March 6th, 2008
Revolution, and Hallelujah
Those two days fit for hiking were an illusion, though meteorologically spring the onset of the real season is elusive, playing hide and seek, a temptress of sorts, allowing me to hike one morning and causing me to look for my gloves the next.
—
I’m merely going to say the Democrats are in trouble, at this point in time it’s hardly worth it to fret about as I have absolutely no control over it. I don’t know if I could vote for Clinton. I can definitely not vote for McCain under any circumstance.
“Democracy is usually the result of revolution against plutocracy” and though Aristotle, the original conservative, believed it to be inferior to an aristocracy - because it lead people to believe they were actually equal, he was right about Democracy, and I think we should take ours back. Since last night I can’t get that damn Beatles Song from floating through my head.
“You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We’d all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know”
The surest path to wisdom is to read, assimilate and apply things learned from those who are wise – paraphrased from John Caruso – “The Power of Losing Control”. I’ll read and listen, over the next few weeks, or at least as long as I can possibly hold my tongue.
In the meantime I admit to learning something from American idol last night. I learned that I need to listen to the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah”, a song I hadn’t listened to in years, ( No I never watched the OC though I was made aware last night that it was used for that nighttime soap opera) more often. So see, it was worth it.
I, along with at least a million others, was on line last night, thanks to the guy who sang it on Idol, looking for every version of that song we could find. The Buckley version is better than the Rufus Wainwright version, but I am fond of the A cappella Imogen Heap cover. And who knew I actually would see Leonard Cohen himself doing that song, thanks to you tube – actually it is pretty awesome, If not for Idol it never would have happened.
I stand corrected once again.
The only problem is she doesn’t do many verses.
Maybe this’ll get it out of your head
Well, either you’re closing your eyes
To a situation you do not wish to acknowledge
Or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated
By the presence of a hypocrite in your party
Folks, you’ve got trouble
That’s right trouble right here in the Democratic Party
Trouble with a Capital T
and that rhymes with a C
And it stands for Clinton.
You’ve got five, six, seven hundred twenty one superdelegates… ok yeah it’ll break down if I try and go further with it
The primaries have got me on edge, too. McCain is insane, and so is Hillary. A neo-con or a Clinton. Haven’t we been doing this since 1989, back and forth?
A revolution of some sort is definitely needed. I think the revolution that needs to be had is pretty basic, unfortunately. There’s literacy in America, but few are using it to gain knowledge (unless you count magazine articles). It’s made a lot of people blind.
There’s a lot of verses of that song and various versions, but Hallelujah is one of the best songs ever. There’s a great version on a Leonard Cohen live album that’s my favorite.
As to Wisdom and where it comes from, William Blake’s opinion is mine:
What is the price of experience? Do men buy it for a song?
Or wisdom for a dance in the street? No, it is bought with the price
Of all a man hath, his house, his wife, his children.
Wisdom is sold in the desolate market where none come to buy,
And in the wither’d field where the farmer plows for bread in vain.
It is an easy thing to triumph in the summer’s sun
And in the vintage and to sing on the waggon loaded with corn.
It is an easy thing to talk of prudence to the afflicted,
To speak the laws of prudence to the houseless wanderer,
To listen to the hungry raven’s cry in wintry season
When the red blood is fill’d with wine and with the marrow of lambs.
It is an easy thing to laugh at wrathful elements,
To hear the dog howl at the wintry door, the ox in the slaughterhouse moan;
To see a god on every wind and a blessing on every blast;
To hear sounds of love in the thunder-storm and destroys our enemies’ house;
To rejoice in the blight that covers his field, and the sickness that cuts off his children,
While our olive and vine sing and laugh round our door, and our children bring fruits and flowers.
Then the groan and the dolour are quite forgotten, and the slave grinding at the mill,
And the captive in chains, and the poor in the prison, and the soldier in the field
When the shatter’d bone hath laid him groaning among the happier dead.
It is an easy thing to rejoice in the tents of prosperity:
Thus could I sing and thus rejoice: but it is not so with me.
If Hillary is the candidate, McCain will be president. I don’t know why Democrats can’t see that.
She has so much baggage (some of which, admittedly is her husband’s) that the rally to make sure she doesn’t win will overpower her.
With the 50/50 popular vote splits the past couple of times, they need someone who can generate support rather than inspire hatred.
I agree with the gentleman above.
Love, Love that song, thanks coop.
Aristotle was a conservative?
She tied you To a kitchen chair She broke your throne, and she cut your hair And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
I enjoyed the Cohen version, longer and great poetry.
I don’t even know what to say about the Democrats at this time.
Aristotle also destroyed the individual to make the perfect state and felt men were natural wicked, selfish and out only for themselves. Where he may have deplored Democracy you(we) want it back, it was a good point - I think you should have called upon a “liberal” philosopher in keeping with your liberal bias, but there ya go again giving all sides a voice even when they are right on one point even when you disagree in general with their postulations.
