MUSIC IN THE STREETS

I'm back. My first blog in six months.

I have lived most of my life out on a
limb, so this won’t come a surprise…. I
think that the Obama win and his presence
on the stage of the world has encouraged
the whole Goddam human race. I think that
all over the place folks are recovering their
self-respect….and that a new kind of un-
selfishness has appeared….something like
the appearance of humanism in the 16th Century and
the sweep of reason in the 18th. I just can’t
quite find the word or the words……I’ve been
searching all week, finally my pal Ann said
“people feel encouraged” and that’ll do fine
for the time being.

Make a list. Lebanon….the sensible lot won
a very important election. There are
folks speaking out in Israel and Palestine who
really want to settle that business no matter how
ancient the divide.

And Iran…..my God….day after day of silent
protest, green wrist bands on the national soccer
team. Look anywhere…Russia…I smell something
better with this guy Medvedev and China
has had some generous days.

And here at home, the horizon is clearer…nobody’s
denouncing their neighbor and I swear there is a real
difference on the streets…..people are talking and
slapping hands all over. I was in New York a couple
days ago and it just felt different…nobody was a
Christian or a Jew or a black or a white or a brown…..
everybody was somebody and the there was
a kind of music on Broadway that wasn’t just in the
theatres it was in those little parks and on the sidewalks.

Now I don’t mean Obama has fixed up all this stuff….
(although that speech in Cairo was magnificent) it’s
just that hope seems to be alive again….something
has changed in what we used to call the “ether”….
the atmosphere.

It's June 17, 2009 and that's what I think.


Val