Change Is Gonna Come


First off, head over to PCL LinkDump for a dose of the odd and the cool. Lots of great links to art/music sites just a tad out of the ordinary. A treasure trove.

Second, I was premature announcing the death of great music. Well, I didn't exactly pronounce it dead, just wondered where it was. Bars & Guitars introduced me to Two Gallants, and Songs:Illinois has some fantastic tracks by a feller named Old Man Luedecke. While you head over to check the tunes out, I'm gonna head to the record store. Thank you, gentlemen.

Well, It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day today. I would be remiss not to pay tribute to one of America's greatest men. Elsewhere, in print and television, his legacy will be discussed and dissected today. Shame, really, that the discussion seems to begin and end on one day only. Like all progenitors of change, his impact is still being felt daily. I 'spect his (and our) work is really just begun, in infancy. Case in point: The Bush Administration has asked the city of Washington DC to pay for the large part of its inauguration, approximately 11.9 million dollars (story here). According to the 2000 US Census, Washington DC's population is made up of 60% African Americans. Persons living in poverty in DC stands at 20%. When you remove the salaries of Senators, Representatives, Lobbyists, and other hangers-on, the per capita income drops sharply, to one of the lowest in the country. So. The administration, whose stance on Civil Rights is egregious at best, wants to celebrate 4 more years of bad Minority policies on the backs of those it is least likely to help. Nice one, Dubya. What would Martin do?

Hey, I'm no professional political analyst, so what do I know? Thanks for making it this far.

In honor of Mr. King, on his day, two tunes that helped define the Civil Rights Movement, and the struggle that continues.

The Staple Singers: Long Walk to DC (mp3)

Sam Cooke: A Change Is Gonna Come (mp3)

(yousendit files...click target...download from site)