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March 28, 2024

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Friday, January 28, 2022

Open Thread – John Lennon 1940-1980

I wasn’t alive when John F. Kennedy was shot, so I don’t have an “I remember where I was” story as so many do. But I remember very vividly when John Lennon was shot. I was just a kid, reading under the covers with a flashlight and had my radio playing softly. I heard the announcement on WPLJ out of New York City, and remember the feeling that this was happening just a few miles away, and such an overwhelming feeling of sadness and loss. I had a big stack of Beatles albums in vinyl, and his voice was one I heard every day.

Hard to believe that was 30 years ago today. A voice that went silent far too soon.

Comments

comments

Comments
74 Responses to “Open Thread – John Lennon 1940-1980”
  1. InfoManiac says:

    I remember when both John’s were shot. Robert, Marilyn, Martin Luther King, all of them were killed by the same group. But to the guy who said he wasn’t alive then, I can only say that by the time Lennon was assasinated we older people already pretty much had it figured out (the oppression) so while it was unexpected, many were already braced for more attacks on anyone who could have single handedly LED the revolution. John Lennon was certainly such an one, whether or not these were his intentions. People who think some of these were lone gunmen, should reaccess the (now) known facts. The links have been amply proven (hint: they all had the same hypnotist) as has the whole conspiracy to some great degree. Though the world grows dark with corruption and greed, if you only search you will still find the truth. ..[but the truth is “out there”! ]

  2. Man_from_Unk says:

    I’ve been missing him ever since and I’m thankful for the music he left behind. RIP forever to one very down to earth human being.

  3. Ice Gal says:

    I guess nobody ever done me
    Like she done me
    She done me good
    DON’T LET ME DOWN
    DON’T LET ME DOWN

  4. AHiredGun says:

    I have no idea where I was when I heard Lennon had been murdered. However, even after 47 years, I still vividly remember where I was and what I was doing when I learned that Kennedy had been assassinated. I think the difference was that for an 11 year old, the news about JFK shattered my childhood naivete. On the other hand, while the news about Lennon was sad, it was just another senseless act of violence that I had read about or seen since that day in 1963. Of course, that does not explain why I also vividly remember 9/11.

    • InfoManiac says:

      See my main post on this. I agree with you though, I remember exactly where I waas and what I was doing. Not so sure with Lennon. Not that he wasn’t a great man. But he was not the current leader of the free world like JfK was. See my main post, as he could have someday been more.

  5. Blue Idaho says:

    I remmember this day because it was the first time and one of the only times I saw my dad cry. I guess I was about 11 years old. I just can’t help still mourning all the music he had left to write that we will never hear. Perhaps God just wanted him back so he could write music for him.

  6. ibwilliamsi says:

    My Catholic Republican parents voted Democrat for the first and only time when JFK ran. He was sworn in the week before I was born. I remember Bobby and Martin. And I remember John. It’s so painful still that it’s hard even now to talk about it and know what to say. I miss his wit and his aplomb. He most certainly would have had something to say about the happenings this week.

  7. A Fan From Chicago says:

    I’ve seen a couple of spots today on the death of John Lennon. They all make me sad. I saw the Beatles in Chicago in 1966. I’m one of the few people I know who have seen the Beatles and the Stones, although seeing the Rolling Stones isn’t that big a deal any more because of their longevity. It was pretty crazy, and I mostly remember it in black and white. For sure there was color but that’s not my memory. TV and newspaper photos were in B&W and that’s how the world looked to me. (Until I went to my first game at Wrigley Field!)

    At the time the big thing was whether you were a “Paul person” or a “John person.” I took the easy road. John seemed much more interesting, but he kind of scared me. He scared most good Catholic girls. So even though he was more attractive, I was a Paul person because it was safer. I think I’ve always felt bad about that decision.

    Between the Pearl Harbor anniversary yesterday and John Lennon today I’m feeling like I’m in the Way Back Machine with Mister Peabody. But that’s OK.

