My Connection to Helen Reddy

 

Fresh off the heels of the most disastrous Presidential debate in American History, I woke up the next day and learned that Australian-born singer/songwriter Helen Reddy had died.  As a young teenager in the 1970's I remember her song "I am Woman" and how it became a rallying cry for women EVERYWHERE. I became an instant fan of hers' and, to this day, still play my all-time favorite:  That Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady.

But my connection to Helen Reddy goes a little bit deeper.  Early in 2006, I started working on my first book, Whatever! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age.  In my final chapter, I wanted to include  lyrics from I am Woman --and create my own song called We are Baby Boomers.  But, in order to use her words verbatim, I had to get her permission since she was the songwriter.  

This is where I learned how good my journalism researching skills were because I had to dig and keep digging some more just to find out how to reach her.  I just assumed she was touring somewhere in the U.S. but, of course, as luck would have it, she would be in her native country without my ability to gain direct access.  So I kept researching until I was able to track down a man named Ray Burton, who I learned played a significant role in collaborating with Reddy on the song.  I also discovered that the original song was published by Irving Music so I found a telephone number for them, reached out and explained what I was trying to do.  I was advised to send a copy of my lyrics with a request of specifically what I wanted to do with them.  

At the time I think I expected they would respond right away, without knowing all that had to take place on their end.  After a month went by I was getting a little discouraged but I was determined not to publish without those lyrics because I felt they were essential to the overall theme of my book.  Well, about three months later, I received a reply giving me permission to use the lyrics and also a request for two autographed copies of my book. Also, in their response was a message saying Ms. Reddy and Mr. Burton both gave their approval.  And, what was even better, I didn't have to pay a royalty fee for the usage (thankfully, because I had just lost my job!)  I remember crying when I read the letter (over and over) and thinking about all that I had gone through and how that moment in time was really orchestrated by a Higher Power.  Not long after receiving permission, I self published my first book.

For those of you who haven't read it, let me share the lyrics I wrote in chapter 6:

We are baby boomers

Hear us roar

In numbers too big to ignore

And we know too much to go back and pretend

And one thing we know for sure

As we're passing through the door

We're never coming back this way again

Oh yes, we are wise

but it's wisdom born of pain

Yes, we've paid the price

But look how much we've gained.

If we have to, we can do anything

We are STRONG

We are INVINCIBLE

We are BABY BOOMERS! 

Thank you Helen Reddy for your contribution to my life and career.  R.I.P.

Jerry Falwell Jr. is NOT His Father

 
By now you have probably seen the photo circulating on the internet of 58-year-old Jerry Falwell Jr. posing with a young woman (not his wife or daughter) with his pants unzipped.  As a result of the backlash from folks who said "How dare you when you're supposed to be an evangelical man of God?!"and a call from NC Republican Congressman Mark Walker to resign, Jerry Jr. removed the photo from his Instagram page and decided to take a leave of absence from Liberty University, where he served as President. In his defense, he did try to explain that the photo was taken out of context, saying it was taken at a "costume party" while he was on vacation and it was "just in good fun." He added, "I'm gonna try to be a good boy from here on out.  But why does he have to be good?  He is NOT his father and he doesn't pretend to be.

Jerry Falwell Sr.(born in 1933) was an ultra conservative Southern Baptist preacher who became a leading voice of the religious right movement which led to the so called Moral Majority. The organization, which formed in the late 1970's, worked hard to push through a pro-life and pro-family agenda complete with conservative judges to serve their purpose.  Falwell Sr. founded the Lynchburg Christian Academy in 1967 and Liberty Baptist College (now known as Liberty University) in 1971.  Over his lifetime, he stoked fear and hatred for Muslims, gays and radical blacks.  He went to his grave (2007) as a staunch conservative and kept the door open for an even more extreme version of white evangelicalism to take shape.

