Personally, I think U2's "New Year's Day" is way overplayed as a New Year's song. It's not, ya know. It's about the Polish Solidarity Movement of the 70s and 80s, led by Lech Walesa. Solidarity was Poland's first trade union not under the control of the ruling Communist party. Officially formed in 1980, Solidarity rose up following the protests of June 1976. Obviously, the party wanted them crushed. Risking everything, even their lives, Solidarity prevailed against the Communist party.
Contrary to what some political figures and groups would have you believe, unions have always been the soldiers on the front lines in the struggle, the fight--the war--for social and economic freedom and justice. Americans certainly owe much to the soldiers of our military, fighting in wars to keep America free from attack or invasion by outside powers. But, whether or not anyone is aware and whether or not anyone is willing to acknowledge, Americans owe just as much to unionized labor for fighting the wars against inside powers--the tyrants who seek to enslave our citizenry for their own economic purposes. The social aspects of this struggle are more a means to an end; it is always helpful in preserving an oligarchy to pit natural allies against each other--to divide and conquer by playing up ethnic or other differences. As Jay Gould noted many decades ago, "I can hire one half of the working class to kill the other half."
As times become increasingly difficult for poor and middle-class Americans, Gould's contemptuous statements become more and more true. At a time when Americans most need to be standing together, it becomes easier to pit us against each other. At a time when we most need the soldiers of our union armies to defend our freedoms against would-be tyrants here at home, they are at their most vulnerable. I would ask you to think about that the next time some television or radio host attacks organized labor (be it private or public sector) or tries to turn "Social Justice" into a dirty word or a Communist plot. I would ask you to think about the fact that these same people will tell you that, on the one hand, a million dollars a year is not a lot of income but, on the other hand, 40 thousand dollars a year is too much. Some pigs in our Animal Farm, it would seem, are more equal than others. I would ask you to think about this the next time you finish your 8 hour workday (or get overtime for working longer), enjoy your weekend (or get overtime for working longer), or your paid sick or vacation time, or your unpaid FMLA. I would ask you to think about this the next time you don't lose an arm or a lung because your employer is required to meet very minimum safety standards. People fought--and died--for these protections, for living wages, for dignity and respect, just as surely as any soldier in our military who gave his or her life that we might be free. And any objective history reading would well demonstrate that the things unions fight for always (when unions prevail) result in more jobs and higher wages, regardless of the bill of goods you're being sold by so-called populists who, in reality, represent the interests of the rich and powerful. Any objective reading of history would well demonstrate that attacking the unions is one of the first steps toward fascism (which is defined as the merging of the state and corporate interests), as best summed up in Martin Niemoller's famous quote.
To preserve our freedoms in these difficult times, we need unions now more than we have in nearly a century. That is precisely why they are under attack. The jobs and protections you do not have are not the fault of the unions, but of those who demonize them and seek to end them. We've already heard calls to make unionizing illegal, to make striking illegal, to strip public sector unions of their pensions. This isn't so that you can get a job or so that your tax dollars will be protected; it is to ensure the absolute power and control over your life by the ones who already benefit more from your labor than you do. This is all about control, the entrenchment of power and wealth, and removing from labor--from you--any leverage to bargain and any tools to protect yourself and your family from wage slavery. 80% of Americans say they'd like to join a union if they could. But only about 12% are unionized. That right there should tell you that the American people are losing our war against the tyrants. That right there should tell you that Card Check is a righteous idea worth at least trying. Every argument to the contrary is crap, plain and simple--poll tested distortions designed to get you and half the workers in the country to kill unions and the other half.
Poor Andy. All he did was sing a song. Andy Zipf is a Washington, DC singer who believes in music as communication, not just entertainment. I can at least hope, therefore, that he understands my attempting to use his performance of "New Year's Day" as a platform for communicating something I feel very strongly about. Andy's take on the song, presenting it in a beautiful dreamlike ballad form, allows the song's true meaning--something lost in the original due to over exposure, I feel--to surface again. At least that's my take on his take. You can pick up the song free for a Tweet or a post on Facebook. Head to Andy's site for full details. Andy also released a fine seasonal EP last December; you can check out "Traveler's Psalms And Carols" at Amazon MP3.
This is far more political than I ever hope for this web site to be. This is not a political blog. However, it is also, for the most part, written "stream of consciousness" and this sort of post was bound to happen sooner or later. I swear I set out to write a short paragraph about Andy Zipf and "New Year's Day". But one mention of the song's true genesis and.... It's not, though, red vs. blue or conservative vs. liberal. It's not that at all. It's about people and freedom vs. tyranny. I hope you'll think about that the next time you hear the song "New Year's Day".