  8. Moose Pucky says:

    John, Oko, Julian, Sean–all class acts. Peace.

  9. Jim Keating says:

    The thing that I don’t get: does the president negotiate with the Republicans, then the bill goes
    back to congress and the Republican legislators negoiate with the Democrats. I thought the
    president signed or not after the congress sent him the bill. The first sequence I never new about.

  10. Bent Alaska says:

    Sen. Murkowski released a conditional statement of support for repealing DADT! The senate cloture vote on the defense budget and DADT is likely to occur tonight. Read her statement & please call her:
    http://www.bentalaska.com/2010/12/sen-murkowski-it-is-time-to-repeal-dont.html

  11. OMG says:

    Palin tells conservatives to fight Obama’s tax agreement with the Republicans (this is after she tweeted her support for extending them). Make sure to read the comments:

    http://www.frumforum.com/palin-on-tax-deal

  12. daisydem says:

    I am old enough to remember JFK’s death (don’t like the other word “a”); I was home sick from school that day. I was 12. My mother left me to go to a neighbor’s for just a few minutes. She came home to find me in the front yard weeping. When Bobby Kennedy was killed, I was physically distraught and my mother banned me from watching any television for over a week. She probably made the right choice.

    When John Lennon was shot, I tied a big (white, I think) ribbon around a tree in my yard and I wore black for days. It affected me deeply, not just because it was Lennon, and a Beatle (I was a fan, but not overly caught up in Beatlemania) but because it was senseless. He was just going about his private, personal business. He meant harm to no one. He valued his privacy and the privacy of others. He loved life. He loved his wife. He loved.

  13. I find it odd that I have very vivid memories of the day (and days) of John Kennedy’s assassination. And Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. I was home sick when Kennedy was shot and watched TV the whole day as the news unfolded. Apparently at school, they just turned on the radio over the intercom for the rest of the day. Students and teachers were devastated and regular class time was spent listening.

    I saw news of King on TV and I was watching a late report that Kennedy had won the California primary. I was so excited, because he had captured my attention and I looked forward to even possibly thinking about getting involved in his campaign. I wasn’t going to be able to vote for him, as the voting age was still 21 and I wasn’t. But still, I had this sense of hope and enthusiasm that I’d felt for President Kennedy when I was in my early teens.

    But John Lennon. I wasn’t that big of a Beatles fan in the 60s. I was listening to folk music and heard the Beatles only when I was dragging Main with friends on the weekend. I learned to like their music later, but I never paid that much attention to their personal lives. Still, it was a shock and I, like everyone, was horrified that he was killed. It was so senseless, as were the other assassinations. But I really don’t remember where I was or what I was doing.

    No matter what he did in his personal life, his music has affected us all and defines a generation (or two) with his songs. His was a voice that was silenced way too early. Who knows what kind of music he would have written later in his life or how he would have changed.

  14. OMG says:

    The Palin’s have reason to celebrate as Bristol gets the message across: have a baby as a teen and get rich and famous and star in reality TV. More and more teenagers are trying this formula for stardom. Thanks Sarah and Bristol!

    http://www.popeater.com/2010/12/07/teen-mom-pregnant-auditions/

  15. tinydancer says:

    Lennon’s last interview, done the afternoon of the day he was murdered will be broadcast on WMGK 102.9 in the Philadelphia area this evening between the hours of 7 and 9. You can go to wmgk.com and listen to the broadcast online to hear the never before broadcast interview. One of the interviewers was a guest on mgk’s morning show today and by the time his plane landed in California after the interview Lennon was dead.

  16. Jessica says:

    I was born on December 8th, 1980; turning 30 today. My mom says that John Lennon is my guardian angel. You’d think I’d have better pitch.

  17. jimzmum says:

    Another lovely missive from Mrs. Palin.

