Reader Tips

Reader Tips 50 Comments

Pete Seeger, arguably America’s most successful and beloved promoter of communist ideals, died yesterday, but his history, including what Ed Driscoll describes as his “totalitarian trifecta“, has been dutifully covered up for years now under a never-ending hagiographic wave of star-studded accolades and presidential tributes. As Mark Newgent at the Baltimore Examiner puts it, “When you speak out against communism you get booed, when you’re a cheerleader for its mass murderers you get a Kennedy Center tribute…”
Funny how that works.
Tonight’s tips music selection isn’t Seeger’s most overtly political song by any means, but it perfectly exemplifies the insufferably pious tone that fairly oozed from his pores. Get ready to squirm: Here’s Little Boxes.
You’re welcome.
The comments are open, as always, for your Reader Tips.

50 Replies to “Reader Tips”

  6. There are lots of talented entertainers whose political views are… utopian loupy.
    A few are exceptions, but most never learned about the scientific method in acting school or on the Folk Festival circuit.
    I listen to their music or watch their acting, but I wouldn’t follow their advice on which truck is best suited for hauling deer or moose out of the bush.
    Stephen Harper understands Canada’s economy but, and I appreciate his musical talents, modest as they are, but I’m not going to purchase a copy. 🙂
    A young Pete Seeger sings a traditional tribute to Rye Whiskey. Raise a glass.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFSAc3E1hWc

  8. Re: Little Boxes.
    Think early 60’s!! Sounds like a clip from CBC’s ”Friendly Giant.”
    On a different note. The CBC is giving out details of doomesday when the new Canada Post mailboxes will start to appear in residential areas in Feb. My family has been getting mail from a box since 1908. Nobody ever delivered mail to our door! And nobody ever felt sorry for my grandad who had to go seven miles in a wagon or a cutter to get his mail!
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/canada-post-s-1st-mailbox-changes-coming-in-early-february-1.2513441

  14. It’s those damn Hungarian Methodists who run Hollywood,
    that have caused the moral decay.

  15. At one time I used to like folk music but now I find it annoying. How come all the big stars in folk music were white? Forty to fifty years ago when folk music was popular and black people probably had issues they could whine about there were few black folk singers who became famous. Curious.

  24. Why I love the CBC.
    I don’t know what a minute or two of self-promotion would cost, but I imagine it is worth a few thou or ten.
    The CBC embraces ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ creed and they go whole hog on this one.
    Thirteen and a half minutes of coverage for the NCCM/CAIR-CAN crowd to slag PM Harper and the Conservatives. Zero time for a response. http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/ID/2433186033/
    The NCCM wanted PM Harper to kick a rabbi off his Israel adventure because they did not like his support of Pamela Geller and Robert Spence.
    Now they are howling about their ‘free speech’ rights because they got slapped for protesting other people’s right to free speech.
    The gov’t brought up their link to CAIR and CAIR’s support of Hamas.
    The CBC and to a lesser extent the other media are wiping their noses and saying “there,there,he’s a bully, I’ll give you a hug”.
    FIRE.THEM.ALL.

  25. First Porsche revealed to be an electric car from 1898
    Luxury automaker Porsche has revealed the first car designed by its founder was electric, in a show at its museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany.
    Ferdinand Porsche’s design was dubbed the Egger-Lohner electric vehicle C.2 Phaeton model, or the P1 for short. The car, made in 1898, was recently unearthed in an Austrian garage, where it had been stored since 1902. The 22-year-old Ferdinand Porsche, who would start Porsche in 1931, designed the P1 for carmaker Jacob Lohner.
    the car was driven using a 12-speed controller, which had six forward gears, two reverse gears and four gears with which to brake the car. The P1 could reach speeds of up to 21mph (34km/h) and travel up to 49 miles on a single charge.
    The young Mr Porsche eventually entered the P1 in a Berlin road race, which took place on 28 September 1899. Competitors had to travel a total of 24 miles with four passengers (including the driver).
    The P1 beat out the other competitors handily, crossing the finish line a full 18 minutes before the next car. In a detail that seems almost too good to be true, the P1 won another accolade: least amount of energy consumed.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25934289

  28. crossing the finish line a full 18 minutes before the next car.
    –
    Gross weight- 2,977 lbs.
    Battery weight- 1,103 lbs.
    Motor- 287 lbs.
    Good thing about the Porsche “P1”,
    when the battery died it could be pulled home with horses..

  29. I wonder why Seeger never joined his comrades in the Spanish Civil War – he was about the right age and certainly of the right political persuasion.