Contrary to what some political figures and groups would have you believe, unions have always been the soldiers on the front lines in the struggle, the fight--the war--for social and economic freedom and justice. Americans certainly owe much to the soldiers of our military, fighting in wars to keep America free from attack or invasion by outside powers. But, whether or not anyone is aware and whether or not anyone is willing to acknowledge, Americans owe just as much to unionized labor for fighting the wars against inside powers--the tyrants who seek to enslave our citizenry for their own economic purposes. The social aspects of this struggle are more a means to an end; it is always helpful in preserving an oligarchy to pit natural allies against each other--to divide and conquer by playing up ethnic or other differences. As Jay Gould noted many decades ago, "I can hire one half of the working class to kill the other half."
As times become increasingly difficult for poor and middle-class Americans, Gould's contemptuous statements become more and more true. At a time when Americans most need to be standing together, it becomes easier to pit us against each other. At a time when we most need the soldiers of our union armies to defend our freedoms against would-be tyrants here at home, they are at their most vulnerable. I would ask you to think about that the next time some television or radio host attacks organized labor (be it private or public sector) or tries to turn "Social Justice" into a dirty word or a Communist plot. I would ask you to think about the fact that these same people will tell you that, on the one hand, a million dollars a year is not a lot of income but, on the other hand, 40 thousand dollars a year is too much. Some pigs in our Animal Farm, it would seem, are more equal than others. I would ask you to think about this the next time you finish your 8 hour workday (or get overtime for working longer), enjoy your weekend (or get overtime for working longer), or your paid sick or vacation time, or your unpaid FMLA. I would ask you to think about this the next time you don't lose an arm or a lung because your employer is required to meet very minimum safety standards. People fought--and died--for these protections, for living wages, for dignity and respect, just as surely as any soldier in our military who gave his or her life that we might be free. And any objective history reading would well demonstrate that the things unions fight for always (when unions prevail) result in more jobs and higher wages, regardless of the bill of goods you're being sold by so-called populists who, in reality, represent the interests of the rich and powerful. Any objective reading of history would well demonstrate that attacking the unions is one of the first steps toward fascism (which is defined as the merging of the state and corporate interests), as best summed up in Martin Niemoller's famous quote.
To preserve our freedoms in these difficult times, we need unions now more than we have in nearly a century. That is precisely why they are under attack. The jobs and protections you do not have are not the fault of the unions, but of those who demonize them and seek to end them. We've already heard calls to make unionizing illegal, to make striking illegal, to strip public sector unions of their pensions. This isn't so that you can get a job or so that your tax dollars will be protected; it is to ensure the absolute power and control over your life by the ones who already benefit more from your labor than you do. This is all about control, the entrenchment of power and wealth, and removing from labor--from you--any leverage to bargain and any tools to protect yourself and your family from wage slavery. 80% of Americans say they'd like to join a union if they could. But only about 12% are unionized. That right there should tell you that the American people are losing our war against the tyrants. That right there should tell you that Card Check is a righteous idea worth at least trying. Every argument to the contrary is crap, plain and simple--poll tested distortions designed to get you and half the workers in the country to kill unions and the other half.
Poor Andy. All he did was sing a song. Andy Zipf is a Washington, DC singer who believes in music as communication, not just entertainment. I can at least hope, therefore, that he understands my attempting to use his performance of "New Year's Day" as a platform for communicating something I feel very strongly about. Andy's take on the song, presenting it in a beautiful dreamlike ballad form, allows the song's true meaning--something lost in the original due to over exposure, I feel--to surface again. At least that's my take on his take. You can pick up the song free for a Tweet or a post on Facebook. Head to Andy's site for full details. Andy also released a fine seasonal EP last December; you can check out "Traveler's Psalms And Carols" at Amazon MP3.
This is far more political than I ever hope for this web site to be. This is not a political blog. However, it is also, for the most part, written "stream of consciousness" and this sort of post was bound to happen sooner or later. I swear I set out to write a short paragraph about Andy Zipf and "New Year's Day". But one mention of the song's true genesis and.... It's not, though, red vs. blue or conservative vs. liberal. It's not that at all. It's about people and freedom vs. tyranny. I hope you'll think about that the next time you hear the song "New Year's Day".
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