Fly your flag today: Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday (and President Obama’s 2nd Inauguration)

I hope your flag is already flying today — sun’s up in almost all the U.S.

U.S. Capitol before dawn, January 21, 2013 — flags for the Senate and House not up yet, but the historic five flags of the nation hang ready for the 2nd Inauguration of the 44th President, Barack Obama. Photo from the roof of the Newseum.

Fly the U.S. flag today for the holiday for the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.  The holiday is celebrated on the third Monday in January.

Many Americans will celebrate with a day of service.

Today also celebrates the 2nd inauguration of President Barack Hussein Obama, the 57th inauguration of a president.

What a breathtaking intersection of history!

Courtesy of the Newseum, the front page of the Miami Herald, today — featuring the Martin Luther King, Jr., monument, and the official inauguration of President Barack Obama.  40 years ago, who would have dared guess this front page in a southern newspaper?

More:

• Nation to honor MLK Jr. as Obama is inaugurated (miamiherald.com)
• Inauguration Day marks rare intersection with Martin Luther King Jr. (oregonlive.com)
• The Learning Network Blog: Resources | Celebrating Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Day (learning.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Obama’s Inauguration Day is a day for MLK Jr., too (newsday.com)

Photo by John Rudy, from the National Capital Mall, about 11:00 a.m., January 21, 2013. Flags a-flying there!

Fly your flag today: Columbus Day 2012

Falling down on the job here as arbiter of your flag-flying habits.  How could I forget that some of America celebrates this day as Columbus Day?  (No one in this household gets the day off.)

Fly your U.S. flag today. Fly it to honor Columbus’s discovery of the Americas.  Or, fly your flag to honor exploration and explorers, and to remember the people who suffered so greatly as a result of the collision of European cultures in search of money, and American cultures lacking gunpowder and steel.

The second Monday in October is celebrated as Columbus Day, a federal holiday (though not widely honored in private enterprise).  Columbus made landfall in the Americas for the first time on October 12, 1492, 520 years ago.

John Vanderlyn, Oil on canvas, 12′ x 18′ – Commissioned 1836/1837; placed 1847 in the Rotunda of the Capitol. Christopher Columbus is shown landing in the West Indies, on an island that the natives called Guanahani and he named San Salvador, on October 12, 1492. He raises the royal banner, claiming the land for his Spanish patrons, and stands bareheaded, with his hat at his feet, in honor of the sacredness of the event. The captains of the Niña and Pinta follow, carrying the banner of Ferdinand and Isabella. The crew displays a range of emotions, some searching for gold in the sand. Natives watch from behind a tree. John Vanderlyn (1775-1852) had studied with Gilbert Stuart and was the first American painter to be trained in Paris, where he worked on this canvas for ten years with the help of assistants.

Did you notice?  In the painting in the U.S. Capitol, Columbus isn’t flying the U.S. flag.  Acccuracy over political correctness winds, eh?

Below the fold:  A description of the painting in the Capitol Rotunda, from the Architect of the U.S. Capitol (the “official” version.)

More:

• Whatever happened to reconsidering Columbus Day? (Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub)
• Columbus’s most prized possession (Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub)
• Columbus Day – October 8, 2012 (spiceofyourlife.wordpress.com)
• Columbus Day//Canadian Thanksgiving from Reality Refracted (realityrefracted.com)
• Should Columbus Day Become ‘Exploration Day’? (news.discovery.com)
• Use Columbus Day to Confront Stereotypes (nativescience.wordpress.com)
• Vikings in America before Columbus! (Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub)
• Reconsider Columbus Day/Columbus Day Truth/Columbus and Western Civilization (alwaysquestionauthority.com)
• Transform Columbus Day (from 2011 – did the movement die out in Colorado?)
• Columbus Day at the History Channel, with 11 videos
• Columbus Day crafts and activities, at Enchanted Learning
• ABC News:  “Columbus Day 2012, Hero, Villain, or Both?”
• For the past 22 years, it’s been Native Americans Day in South Dakota
• White House proclamation of Columbus Day 2012
• The distinguished commentator Pat Carrithers, on Facebook:  “Today is a special day. It’s Columbus Day. That’s the day on which illegal immigration is called Discovery.”