    HeyTammyBruce Hey liberals, so many of you are criticizing Obama these days. When did you all become racist? #justwondering about 13 hours ago via web Retweeted by SarahPalinUSA and 100+ others

    • LibertyLover says:

      Are you serious? She who must not be named tweeted this?

    • Doesn’t it all just take you back to the days when you were 13 and in the middle of junior high drama? She’s so trapped in that mode of thinking and reacting. Sad little immature Sarah, she’ll never grow up.

      • bubbles says:

        “Sad little immature Sarah, she’ll never grow up.”
        no she won’t. she can’t. no more than her youngest child can.
        no more than i can do calculus or any advanced math. i want to but i don’t have to ability to do it. the difference is that i know it and can appreciate those who do know how. i have no problem admitting to my disability and asking for help when i need to. here is the answer to Fermat’s Little Theorum

        this from ca.answers@yahoo:
        Let N = p(1)^e(1) * p(2)^e(2) *…* p(n)^e(n), be the prime factorization of N, where p(1) < p(2) <… p(i)^{p(i)^e(i)} > p(i)^e(i), so that A^(N+1) is divisible by N. Since A = A^(N+1) = 0 mod N, then it must be that all the e(i) =1. So N = p(1)*p(2)***p(n).

        Now assume A is prime to N, so A^N = 1 mod N, which implies that A^N =1 mod p(i) . By, Fermat’s little theorem A^(p(i)-1) =1 mod p(i). By a theorem of Gauss, p(i)-1 is the smallest number so that A^r =1 mod p(i) for all A prime to p(i). So p(1) -1 must divide N for all i, in other words LCM (p(1)-1, p(2)-1,…p(n)-1) must divide N, in fact since p(n) is the highest prime in N, LCM must divide p(1)..p(n-1).

        Notice that the primes in the LCM must all occur to the 1 st power since they do in N, and the LCM can contribute only the n-1 known primes, p(1),…p(n-1). Note that p(i) -1 >= 2 for i >1, so that each p(i)-1 is divisible by at least one prime, and primes dividing p(i)-1 can occur only to the first power.

        Since p(2)-1 is even 2 must occur, ie, p(1) =2. Now we can bootstrap the other p(i). Notice that p(2)-1 must divide 2, so p(2) = 3, p(3) -1 must be even and divide 2 and 3 so p(3) = 7, p(4) -1 must be even and divide 2*3*7. 2*7+1 doesn’t work but 2*(3*7)+1 = 43 is prime! So p(4) = 43, and it ends there, 2*43 +1 is not prime, nor is 2*43*7+1, 2*43*3+1 or 2*43*7*3+1.

        So your only possible N so that A^(N+1) = A mod N for all A are:
        2,
        2*3
        2*3*7
        2*3*7*43

        You’ll note that LCM( 2-1, 3-1) =2 divides 6, LCM(2-1, 3-1, 7-1) = 2*3 divides 42, and LCM (2 -1, 3-1, 7-1, 43 -1) = 2*3*7 divides 2*3*7*43.

        Good luck!

        good luck is right…..GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK AAAAAAACK!!!!!

        • bubbles says:

          p.s. i met someone years ago who knew the Lennons extremely well. John was not a very easy man to live with but he was often kind and generous to those who needed help. i was so sorry to hear of his murder. people were crying in the streets of New York that day.

    • jojobo1 says:

      Doesn’ she realize that it isn’t being critical of him it is how and what she says that make some remarks racist.and she sure the heck is

  18. A Fan From Chicago says:

    This is really good. Too bad he confused a moose with a caribou but he still nails it.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-sorkin/sarah-palin-killing-animals_b_793600.html

  19. OMG says:

    The Representative makes some excellent points but sadly no recommendations about how to combat the Palin/Limbaugh propaganda machine.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-john-yarmuth/sarah-palins-lame-media-s_b_793483.html

  20. OMG says:

    Take a look at Time’s Person of the Year rankings (you’ll need to scroll down then click on the complete list). Beck and Palin have an average ranking of 29.

    http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2028734_2029036,00.html

  21. lilybart says:

    Give Peace a Chance.

    no wonder the powerful hated him and kept FBI files on him….

