Motley Moose – Archive

In other words –  political struggle is not about quitting.

Sweet Honey in the Rock sing it better than I can say it.

There are many versions of this song…sung by those who know what long term struggle is about:

Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around

Turn me around, turn me around

Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around

I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’

Marchin’ down to freedom land

Ain’t gonna let segregation turn me around

Turn me around, turn me around

Ain’t gonna let segregation turn me around

I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’

Marchin’ up to freedom’s land

Ain’t gonna let no Jim Crow turn me around

Turn me around, turn me around

Ain’t gonna let no Jim Crow turn me around

I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’

Marchin’ up to freedom’s land

Ain’t gonna let racism turn me around

Turn me around, turn me around

Ain’t gonna let racism turn me around

I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’

Marchin’ up to freedom’s land

Ain’t gonna let no hatred turn me around

Turn me around, turn me around

Ain’t gonna let no hatred turn me around

I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’

Marchin’ up to freedom’s land

Ain’t gonna let injustice turn me around

Turn me around, turn me around

Ain’t gonna let injustice turn me around

I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’

Marchin’ up to freedom’s land

Ain’t gonna let no jail cell turn me around

Turn me around, turn me around

Ain’t gonna let no jail cell turn me around

I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’

Marchin’ up to freedom’s land

Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around

Turn me around, turn me around

Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around

I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’

Marchin’ up to freedom’s land

http://www.songsforteaching.co…

Joan Baez – Oh Freedom – Turn Me Around – 1984

Woke up this morning to find a prominent diary on DKos with a plaint about quitting the Democratic Party over HCR.  Struck me the wrong way.

So I posted this:

Perhaps some of you need a reminder.

Folks here, Democrats, have been raising money for Haiti, and for brothers and sisters on the rez.  We have a host of issues on our plate – the wars, the economy, immigration, the environment, civil rights, human rights, the SCOTUS, poverty, education…I could go on and on.

My heroes and sheroes didn’t quit when they were killed, jailed, persecuted, discriminated against.  They got up each day – and organized.  They “kept on keepin’ on”.  

Y’all who want to “quit” more power to you.  

Organizing is about being in for the long haul.  Imagine if those who came before us had just quit and walked away from the Civil Rights Movement, the Suffrage Movement, the Anti-war movement?

In good times, and bad..in hard times and times of plenty…we struggle.

I’m a Democrat – a pretty leftie one at that 😉 and ain’t nobody – no Republicans, no Liebermans, no tea partiers, no health care deniers gonna stop me from getting up each day and continuing to put in the footwork.  One step at a time.

We organize.  We carry on.  

Period.

End of rant

cross-posted earlier at Daily Kos with one addition here, for the purpose of context.