It is hard not to notice that this is the 50th anniversary of one of the most turbulent years in America’s history. Every day we are reminded of the events which contributed to that assessment. The surprise announcement by Lyndon Johnson on March 31 that he would not seek re-election. Yesterday’s recognition of the assassination in Memphis of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The urban riots in the aftermath of King’s death. And soon the assassination of Robert Kennedy (June 5).
However, a significant event for those of us who grew up on folk music somehow passed under the radar screen. On March 3, 1968, singer and songwriter Laura Nyro released what many consider her seminal album Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. Although the album does not rank as one of Nyro’s more commercially successful ventures, it ushered in an era of “fusion” music bringing together elements of folk, soul, gospel and rock. Numerous tracks were re-released as covers by groups including Three Dog Night and The Fifth Dimension. And six tracks from the album were included in the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater’s ballet Quintet.
As I often remind those of you who regularly follow this blog, the topic of any particular post and the context in which it is presented seldom results from any planned, analytical process. Instead, it is based on random observations which trigger our curiosity. In other words, we see something and wonder, “What is this trying to tell me?” In this case, the trigger was Wisconsin governor Scott Walker’s tweets following the election of liberal Rebecca Dallet to the state’s Supreme Court, beating NRA-backed conservative Michael Screnock by 12 percentage points.
Tonight’s results show we are at risk of a #BlueWave in WI. The Far Left is driven by anger & hatred — we must counter it with optimism & organization. Let’s share our positive story with voters & win in November.
Big government special interests flooded Wisconsin with distorted facts & misinformation. Next, they’ll target me and work to undo our bold reforms. We need to keep moving #WIForward & make sure a #BlueWave of outside special interest money doesn’t take us backward.
We have come to expect this kind of digital rhetoric from the White House, but now these electronic falsehoods were coming at us from more than just Pennsylvania Avenue. This is what Carl Jung referred to as a “synchronistic moment,” a connection where none seems to exist. E-lies coming. What is this trying to tell me. It was time to re-explore the lyrics of Nyro’s song “Eli’s Coming” and sure enough, there was the association.
Eli’s coming, better walk, walk
But you’ll never get away
No, you’ll never get away from the burning heartache
I walked to Apollo by the bay
Everywhere I go though, Eli’s coming
(She walked but she never got away)
Eli’s coming
And that is what is at the core of the resistance and what Scott Walker does not understand. It is not anger and hatred that is driving this movement. It is anger and heartache. Heartache watching the erosion of the values and ideals on which the United States was founded. Heartache because those with the power to do something about it not only sit silently, but by their muteness, enable and encourage more attacks on our democracy and the institutions which were designed to protect democracy.
And yes there is also anger which is driving this movement. But it is internal anger. Anger that too many of us were complacent and did not understand what was at stake. Anger at ourselves for waiting too long before taking to the streets or writing postcards. Anger for believing we could not make a difference. As Shakespeare reminds us, “The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”
Now we know we should have listened to Laura Nyro. “You’ll never get away.” And the worse may be yet to come. The White House is being populated by more liars and sycophants. And as we learned this weekend, Sinclair Broadcasting is turning local news programs into Pravda-like mouthpieces for the administration. But Nyro was only half right. It is not time to walk. It’s time to run. As hard as we can. As though our lives depend on it.
For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP