1/22/4

Hi Friends,

Some of you displayed some displeasure with me for my last post card. One guy who asked to be removed from my mailing list in protest wrote:

" I have never…followed politics. i am ignorant of the
inner goings-on. of the small amount i do know, i
don't agree with the president about everything
either. but, the little knocks on the president are
just out of place. disagreeing with the president is
ok. it's American. disrespect isn't."

Now these words were written by a fairly young high school teacher and folks, I’ve got to say, I scratched my head over them… I guess I grew up in a different country because if disrespect means that you’re willing  to make a joke about a politician who is caught misleading the country then most of the presidents I remember, including the last one –

                     especially the last one!!!

- were disrespected plenty, and at the risk of using my nationality as an adjective I think it was and is a particularly American thing to do. I won’t go into the comparative gravity of the deceptions, the difference between respecting the office and respecting the man, or even how deeply revering the institution might  cause a former altar boy and political science major to hold its occupant up to a higher standard than most people, but I will say that a teacher should know that doing  your homework substantially enhances the quality of your class participation, i.e. your ability to contribute meaningfully to  discussion, so I would strongly urge someone who shapes the minds of future voters to "follow politics" and become less "ignorant of the inner goings on". Former Treasury Secretary's Paul O'Neil’s new book might be a good place to start.

Another somewhat irritated note I received assumed that my dislike for the policies and arrogance of the present administration meant that I was a huge fan of each of the democratic candidates for president. Now I’m pretty sure the guy who drives my kid’s school bus could do a better job than the fellow who is currently elected, er, I mean appointed to the position. But the truth is I haven’t made any public statements about the democrats and, largely due my pro-life leanings and my position on the death penalty (Fans of the Gene Shay Show may have surmised my feelings about abortion at hearing my  in-studio performance of my song "Silent Tears" many years ago... "Silent Tears" is a song which I have since stopped doing as I came to realize that its ability to injure far outweighed its ability to persuade...  a problem that, in my opinion, is shared by many involved in that issue...), I am actually a registered independent.  Anyway this Philly area sports fan wrote yesterday that the George W. Bush State of the Union Speech was even "better than watching the Eagles in the Super Bowl". (As far as I can tell from last Sunday's NFC Championship score this literally translates to "better than nothing".)  He particularly decried what he saw as the hypocrisy of the Edwards candidacy, claiming that no person of privilege, even  self-made and hard won privilege, as opposed to his hero, should  pretend to care about the poor. While I restrained myself from mentioning FDR among others, I did write him back to propose this analogy: Saying you have to be poor to point out economic injustice is like saying you have to be blind to know when it's dark outside.  He typed back something about a man with a thousand flashlights which I couldn't quite figure out...

Anyway, here’s the thing. I can’t argue with everybody who wants to argue.  No disrespect intended. I just don't have the time, energy, or inclination. I can only say and write what I am given to see and write,  and I’m willing to stand by it.  If you feel I’ve changed too much as an artist for you to go on supporting my music, I understand. 

Truly.

Arlo says the main thing that divides human beings is not where they stand on a particular issue or cause but simply whether or not they give a damn.  If you do then we've got something in common. 

Peace,

John