  32. Aside from all the ill-conceived bluster about Seeger’s politics he has my respect for 2 reasons – he was always a friend of the farmer and average working schmuck who had the boot of big government, big business and big banks on his neck – and he felt conformity was a disease (it is when we conform to bad ideas and poor governance) Of course trying to express this in mainstream political regimes or governments or political leaders is nearly impossible because NO pragmatic political system south of anarchy supports non conformity or not exploiting working class people. All organized politics are based on some level of klepto-economics and bending individual will to authority is what practical governance is about – Seeger was a free soul looking for a refuge in a political solution – there is none for true non conformists so his hope lead him to some poor choices.
    I’ll always remember sitting in my PJs as a preschooler watching Seeger on “Hootenanny” with my older cousin who was right into the folk scene and banjo picking. Pete was a friend and fellow traveler of Woody Guthrie and his grass roots populism ideology.
    RIP Pete ….you and Woody can pick and hoot all day now.

  33. While Pete Seeger recorded “Little Boxes”, Malvina Reynolds, an even more execrable human being, wrote it.

  34. Yeah and Chris Christie, somehow, has been held out as a ‘favourite’ for the Repub nominee, although he is a CINO in most everyway.
    Of course now, the MSM smells blood with that bridge fiasco, seemingly created by his overzealous staff.

  35. Occam says “Seeger was a free soul looking for a refuge in a political solution – there is none for true non conformists so his hope lead him to some poor choices”
    The ‘non-conformity’ of the left and Seeger in particular could more accurately be characterized as belligerence rather than striking a path untrod. I’ve seen this first hand with local politics. If there is any controversy whatsoever when it boils down to voting aye or nay on something the local issue-maker will always vote against the tide. When stone age man invented fire, he’s the guy who expressed reservations.

  36. Seeger as an idealist and worker advocate was drawn to the CPUSA sphere in the 1930s. Unfortunately he was duped by the ideology and remained under this influence for decades.
    While thousands of his fellow comrades left the Party in 1939-41 after the Stalin-Hitler pact, Seeger faithfully followed the Commintern line through 2 180 degree turns. The Almanac singers released an album of political songs in early 1941 supporting peace and damning President Roosevelt. When Hitler invaded the SU in June, they recalled the records and replaced them with newly written pro war efforts. Such absurdities should have convinced Seeger of the emptiness of CPUSA policies.
    Still it took Seeger almost 45 years to finally admit that Party ideology was somewhat lacking. He should have caught on far sooner.

  37. Mohammed’s JournoList.
    …-
    “Egypt says 20 journalists ‘facing charges’
    BBC News”
    “Sixteen are Egyptians accused of belonging to a “terrorist organisation” and four are foreigners accused of assisting it, or spreading false news.”

  38. He spent his life advocating as an unrepentant communist.
    100 million were murdered by their own communist governments during his lifetime.
    It’s not our place to judge the deceased. Good luck to him.

  39. AGW’s Freeze From J.A.W.S.
    AGW Freezes Sharks.
    AGW Frozen Sharks Kill.
    “We have already seen one fatality from an individual trying to take a selfie with a frozen shark. We hope to recover his head later this week.”
    …-
    “Over 150 Frozen Sharks Found Along Gulf Coast as Winter Storm Hits Region”
    ““Sharks are remarkably adaptable, they have entered a hibernation like state while frozen,” Shepherd tells us. “They can come out of this state and will become incredibly irritated and possibly violent due to the extreme cold surrounding their body. We have already seen one fatality from an individual trying to take a selfie with a frozen shark. We hope to recover his head later this week.””
    http://www.rockcitytimes.com/150-frozen-sharks-gulf-coast-winter-storm-hits-region/

  40. AGW Smites Atlanta.
    …-
    “SNOWMAGEDDON! Atlanta Shut Down Entirely”
    “Source: Personal observations. | 1/29/2014 | By Laz A. Mataz”
    “There are reports of some people who have been in their cars, stationary, for as many as 16 hours — including one person who reports being on the road 21 hours. Many motorists have run out of gasoline, and quite a few commuters abandoned their vehicles to go into local restaurants and stores to keep warm.
    HERO rescue trucks and salt-spreading vehicles have found it impossible to perform their duties due to the complete gridlock. Various city and county officials cannot predict when the crisis will ease.
    It is estimated that 100,000 to as many as 250,000 people have been stranded overnight, and since the prediction is for no temperature increase over freezing (except for briefly midday) there is no estimate to when the gridlock will ease.”
    http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3116993/posts

  42. Interesting site and I agree completely with your assessment. I also like your other website. That insufferable song “Little Boxes” is also worth scrutiny because Seeger sings about all the things he never had and outright rejected due to his political beliefs, but the words hint at more than a little anger at his inability to change the mindset of the general population on the merits of socialism as he saw it. I see it as a lashing out against capitalism and mocking those that disagreed with his ideals.

