“Yet because of his gargantuan inheritance from one of America’s richest fortunes, permissible by our faulty tax laws, there he sat as chairman… a frequent guest at the White House… Many politicians, too equated money with brains and esteem.”
-written about early 1960’s economic royalist Henry Ford II
The Book of the Week is “Let the Glory Out, My South and Its Politics” by Albert Gore, Sr., first published in 2000 [but written in 1972]. The author (father of former vice president Al Gore), a U.S. senator from Tennessee, described his experiences in politics. Sadly, the nature of some politicians’ behavior has changed little since the 1950’s and 1960’s.
As is well known, the 1950’s saw several landmark U.S. Supreme Court Civil-Rights Movement cases. [As an aside, charter schools are the modern-day version of “separate but equal” situation in American education– when compared to the private schools attended by children of wealthy parents (See the second-to-last paragraph of this blog’s post “Vernon Can Read”)].
Anyway, Congressman E.C. Gathings of Arkansas thought that the move toward racial integration was a Communist plot (!) Other American politicians weren’t so zealous in spreading anti-Communist propaganda, but they did fight integration tooth and nail. These included among others, Strom Thurmond, Harry Byrd and Richard Russell. They wanted to maintain the then-status quo of white supremacy and States’ rights.
Read the book to learn many more ways in which the same political issues keep rearing their ugly heads again and again and again, because some people (such as those in the CDC [Centers for Disease Control]) under political pressure, will say anything in order to secure funding for, and/or keep their jobs at, their organizations. Along these lines, here’s a lamentation on the CDC of late:
CDC
sung to the tune of “Maybelline” with apologies to the estate of Chuck Berry.
CDC, is what you say true?
Oh CDC, is what you say true?
You flip-flop on all you advise us to do.
As the pandemic lockdown was a go
I saw CDC contradictions grow.
When deciding on a mask mandate for all,
you made a really confusing call.
On closing schools you went against the grain.
Partly why the country went insane.
CDC, is what you say true?
Oh CDC, is what you say true?
You flip-flop on all you advise us to do.
Well with orders, guidelines and mandates,
you influenced govs ruling our states.
You got cloudy on immigration.
You crossed boundaries, causing irritation.
The stress from your waffling affected neighborhoods.
We knew you were doing propagandists good.
CDC, is what you say true?
Oh CDC, is what you say true?
You flip-flop on all you advise us to do.
CDC, is what you say true?
Oh CDC, is what you say true?
You flip-flop on all you advise us to do.
Well, the country calmed down, deaths went down.
We heard more of your untrustworthy sound.
Your messaging looked like politics again.
Who knows what your real motive was then?
We’re not listening, not sittin’ still.
We’re living our lives. You are a pill.
CDC, is what you say true?
Oh CDC, is what you say true?
You flip-flop on all you advise us to do.