Tag: Remembrance

“You Are the Un-Americans, and You Ought to be Ashamed of Yourselves”

Crossposted at Daily Kos and The Stars Hollow Gazette

On January 23, 1976, one of the greatest Americans of the twentieth century died a nearly forgotten man in self-imposed seclusion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  

Over the last three decades or so, you rarely, if ever, hear his name mentioned in the popular media.  Once every few years, you might hear someone on PBS or C-Span remember him fondly and explain as to why he was one of the more important figures of the past century.  In many respects, he had as much moral authority as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks; he was as politically active as Dick Gregory, Harry Belafonte, John Lewis, and Randall Robinson; and, as befits many men and women motivated by moral considerations, he conducted himself with great dignity.  For much of his life, not surprisingly and not unlike many of his worthy successors, he was marginalized and shunned by the political establishment of his time — until events validated their ‘radical’ beliefs and resurrected their reputations.

Throughout his life, few principled men of his caliber paid as high a price and for as long a period as he did for his political beliefs.

June Cleaver (Beaver’s Mom) Has Died – w/Fav TV Sitcom Poll

Crossposted at Daily Kos and The Stars Hollow Gazette

Barbara Billingsley, whose portrayal of June Cleaver on the sitcom “Leave It to Beaver” helped define the suburban TV mother of the 1950s and who lampooned her wholesome image in the movie “Airplane!” as a prim older lady who is fluent in “jive,” died Oct. 16 at her home in Santa Monica, Calif.  She was 94.

Mrs. Billingsley was a fashion model and supporting player on film and television before she won her best-known role, gowned in her signature skirts, high heels and pearls as the Cleaver family matriarch on “Leave It to Beaver.”

June Cleaver was presented as the flawless housewife, lovingly going through the motions of running a home: stuffing celery with peanut butter, vacuuming in high heels, greeting her husband when he came home at night and tucking in her two adorable sons.

link

A Remembrance of Iraqis

     (Photo by: Ahmad Al-Rubaye)

An Iraqi  girl is helped across spilled oil in Baghdad on Wednesday.

An Iraqi girl gingerly makes her way through oil spilled on a Baghdad street on Wednesday.

Also posted at DailyKos. (Link)

Steve and Kerry — Two names on the Vietnam Wall

vietnam reflections Pictures, Images and Photos

This is my very first attempt at anything other than a comment on any site, so please bear that in mind if you choose to read this…

Two names of young men from my Upper Midwest hometown are chiseled into the Vietnam Wall.  I was privileged to know both of them.  

Scholar, Athlete, Actor, Singer, Linguist, Activist, and More

(I had problems with HTML tags last night.  Hence the delay in posting this — JnH)

Crossposted at Daily Kos and Truth & Progress

On this day, January 23, 1976, one of the greatest Americans of the twentieth century died a nearly forgotten man in self-imposed seclusion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  

Over the last three decades or so, you rarely, if ever, hear his name mentioned in the popular media. Once every few years, you might hear someone on PBS or C-Span remember him fondly and explain as to why he was one of the more important figures of the past century.  In many respects, he had as much moral authority as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks; he was as politically active as Dick Gregory, Harry Belafonte, John Lewis, and Randall Robinson; and, as befits many men and women motivated by moral considerations, he conducted himself with great dignity.  For much of his life, not surprisingly and not unlike many of his worthy successors, he was marginalized and shunned by the political establishment of his time — until events validated their ‘radical’ beliefs and resurrected their reputations.

What did this man do that propel so many to ignore his numerous contributions and conveniently forget the crucial role he played in our culture and politics?  Or, a few others to remember him with deep reverence and respect?