Monday, May 25, 2009

Happy Memorial Day.....


To all that serve and families that serve....we need to get them Home...and out of the senseless mess that George and Dick made....to all that have served over the years...and to those that have lost folks....may we take a day to remember and honor that...I remember my cousin Bobby who flew in Vietnam and is buried in Arlington .....and my Uncle Stu who helped Germany and was one of the first to see the Death Camps and who lived with PTSD the rest of his years but was truly a wonderful soul.....Namaste.


The Story of Pete Seeger and the song ( and the Marlene Deitrich version is below)....( via Youtube)
"On July 26, 1956, the House of Representatives voted 373 to 9 to cite Pete Seeger and seven others (including playwright Arthur Miller) for contempt, as they failed to cooperate with House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in their attempts to investigate alleged subversives and communists. Pete Seeger testified before the HUAC in 1955.
In one of Pete's darkest moments, when his personal freedom, his career, and his safety were in jeopardy, a flash of inspiration ignited this song. The song was stirred by a passage from Mikhail Sholokhov's novel "And Quie Flows the Don". Around the world the song traveled and in 1962 at a UNICEF concert in Germany, Marlene Dietrich, Academy Award-nominated German-born American actress, first performed the song in French, as "Qui peut dire ou vont les fleurs?" Shortly after she sang it in German. The song's impact in Germany just after WWII was shattering. It's universal message, "let there be peace in the world" did not get lost in its translation. To the contrary, the combination of the language, the setting, and the great lyrics has had a profound effect on people all around the world. May it have the same effect today and bring renewed awareness to all that hear it."
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10 comments:

Ingrid said...

hey darlin' too long no posting! I've been 'twittering' about PLUS have rehearsals galore for 'my younger version of 6-6'. We'll need to talk soon. Hope you and 6-6 are doing well. I have been awol for too long. Naturally, on a day like this, can't help but write political tweets with more of an edge. [s]
Will get back in touch after school ends June 3rd. It's been very busy but good. Beats being bored. And of course, still hoping you will mosy downward to our neck of the woods**

great post,
hugs

Ingrid

Fran said...

The Seeger song so befitting for this day.
When will we ever learn????

Unknown said...

Most awesome, inspiring post, enigma... especially after the dismal rant I just posted today.

D.K. Raed said...

I'd never heard Dietrich singing Seeger's song. Her voice is so intimate, makes you feel like you're in some small cabaret hearing the last song before closing. Great find.

I haven't lost hope that we can learn. Best wishes to you & 6-6 on this Memorial Day.

enigma4ever said...

ahhhh dear dear friends....
worked all weekend....
and then got home late tonight to clean and take out garbage...here it is past midnight and how nice to see folks had been by....you all are sooo wonderful.....

about learning...I just don't know....I wish..I hope ...and I pray just as you all do...

I hummed this song all weekend...

I first heart the Marlene Song at my Uncle Stu's many many years ago as a kid....I actually never even knew the other version ( the Pete Version ) until the late 1980s in Seattle as an AIDS nurse- I had a patient /friend who was a huge Pete Seeger fan....( and he also had told me the story above....)
soooooo I had to post it....it's been on my heart....and my mind.....

I wish the best top all of you ....and to our young people....

many many hugs....

Anonymous said...

Sorry I've been MIA for awhile. Been busy editing a manuscript and I'm still working on the final chapters. Hope you and 6-6 had a great weekend.

PS - I changed my URL because I cannot afford to renew it in a couple of months.

enigma4ever said...

RJ...
hey there....its okay....good to hear that you are writing....can't wait to hear more...I will email you....( and about changing URL....I understand...so sorry...I do understand about cutting costs...I live hanging at the end of a shoe string.....)

take care....keep writing...

Maximus said...

Just found your blog...love it. The Seeger song brought back so many memories.
"When will they ever learn?"

enigma4ever said...

maximus.....
welcome.....explore...and enjoy.....
watergate summer is about politics and how it impacts life...but it is about what effects all of us....from job issues to healthcare to torture and human right issues to other depression issues to much needed music....and a little soulfood along the way....
ahhh when will they learn...
it is an amazing question isn't it ?

Distributorcap said...

one of the best songs ever - from one of the best artists ever (from one of my favorite bloggers ever)