those Nazi parents believed in and had been teaching their kids the following:
1.) "...Totalitarianism..." - where the Party controls the Government and seeks to punish it's political enemies - eliminating any and all decent - from anyone.
2.) "...Dictatorship..." - with "The Leader" controlling absolutely everything - by 'Personal Orders'.
3.) "...Limiting Personal Freedom..." - taking away personal Freedoms without cause or recourse.
4.) "...Xenophobia..." - perpetuating the White / Nordic Heritage race, and eliminating all others as being "inferior".
5.) "...Nationalism..." - rebuilding the Country - because "...it had been persecuted against by literally all other Nations...".
6.) "...Loyalty..." - every Nazi swears Total Loyalty to The Leader as the Leader of the Party -- and then to the Country.
7.) "...Sovereign Economy..." - the Government, through The Leader, runs everything "...for it's war needs..." - economic - or "otherwise".
Does this sound ideology sound familiar to you and your colleagues at MSNBC?
It should -- because it was the exactly ideology of Adolph Hitler's Third Reich Nazi Government.
It also should -- because that Nazi ideology is the direct source ideology of the former Republican Party - now Trump Nazi MAGA Party - as found, chapter and verse, in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025.
We here in Seattle - and across the Nation - know this: because it is being shoved in our faces every time one turns on either MSNBC or CNN - as Fox News is, and has always been a firehose of misinformation, innuendo, and flat out lies - until one of their talking heads goes too far - or has had enough -and they are fired.
So what's with you and your colleagues?
What's with all of the tap-dancing around the obvious?
I'm old enough to have watched the Joe McCarthy real witch hunts - with Edward R. Murrow in the flesh.
I also watched George Clooney's World-wide play, "...Good Night, and Good Luck..." about how Murrow directly fought McCarthy's lies --- by telling the truth about McCarthy.
That is what I am asking you to do -- concerning the "unidentified, i.e., "The Base" - 800 pound Gorilla in the room --which is not the Nazi Donald Trump (as we all know what he is) -- but about the Nazi MAGA Base itself - and the fact that every one of them - and we don't give a damn about "why" - did the following:
1.) individually / personally / conscientiously - decided to vote for a publicly self-declared "...Dictator on Day 1...". -- which in itself as an "act" - is not illegal.
2.) However: casting a vote for a person wo has told the voting public what he intends to do on Day 1 -- "...will bring harm..." to this Country / it's Constitution / and the people within it's boarders; either citizens or not yet documented:
--- is, by legal definition in the Constitution -- an overt act of Treason -- because that vote "...gives aid and comfort to the enemy..." - which by legal definition - any Dictator is - because again by legal definition:
--- a Dictator works to hold all power unto himself (paraphrase) - which:
--- automatically brings harm to this Country / it's Constitution / and all of the people within it's boarders - as the squealing Republican voters are finding out -- includes them.
It is of no consequence that they are saying "...I didn't vote for this..." -- because Trump told them repeatedly what he was going to do if elected.
They're now "...squealing like 'stuck pigs in a slop'..." -- because they voted for "...'stuff' to happen to the other guy - not them..." - and they are beginning to feel the brunt of what they did - to themselves.
So will you start calling this Trump Government for what it is -- an "...coup d'ete..." from within, long-term planned and orchestrated by leadership of both the Nazi Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society - as exhibited in their Project 2025.
They did it though the US Court system - effectively "stacking the deck" with their carefully fostered and groomed sycophant lawyers - till they successfully placed the "Supreme Court 6" - under the guidance of one Republican Senator Mitch McConnell - who has been quoted as stating "...he's proud of what he has done..." -- full stop.
MSNBC has been tap-dancing around this for long enough.
The present "old foggie institutionalist Democratic Party Leadership" hasn't got a clue.
They think they can negotiate with their "Nazi colleagues", with their "bring a knife to a gun fight" mentality:
--- while the Country is being ripped apart;
--- the stature of the US in the eyes of the World destroyed;
--- and people being hauled of to who knows where.
Do your job -- lay out the news as it is -- because we can take it.
Scott McKie
2846 NW 73rd. St.
Seattle, WA 98117
(206) 782-0856
scotsman7@comcast.net
Thank you for articulating what should be obvious.
WOW! You said it and it's all true. Same as I have thought it but never heard or saw it corroborated by anyone so concretely. I hope Ari can implement your suggestions despite limitations on him as a TV journalist on MSNBC.
Hi John -- Mr. Melber, or anyone else at MSNBC or CNN (as you can forget "Fox" - as there is no news content coming from that Nazi firehose) has no limitations on himself - that he alone has placed on himself. So -- is it his job at MSNBC or the truth of the matter -- that is more important to him / them. I make no claim to knowing - but as stated in my comment back to him -- which he requested of us that follow him. I've lived long enough to have interacted with Nazis before -- and it is nothing that I care to have happen again.
