WagooMusic

This is not the kind of barrier-breaking people typically cheer: The FBI announced Thursday that it has added the first-ever woman to its list of Most Wanted Terrorists, where she joined the ranks of extremists such as al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.

Joanne Chesimard—she may be using the name Assata Shakur—was convicted of several charges, including the murder of a New Jersey state trooper during a May 1973 traffic stop. She was sentenced to life in prison, but escaped and ultimately surfaced in 1984 in Cuba, where she received asylum, the FBI said in a statement.

The FBI has offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to her arrest. The state of New Jersey has independently offered another $1 million.

The State Department lists Cuba among state sponsors of terrorism, along with Iran, Sudan and Syria. Critics of the designation, which dates back to 1982, say it reflects Cold War-era opposition to Fidel Castro more than any ongoing support for violent extremism. The State Department says Cuba has harbored members of the Basque separatist group ETA.

While the department does not list Chesimard’s case specifically, the country listing for Cuba says the Castro government "continued to permit fugitives wanted in the United States to reside in Cuba and also provided support such as housing, food ration books, and medical care for these individuals."

Abraham Lincoln has evolved into a legend that often exceeds George Washington in popularity. Albums that use his likeness for historical music are quite plentiful. Most of these albums, unfortunately, do not directly connect listeners with the 16th President: the listeners are merely entertained with standards from the mid-1800s. There are a few songs that have lasted for over a century, including “Dixie’s Land” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Audiences might get a few additional songs that are still popular with folk singers, such as “Lorena” or “Weeping, Sad and Lonely.” Why are listener’s not provided with songs directly about Lincoln?

The actual reason for this oversight is not accidental. Most 19th Century songs, especially one of the political nature, are controversial to modern audiences. The language and sentiments of America in the ante-bellum period are radically different from modern America. Therefore, we find that Abraham Lincoln election songs that directly have to do with him are not often recorded. If a campaign songs is recorded, it will usually be the song “Lincoln and Liberty.” The song does not stand out because of its popularity in 1860; instead it is known because Pete Seeger recorded the song 100 years later. Moreover, the song was from the abolitionist wing of the Republican Party: the lyrics can fit with the modern image of Abraham Lincoln.

Surprisingly, most Americans have not called for a different view of Lincoln. Popular movies are made along the same lines. Steven Spielberg’s recent film “Lincoln” displayed that the 13th Amendment faced some opposition, but the movie lacked direct criticism of Lincoln himself. The Arts & Entertainment industry is a product of its time; therefore, the songs, movies and books produced will appeal to the zeitgeist. Artists themselves, not to mention Hollywood studios and record labels, are businesses that need to turn a profit for their investors. There is no need to rock the boat and put forward any information that can cause controversy.

Songs are a better method of allowing a time period to come alive. Reading long speeches in the congressional record may be necessary for researchers; but for those with a general interest in history, an album that puts forward authentic 19th Century lyrics can help fill the void that has been established for the past 50 years in the Arts & Entertainment industries. In fact, new historical characters can also be discovered. For example, how many individuals remember who ran against Abraham Lincoln in the 1864 Election? Most would be surprised to discover that the Democratic Party nominee was a Union War General that would have called for a negotiated peace with the seceding southern states. Many subjects and parts of the historical record becoming obscured when artistic creations are designed to arouse appreciation for a particular individual. Finally the industry has a chance to move towards a business model that can house all of the pieces of history, even if it is just to serve as a reminder about why those pieces deserved to be forgotten.

Poem Notes (for Whetsone Poetry, Richard Lynn’s Collaborative Cafe, & Poets Against Atrocities):

                 I am mostly ignorant of rape.  What happens, that someone becomes a rapist?  How many terrors does victim endure from a single heinous act?  How much of life’s beauty, are no longer available to the victim?  Why is it, that it is the victim who often feels compelled to ask for forgiveness?  Sometimes, I will think about my daughter and the child she was ‘before’, and questions like these will come.  And always, I find myself short of any real answers.

                 The recent rape in India; of a young woman at the hands of six perpetrators on a public bus, led to a discussion between Kushal and myself.  As poets, we decided to, as best we could, give voice to the victim.   – Robert

Once A Victim

©2013 Kushal Poddar

©2013 Robert Burnham

[1]

My face is no more

My eyes no longer see Mother Sky

I carry sandpaper senses – everywhere

With everyone –

I am now a lie

Truth has been taken from me

Even with healed pain

I am forever vanquished

I am victim

Of the purest of crimes

Forgive me

[2]

I see.                                                               I do not.

A face from any day, everyday.                      Nothing.

His hand, a working hand.                              Nothing.

He curses, spits on me, and I say                  Nothing.

I say, do not hurt me.                                      Nothing.

Nothing.                                                           His limb.

Nothing.                                                           My door.

Nothing.                                                           My heart.

Nothing.                                                           My ache.

I see.

A tree sends a quiver down the spine of sky.

The birds fly, infest the blue

Between the wounds.

I see.

His fear makes him stumble with his zip.

Can you put evil back to its cage? 

I do not.

[3]

His mother told him –

Taking others’ belongings

Without consent

Is sin.

He touches a girl.

Why will not she let him?

He does not understand.

Why does not she stir?

Wake up. He whispers.

Curses.  Says – whore.

Ho, ho, ho

Shouts the world.

Christmas in topic!

Who would have believed!