  22. OMG says:

    The Roberts (Steve and Cokie) take a look at how Assange and Palin use new media to “land a punch without stepping into the ring” and how that really isn’t a good thing.

    http://www.htrnews.com/article/20101208/MAN06/12080732/Steve-Cokie-Roberts-The-new-media-marketplace

  23. WakeUpAmerica says:

    Yeah, I used to think Lennon was amazing. Then I found out how he beat his women until he met Ono. At least he changed in that respect. However, his treatment of his son Julian is unforgivable, including giving very little to Julian in his will even though he was worth what? Millions? Billions?

    • A fan from CA says:

      Yep, John was a brilliantly creative jerk. Same could probably be said of many rock stars. While I didn’t have much personal respect for the guy his contribution to Beatle’s music was unmistakable.

      What was unnerving was just how vulnerable he was to a nut job who took his life. I remember being very scared for anyone with fame. Wasn’t this around the time that Reagan was shutting down so much of the mental health structure?

      • WhoWhatWhere says:

        67-75 but that was in CA. I’m missing your connection to this with the Reagan comment.

      • Zyxomma says:

        I stopped wanting to be famous the day I heard about Lennon’s shooting death (which was the following day; a woman at work told me). I have a big mouth, and I didn’t want it getting me dead.

  24. OMG says:

    Palin is now blasting the WikiLeaks founder for paraphrasing what she did indeed say. She can’t seem to let any presumed slight go unpunished. Not only does this make her terribly immature (sad for a 46 year old woman) but her thin skin is becoming transparent.

    http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/07/sarah-palin-says-wikileaks-founder-making-things-up/#more-138745

    • twain12 says:

      isn’t Osama bin Laden an Al-Qaeda leader ?
      wish she would just go away !

    • leenie17 says:

      The man is attempting to bring down the governments of half the countries in the world, destroy the United States and threaten the safety of billions of people, and she’s p!ssed off that he misquoted her???????

      This brings the term ‘narcissistic’ to a whole new level!

      • Gimme-a-break, Sarah says:

        A British friend – now back in Britain after living here for 28 years – sent me this article with a different perspective on the Wikileaks situation.

        http://www.zcommunications.org/julian-assange-wanted-by-the-empire-dead-or-alive-by-alexander-cockburn

        • That whole article is just creepy. I don’t like our reaction to what Assange is doing and I don’t like him either. I just don’t think that the leaks serve anyone’s interest except his own – I’d certainly never heard of him before and I’d guess that most people hadn’t either. He reminds me of Sarah, in that all he really wants is fame and attention. Well, he’s certainly getting that.

          • bubbles says:

            http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/assange-likens-himself-rupert-murdoch-3954845?ref=rss

            pups before we go Rah Rahing for Assange you need to know this:

            WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange defended his internet publishing site today, saying it was crucial to spreading democracy and likening himself to global media baron Rupert Murdoch in the quest to publish the truth.

            In an opinion piece in Murdoch’s News Corporation Australian newspaper, headlined Don’t shoot the messenger for revealing uncomfortable truths, Assange said WikiLeaks deserves protection, not threats and attacks.

            “In 1958 a young Rupert Murdoch, then owner and editor of Adelaide’s The News, wrote: ‘In the race between secrecy and truth, it seems inevitable that truth will always win’,” wrote Assange.

            He cited the late Keith Murdoch, Rupert’s father, who during World War I exposed the needless loss of Australian life at Gallipoli, where Australian troops under British command were slaughtered in a failed attack against the Turks.

            “Keith Murdoch would not be silenced and his efforts led to the termination of the disastrous Gallipoli campaign,” Assange wrote.

            “Nearly a century later, WikiLeaks is also fearlessly publishing facts that need to be made public.”