Although Jerry Jr. may describe himself as an evangelical, he is NOT his father.  He is not an ordained minister and according to Senior Politics Reporter Jane Coaston, "Jerry Falwell Jr. was the beneficiary of a family legacy built on the promise of sharing the Christian faith.....a legacy which he appears to have used to benefit himself and his family."  And while he is touted in some circles as one of Donald Trump's evangelical advisors, that relationship may be more "business related instead of a relationship with Jesus Christ.  According to published reports, Jerry Jr. and his wife have been the subject of some possible illegal wheeling and dealing.  (see more:   here   )

In my opinion, it is unfair to judge Jerry Jr. based on that photo because he was always that man. He wanted us see the picture or he wouldn't have posted it on his Instagram account with more than 24k followers.  He wanted us to see his "fun side."  He wanted us to know that he can be in Trump's orbit and get away with similar behaviors because that's what white male privilege affords to him.  He also wants us to know that "all have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God." 

And according to Isiah 55:7, 

"Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.  Let them turn to the Lord and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." 

Surely, he will seek that pardon from God because Trump has probably already given one.

Carlson and Hannity Speak for the Deaf Dumb and Blind

Following a glowing tribute to the life and legacy of Congressman John Robert Lewis, it didn't take Fox News commentators, Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity long to turn his funeral into a racist rant.

Carlson told his audience he thought President Barack Obama was a "greasy politician" and said, "The country is falling apart, riven by racial strife and tribalism, and one of the most respected people in the whole world decides to pour gasoline on that and compare the police to Bull Connor."  For those of you who need a history lesson, Connor was Alabama's Commissioner of Public Safety in the 1960's, who enforced legal racial segregation and denied civil rights to black residents.  He is famous for using police dogs and fire hoses to try to squash the civil rights demonstrations.  He became an international symbol of institutional racism. 

Carlson went on to tell his blind, deaf and dumb audience that it was unfair to compare Minneapolis or America to Alabama.  Of course, Carlson speaks from a place of white male privilege where he, nor his audience, has a clue (or refuses to get a clue) about the struggles Congressman Lewis went through in the South or the struggles any black person experiences.  Furthermore, he obviously didn't really listen to what President Obama said or he took the quote out of context, which is a standard "norm" for that Network.

"Bull Connor may be gone.  But today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans...." ~President Barack Obama

What I heard Obama say is police continue to use extreme and unnecessary force to subdue and even murder blacks.  So Carlson must believe police using vicious attack dogs and stinging fire hoses is better than having a knee placed on a man's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.  

And as far as the "racial strife and tribalism" he referred to, that was created by Donald Trump and his manipulation of the Republican party.

Meanwhile, Sean Hannity condemned Obama for, what he called, a "divisive, politically charged and mean-spirited" eulogy.

When a faithfully married Black President, who was the son of a single mother, the first Black Editor of Harvard Law Review and a professor of Constitutional Law is called "greasy" "immoral," "divisive", and "anti-American" by Carlson, Hannity and those who buy into their philosophy, you have to wonder what they see when they think about Donald Trump.  In comparison to Obama (of which there is NONE), Trump is a xenophobic, misogynistic, philanderer, racist, trust fund kid who quotes from the National Enquirer, peddles conspiracy theories, routinely calls women ugly and fat, disrespects military veterans and advocates for separation of immigrant parents and children.  This is the person who has captured the hearts of a majority of Republicans and white evangelicals.  This is WHITE SUPREMACY.  Plain and simple but a blind, deaf and dumb audience will never see or hear that.

Remember, Racist thoughts and actions say more about the person they come from than the person they are directed at.  

Time Flies in Boomer World

Today is Ringo Starr's birthday. The oldest of The Beatles turns 70. Hard to believe that the drummer of the young English rock group that took America by storm in the 60s is a member of the post boomer generation.

In my mind, The Beatles have never aged. I still see them as four handsome young musicians with the bowl-type haircuts playing for millions of screaming, adoring fans. I was seven years old when I sat glued to my TV set watching them on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Ringo's birthday is a reminder that I, too, am getting older.

They say time flies when you're having fun. I say time flies whether you're having fun or not. Ask Ringo.

By the way, what was your all-time favorite Beatles' song?

To learn more about what Ringo is doing on his birthday, click on the title of this blog post.