“The War Prayer” of Mark Twain (encore post)

(Updating dead links, especially from the late and lamented (here at least) VodPod, I found myself back in 2008, with this post on Mark Twain’s “The War Prayer.”  Fortunately, I found the film migrated to YouTube, though split in two parts.  Some information that should have caught our attention in 2008 deserves noting now, and we can update and add new links.)

It’s largely forgotten now, especially in history texts in high schools.  After the Spanish-American War, when the U.S. wrested several territories from Spain, including Guam, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines, the U.S. quickly got mired in one of the original guerrilla wars in the Philippines.  It took 15 years, but the U.S. finally put down the rebellion — 15 brutal, bloody years.  The conduct of that war shocked many people, including Mark Twain.

This piece was written partly in response to that war.

Many Americans, like Twain, who questioned the war, in turn had their patriotism questioned.  Why wouldn’t they get on board with the war, and kill off those Filipino rebels? the critics asked.

Here’s a film in two parts, a stunning production, produced and directed by Markos Kounalakis (who uploaded the thing); go to the film’s website for a copy of the text.

Part I:

Part II:

Why didn’t I notice this in 2008?  The film is narrated by Peter Coyote.  Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti plays the minister.  Erik Bauersfeld plays the Stranger.

Another short film of The War Prayer came out in 2007, from Lyceum Productions.  Neither version appears to be available on DVD or Blu-Ray.  Too bad.

“America, Our Home”: Latino patriotism in 6 minutes

From the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), a six-minute film commemorating Latino contributions to America, with a Latin version of the “Star-spangled Banner” performed by the Rondstadt Generation.

Can anyone identify the Medal of Honor winner pictured?

Information on the film from MALDEF (links to general information added; specific links from MALDEF):

When MALDEF announced its lawsuit against Arizona’s anti-immigrant SB1070 at the state capitol in Phoenix, President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz took with him an iconic delegation of Latino leaders, renowned as symbols of American perseverance, including Dolores Huerta, Arizona native Richard E. Chavez (brother of Cesar E. Chavez), and legendary recording artist, Linda Ronstadt. These leaders’ contributions to American progress stood in stark contrast to the anti-Latino environment in Arizona; and it was out of that contradiction that MALDEF was inspired to develop “America, Our Home,” a project to set the record straight and celebrate the Latino legacy in the United States. MALDEF staff works relentlessly each day to spread this message, but MALDEF needs your support to ensure that that message reaches every American in every state and municipality across the country.

MALDEF’s compelling short film featuring The Star Spangled Banner from a new collection of American patriotic songs recorded in Mexican musical styles by the group Ronstadt Generations, also titled “America, Our Home.” The film is directed by Edgar Pablos and features the photography of George Rodríguez, well-known for photographing key moments in the Chicano Civil Rights Movement.

The Project: http://www.maldef.org/news/releases/ronstadtgenerations_releases_patrioticsongs/

CD – Sample Songs: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/america-our-home-ep/id540746881

About MALDEF: http://www.maldef.org

Ronstadt Generations: http://www.ronstadtgenerations.com/#!home/mainPage

More:

• Civil Rights Groups Applaud Court’s Takedown of Discriminatory Voting Schemes in Texas (acslaw.org)
• New voting rules make getting Latinos to the polls harder than ever (publicintegrity.org)
• US – Latino Immigrants as Job Creators (jobmarketmonitor.com)

September 11, Patriot Day 2012 — Fly Your Flag Today

Fly your flag at half-staff today, Patriot Day.

Americans are urged to fly flags today, at half-staff, in honor of patriots and those who died in the attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.

According to Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute, the law says:

TITLE 36 > Subtitle I > Part A > CHAPTER 1> § 144

§ 144. Patriot Day

How Current is This?

(a) Designation.— September 11 is Patriot Day.

(b) Proclamation.— The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation calling on—
(1) State and local governments and the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day with appropriate programs and activities;

(2) all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States and interested organizations and individuals to display the flag of the United States at halfstaff on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001; and

(3) the people of the United States to observe a moment of silence on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.