John Cale has a sweet version.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ckbdLVX736U
You’ll like the violins.
I can’t find the fifteen verse version?
Sorry, Plato is my man.
Who cares what people think about the Democratic Party?
It’s all about pennsyltucky now. Wish us well.
Hillary does indeed have baggage - much of which is hers and hers alone.
Obama’s coming. …
Glad you got to hike a bit. Refreshes the mind, at least it does for me.
Hillary isn’t going to beat Obama - not if this country has any sense - oops - then again she might - there’s a lot of idgits around these days.
Jeff Buckley’s release of Hallelujah on his “Grace” CD (his second and last CD)in 1994, was an awesome cover. His father, Tim was a bit more prolific. Odd thing - Jeff died at age 31 when he jumped into the Mississippi River fully clothed and was found 6 days later floating near Memphis’ famed Beale Street Area. His father died at age 28 from a heroin overdose.
If not for idol we might never have heard David Archuleta.
Thanks for the vids.
I agree. I heard something said the other day that I had not realized. We have had a Clinton/Bush in the White House since the late 80’s. America is not a monarchy and two families are not suppossed to run a democratic nation.
To change!
EW: EW: John posted something I liked, he posted that the “Democrats have a map to The White House but they can’t read it”.
We have no choice but to see how it plays out, if she wins by popular vote after redoing Michigan and Florida I will settle for the worst to try to prevent the warmongering, though faithful old solider and lifelong politician with the Stepford wife, from getting the presidency, but I do not think she will win against him. If she is given the nomination unfairly I will have a conundrum.
Lelia: I wish people would research more too. I do think they are doing better this time, not falling
as easily for smear tactics and wanting civil debate. The situation where there is only one candidate I feel comfortable with is not a good one.
Doug: I hear fifteen verses, but I’ve yet to find them and a few of us have searching.
Dan: I believe only you conservatives can see that, for the most part. Your last line is quite accurate - IMO.
Kait: He was indeed.
John: I meant to comment, I think you said it well in your blog.
I’d never seen the Cohen version until last night.
I try my best. I have quite a few skeptics here.
G: That is sweet, thanks.
Plato would be your man.
sk: Go do your job, shout it from the hilltops, from the old “Queer as Folk” lot in Pittsburgh I think she has the gay community hoodwinked.
Morgan: Part of the reason I did not move closer to the city was easy access to hiking trails here. Sadly the weekend looks rather crappy but I was able to hike and run for a few so I’m good.
I knew very little about Buckley though I had heard his version, and knew he had died tragically.
Tipp: Yes, those in power tend to stay there - plutocracy in my mind more or less though not by definition exactly. Time for it to go
Ah yes, what you said about “the revolution”. Let us be still for a moment, and hear the Gospel According to Saint Peter:
I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around me
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I’ll get on my knees and pray
We don’t get fooled again
Perhaps there will be a generation where the progressives of today are not the reactionaries of tomorrow. But that’s not the way to bet. Sigh.
When you start using words like plutocracy you lose me. My training in philosophy is limited and I don’t have time to look up Aristotle so I’ll take your word on his conservative credentials.
A wise person concedes to the wise, if only temporarily.
Bon Jovi does a sweet version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8jpNiUuwcw
Hi there,
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The fact you can set aside two days for hiking makes me jealous of you, Cooper. I haven’t been hiking in ages.
Are we talking about Plato the Greek philosopher?
Try the album “One Night of Sin.” I don’t still have it but I remember that being a long version with the beautiful dirty verse that’s in the version you posted.
+1 @ dan.
i think i love the jeff buckley version of that song a little too much, i have a hard time listening to any version that’s come after. The original is genius too, i suppose ;)
amoeba: yea, but we’re not trippin. ;)
caseyjake: I rate him or them…somewhere down the road.
polzoo: Looks like an interesting concept you have over there.
mojo: I’m on break this week. Usually I can only squeeze in a run in the city.
Doug: yes we are though I did go to school with a guy named Plato.
I will have to look that one up and see if it is available.
adam: Yeah, Buckley’s version seems to be the one of the best, most people reference it as the original version. From the standpoint of poetry Cohen’s is quite good.
Conservative?
Only on foreign policy. :) If he’s there, I’m voting Obama.
For all their faults (Kennedy, FDR, Reagan), presidents with great charisma seem to inspire more from their country. And I don’t know about any one else, for however stupid it sounds… I want to be inspired.
Bless you child for the reminders, plutocracy versus democracy, and most of all for Leonard Cohen. If anything will heal the ills it will be poetry not government.
Sorry for the “child”, it sounded better.
still reading after all these years
I have been lucky enough to see Leonard Cohen in concert twice. The thing to remember is that Jeff Buckley stole John Cale’s arrangement. So, if anyone missed it, they ought to go back and find John’s version.
