"Come Together"

{1} Come Together
by John Lennon

Here come old flattop he come grooving up slowly
He got joo-joo eyeball he one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please

He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football
He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola
He say "I know you, you know me"
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together right now over me

He bag production he got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard he one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease
Come together right now over me

He roller-coaster he got early warning
He got muddy water he one mojo filter
He say "One and one and one is three"
Got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see
Come together right now over me

{2} "…’Come Together’ is a free-association gumbooted walrus tossing off pithy one-liners like ‘hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease.’ Though the song was originally conceived as a theme for Timothy Leary’s proposed campaign against Ronald Reagan for Governor of California, the walrus is clearly none other than John Ono Lennon himself."
--Nicholas Schaffner; The Beatles Forever; 1977; page 124.

{3} "There is a politic beyond politics
Which is concerned with the freedom
of man’s mind and spirit.
It looks beyond communism or capitalism
to the welfare of the human family."
--Bradford Smith

Note: Today is the West Virginia primary. The results should make the DU Clinton supporters happy. There is also news of "super delegates" endorsing Barack Obama, which should make his DU supporters happy. On the other hand, John McCain is still John McCain, and there isn’t a darned thing that the republican party can do to change that.

We have choices; the republicans do not.

The most important choice that we have today isn’t even between Senators Clinton and Obama. Rather, it is if we try to find strength in our diversity, or if we instead allow that diversity to weaken us. We can’t change what the tone of discussions were here yesterday or any time before that, for no dam ever built can hold back water that has already gone by. But we can change the tone of each comment we post today and tomorrow.

Enjoy the day.

Talkin' all that common sense and all, git yerself in a heap o' trouble 'round here!

*on edit--I grew up in Virginia, so sue me! LOL

to fit in with the general tone on GD-P today, does it?

It was written about the race riots in L.A. in 1965, but
could just as easily apply to GD-P with the slightest of
moderations:

Well, I seen the fires burnin'
And the local people turnin'
On the merchants and the shops
Who used to sell their brooms and mops
And every other household item
Watched the mob just turn and bite 'em
And they say it served 'em right
Because a few of them are white,
And it's the same across the nation
Black and white discrimination
Yellin' "You can't understand me!"
'N all that other jazz they hand me
In the papers and TV and
All that mass stupidity
That seems to grow more every day
Each time you hear some nitwit say
He wants to go and do you in
Because the color of your skin
Just don't appeal to him
(No matter if it's black or white)
Because he's out for blood tonight!

(second) LP in the "Sometime In New York" album. It's a "live" recording that might fit the mood here, as well.

I'm not black, but there's a whole lotta times I wish I could say I ain't white.

But "Across the Universe" is a beautiful song.

'no dam ever built can hold back water that has already gone by. But we can change the tone of each comment we post today and tomorrow'

a good day to avoid the flood of angry posts here. The only ones who gain from the acrimony are the republicans.

Thank you for that. It is an interesting film; whoever put it together did some good work.

in our diversity and changing the tone here.

is what makes the democratic party the best bet for the future of our Constitutional democracy.

Bigotry is the ultimate enslavement of the spirit. As we dehumanize others, we dehumanize ourselves.

We have a great opportunity today -- an opportunity that we will never have again in quite the same way. We can move forward as a people. All of us. But at the same time, there is the risk of blowing this chance to make serious progress on issues such as racism, sexism, and those other degrading, dehumanizing "-isms" that damage the fabric of our society.

Opportunities are strange things: as I've noted before, each one comes but a single time.

We should be focusing on the positive things today. That's where we find our strength. The negatives things only open the door for the negatives.

Keep fighting the good fight, H2O Man!

We need to concentrate on preparing for the November elections. We could make historic gains on all levels.

"...This is not a perfect party. We are not a perfect people. Yet, we are called to a perfect mission. Our mission: to feed the hungry; to clothe the naked; to house the homeless; to teach the illiterate; to provide jobs for the jobless; and to choose the human race over the nuclear race.

"We are gathered here this week to nominate a candidate and adopt a platform which will expand, unify, direct, and inspire our Party and the nation to fulfill this mission. My constituency is the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected, and the despised. They are restless and seek relief. They have voted in record numbers. They have invested the faith, hope, and trust that they have in us. The Democratic Party must send them a signal that we care. I pledge my best not to let them down.

"There is the call of conscience, redemption, expansion, healing, and unity. Leadership must heed the call of conscience, redemption, expansion, healing, and unity, for they are the key to achieving our mission. Time is neutral and does not change things. With courage and initiative, leaders change things. ….