If you didn't see George Clooney's closing delivery of what we are actually up against here in the US - in his ending of his play "Good Night, Good Luck" - on Edward R. Murrow versus Joe McCarthy; whom I am also old enough to have heard and watched Mr. Murrow as I grew up -- you need to see it and take it in:
--- because there is no other "US" that is going to come to our aid at this or any other time.
Unless we "really get real" about the Nazis already here -- cultured from within the US - who are attempting a complete Nazi led "coup-d'tat" -- we need to "non-violently - "really take it to every single Nazi that has any part of this disaster":
--- through the US Court - quickly forcing the "Supreme Court 6" to either show the US that they are Nazis and again "stab this Country in the back" as they have repeated done;
--- thus killing this Country as the Republic it has been for 249 years -- or":
--- resign in disgrace for their previous actions:
--- the US will cease to exist.
I, for one, am asking all attorneys - who really know the Law: -- - to step up and take on the Military Leadership in the US Courts - with the unadulterated truth -- which was what George Clooney was asking for - and I as a US Vet - am asking for:
--- help save this Country from those Nazi Bastards.
So (sadly) true and accurate on all counts. We said Scott!
How about a story on this Ari? You could probably pull quotes from Project 2025 to compare with each Nazi goal. Or is that what our country is becoming?
Hi Scott.
You don't have to go to Project 2025 to see what has already happened to the US -- because the Nazis, in one form or another - have been here in the US since it's fight for freedom.
Re-read what the description of what a Nazi's ideology is -- and then look at what the Republican Party's ideology is, and has been for decades now.
To that you can also add two things: Republicans - for decades:
--- have never look to help the US population as a whole or in part / they never reach out to anyone who isn't a member of their "kind" - as they view people - and they only have one direction:
--- making or saving as much money as they can for themselves - to the total exclusion of what that money could doo for people in making their lives better.
This is what we are witnessing now -- as they have finally come out from behind the curtains, as in "The Wizard of Oz" -- except we don't find a kindly, little old man "pulling the strings" - we find all of the ulcerated Nazi infected remains of what was part of the US population -- who played by the jointly accepted rules -- of not actively working to bring harm to others in this Country's population - natural born citizen, documented or not.
.
Why were slaves brought here -- to do work for their "owners" and "their owners betterment financially.
And that's it -- it was all for financial gain.
Why do immigrants want to come here -- because for 249 years; this Country has been the place on this rack that we all live on - where one can come; work and get-ahead in life; i.e., "having a life".
Find any Republican that really believes in help a person get a better life -- and you will have found the first one -- because "...doing-that-is-not-in-their-ideologies...":
And they will, and do; lie through their teeth -- from Trump on down to the individual Republican voter - in order to attain more wealth - for themselves only:
--- because they view all others as not being like them - they are the hated Democrat - or what ever they try and label the rest of us.
So it's not a case of what the Country is becoming -- it's a case of what the Country has become -- and unless we "get really, really, real - and forget the institutionalized b.s. that you can negotiate with a Nazi infested rabid animal -- the Country will continue to be torn apart - because one part of it decided on turning themselves into Nazis - with Trump as The Leader.
It's up to us as that whether this continues of not.
Hello, all! Ari, if we're taking votes on what we'd like to see on The Beat, I have two:
1. More breakdown - if possible - of the uses AND misuses of the law and Constitution, both by Trump et al and those trying to put the brakes on MAGA. I've seen you explain matters of law in various interviews, and I always feel like I've learned something. (I'm not a lawyer, but I am a teacher - I like to think I know a good explanation of anything when I hear it.)
2. Interview with Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries, if you can get him. He's given a bunch of talks, has several books out, and offers what I feel like is a different insight into behavior we see, not just from the MAGA movement, but all around us every day. It's an insight that might not be easy for folks to hear - it demands that we see clearly AND compassionately at the same time - but it's definitely worth considering if we're serious about real change.
I followed all the musicians you mentioned. Also, in 1954, Woody Guthrie wrote and sang a song " Old Man Trump." An artist on YouTube called Relix, sang Guthrie's word by word song in November 2016. Also on YouTube you can find Guthrie's singing it to. The lyrics can be found on most lyric apps.
As you read and or listen you will find out more about the abuse from Fred Trump.
The Trump children were exposed to this ideology. His father's arrest for participating in a KKK protest as well as code violations in 1976 for a building he owned.
Imprinting and abuse turned him into Donald into a monster. This, as we have witnessed, has been imprinted into his children. This awful legacy continues... Possibly for generations to come.