I couldn’t vote for McCain either, so anyone, Clinton included, looks much much better to me.
Dan: I’ve always seen you as some what conservative, but then again you have to know where I am coming from, in the larger scheme of things are may not be so. Inspiration, I agree. I don’t think anyone is stupid enough to think this is the answer to all our hopes but the inspiration should be the kick in the ass we need, if we do not get the inspiration kicked out of us beforehand that is.
JOE: The “child” is forgiving, so all is forgiven.
Zydco: I think someone mentioned John Cale, was he the violin arrangement? I’m going back to check.
One while all I could think about was the primaries. But now I’m so mad at HRC for turning this once congenial election process into a street that I don’t care to watch. She has thoroughly disgusted me.
Cooper you’ll learn to listen, I told you about Leonard Cohen weeks ago. I have been listening to him since 1973, he is the best. Make sure you hear Antony Santos singing “If It Be Your Will” on a tribute album to Cohen….Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man…..You said you were a violin lover, Cohen’s got plenty of that…to me his best is “Dance Me To The End Of Love”. Enjoy Leonard Cohen!
KAK
I’m over it. McCain or Hilary… picking the less of two evils. Revolution…perhaps, but I’d rather just surf and watch a oh-so-baggable episode of The OC.
Oh, good. I thought we might have been talking about Sal Mineo in Rebel Without A Cause.
Leigh… whoa, nelly. It’s not McCain vs. Hillary yet no matter what the stogie smokers in the backroom say.
Oh, one other thing. We’ve had a Bush or Clinton as part of the White House “team” since … drum roll… 1981.
That’s plenty long enough.
If you readers haven’t already decided to vote for Obama and change, then I’ve got some experience to show you from the empty side of Bill Clinton’s bed.
meow.
Sheila: I am trying it ignore most of it this past
weekend. I took off snowboarding Saturday night through Sunday just to blow off some steam. I feel better now.
I’m sure tennis will at least help.;)
Kak: I knew of Cohen, I have a book of his poetry, and have heard his songs of course, though I hadn’t heard that song in some time it was nice to be reminded of it.
I will check out your suggestion.
Leigh: I so wish I had your disposition.
Doug: I had to look that up, because though I’ve seen “Rebel Without a Cause” - late at night as they play if often, I was probably too busy trying to figure out why everyone says James Dean is one of the great actors or at least why they all thought he would have been - I still can’t figure it. ;)
SK: “Oh, one other thing. We’ve had a Bush or Clinton as part of the White House “team” since … drum roll… 1981.”
Well soon enough, with the quality of education in this country, there will probably be only two family’s educated enough to hold national elected office.
The song is beautiful–the Wombat’s poem is spot on, and if that’s “our” Dan or any Dan, he’s so right however many are blind
Leonard Cohen was a visionary. It’s been too long since I have listened to him.
Cooper I thought I commented on this post–however I have been a bit preoccupied
Please let me know about your host company. I need one that actually works most of the time. I haven’t been focused on blogging and wouldn’t have known my blog “disappeared” and reappeared not formatted, if I hadn’t been deleting spam pingbacks early this morning or yesterday really
Cooper, Dean was the Harrison Ford of his day, I think. Carved out of soft wood. I saw it late at night, too. That flick is even older than I am.
Pia: That’s our Dan, I checked. I email you this evening. I returned home really late last night from snowboarding so didn’t read email just looked around online for fifteen minutes and went to bed -’m of break so it’s back to random scattered time.
Doug: I knew it was older than you, and now I know who Sal Mineo is.
Well, it seems the CLintons are thinking they are magnanimous in offering Barack a spot as VP, being they are trailing.
It is one thing to offer something you have, it is quite another to offer something that is not yours to give.
Or telling someone who is beating you fairly that they are going to win no matter what.
I’d have more respect for Hillary if she conceded that she is not in control of this. It is not a sign of weakness; it is a statement that you are not deluded into thinking you got it right now.
And you see how they are doing Florida and Michigan. A very interesting thing there.
My ‘fair’ solution:
Run a caucus in both states. Somehow, they can do this fairly and “cheaply.” It is both candidates best interests not to ignore Florida or Michigan. (2000, anyone?)
Set a time in late May - giving them time to promote themselves - and run them on the same day.
Another primary is 30 million badly spent. Spend 1 million to hold the caucus and use the rest to beat a McCain nomination.
I do like how that Jason P. thinks.
Smart man, him.
The fat lady hasn’t started to sing yet. And if she’s getting warmed up, I’m so not listening. And that would include my husband because he is a staunch Republican who likes Obama and said months ago that the dems will be fine if they don’t shoot themselves in the foot. So he just repeated that a couple of days ago and I’m ignoring that sinking feeling. Isn’t that a song? Maybe somebody will sing it on Idol this week.
jason: You win my vote.
sk: You would like that.
KP: They are so fucking stupid in the name “party power” it makes me sick.