"For leaders, the pain is often intense. But you must smile through your tears and keep moving with the faith that there is a brighter side somewhere.

"I went to see Hubert Humphrey three days before he died. He had just called Richard Nixon from his dying bed, and many people wondered why. And I asked him. He said, 'Jesse, from this vantage point, the sun is setting in my life, all of the speeches, the political conventions, the crowds, and the great fights are behind me now. At a time like this you are forced to deal with your irreducible essence, forced to grapple with that which is really important to you. And what I've concluded about life,' Hubert Humphrey said, 'When all is said and done, we must forgive each other, and redeem each other, and move on.'

"Our party is emerging from one of its most hard fought battles for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in our history. But our healthy competition should make us better, not bitter. We must use the insight, wisdom, and experience of the late Hubert Humphrey as a balm for the wounds in our Party, this nation, and the world. We must forgive each other, redeem each other, regroup, and move one. Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a rainbow -- red, yellow, brown, black and white -- and we're all precious in God's sight.

"America is not like a blanket -- one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt: many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread. The white, the Hispanic, the black, the Arab, the Jew, the woman, the native American, the small farmer, the businessperson, the environmentalist, the peace activist, the young, the old, the lesbian, the gay, and the disabled make up the American quilt.

"Even in our fractured state, all of us count and fit somewhere. We have proven that we can survive without each other. But we have not proven that we can win and make progress without each other. We must come together. …."
-- Jesse Jackson; Democratic National Convention

As an African American that has always valued diversity the threads this morning have
been exceptional painful to read.

Many of the posters have low post numbers... I wonder why that is?
And they appear to be be able to say anything they want to say that gets a reaction.


I have decided that I will stay out of all posts that refer to either candidate in a racist/sexist way.

I will add my voice to your post because it has handled the issue with dignity.

IMO, to respond with a K is a response to continue the race baiting.

To respond with a R says that it is a thread that is worthy for The Greatest Page.

That means at least 5 people want the world to see a side of DU that is extremely troubling.

My heart is heavy this morning.
Thank you for bringing a touch of sunshine to a cloudy DU day.

This is a strange day on DU. It reminds me that issues like racism and sexism aren't the types of problems that we solve; rather, they are things that we have to deal with on an on-going basis.

Still, it is sad to see that the progress that so many people struggled for in past decades are at risk of being lost.

I have to admit that some things I have read today have made my stomach turn and have made me want to weep. We'll just huddle together ok? We'll get through this. :hug:

:hug:

:P

Some of my best friends.

checking in here

Gotta find a way, a better way, a better way!

Never met a wise man, if so it's a woman

Gotta find a way, a better way, a better way!

Just because you're paranoid don't mean they're not after you

Gotta find a way, a better way, a better way!


:headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

(Jesse Jackson; 1988 Democratic National Convention)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lies only a few miles from us tonight. Tonight he must feel good as he looks down upon us. We sit here together, a rainbow, a coalition -- the sons and daughters of slavemasters and the sons and daughters of slaves, sitting together around a common table, to decide the direction of our party and our country. His heart would be full tonight. ….

We meet tonight at the crossroads, a point of decision. Shall we expand, be inclusive, find unity and power; or suffer division and impotence?

We've come to Atlanta, the cradle of the Old South, the crucible of the New South. Tonight, there is a sense of celebration, because we are moved, fundamentally moved from racial battlegrounds by law, to economic common ground. Tomorrow we'll challenge to move to higher ground.

Common ground. Think of Jerusalem, the intersection where many trails met. A small village that became the birthplace for three great religions -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Why was this village so blessed? Because it provided a crossroads where different people met, different cultures, different civilizations could meet and find common ground. When people come together, flowers always flourish -- the air is rich with the aroma of a new spring.


Progress will not come through boundless liberalism nor static conservatism, but at the critical mass of mutual survival -- not at boundless liberalism nor static conservatism, but at the critical mass of mutual survival. It takes two wings to fly. Whether you're a hawk or a dove, you're just a bird living in the same environment, in the same world.

Today when we debated, differed, deliberated, agreed to agree, agreed to disagree, when we had the good judgment to argue a case and then not self-destruct, George Bush was just a little further away from the White House and a little closer to private life. …

With so many guided missiles, and so much misguided leadership, the stakes are exceedingly high. Our choice? Full participation in a democratic government, or more abandonment and neglect. And so this night, we choose not a false sense of independence, not our capacity to survive and endure. Tonight we choose interdependency, and our capacity to act and unite for the greater good.

Common good is finding commitment to new priorities to expansion and inclusion. A commitment to expanded participation in the Democratic Party at every level. A commitment to a shared national campaign strategy and involvement at every level.