  43. Funny thing about that song, “Little Boxes”. It seems to have been prophetic. Back in the ’50’s and ’60’s, housing developments were much more varied than they are now. Looking at the host of new developments sprung up around Calgary, every damn house is the same. Same size, same wall finish, same shingles on the roof. And probably an HOA in place to keep them that way. Conformity was never so enforced back in the day.
    Seeger was a fine performer. But he also was a dyed in the wool commie, no doubt about it. Of course, Communist countries didn’t build “little boxes”, they built great big concrete ones to warehouse the drones of the socialist workers’ paradise. Heh.

  44. Our CBC’s Liberal Ship of Fools has been holed by Great Leader Liberal Justine.
    …-
    “Justin Trudeau’s former senators say they don’t mind being cut loose” (cbc)
    “Liberal leader says senators not welcome in caucus” (cbc)

  45. And all the houses in the street have got a name
    ‘Cause all the houses in the street, they look the same
    Same chimney pots, same little cars, same window panes
    Ray Davies
    Approx 45 years ago

  46. “Picture of the week – great moments in climate protests”
    “I trained to be a 350.org climate activist, now I are one!
    From the Keystone XL protest yesterday ahead of the SOTU address. Note the snow and cold weather gear which is required for a global warming protest, but that’s not all…”
    http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/350-keystone-20140128-00112.jpg
    http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/01/29/picture-of-the-week-great-moments-in-climate-protests/#more-102392

  47. AGW’s State of the Onion Speech.
    Check out AGW’s “linger”.
    …-
    “Storm leaves Florida Panhandle covered in ice”
    “PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) –
    Residents in the western Panhandle remained indoors and off the roads on Wednesday as freezing temperatures caused a layer of ice and dusting of snow to linger.”
    “The region hasn’t seen snow and ice for years.”
    http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/24571932/2014/01/29/winter-storm-causes-problems-in-the-panhandle

  48. PET Cemetery Report.
    Death of the Liberal Party By Suicide.
    Inkless Wells @macleans: “I spotted a staffer for one of the senators. Did you have any advance word on this, I asked? “Nobody had a f—kin’ clue!” she said cheerfully. ”
    …-
    “Trudeau to his senators: You’re fired!
    Toronto Sun”
    “Trudeau boots Liberal Senators, but Senators still want to be Liberals
    CTV News”
    “Manitoba senator ‘still Liberal senator’ after mass expulsion”
    “”We’ll still have the status of official opposition in the Senate because we are still 32 Liberal senators,” she said. “We’re still Liberal senators. We’re just not part of Liberal caucus of Canada any more.” (cbc)
    “P.E.I. now has four independent senators, following a surprise announcement Wednesday in Ottawa by federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.” (cbc)
    Wells:
    “An NDP staffer this morning was gleeful, because with only 34 MPs and zero Senators, the Liberals may no longer qualify for a caucus room in the Centre Block. It’s not entirely clear how all this will work.”
    http://www2.macleans.ca/2014/01/29/let-us-tell-sad-tales-of-the-deaths-of-senate-caucuses/

  49. Ex-Liberal Sheeple Senators Purged by Great Leader Caligula, aka Boots Justine.
    “The move was effective immediately. The shocked, newly Independent senators huddled for hours before emerging to proclaim they still viewed themselves as big-L Liberals and party supporters. And they did not publicly voice dissent over the surprise move.”
    …-
    “Justin Trudeau boots all senators from Liberal caucus”
    “Chrétien declined any public comment Wednesday.”
    http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/01/29/justin_trudeau_boots_all_senators_from_liberal_caucus.html?google_editors_picks=true

  50. O says, It’s for the children.
    O: “The debate is settled. Climate change is a fact.”
    …-
    “Obama then summoned his inner promise keeper:
    “When our children’s children look us in the eye and ask if we did all we could to leave them a safer, more stable world, with new sources of energy, I want us to be able to say yes, we did.”
    http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-01-29/obama-has-total-legal-cover-for-climate-action-dot-does-he-have-the-nerve#r=hp-ls
    …-
    “Helicopters search for stranded Southern drivers”
    “Stephanie Reynolds, a second-grade teacher, spent the night with about 10 students and two dozen co-workers at Meadow View Elementary School in Alabaster, Ala. Many of the children’s parents were stuck in cars in roadways and unable to pick up their kids, she said.”
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/winter-storm-causes-wrecks-gridlock-in-the-south/2014/01/28/c1e86a00-8887-11e3-a760-a86415d0944d_story.html

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