Thoughts of the New Day

From RBB:

I appreciate Ken's posting the Song for the New Year [attached].  Battered it may be, but my basic optimism still remains.  We've grown used to myriads of "dismalities", even when various signs have initially indicated a better future.  So now, as we face a bleak 2012, let us -- hopefully -- be pleasantly surprised.

But, of course, we always Keep Fighting in any case.

I have to take friendly issue with some points that Blue, who does a fine job in constructing and defending her positions, made in her Occupy Psychopaths posts.  I don't buy the one referenced guy's assessment that there's one P. for every 100 members of the human race. I'm not sure at all that Blue bought that either. [Of course, I do have my "criminologist's" definition that some more popular writers might consider narrow.]  But if that estimate were taken as gospel, Pocatello ID and Grand Forks ND, each with about 50,000 people, would have, within their respective city limits, 500 psychopaths.  I don't buy that generous estimate by a very long stretch.

I also don't see true psychopaths sitting in corporate board rooms.  They don't have the endurance qualities or intellectual depth or long range planning capabilities.  Call the Corporate Suits whatever else you wish, but at least let's try to be accurate.  Far-out radical hyperbole can impair our Cause.

Around here in Eastern Idaho, we've been having lots of robberies, shootings, knifings and arson.  Those who do these things are not Good People for sure.  But the only true psychopathic killing that's fairly recently occurred here at Poky involved the two teenage boys who cold-bloodedly murdered a fellow schoolmate, a female babysitter, and filmed the whole thing.  It's this that MSNBC documented a couple of years ago in its feature, In Coldest Blood.  The two killers drew life without parole.  A couple of months ago, Idaho executed its second killer in several decades.  The first waived all appeals.  This contemporary figure was a serial killer out of nearby Idaho Falls who was in prison since the late 80s and fought execution.  That killing process, the local paper informed us a couple of days ago, cost the state about $53,000.  Texas does it routinely for only a very tiny fraction of that.

I watched the original film version yet again of In Cold Blood [1967] on Turner Classic this afternoon. Based on Truman Capote's fine novel on the hideous murders of a farm family at Holcomb, Kansas [near Garden City in the western part of the state], it's been somewhat cut for TV but comes through vividly -- graphically.  In recent years, at least two other film versions, focusing much more on the personality of Capote the writer, have appeared.  They're well done but I prefer the 1967 one which spends more time on the tragic lives of the two killers, especially one -- who was half Cherokee from a childhood mangled by a violent Anglo father.

On my mother's side, I have lots of relatives in Kansas -- as well as in Oklahoma and North Dakota.  I'm always interested in how these settings are handled via thoughtful writing and quality films.  The original version of In Cold Blood is solid on the Sunflower State.

The original has Will Geer doing splendidly in a bit part as the Bible-thumping, vengeance-seeking Finney County prosecutor.  Geer played a great sheriff in Intruder in the Dust and again provided a fine performance as sheriff in Salt of the Earth.  By the time the latter took place, via an independent left film production, he had been blacklisted by HUAC for several years.  He remained in that status until the mid-60s and finished his acting career as the grandfather in The Waltons.  Always good to see him.

Thoughtful people who view any of the versions of In Cold Blood, and/or read the well-done book, can only profoundly question the merit of the death penalty whatever the circumstances -- anywhere, any place.

Hunter 

HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR] Mi'kmaq /St. Francis 
Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk 
Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´ 
and Ohkwari' 
www.hunterbear.org 
(much social justice material)
 
For the new, just out (11/2011) and expanded/updated
edition of my "Organizer's Book," JACKSON MISSISSIPPI -- 
with a new and substantial Introduction by me:
http://hunterbear.org/jackson.htm
 
Our community organizing course:
http://hunterbear.org/my_combined_community_organizing.htm
 
Personal Background Narrative (with many links):
http://hunterbear.org/narrative.htm


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: KEN
  To: [email protected] 
  Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2012 1:32 PM
  Subject: [Redbadbear] SONG FOR THE NEW YEAR


    
  Happy New Year/Bonne Année et bonne santé!----Ken Hill

  SONG FOR THE NEW YEAR
  by Ian Robb

  One evening so silent as I was out walking
  I spied an old woman sat down by a tree.
  And as I drew nigh her I could hear her soft talking
  These wishes she made for the child on her knee...

  First I wish that in peace may you always be living
  Oh never to kill at a sergeant's command.
  For king and for country's no reason for giving
  Your life and your blood in some far away land...

  May good health be your fortune no gift can excel it,
  But guard it from those who would take it away.
  In mills, mind and factory they'll force you to sell it.
  For industry's profit most dearly you'll pay...

  May you be your own master, let no man control you
  Neither tyrant nor government, factory or farm.
  No matter the wages they'll pay to console you
  To slavery's order ne'er lift a strong arm...

  And the last thing I wish you is friendship and kindred
  For the love of companions is our greatest need.
  And though you may live to the age of 100
  It's young you'll remain while friendship succeeds...

  So now lads and lasses come lift up your glasses
  And drink a good health to our friendship so dear.
  To peace free from classes, while history passes.
  To friends and to loved ones a happy new year.
  A happy new year, a happy new year.
  To friends and to loved ones a happy new year.