Patriot Day formerly occurred earlier in the year; information on flag flying has not been added to the Flag Code portions of U.S. law, and consequently this news gets missed.

Fly your flag today, at half-staff. Remember when flying a flag at half-staff, it is first raised to full staff, then slowly lowered to the half-staff position. When the flag is retired at the end of the day, it should again be crisply raised to the full-staff position before being lowered.

A flag attached to a pole that does not allow a half-staff position should be posted as usual.

A National Day of Service

September 11 is also designated as a national day of service, under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, Public Law 111-13 (April 21, 2009). The Corporation for National and Community Service is charged with encouraging appropriate service in honor of the day and in honor of those who died.

National Day of Service and Remembrance

Date(s): September 11, 2010

Location: National

Event URL: http://911day.org/

Description
On April 21, 2009, President Barack Obama signed legislation that for the first time officially established September 11 as a federally recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance.

By pledging to volunteer, perform good deeds, or engage in other forms of charitable service during the week of 9/11, you and your organization will help rekindle the remarkable spirit of unity, service and compassion shared by so many in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. And you’ll help create a fitting, enduring and historic legacy in the name of those lost and injured on 9/11, and in tribute to the 9/11 first responders, rescue and recovery workers, and volunteers, and our brave military personnel who continue to serve to this day.

Check in your own community to find opportunities for service projects.

More:

• President Proclaims Patriot Day, Day of Remembrance (defense.gov)
• Flags Ordered to Fly at Half-Staff on September 11 in Observance of Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance (damontucker.com)
• Anniversary of 9/11 proclaimed Patriot Day (upi.com)
• Dayton Proclaims Patriot Day, Day of Service (kstp.com)
• Flags at half-staff to observe 9/11 (wqad.com)
• Flags to be flown at half-staff Sept. 11 (rapidcityjournal.com)

Patriot talk: Why conservatives fear Van Jones

Listen to him:  This is why conservatives fear Van Jones.  He speaks clearly, simply, and he’s right.

Are you a patriot?

“Who is fighting harder for liberty and justice for all than the progressives? We’re the ones fighting for that. Who is fighting, not just singing ‘America the Beautiful,’ who is defending America’s beauty from the oil spillers, from the clear cutters, from the mountain-top removers. That’s progressives. Who is honoring the Statue of Liberty when the statue says ‘Give me your tired, give me your poor, give me your huddled masses.’ You can’t be an anti-immigrant bigot and a patriot at the same time. Who are these people to claim that they’re patriots and we are not?”  (From The War Room, on Current)

Fly your flag today! July 4, 2012

Fourth of July: NPR has already read the Declaration of Independence, PBS is ready to broadcast the Capitol Fourth concert  (maybe a rebroadcast is available, if you’re off at your own town’s fireworks — check your local listings), your town has a parade somewhere this weekend, or a neighboring community does, and fireworks are everywhere.

Remember to put your flag up today.

Last flag on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and the U.S. Flag — Apollo 17 on the Moon (NASA photo)

Also:

• “Fireworks in Washington, D.C.” (from 2009)
• Another post from 2009 – linked for the photo
• Our current 50-star flag is the longest-flying flag since 1789; since Hawaii’s entry into the Union, the U.S. has gone the longest stretch without adding a state (is it time to add one?)
• Fun quizzes on the Fourth of July, from PBS’s “Capitol Fourth.”
• Advice on photographing fireworks, from PBS (with experience on the Mall in Washington, D.C.), and from Ritz Camera and the New York Institute of Photography
• One more way we know the Moon landings were real — the photo below shows the flag from the photo above, still on the Moon.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photo of Apollo 17 landing site

• Fourth of July trivia: Fun facts about flags, food and fireworks (mercurynews.com)
• Happy Fourth Of July! Celebrate With 75 ‘Firework’ Songs (huffingtonpost.com)
• Y! Big Story: Lesser known truths about Fourth of July (givemeliberty01.wordpress.com)
• Fireworks TV schedule: July 4, 2012 — when, where to watch (examiner.com)
• AP PHOTOS: Americans celebrate the Fourth of July (sfgate.com)
• Josh Turner plays PBS’s ‘A Capitol Fourth’ special (blogs.tennessean.com)

This is mostly an encore post, but I so love that photo of the flag with the Earth in the distance.

