Monday, March 05, 2007

Me First Post

Well Gents I'd say something along the lines of its nice to be brought into this lovely blog, but I've been around awhile now, so enough with the formailities.

Thought I'd give the ol' Paddywop a bit of my specialty, and that's music. I've been telling Paddy that I wish politicians could only express themselves musically for more purposes than one, but primarily so that when they wanted to propose something idiotic no one would get caught up in high falootin language, but could see (or hear rather) straight to the point. My hero Woodie Guthrie was known for his down to earth music and the witty bites he'd take at the well to do senators back in Washington. I hope you enjoy this note written to Alan Lomax at the Library of Congress September 9th, 1940:

"The boys and girls down in Oklahoma make as much of a celebration out of election day as they can. Most of them are still full of pep and vinegar and body politics. Wait a second there's a guitar falling off of the wall and I got to run and catch it. A Catholic family just moved in down below us with three kids and they shake everything out of the other four floors of this old building. There is a lady thats pregnant visits on the first floor and she might of dropped a little something. Yes Texas is interested in politics too but not so much elections. Down there its mainly who can play the best hoedown music. Well its sort of that a way in Oklahoma too and even in California because after W. Lee. O'Daniels got to be governor on a break down fiddle the musicians has sobered up a little and are we getting big ideas. Now I said that they was all a sobering up and maybe I didnt exactly mean that. The other half of them is a drinking more than both sides use to and a practicing up to beat the devil. Yes sir musical elections is what we got down there. And Roosevelt or Willkie one would do dern good to make that stretch of country with a guitar fiddle or something -- but Roosevelt has been a fiddling around now all over the 48 states for some long time. Why I've seen judges and repersentatives and all kinds of congress men get elected down in there just on one good greasy string. And I personally know of one colored boy down close to Seminole that has put three district judges and 2 county sherrifs and 11 members of 4 school boards into office just with a 50-cent mouth harp and it aint what you say in your speech down yonder its just who hires that colored boy to blow them freight train blues and play that Lost Indian and The Fox and the Hounds on that french harp. I feel like I ought to mention in a round about way too that he has kept 17 preachers their jobs down through that particular country for the last five years. I guess its about the same all over. Some folks think Im just a joking but this is history. This is what you got to know before you can win a election, music and womens legs -- but with music and bathing beauties you can really sack up -- look what Hitler's done with naked women. Well you take both and you dont need an office. Senators under 12 years aint suppose to read this. We got a little of both back where I come from. Lets see what was I going to say before I spoke? Oh yes it was elections. The average elections are about as useful as a slop jar without a bottom in it. Pardon me a lady just fell out of the top story and I got to run and snatch her. Down in Baltimore Md., they wont let you buy no liquor on election day and so they sell more than ever on that day. They say they want you to vote sober. What difference does it make, you couldnt vote no wronger. Sometimes I think they ought to try it the other way. If the people was to ever win an election, they'd think they was dead and in heaven, I mean in heaven without a having to die. Who started that stuff about you got to get killed to be happy? Some states charge you $1.75 to vote they call it poll tax, that takes a weeks groceries and snuff and most folks figure that the democrats aint worth 1.75 and the republicans aint worth that much. What the world needs to do sometime or other is to vote right just once and win just one election and then it would be a whole lot different. What we need in this president is somebody that believes in his country."

To see the whole letter, which I highly recommend, see and look for the letter title "Vote for Bloat" http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wwghtml/wwghome.html

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