            Assange, a 39-year-old Australian, refered to his upbringing in a small Australian country town, where people “spoke their minds bluntly” and distrusted big government.

            “WikiLeaks was created around these core values,” he wrote.

            small town conservative upbringing + Murdock empire+ attack on Obama admin meant to disable and defeat Obama+ Palin /Assange= ?
            let us be careful about choosing to uphold this guy.

        • nswfm says:

          I’m glad you’ve posted this–from the article above:
          “Assange can survive these theatrical blusters. A tougher question is how he will fare at the hands of the US government, which is hopping mad. The US attorney general, Eric Holder, has announced that the Justice Department and Pentagon are conducting “an active, ongoing criminal investigation” into the latest Assange-facilitated leak under Washington’s Espionage Act.”

          What the Too Big To Fail (2B2F) Banks have done to us is probably RICO, but why isn’t Holder going after them, I wonder. They didn’t go completely ape until he mentioned he had documents on one of our esteemed banks. The 2B2F Banks have been screwing people out of their homes, foreclosing on people whose homes are paid off, etc. Where is the justice?

          http://4closurefraud.org/author/4closurefraud/
          Foreclosure Fraud: Bank of America Attempts Another Theft of an Americans Home with PAID OFF MORTGAGE! Maria and Jose Perez

          http://www.zerohedge.com/article/eric-holder-nailed-boogeyman

          Do we not want to know what is going on around the world in our name? Are we happy about how many civilians have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan? I’m taking care of a friend’s cats–her husband is in Afghanistan and was in Iraq. She was in Iraq twice as an engineer for the Navy. We need to think more broadly about our place in the world and what is being done or not done with our money and implicit consent. After the Judy Miller/NY Times cheer leading for the Iraq war, I’ve lost faith in what our government is doing/telling us.

    • When will she ever get it that if she just kept her mouth shut some of these perceived “slights” wouldn’t be noticed by anyone. She creates this drama for herself – makes one think that she likes it, doesn’t it? But we’ve known that for quite a while. From the tone of the article, it sounds like maybe at least some in the media are starting to catch on, after they checked and didn’t find the quote repeated anywhere. Well, it will be now. Did she really not understand that what she said implied what Assange is reported to said in his paraphrased comment? That university that gave her a degree in communications should demand that she return it – she clearly doesn’t know how to communicate.

  25. jojobo1 says:

    This has not gone thru the senate yet and things can change yet. A rock and a hard place.Think about that damned if ya do and damned if ya don’t

  26. London Bridges says:

    I still have the Rolling Stone mag with John & Yoko on the cover which came out after his death. Rolling Stone is publishing his last interview.

    Today’s Maureen Dowd column is about Sarah & Barack, both of whom have defecated their beds.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/opinion/08dowd.html?ref=columnists

    Obama’s proposed across the board 2% reduction in the Social Security payroll tax in 2011 will be viewed as a tax increase in 2012. It will never happen. It will be the death of Social Security as we know it. Maybe the 2% will be put into privatized Goldman Sachs accounts as a compromise. Obama has done what the republicans have been unsuccessfully been trying to do since 1935 – destroy Social Security. It is also even a bigger tax cut for the wealthy added on to the Bush tax cuts.

    • Linda says:

      Excellent article!!! Yes, once the Republicans see that SS taxes can be cut, they will be more emboldened to keep on cutting!

    • Pinwheel says:

      This I agree with, the SS tax 2% reduction is too much. If I were working, benefitting from the 2003 cuts, I have been contributing to the economy. Creating demand. And although perhaps not making a killing in the job, the 2% won’t make that big a difference. The far greater issue to me is that there are so many fewer people with jobs, and contributing to taxes, etc.

