(Phil Ochs)

We need Woody Guthrie today more than we ever have. The working class is under attack as never since the time of the Robber Barons, and there is a widespread attempt to destroy unions. The incidence of (and deaths by) Black Lung among coal miners is rising as mine owners cut back on safety and health expenditures, while simultaneously funding "studies" designed to obfuscate the science that ties coal dust to the disease. And so on. We need another Woody to remind us that it is indeed our land, not the bankers' land.

Arlo Guthrie: "After a while though, it come to me. I could see it, just because it said 'California to the New York Island', didn't mean it had to go the short way! I could see it going around back! Redwood Forests, Gulf Stream waters, around that way! Then the whole world could be singing that song!"

a beat

"Except America."

All You Fascists Are Bound To Lose.

As for "the New York island", I always took that to mean he picked a handy location on the East Coast, just as he did with California on the West Coast. (Or do you think Oregon and Washington aren't covered either?)

(And if we're going to be literal-minded, we can note that Alaska and Hawaii were certainly US territory in the 1940s, even if they didn't happen to be organized as states yet. I seem to recall that an attack on Hawaii was our causus belli for declaring war in the Pacific...)

(I speak, incidentally, as someone born on the very last day of the 48-state United States.) (But not, as I used to think, the last day of the 48-star flag. Evidently the custom is to add stars for newly-admitted states on the 4th of July following their admission. So we added the 49th star on July 4, 1959, and the 50th on July 4, 1960.)

(You don't have to miss out if you're not in Australia; RN streams all its programs on the web after broadcast, and welcomes international listeners.)

My last post was gnomed with nary an URL to my name (unless you count the one in the "your URL" field).

FYI and all that.