Happy birthday, Kathryn!

Tip of the old scrub brush to Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and the cast of thousands of patriots including George Washington.

Reminder: How to fly the flag on July 4

Every kid should learn this stuff by third grade, but it’s clear from what we see that they don’t.

Flag flying at the eastern front of the U.S. Capitol. Library of Congress photo

So here’s a quick review of dos and don’ts for display and behavior toward the U.S. flag on this most flag-worthy of days, the 4th of July. With a few comments.

1. Fly your flag, from sunup to sundown. If you’re lucky enough to have a flagpole, run the flag up quickly. Retire it slowly at sunset. Then go see fireworks.

2. Display flags appropriately, if not flown from a staff. If suspended from a building or a wall, remember the blue field of stars should always be on the right — the “northwest corner” as you look at it. Do not display a flag flat.

3. Salute the flag as it opens the 4th of July parade. In a better world, there would be just one U.S. flag at the opening of the parade, and the entire crowd would rise as it passes them in a great patriotic, emotional wave — civilians with their hands over their hearts, hats off; people in uniform saluting appropriately with hats on. It’s likely that your local parade will not be so crisp. Other entries in the parade will have flags, and many will be displayed inappropriately. A true patriot might rise and salute each one — but that would look silly, perhaps even sillier than those sunshine patriots who display the flag inappropriately. Send them a nice letter this year, correcting their behavior. But don’t be obnoxious about it.

4. Do not display the flag from a car antenna, attached to a window of a car, or attached in the back of a truck. That’s against the Flag Code, which says a flag can only be displayed attached to the right front fender of a car, usually with a special attachment. This means that a lot of the National Guard entries in local parades will be wrongly done, according to the flag code. They defend the flag, and we should not make pests of ourselves about it. Write them a letter commending their patriotism. Enclose the Flag Code, and ask them to stick to it next time. Innocent children are watching.

5. Do not dishonor the flag by abusing it or throwing it on the ground. It’s become popular for a local merchant to buy a lot of little plastic flags and pass them out to parade goers. If there is an advertisement on the flag, that is another violation of the Flag Code. The flag should not be used for such commercial purposes. I have, several times, found piles of these flags on the ground, dumped by tired people who were passing them out, or dumped by parade goers who didn’t want to carry the things home. It doesn’t matter if it’s printed on cheap plastic, and made in China — it is our nation’s flag anyway. Honor it. If it is worn, dispose of it soberly, solemnly, and properly.

That’s probably enough for today. When the Flag Desecration Amendment passes — if it ever does — those parade float makers, National Guard soldiers, and merchants, can all be jailed, perhaps. Or punished in other ways.  And wouldn’t that be silly and unproductive?

Until that time, our best hope is to review the rules, obey them, and set examples for others.

Have a wonderful 4th of July! Fly the flag. Read the Declaration of Independence out loud. Love your family, hug them, and feed them well. That’s part of the Pursuit of Happiness that this day honors. It is your right, your unalienable right. Use it wisely, often and well.

Happy birthday, Kathryn!

This is an encore post.

• Image:  Flag flying in front of the U.S. Capitol.  If from a photo, this flag is probably on one of the buildings of the Library of Congress.  It is a Library of Congress photo.

More, and Additional Resources:

• 14 Finer Points of the U.S. Flag Code (mentalfloss.com)
• Displaying Your American Flag (ext.homedepot.com)
• Happy Independence Day 2012! …Don’t Forget Your American Flag (thegatewaypundit.com)
• Handle Old Glory with care on Flag Day (newsobserver.com)
• Bill calls for U.S. flags to be made in the U.S.A. (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Nebraskans reminded to fly flags for July Fourth (mysanantonio.com)

America is not the greatest country in the world anymore — but we could be . . .

At some small risk of sacrificing the G rating of this blog, I offer this little scene from HBO’s “Newsroom,” a program I can’t see because our cable company is not customer-oriented (but we take it for the bundled internet package).  From this small snippet, I would say HBO is again showing how a cable program aimed at adult minds can achieve high quality, if not greatness.  Aaron Sorkin created and writes the thing, and Jeff Daniels stars as the television news guy.  This scene will give every patriotic American something to think about.