  27. OMG says:

    A voice of reason from the left (finally!):

    “I’m probably going to lose my progressive union card, but I think it is wrong and self-destructive for progressives to be engaged in this,” Shrum told RealClearPolitics. “This guy has achieved more progressive purposes than any president in 70 years, and I think he has the strength to do what’s right, for example with the economy, when he’s faced with an unpalatable choice.”

    http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/12/07/dems_debate_on_obama_weak_or_pragmatic_108165.html

    • jojobo1 says:

      I think he did what he had to do with the least harm to all. How would some people who had or would be losing their unemployment because the republicans stalled it feel with no money especially at this time of year ,cold ,the holidays and no income at all.I think he was right in saying the republican party was holding the whole country hostage and they would never have backed down never..I think he did the best he could under the circumstances.And people who say he should not have compromised don’t seem to get that millions would have been hurt if he hadn’t.

    • leenie17 says:

      By their behavior during these negotiations, the Republicans have shown just how truly despicable they are. And some of them are STILL complaining that they gave up too much!

      I cannot understand how a person with any shred of conscience (yeah, I know…an apparently foreign concept to most of them) can look at themselves in the mirror, knowing how the threats they’ve made could destroy this country. How can they sleep at night with the knowledge that they were willing to take down the middle class, then unemployed (who CANNOT find jobs because they’re just not out there) and the security of this country for purely political gains? How can they face the voters who put them in office knowing how they happily sacrificed their well-being for the benefit of their billionaire and corporate friends and their own campaign coffers? How can they continue to claim that these tax breaks for the wealthy will create jobs when it’s been overwhelmingly shown to be an outright lie…with ten years of proof?

      I would love to see Congress insist on voting for the legislation affecting unemployment extensions, START treaty and DADT repeal BEFORE the tax extensions. The Republicans have demonstrated over and over again that they simply have no integrity and I would not be at all surprised to see them delay or filibuster the legislation they agreed to compromise on once they got the tax extensions they wanted. As much as I HATE this compromise, I am convinced that the Republicans would have gladly allowed the country to slip into full meltdown if they had not gotten their way.

      I got an email this morning from my Rep, Chris Lee. Once my cough meds wear off a bit and I’m not quite so foggy, I’m going to email him back with a piece of my mind about what he and his party have been doing to my country.

      • LoveMyDogs says:

        I do not want anyone who is unemployed to lose their unemployment benefits. They paid into them, they should be allowed a few scraps for goodness sake.

        But, there is a very big part of me that is screaming inside for the Dems to call the Reps’ bluff. Let it all expire and the people will finally take to the streets and demand what is right. I am a peaceful person and I don’t want to see blood in the streets but what is it going to take? Another part of me (the cynical part) is starting to believe that we actually live in the most heartless, greedy and immature country in the world. Do the majority of our people really not care what happens to their fellow citizens as long as they “have theirs”? Until everyone, except the large corporations, is really hurting, I fear that we will not wake up. When we are all living in tent cities or out of our old cars, will that be enough for people to stop this insanity?

        I have been a staunch supporter of our POTUS and I believe that he is trying to do what is right for the most people but by g-d I want to see the Reps pay for what they are doing. How dare they???? And this “compromise” is going to hurt those at the very bottom income brackets the most??? WTH?

      • jojobo1 says:

        leenie17 I agree with you I also think they would have let everyone sink.I too wish they would vote on the other things first because yes they could and would renege but so could the Dems if ya think of it both ways. again damned if ya do and damned if ya don’t

  28. OMG says:

    Open thread topic: Excellent editorial in today’s NY Times:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/opinion/08wed1.html?hp

    • A fan from CA says:

      I keep wondering why so many Dem’s are trying to comply with the R’s wish to make Obama a one term President?

      Wasn’t this “deal” cooked up with the Dem Congressional leaders included? Why aren’t the Republicans getting dumped on more for the give away for the wealthy?

      Once again the Dems are losing the PR battle by blaming the one guy who does not have any responsibility for writing legislation.

      And finally, let’s not forget just how many Obama voters stayed home during the mid-term. If any should be blamed, I think it is these people. They are selling out to apathy while our country suffers in one of the worst recessions ever.