Common ground. America is not a blanket woven from one thread, one color, one cloth. When I was a child growing up in Greenville, South Carolina and grandmamma could not afford a blanket, she didn't complain and we did not freeze. Instead she took pieces of old cloth -- patches, wool, silk, gabardine, crockersack -- only patches, barely good enough to wipe off your shoes with. But they didn't stay that way very long. With sturdy hands and a strong cord, she sewed them together into a quilt, a thing of beauty and power and culture. Now, Democrats, we must build such a quilt.

Farmers, you seek fair prices and you are right -- but you cannot stand alone. Your patch is not big enough.

Workers, you fight for fair wages, you are right -- but your patch labor is not big enough.
Women, you seek comparable worth and pay equity, you are right -- but your patch is not big enough.
Women, mothers, who seek Head Start, and day care and prenatal care on the front side of life, relevant jail care and welfare on the back side of life, you are right -- but your patch is not big enough.

Students, you seek scholarships, you are right -- but your patch is not big enough.
Blacks and Hispanics, when we fight for civil rights, we are right -- but our patch is not big enough.

Gays and lesbians, when you fight against discrimination and a cure for AIDS, you are right -- but your patch is not big enough.

Conservatives and progressives, when you fight for what you believe, right wing, left wing, hawk, dove, you are right from your point of view, but your point of view is not enough.
But don't despair. Be as wise as my grandmamma. Pull the patches and the pieces together, bound by a common thread. When we form a great quilt of unity and common ground, we'll have the power to bring about health care and housing and jobs and education and hope to our Nation.

We, the people, can win.

It was so powerful and we had hope then that things would get bettet.

And now this.... :cry:

opportunities to see Jesse Jackson, and I have a lot of respect for him. His two DNC speeches are among my favorites from any American. I posted quotes from them in part because reading DU:GD-P today could be discouraging for people of good will, be they Clinton or Obama supporters. But I am reminded that sometimes the difficulty of the struggle measures the exact amount of effort which is necessary to overcome a hardship.

We have had serious problems with racism and sexism throughout our nation's history. Advances are made, and then some of the progress seems to slip away. Certainly, the past seven years have created stresses on people, including on the various people who combine to make the democratic party. But, somehow, we have to get past the anger and the divisions. That can only come one person at a time. And that includes the individuals on DU:GD-P today.

***Sigh***

I have a lot of respect for him.

:thumbsup:

:thumbsup:

It is odd seeing people who think we cannot elect a black president or a female president. I think they are like grownups who don't realize their own possibilities.

The November election will be between Obama and McCain. Those who realize their own possibilities will vote for Obama, and those who are afraid will vote for McCain.

Great Post! :toast:

It's a good day to be a democrat.

The Beatles made the best music for listening to on sunny spring days.

.

to reflect a different level of consciousness than, say, "she loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah."

One Against the Other
Head East, 1974

People, stop your pushin' and try to learn
That nothin' can be gained by tryin' to hurt
We never seem to think about brothers workin' together
We always find ourselves at odds, one against the other

We got to lend a helping hand
And learn to lead with the other
We got to change this to a better world
And live in peace with one another

Worry's a state that's so unkind
People, try to find some peace of mind
I wish we'd find a way to get everyone together
It doesn't seem to help, we can't seem to help each other
Yeah, yeah

We got to work together, find a way
To help our friends and neighbors everyday
We never seem to think about brothers workin' together
We always find ourselves at odds, one against the other

We got to lend a helping hand
And learn to lead with the other
We got to change this to a better world
And live in peace with one another

Thank you.

Thanks H2O Man for the Great Reminder that Great Men are often overlooked for their Intelligence and Foresight.

I was taught that there are many great men and women who live in the margins of our society, and who are rarely recognized for their intelligence and goodness. Far too often, our culture has been programmed to look for "leadership" in the worst type of people, such as a Dick Cheney. People at the grass roots level need to look to themselves ... and look out for themselves. This year, we are seeing a lot of grass roots activity in the primaries, and that is the most hopeful sign I've seen in many years.

Eric Burden and the Animals.

LoL

:D

One of the most obnoxious sights of the season has been Joe Lieberman supporting McCain.

It was in the turbulent decade of the 60's, was it not?

But it changed America.

and released in 1969. The final studio work was completed in July of that year.

On edit: It was released on the album (Abbey Road) in September, and in October on the single with George's "Something."

Right at the end of the 60s.

That'll be the unofficial theme song until we have no choices left. YMMV and all that.

Great song. Great band. Great post!