Something to think about, sure.

It’s not a question, or should not be a question, of whether one “believes in” American exceptionalism.  It is a question of whether we understand that what makes America exceptional is the people who work to make things better, the people who work to make change — and that exceptionalism slips from our mantle, and from our grasp, if we don’t work to keep it.

I’m also reminded of the two posters somebody put out that showed up in every speech department in every college in America when I was a speech graduate student.  They were based loosely on Plutarch‘s Lives, the book comparing biographies of great Romans and great Greeks, and the section that compared the two great orators, the later Roman, Cicero and the earlier Greek, Demosthenes.

One poster said, “When Cicero spoke, the people said how well he spoke.”

The second said, “When Demosthenes spoke, the people said ‘Let us march!‘”

Are you ready to march?  November’s election day comes sooner than we anticipate.

Tip of the old scrub brush to Jim Stanley.

More, and Resources:

• What Makes America the Greatest Country in the World? (neatorama.com)
• 2012 winner must unite America on ideals (cnn.com)
• Cicero (avantlive.wordpress.com)
• Book Club: The Parallel Lives – Part 1 (traditionalchristianity.wordpress.com)
• “…the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God…” (godhistoryandyou.wordpress.com)
• We’re Not #1? (carpebootium.com)
• America is not the greatest country in the world (mypoliticalmusings.wordpress.com)
• Bozell Column: HBO’s Arrogant ‘Newsroom’ (newsbusters.org)
• Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom on HBO: More Evidence That Liberalism is Losing (johnmalcolm.me)
• Actor Jeff Daniels: Sorkin’s Anti-America Speech ‘Resonated with Me,’ ‘It’s Gold’ (newsbusters.org)
• The Only Person In The World Who Likes Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom (mediaite.com)
• Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom is the apotheosis of old fogey Hollywood liberalism (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)
• What Aaron Sorkin Got Right (And Wrong) in The Newsroom (usnews.com)
• #TheNewsroom’s Aaron Sorkin on Idealism! (muhsadam.wordpress.com)
• The Newsroom Doesn’t Blow (ken_ashford.typepad.com)
• “American Exceptionalism:  A short history,” Foreign Affairs
• “We’re #1 . . . uh, we’re not?” – CNN

Flag Day poster from 1917

140th US Flag Day poster. 1777-1917. The birthday of the stars and stripes, June 14th, 1917. ‘Tis the Star Spangled Banner, oh, long may it wave, o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!” Library of Congress description: “Poster showing a man raising the American flag, with a Minuteman cheering and an eagle flying above.” – Wikipedia

Details about the poster, from the Library of Congress:

1777-1917: The 140th flag day. The birthday of the stars and stripes, June 14th, 1917. The text continues: ‘Tis the Star Spangled Banner, oh, long may it wave, o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave! President Woodrow Wilson remarked, “this flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a nation. Though silent, it speaks to us of the past, of the men and women who went before us, and of the records they wrote upon it.”

MEDIUM: 1 print (poster) : lithograph, color ; 101 x 65 cm.

CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1917.

NOTES: Forms part of: Willard and Dorothy Straight Collection.

Who was the artist?  Who ordered the printing, and for what specific purpose?  Anyone know?

The Library of Congress sells copies of this poster.

A good reason to send a letter on Flag Day

A trip to the Post Office turned into a patriotic exercise — photo by Mary Almanza.

Fly your flag today, in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

You already have it up and waving, right?  Did I really need to remind you?

Google logo for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2012 - click for more information

Fly your flag today, in honor of our nation, and in honor of our nation’s honoring the memory and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

U.S. law encourages Americans to fly the U.S. flag on holidays and a few other occasions. Congress set aside the third Monday in January as a holiday to commemorate the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To honor Dr. King, for several years civil rights leaders and others have urged us to find some way to serve our communities on this day — Americans have done it long enough to make it a tradition. Here’s the official find-a-way-to-serve page from the the federal government; look out your window, go spend a few minutes at your city hall, post office, or at the biggest church in town, or walk into any middle school in America, and opportunities to serve will caress you at every turn.

