We Could Be Heroes

Life in a flash. Last post took place in 1971. This one takes place in 1981 in Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, East and West. The former checkpoint reminded me of Mexico rather than the "Evil Empire;" the latter was more like Vegas or Atlantic City with all its neon. But I met East German guide Anita Kretschmar, Meissenware artiste, in Dresden and East Berlin, and that made up for everything. I finally understood the perfection and brilliance of Iggy Pop in Berlin, and the full meaning of David Bowie's "Heroes." I wore a beard then, for some reason.

Today's Rune: Protection.

The Fight of the Twentieth Century; or, The Battle of Champions

Taking a break from the present, I found a ticket dated March 8, 1971, saved from when my Dad took me over to Raleigh, North Carolina, to see "THE BATTLE OF CHAMPIONS" on large closed circuit TV at Reynolds Coliseum on the North Carolina State University Campus. The champions in question were Muhammad Ali and Smokin' Joe Frazier. What I remember was: the palpable excitement, my Dad favoring Frazier because of his Philadelphia connections, and Frazier winning after fifteen tough rounds of mutual Frazier-Ali bashing. It was amazing to experience, and both men came off memorably well (hell -- here I am fondly writing about it thirty-seven -- yes, 37 -- years later . . .)














What I didn't know then was that Ali had to contest for the championship because he'd had his title taken away for protesting Vietnam, for refusing to go to an unpopular war (good God, the more things change . . .). I also had no idea at the time that many of my subsequently favorite artistes were at the actual ringside in Madison Square Garden, cool cats as widely ranged as Woody Allen and Frank Sinatra (gee, was Mia Farrow there?), Norman Mailer and Burt Lancaster.

Glad that both Ali and Frazier are still alive and in their mid-sixties, about the same age as many of my favorite rock stars from the 1960s and 70s . . .

Today's Rune: Fertility.

A Distant Mirror

I love reading up on the USA from an international perspective. It's called critical distance, something that we could all probably enjoy from time to time.

Here are pithy excerpts from Chidanand Rajghatta's "Obama wins, America triumphs," The Times of India (11/5/2008):

The planet's best-loved and often-reviled nation upheld the noble ideals of its founding fathers by electing a mixed-race African-American as its 44th president. . .

. . . pundits hadn't reckoned with an intuitive political genius with a flair for powerful oratory and building bridges. He had turned adversity to advantage, growing up suddenly with the realization that his elite degrees from Columbia and Harvard could be put to better use than latching on to high paying jobs in corporate America. Now he brought all the savvy the world's finest school taught him to the political arena and hired the best talent to build a grassroots movement that people are only now beginning to understand and admire.

In the end, Barack Obama rode the perfect storm of anti-incumbency discontent, the hunger for change, and an America in social and demographic transition to fashion the most incredible electoral victory, the scope and scale of which will be discussed for decades. His most remarkable feat was to transcend racial barriers. Although he openly identified himself as an African-American or black, his politics was not aimed at solely the black electorate, like most African-American politicians tend to do.

Instead, he reached out to the new America, and this kaleidoscopic multi-hued nation, where the current white majority will be a minority by 2042 (and the current minority will be a majority) responded like never before. The Republicans tried to subtly stir up the racial angle, speaking about "real America" and "pro-America parts of the country," thinly disguised euphemisms for white support. It didn't work. They missed the change; the real America was a new America and it was not just white. . .

[Interesting stuff. One thing missing here is discussion of the gender gap favoring Obama, but no worries. We'll hold that thought].

Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.

Land of Lincoln

Today's Rune: Partnership.

This Land

Folks, we're almost there . . . almost to the mountaintop . . .

Yesterday, I worked as a part of a two-man team canvassing in Detroit along Harper Avenue, from Operation Get Down, Inc. (a former YMCA) toward Harpos Concert Theatre (sometimes called Harpo's, opened in 1939), and found what looked to be 100% Obama support. Everybody we found planned to vote today or tomorrow. It's exciting!

Today, I find myself singing Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" (1940) and James Brown tunes, Johnny Cash and Billie Holiday. Hope ripples through the air. In this spirit, I'd like to thank Mark Krone for adding a new poem of his own in the comments section of the post a couple days back on Cornell West's Hope on a Tightrope.


Earlier this year, The Crow Nation adopted Barack Black Eagle. How cool is that? This Land is Their Land, too -- obviously.


Whatever it takes, let's make it happen!

Today's Rune: Warrior.

The Hag from Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan

McCain-Palin supporter, GOP convention delegate and Palinist whack job Shirley Nagel of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan (a wealthy Detroit suburb) not only plays nasty on Halloween. She also has her other priorities.

A couple of months ago -- according to Eli Saslow of The Washington Post ("On the Convention Floor," 9/4/2008) -- she became breathlessly excited to size up Sarah Palin in person:

It felt, Nagel said, like waiting for the appearance of a bride. . . "You judge a book by its cover, and we've been waiting for that chance with her," said Nagel, dressed in a hockey jersey like the rest of the Michigan delegation. "We want to see how tall she is, if she wears heels, how she wears her hair. That's stuff us Republican women need to know."

Thanks to Kip and also former student A.A.V. for pointing the video part of this story out to me. It's too perfect -- and it's been picked up by the Associated Press, so soon everybody will know about the Hag from Grosse Pointe Farms, "upscale" cousin to Joe the Plumber.

Today's Rune: Signals.

Hope on a Tightrope

We're so close now to Election Day, what a breathtaking marathon . . .

This evening, picked up a copy of the latest work by Cornel West, Hope on a Tightrope: Words & Wisdom (SmileyBooks, November 2008 -- as in the always cool Tavis Smiley). A wonderful book'o'the times, and a keeper for the follow-through of this election and beyond, steeped in history and culture. I knew it was out there, but it was hard to find -- placed in "Psychology" for some reason. When I got home, figured I'd start it for now and finish it later, but once I began reading, couldn't put it down until reaching the end, page 237. Highly recommended, and it would make a nifty gift book. Includes a CD that I'm aiming to listen to tomorrow. The shape (about the size of a DVD case) and layout are nice touches, as well -- a variety of fonts and points, photos and chapters, a glossary of key terms and a coda: "The Books and Music That Made Me." John Coltrane is there (yeahdawg!). "I believe music is deeper than philosophy," West notes, and I couldn't agree more. But there's also plenty of philosophy, and deep-felt Christianity, too, in Hope on a Tightrope.


In all, I vote for Cornel West's wit and wisdom about 90% of the time.

About Barack Obama, there's much remarked obliquely and some directly. It's hard not to agree with this summation: "Obama's brilliance, charisma and organizational genius have been a grand catalyst for hope. The verdict is not yet in whether he can maintain his hope on a tightrope." Hoping for hope, let's hope he -- and we -- can . . .

Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.