I couldn't agee with you more. Yelp, I have listen to the YouTube's Wood Guthrie sing "Old Man Trump". Song about Woody living in one of OLD MAN TRUMP's buildings and Fred charged too much and Wood had to move out, if my take on the song is correct. When the building violation of 1976 it was Fred but Donald was 30 years old and much involved with Fred and the family business. Listen to an interview with Donald's nephew the other night on another PodCast and he spoke of Fred his granddfather and his influence of meanness. I wondered if Fred's father was the same.
I'm reminded of when The Chicks (FKA Dixie Chicks) faced a lot of backlash for their comments about W. While I can't say I love their music, I do admire their integrity and bravery to vocalize criticism over the invasion in Iraq (and risk losing fans in the process).
I am encouraged and inspired to see artists (music and otherwise) use their platforms to amplify resistance and dissent to this current administration.
I thought of them immediately …..where are the protest songs now?
Yes Ari, I was in HS in the 60s and 70s. wE WALKED OUT IN PROTEST OF THE WAR. Having been a musician most of my life I also was exposed to a variety of viewpoints and did find solace from my music. Of course, I must note, only the very famous and successful musicians have a big enough audience to actually reach... https://pmozen.substack.com/
Having also come of age in the 60’s, I feel the music spoke directly to us and the larger social issues going on all around us. Post 1970’s, music lost that “feel” and (to me) seemed
to reflect a more superficial and less authentic sensibility about social issues. I agree we need to “get back to where we once belonged” (Beatles), “and we’ve got to get ourselves back,… to the garden” (Joni Mitchell). I could go on and on with the relevant lines that still hold so much depth of meaning all these many decades later.
Thank you Ari for linking the importance of music and protest. I went to greet Pete Seeger on the Hudson bringing attention to water pollution. I saw him in Central Park in NYC on earth day 1970 and many times after. Recently a wonderful film was made about Bob Dylan and his friendship with Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie. Timothy Chalomet played Dylan and it’s a ride down memory lane. It shows how dominant folk music and protest songs were. I loved it.
Thank you for introducing me to the Rap artists and lyrics you love. At 72 you help me to stay informed.
Excellent essay, Ari. Thank you. I was very young for Mccarthy, but he was from my state and caused my folks fear of being labeled commie for disagreeing. I protested here and there in the 60's, singing the songs you mentioned, following Seeger, Dylan, and others until the effects of students murdered at Kent State woke the country up, a fear I think similar to what LA feels today, every day. I was out of protesting for most of Lennon's time then participated again against Walker in Wisconsin in 2010, enjoyed being directly in the center under the capitol dome, feeling the beat and cadence of the drum, shouting in unison with UW students and thousands of others "this is what democracy looks like", but I wasn't afraid until they blacklisted protesters from jobs. Today I am most afraid I've ever been. Not for me, but fear for those being disappeared and punished. Thank you for being one who speaks truth to power. It's needed and most appreciated.
Thanks for this Ari.
I especially appreciate your tie into Pete Seeger and the political history at the time.
I remember well. Looking forward to more newsletters.
Sue Canale
Before there was cable and then the internet, the only ways we heard politicians was the six o’clock news and a couple of magazines along with the daily newspaper. Music on the other hand was not only played on the radio but people could play their albums (yes those) over and over, memorizing the words and sharing endlessly. The 60’s revolt to the “institution “ awakened like minds. People were ready for a change and musicians brought that.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane 😎
So true, the mediums/and reach have a huge impact.. and while today's top artists quickly reach far more people, many operate more like large touring corporate behemoths, and maybe less likely to take some of those risks
You spoke to my heart
I remember it all!! I was born in 43 and I'm still alive today and all the things you mentioned brings back memories of a Time when we thought our government had lost its mind--well look at us now the worst the very worst has come to fruition!! I did not think nor did I see any of this coming--I first got an inkling that that we were on big trouble was when Trump was elected president for the first time and how bad it was but it wasn't as bad as it could get--right??? Little did I (we ) know that it could get much much worse--so here we are today-- in hell on Earth--we must--I repeat we must never be silent!! We must raise our voices in unison to protest and call out the injustices that are going on today!! We must never give up!! In a lot of ways we're like Ukraine--American citizens are under attack for their freedoms, Justice and Truth, and law and order!! Ukraine has been hit with a double whammy--their lives literally are being lost in the hundreds daily--what is a matter of time is the way things are going here in our government that we too will have to run for our lives as well--Ukraine is just a preview, an omen of what's to come to America--we must not let this happen!!! For the sake of our children and for generations to come law and order needs to be restored and sanity must prevail we all want to change the world and welcome to the new readers joining us
Ms Nancy, we always love hearing from Bend!