Kill the Jellyfish

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Happy New Year!!!

The chances are 99.9% that you will sing, hum, or listen to someone sing "Auld Lang Syne" at midnight on New Year's Eve. So why do we sing this song? Very few people know the words...and even fewer people know the true origins/ meaning of the song that has become "The New Year's Eve National Anthem" since 1929...so how did this tradition come about?

This Robert Burns poem/ song originated as a Scottish folk tune and was originally written as an emotional response to the massive exodus of Scottish immigrants to America and Canada in the late 18th century. The song asks the sad and beautiful question...

"Should auld acquintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?"

The interpretation...

"will we forget our old friends and the good times we had with them...never...

let's lift a strong drink to help us remember the times gone by..."

Auld Lang Syne Statue...Central Park in NYC

In 1929, "Auld Lang Syne" truly became famous when band leader- Guy Lombardo played it live on national radio from The Roosevelt Hotel Dance Hall in New York City. May we never forget our friends, family, etc. who have made a difference in our lives in "times gone by"!

My Scottish ancestors buried near Lockerbie, Scotland in "times gone by"

Listen to "Auld Lang Syne"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acxnmaVTlZA

Monday, December 24, 2012

WWI: Christmas Peace

British and German troops in No Man's Land "Peace"

December 24, 1914...temporary humanity, empathy, and peace found a place on WWI battlefields as British and German soldiers initiated an unofficial ceasefire...singing songs, exchanging gifts, helping each other bury the dead, playing soccer, eating meals...

Christmas Truce 1914

Watch the you tube clip (00:30-5:20) for interviews and stories of this amazing story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p05E_ohaQGk

German and British substitute soccer for bullets!

"We must never forget that there is something within human nature that can respond to goodness..."

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Kill the Jellyfish: Nativism

NATIVISM aka Anti-Immigrant Xenophobia...a movement to ensure that native-born Americans receive better treatment (government policy, jobs, etc.) than certain "undesirable", "barbaric" , or "un-American" immigrants.

1920 Raids...Arrests...Deportations

Over the past 20 years, America has experienced an alarming rise of anti-immigrant hatred and violence mostly from groups who call themselves "True Americans" or "Patriots". There are currently over 200 nativist/ anti-immigrant groups in America proving that the "jellyfish is alive and well".

This "new growth" of anti-immigrant xenophobia is really nothing new...

As America makes the claim to be a "Nation of Immigrants", consider some of our actions toward certain "undesirable" immigrants..

1840-1920...many Anti-German, Irish, Catholic, Jewish Laws

1850's...The Know Nothing Party forms

1882...Chinese Exclusion Act

1920's...KKK & government led "Red Scare"

1924...Immigration Quota Act

1942...Executive Order 9066 & 9102...Internment Camps

1950's...McCarthyism and "Red Scare"

Post 9-11...Patriot Anti-Terrorism Act

2005...Minuteman Border Patrol

2007...Aztlan Conspiracy

2010-2012...164 new anti-immigrant laws passed

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

America: The Hope of the World

Ellis Island & The Statue of Liberty
"A symbol of hope to the outcasts and downtrodden of the world"

I often wonder about... my immigrant ancestors...

I know their names but...who were they as people...

how did they survive...what did they think...

how did they feel...what did they believe...

what questions would I ask them...

would I be proud of them?

But...

maybe a better question...

would they be proud of me?

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses...
yearning to breathe free!"

Monday, December 17, 2012

A True American Hero...Dead

A MAN AMONG MEN

Daniel Inouye, a WWII veteran (Bronze Star...Purple Heart...Distinguished Service Star...Congressional Medal of Honor) and longtime U.S. Senator (since 1963) from Hawaii has passed away today at the age of 88. His amazing strength of spirit, ability to overcome extreme racial prejudice, and unrelenting service to our country can be an inspiration to us all.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LIFE OF SERVICE!