      • ks sunflower says:

        Absolutely! Too many people are projecting their own failure to effect change unto President Obama.

        Everyone seems to be in it for themselves instead of the country as a whole.

        He cannot do this by himself. Independents, moderate Republicans and Democrats let him and themselves down in November by their apathy. If we want change to happen, we have to be willing to do more than complain about it not happening.

        For fans of John Lennon, it is important to remember he acted upon what he believed, and he kept working to effect change. If you are saddened by his loss, the best way to honor him is not to play his records, but get off your butt and get active in your community and politics. Whenever we come together to make things happen, they do. We just don’t do it often enough or in enough numbers as we once did.

      • I listened to President Obama when he explained it yesterday and took questions. And I didn’t feel like he was caving too soon. It’s the end of the year and the issue of unemployment benefits running out has to be dealt with now, not in January. People can’t wait for Congress to get their act together. There is plenty of blame to go around. Those who didn’t vote should have; those running for election who asked the President to wait should be ashamed of themselves for putting politics ahead of people who are hurting; the blue dog Dems just irritate me with almost everything they do; the far left is engaged in a knee-jerk reaction that, while ideologically correct, harms people just to make a political point; and the republicans once again put money for the rich
        ahead of the needs of the unemployed.

        I remember when my mother talked about living through the Great Depression. It was a great leveler as well. No one had very much money. And people worked together to improve things for everyone. We don’t have that same spirit or goal anymore. For that, I blame Reagan and the republicans from the 1980s — that’s when I remember seeing a shift from the attitude of helping others (the 60s, with Civil Rights, the creation of the Peace Corps, Medicare and Medicaid) to the attitude of doing everything to make the rich richer. The I’ve-got-mine generation of business people.

        In 2008, it was time for us to get back to the attitude that if one part of our country is hurting then it hurts us all and we need to work together, make sacrifices and changes that benefit all of us in the long run. A few people, like Ed Schultz, have mentioned it, but most are still centered on how to protect their own backsides first.

        • Wallflower says:

          This compromise has a lot of benefits for working class and middle class people that are getting overlooked in the desire to make this a “loss” or a “sellout” for the President. In addition to the UI extension, this bill extends (and I think increases) EITC, child care credits, and tuition credits. These are vital and stimulative tax credits to lower income working people and middle class people–in other words, the people who have been bearing the tax burden and the worst effects of this recession, and who need relief the most.

          I just can’t get worked up over the less that 2% who continue to get the break they’re already getting. There is too much in here of value to the everyday American. The progessives have the luxury of living in a world of symbolism–the rest of American does not.

          • ks sunflower says:

            I agree. I think President Obama made the best of a bad situation.

            I will not respect any Democrat who opposes this because I do not believe they can come up with anything better that will pass.

            To do nothing is not an option and the Dems better realize it. I am tired of the Democratic Party undermining its own mission. I hope they pull together to help those in most need. They can strive to effect more change after this, but they are wasting time.

            I want them to pass the repeal of DADT before the Rethuglicans take over the House. If they waste time and let all the tax cuts expire and let the unemployment benefits dry up, they will have done more harm than good and also wasted time that should be focused upon getting other issues through this lame duck session.

            I admire Keith and Rachel, but they are off-course in opposing this compromise. I believe our President is a compassionate man trying to help as many people as he can. Sorry – kind of rambled on, but I am so worn-out by all the pundits.

          • jojobo1 says:

            I agree ks sunflower I think the President knew it would be a tough fight even with his own party.Do progressives forget he is supposed to represent all of the people not just progressives or liberals.Compromise in some way or form is the way to go.

      • jojobo1 says:

        Right you are and I for one did not stay home not that it mattered in the long term in my state the republicans took over this coming January but I did do my part and tried to get others out to vote also.I guess we all do what we can.And you are also ri8ght why isn’t any one dumping on the republicans instead of the president.They had him backed against a wall and IMO he did what he could

        • bubbles says:

          i have turned off the pundits for the past two months. i feel better now.

