It’s funny how life moves and evolves. I’ve thought for years about writing a diary about my favorite song from Kate Campbell’s terrific catalogue of creative brilliance, but never could achieve escape velocity with it. That changed this week with Obama’s surprising Cuba revelation.
It has been interesting to see the re-examination of a policy toward another country that should have been dismantled decades ago. Of course, the usual Republican suspects (okay, mostly Rubio) are in panic mode at the sharp change. I have no sympathy for them. They remind me of a brief story from Hermann Melville's Moby Dick, that I read so many years ago in the student times.
Desecrated as the body is, a vengeful ghost survives and hovers over it to scare. Espied by some timid man-of-war or blundering discovery-vessel from afar, when the distance obscuring the swarming fowls, nevertheless still shows the white mass floating in the sun, and the white spray heaving high against it; straightway the whale's unharming corpse, with trembling fingers is set down in the log- shoals, rocks, and breakers hereabout: beware! And for years afterwards, perhaps, ships shun the place; leaping over it as silly sheep leap over a vacuum, because their leader originally leaped there when a stick was held. There's your law of precedents; there's your utility of traditions; there's the story of your obstinate survival of old beliefs never bottomed on the earth, and now not even hovering in the air! There's orthodoxy!
(From Chapter 69, The Funeral. p. 329 of the 100 Greatest Books edition by the Easton Press, 1977, only copy I could lay my hands on at short notice.)
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Just so was Cuba annotated in their personal maps, silly sheep jumping over a vacuum, indeed! (But, sadly, not the kind of vacuum to suck them down, metaphorically, from our political landscape.) Fairly withering criticism, courtesy of Hermann Melville! Thank you, sir!
Change is change, and this one should have happened long ago.
Kate’s fine song is about a Cuban woman named Rosa, and the three generations of Cuban women around her. Her job is rolling cigars, the finest in the world, she believes. They are the creative thrust in her life, one she is proud of, one she speculates freely about, as her product goes where she cannot (COULD not?! with Obama’s changes?! Time will tell!).
Here are the lyrics for Kate’s song, Rosa's Coronas.
Como estas? My name is Rosa and like my mother before me
Everyday I roll cigars and they're the finest in the world
To pass the time the reader reads about the violence in America
And I pray for my daughter and her baby girl
Late one night they took a boat ninety miles from Havana
To escape the only life I've ever known
She could have been just like me, a well-respected working woman
Who believes in her country and her home
And I wonder as I roll where will each one go
Will they land in the hands of kings and presidents
It's an art, it's a skill, and some would even kill
Just for one of Rosa's coronas
It's everywhere in the news that John Paul is on his way
And for years I've longed to see the Holy Father's parade
We've been told not to go or production falls behind
But I know the quota won't be made that day
(Lyrics courtesy of Lyricsmania (though I know them by heart, and could have transcribed them, myself. http://www.lyricsmania.com/...)
And here is the song in YouTube, music only, I'm afraid.
That version of Rosa’s Coronas is a later recording made for her album, The Portable Kate Campbell, in 2004, but the song was first released on the Rosaryville album in 1999. I like that version much better. One of the supporting artists (I believe it was Kenny Vaughan) did two unique guitar runs between the final passes through the chorus. If you ever get a chance to hear that version, please enjoy it!
“Rosaryville features gems like “Rosa’s Coronas,” which in three minutes reveals more about an individual’s life and character than most writers manage in thousands of words.”
–Michael McCall, Nashville Scene
(Quotation found on Kate’s website.)
One of my favorite subjects on Daily Kos is human creativity and its value. As my sig line (dKos 4 and below) attests, I am a huge fan of Jonathan Larson’s great insight (in his musical, RENT) about war, peace and creation. Rosa's work - but also her creativity - is in making something the world regards as of the very highest standard. She's proud of it, of who she is, of her heritage. I think those are fine and appropriate things.
And even though the 'state' does not want her to attend the visit of the Pope, she knows she will not be alone in disobeying, for what she clearly regards as a once in a lifetime opportunity.
She ‘reads about the violence in America …’
We read about that, too, Rosa. We see it in the news just about every day, a source of great sadness and dismay. Sometimes, too rarely, it serves as political motivation, perhaps when creativity is too rare.
Godspeed, dear Rosa. May you be reunited with your daughter and granddaughter, and your audience with the Pope as gratifying as you hope. He played a major role in the changes, you know.
And may those who wish to live in the past come to understand that the stick has been removed, and the mindless jumping is no longer required of them.
On to tonight’s comments! Formatted by brillig, my TC BFF!
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything
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not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From eyesoars:
In teacherken's diary NY Times editorial: Prosecute Torturers and Their Bosses, Yellow Canary replies to doomvox's comment with a stinker
From Free Jazz at High Noon:
LeftHandedMan (who has been on a roll of late) nails the hypocrisy of small govt types when their own interests are threatened. Lucid and sharp.
From LinSea:
For a great, healing belly laugh, this picture from smileycreek in today's C-U-A diary.
From The Marti:
From annieli's diary OOPS! North Korea's Internet Just Went Down I had to send this perfect explanation from jalbert for the crash of North Korea's internet service
Several comment 'flags:'
Flagged by Timaeus is this comment by RoIn, that led in turn to this comment by Shifty18, on North Korea's hacking woes! Good thread! (Chronologically the thread begin's with Shifty18's comment. Best place to start!)
We often read of sux/rox debates in the threads, so it seems rare when a rox'er recs a sux'er on something they agree about. But LiberalCanuck flagged this interesting rant/comment by 3rdOption, and then followed it up with a comparably interesting comment, expressing frustrations many of us feel.
Top Mojo for yesterday, December 21st, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary FAQing Top Mojo.
1) But we have these special bridges in New Jersey by crystal eyes — 210
2) There Is No Draft For Policemen...... by snapples — 207
3) We lost that edge the day Reagan... by JeffW — 169
4) A Blast from the recent past. by poco — 150
5) Pat Lynch is a douche by Rob Dapore — 141
6) Several Comments by unapologeticliberal777 — 141
7) when you think the scum cant get any lower.. by Karl Rover — 130
8) Lynch was advocating violence by threatening by a2nite — 121
9) Pretty sure the mayor wasn't advocating violence by elenacarlena — 119
10) Time for Cuomo to call up the National Guard by Walt starr — 117
11) Yeah, I'm in my early 30s, but I really get the by james321 — 109
12) I agree Pat Lynch is causing more harm to the NYPD by Byrnt — 107
13) Dinkins couldn't have known by liamcdg — 106
14) Giuliani is no better than George Wallace by MJB — 100
15) Bill de Blasio was elected by liamcdg — 98
16) for sure.. by liamcdg — 93
17) Angela Davis has stated in her discussions by Denise Oliver Velez — 89
18) By putting his command post in by NancyWH — 88
19) We're too busy "investing" in war toys… by DeadHead — 88
20) Excellent diary. This should be on the reclist by Timaeus — 87
21) When I marched in protest at the Republican by poco — 87
22) His presidency marked a major shift in philosophy by RFK Lives — 79
23) No, they're not entitled to express their by kovie — 77
24) Because of this: by fcvaguy — 75
25) Mister "a Noun, a Verb, and 9/11" by dagnome — 72
26) I agree. And giving those faulty radios by poco — 69
27) It's a Valid Question by Superpole — 68
28) Don't go there, they're feeding you a line by elenacarlena — 67
29) Blame is wrong. by DRo — 66
30) He was real quiet when the police were killed by by 88kathy — 65
Top Pictures for yesterday, December 21st. Click any picture to be taken to the full comment and/or larger picture. Thank you
jotter for the image magic!