4/3 - Howl Day (unofficial)

ALLEN GINSBERG

~~ Allen Ginsberg

Believe it or not, there was a time when the ACLU would rush to the defense of speech, even if, or especially if, it was deemed offensive to or by some person(s), group(s) or government agency or agencies; regardless of whether it was declared to be offensive, obscene, hateful, unpatriotic, seditious, erroneous or anything else. ("misinformation", "disinformation" and "conspiracy theory" were generally not a thing back then) Armed with the knowledge that

Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.

― Henry Louis Gates Jr., and

Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.

― Benjamin Franklin, the ACLU of that era stepped up to defend Allen Ginsberg's Howl against charges that it was somehow "obscene" and should therefore be suppressed. On this day in 1955 the ACLU announced that it would defend the work against the preposterous and inherently obscene charges made and, in October '57 they won in California Superior Court. The people, the state, the country and the whole damned world were all better off.

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,
who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz,
...

A. Ginsburg; Howl

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On this day in history:

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1860 -- The first successful Pony Express run from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California started,
1882 -- Robert Ford killed Jessee James

1885 -- Gottlieb Daimler received a patent for his engine - a good idea at the time

1895 -- Oscar Wilde's libel case against Queensberry began - a bad idea, but Ballad of Readng Gaol

1922 -- Stalin became General Secretary of the Soviet Union's Communist Party - a very bad idea

1948 -- Truman signed the Marshall Plan

1948 -- The Juju uprising in South Korea began

1955 -- The ACLU announced it would defend Ginsberg's Howl - an excellent idea

1968 -- MLK Jr. delivered his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech

1981 -- The Osborne 1 was unveiled

2007 –- A French TGV train set another new world speed record.

2000 -- Microsoft was ruled to have violated US antitrust law but was not punished and no victims were recompensed

2010 -- Apple Inc. released the first iPad, foreshadowing ifrenzy to come.

2016 -- The Panama Papers leaked information on 214,488 offshore companies

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Some people who were born on this day:

Cockroaches and socialites are the only things that can stay up all night and eat anything.

~~ Herb Caen

1639 -- Alessandro Stradella, composer
1778 -- Pierre Bretonneau, doctor who performed the first successful tracheotomy
1783 -- Washington Irving, writer
1791 -- Anne Lister, diarist, mountaineer, and traveller, "the first modern lesbian".
1807 -- Mary Carpenter, educational and social reformer
1822 -- Edward Everett Hale, writer and preacher
1823 -- Boss Tweed, typical politician
1885 -- Bud Fisher, cartoonist, think Mutt & Jeff
1886 -- Dooley Wilson, actor and singer
1895 -- Zez Confrey, pianist and composer
1898 -- Henry Luce, publisher, co-founded Time Magazine
1904 -- Russel Wright, dinnerware and furniture designer
1916 -- Herb Caen, writer, the Sakamenna Kid
1919 -- Ervin Drake, songwriter and composer, it was a very good year
1924 -- Marlon Brando who couldda been a contender
1924 -- Roza Shanina, Russian sniper
1936 -- Jimmy McGriff, organist and bandleader
1936 -- Harold Vick, saxophonist and flautist
1938 -- Jeff Barry, songwriter
1941 -- Jan Berry, singer and songwriter, (Jan & Dean) inspiration and mentor of the Beach Boys
1942 -- Billy Joe Royal, guitarist, singer, songwriter and boondocker
1943 -- Richard Manuel, pianist, singer, songwriter and bandmember
1944 -- Tony Orlando, Captain Kangaroo look-alike
1946 -- Dee Murray, bassist, mostly with Elton
1949 -- Richard Thompson, singer, songwriter and guitarist
1951 -- Mitch Woods, singer, songwriter and pianist
1965 –- Nazia Hassan, pop singer, songwriter, lawyer and social activist

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Some people who died on this day:

No man knows what he can do until he tries.