          • I’ve been watching less and less of them, just checking in now and then. And I have to admit that I feel better. The problem I see right now is that if the Dems succeed in stopping this legislation then they will be doing exactly what the repubs have been doing for two years. Just because they can do it doesn’t make it a good or right choice. Yes, I’d love to see the repubs get back some of their own, but not at the expense of the unemployed and under-employed or kids or the rest of the middle and lower economic groups. We are better than that and I admire President Obama for taking that stance.

  29. Attagirl says:

    I remember where I was when JFK, RFK, MLK and JL were shot…….moments frozen in time.

    • jojobo1 says:

      I remember when all were shot but JFK stands out because I was home and watching it when it happened .The rest I did not see in real time like with him.

      • benlomond2 says:

        I remember all of these , was watching the event when RFK happened, base going on alert when JFK occurred, and having a newsreel played in school ( we were overseas in Morocco).
        …the song ” Abraham, Martin and John” having Bobbie added to it was really sad…

        • Bretta says:

          I remember hearing the RFK report in my mother’s kitchen. I remember hearing about JFK at school (third grade) – I thought it was a lie. I just couldn’t imagine. I remember where I was when I heard about JL but I think I was too young for MLK.

    • leenie17 says:

      I had just turned three when JFK was shot so that perdiod is very fuzzy for me but one of my earliest memories is of watching JFK Jr saluting his father at the funeral on tv. I think I always felt a particular connection to JFK Jr because of that and because we were so close in age. The day he and his wife died in the plane crash I was glued to the tv and my sister, while feeling bad about it, couldn’t understand why I was so captivated by the story.

      I don’t remember RFK or MLK being killed but I certainly remember John Lennon’s death. I was still living on Long Island at the time so it was all over the news. I also remember hearing on the radio that Reagan had been shot just as I was pulling into a parking space at college. I was late for my class because I sat in the car listening to the news reports. I was not a fan of Reagan but I was old enough to understand the ramifications of what had just happened.

      • Bretta says:

        I remember we had a huge earthquake in Anchorage when they had JFK Jr’s funeral. I always thought there was a connection.

    • ks sunflower says:

      So do I, Attagirl.

      I was in a junior high gym class when the intercom announced that JFK was shot, and I remember how everyone, including teachers and staff, broke down and wept. It really did feel as if the world had shifted, that our innocence had been lost.

      I was watching TV in my room after we picked up my Dad from the late night shift at the factory when Robert Kennedy was shot. I was the only one awake and remember the sense of horror as Bobby went down before my eyes. What made it even worse, that on the way out to the factory, Mom and I noticed the moon had a blood red cast to it. She said, someone important is going to die soon. Sure enough . . . .

      When MLK was shot, I cannot remember the exact place I was or what I was doing, but I do remember the breathless, clinching feeling I had to this day when I heard it. It felt like the final thread in our carefully woven fabric of hope had been pulled and everything unraveled.

      By the time John Lennon was shot, I had gone through my Beatlemania phase and, while still appreciating their music had accepted the fact that their lives had changed as much as my own. I had my own young family by then and perhaps that helped soften the news more than the earlier assassinations. Perhaps part of it was also that by that time, having seen three national figures cut down in senseless violence, I had come to expect the worse. So many people had been lost in the Civil Rights movement, the Viet Nam war, that the loss of Lennon just seemed inevitable given the polarity of the times.

      What Dickens said of another turbulent era seemed to sum up that entire time frame for me:

      “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. . . .”

      I think we are going through a similar time now – though I pray we avoid the violence and loss of life. Lessons can be learned without those.

  30. jimzmum says:

    I was 28. Married to Himself. Living in Georgia while Himself was overseeing the installation of a something or other at one of the company’s he was working for manufacturing facility. It was another step up the ladder. We had two children. All that next day, I played the records I had, and the children already knew the words to most of the songs. I remember. I miss him.