More, much more:

• Obama gives place of honor to bust of King in the Oval Office, St. Louis Post-Dispatch blog; ABC News story
• The King Center homepage
• Biography of the winner of the 1964 Nobel Prize for Peace, at the Nobel Foundation site
• Dr. King’s Nobel Prize Lecture, “The Quest for Peace and Justice,” December 11, 1964
• Short video of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, 1964
• “Economic equality a part of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream,” San Jose Mercury-News, January 16, 2012
• SMU’s week in 2008 commemorating Dr. King and his visit to SMU
• Enchanted Learning’s page on King (a good resource for students’ report ideas)
• Stanford University’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute (a stellar resource for teachers)
• Seattle Times special report on King
• Tribute at 56 Rebels (good videos of King speeches)

King, by photographer Ben Fernandez's portfolio of photos from one year in the life of Dr. King, "Countdown to Eternity"

• 2009 MLK Day post at Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub (see resources)
• “Arc of History, Under the St. Louis Arch”
• 2008 MLK Day post here

Google's logo for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 2010 - click for more information

You’re flying your flag, right?

Did I need to remind you to fly your flag today?

U.S. flag at George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon, cupola on the house in the background

September 11 – fly your flag today, half-staff if you can

Americans are urged to fly flags today, at half-staff, in honor of patriots and those who died in the attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.

According to Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute, the law says:

TITLE 36 > Subtitle I > Part A > CHAPTER 1> § 144

§ 144. Patriot Day

How Current is This?

(a) Designation.— September 11 is Patriot Day.

(b) Proclamation.— The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation calling on—
(1) State and local governments and the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day with appropriate programs and activities;

(2) all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States and interested organizations and individuals to display the flag of the United States at halfstaff on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001; and

(3) the people of the United States to observe a moment of silence on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.

Patriot Day formerly occurred earlier in the year; information on flag flying has not been added to the Flag Code portions of U.S. law, and consequently this news gets missed.

Fly your flag today, at half-staff. Remember when flying a flag at half-staff, it is first raised to full staff, then slowly lowered to the half-staff position. When the flag is retired at the end of the day, it should again be crisply raised to the full-staff position before being lowered.

A flag attached to a pole that does not allow a half-staff position should be posted as usual.

A National Day of Service

Also, September 11 is also designated as a national day of service, under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, Public Law 111-13 (April 21, 2009). The Corporation for National and Community Service is charged with encouraging appropriate service in honor of the day and in honor of those who died.

National Day of Service and Remembrance

Date(s): September 11, 2010

Location: National

Event URL: http://911day.org/

Description
On April 21, 2009, President Barack Obama signed legislation that for the first time officially established September 11 as a federally recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance.

By pledging to volunteer, perform good deeds, or engage in other forms of charitable service during the week of 9/11, you and your organization will help rekindle the remarkable spirit of unity, service and compassion shared by so many in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. And you’ll help create a fitting, enduring and historic legacy in the name of those lost and injured on 9/11, and in tribute to the 9/11 first responders, rescue and recovery workers, and volunteers, and our brave military personnel who continue to serve to this day.

Check in your own community to find opportunities for service projects.

Pete Seeger: STILL standing taller than his critics

(This is almost completely an encore post — one that should get more circulation.  From four years ago, in 2007.  I have not updated years or ages — sharpen your math skills, and do it as you go.)

Some people can’t let go of the past, and like the greedy chimpanzee who grasps the rice in the jar, and then is trapped when he cannot pull out his fist nor will he give up his prize to save his freedom, they trap themselves out of a good life.

• 

  Cover of 1996 album of songs, "Pete." Seeger, born May 3, 1919, is 88 years old now.

Like this fellow, whose father’s dislike of an old political position of Pete Seeger kept them both from a good concert. He appears to agree with his father, though, thinking that somehow Seeger is responsible for the evils of Stalinism, and complaining that Seeger was tardy in making note of the fact that Stalin was evil. And Instapundit’s Glenn Reynolds agrees, profanely, and inaccurately, as I’ll explain below the fold. But heed this warning: I’m explaining at length.

Get a life, people! Pete Seeger did.