~~ Carter G. Woodson

CE 33 -- Jesus of Nazareth, or some other date, or year, but wait, he didn't die anyway, did he? What?
1882 -- Jesse James, criminal and outlaw, sometimes folk hero
1897 -- Johannes Brahms, pianist and composer
1901 -- Richard D'Oyly Carte
1902 -- Esther Hobart Morris, lawyer and judge
1950 -- Kurt Weill, composer and pianist
1950 -- Carter G. Woodson, historian, author, and journalist, founded Black History Month
1978 -- Ray Noble, bandleader, composer, and actor
1990 -- Sarah Vaughan, singer
1991 -- Graham Greene, writer
1998 -- Mary Cartwright, mathematician of chaos
2014 -- Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, guitarist, fiddler, and composer
2015 -- Bob Burns, drummer and songwriter
2016 –- Joe Medicine Crow, anthropologist, historian, and author

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Some Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such:

I'm inventing Howl Day, so there.

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Today's Tunes

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Famous Backshooters

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Alessandro Stradella

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Dooley Wilson

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Zez Confrey

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Ervin Drake

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Jimmy McGriff

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Harold Vick

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Jeff Barry & his wife Ellie Greenwich wrote a ton of hits, such as

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Jan Berry

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Billy Joe Royal

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Richard Manuel

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Tony Orlando

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Dee Murray

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Richard Thompson

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Mitch Woods

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Jesus of Nazareth

Johannes Brahms

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Richard D'Oyly Carte put together an opera company and brought together Mssrs Gilbert & Sullivan

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Kurt Weill (hiya Mimi)

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Ray Noble

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Sarah Vaughan

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Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith

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Bob Burns

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Bonus:

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Ok, it's an open thread, so it's up to you folks now. So what's on your mind?

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I won't be here when this posts, enjoy and play nice

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Comments

Lookout's picture

Thanks for the OT and all the good music.

I used to support the ACLU, but they've lost their way.

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8 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

usefewersyllables's picture

@Lookout

The begging letters never seem to stop, though. The few spare pennies I care to give away go to the EFF at this point, since they still seem to be focused on attempting to do the right thing.

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5 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

QMS's picture

Ginsberg's Howl quote seems appropriate on this Monday morning.

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness.

This may be subversive, but calling it obscene is a stretch.

Thanks for the OT and happy trails...

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truth is considered foreign influence, world peace is a threat to national security

ggersh's picture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ri7TcukAJ8

The ACLU like everything else has been captured
by the deep state

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4 users have voted.

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

QMS's picture

@ggersh

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2 users have voted.

truth is considered foreign influence, world peace is a threat to national security

ggersh's picture

up
1 user has voted.

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

QMS's picture

@ggersh

cool

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1 user has voted.

truth is considered foreign influence, world peace is a threat to national security

by madness.

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2 users have voted.

I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.

QMS's picture

@fire with fire

to restrict development not yet under their control
minds, nations, resources
the crazy thing is, we allow them to get away with it
sanity is our best defense

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1 user has voted.

truth is considered foreign influence, world peace is a threat to national security

I have been nonplussed by the ACLU since about 19 years ago. For those who viewed Farenheit 911, you probably saw me with the local peace group in the aftermath of a sloppy infiltrator. Although the sudden relative fame might have been priceless for just another peace group among many equally surveilled, the skateaway for government malfeasance in a privacy bound state like California was significant. Nobodies lawyer here, but the issue should have been forced into our state courts. Potential defeat not withstanding. Defeating yourselves by not trying is surely as bad as it gets.
In a group discussion with ACLU representatives, a couple of issues played against litigation. One being a decision by the founder that monetary damages would not be sought. That was a wrong move. It may well have fed into the explanation from the reps that the current state of the court was too unfriendly to risk a judgement that reduced the outright illusion of protections from such actions.
Either way, nothing was done within the system to address spying on peace loving Calfornia citizens.
Subsequently the ACLU and others did some good work prosecuting the local city government for seizing and destroying the belongings of homeless Fresnans. After a number of years the settlement agreement was behind them, and the various decisions from other states hampered resumption of normal harrasment efforts until it didnt. Now they do whatever they want, say whatever they want, and collect much more money to assist in their efforts at not making things any different. And the ACLU? Are they still in business?

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