Country Club #15: Merle Haggard's Suppressed Anti-racist Single

After his tremendous hit "Okie from Muskogee" which was released in September 1969, spent 4 weeks as Number One on the Top Country list, and namedthe Country Music Association Single(and album) of the Year in 1970, Merle Haggard wanted a very different song to be his next single, instead of "Fighting Side of Me," an even more jingoistic song.

The record Haggard wanted to release was "Irma Jackson," a song he had penned about an interracial romance. Capital Records, Haggard's label,didn't like the song and thought it would alienate his fans. Finally, it was included on Haggard's 1972 album Let Me Tell You About a Song.

In 1970, "Irma Jackson" was covered by Tony Booth as his first single on  MGM. It reached Number 67 on the country charts.

Never knew about this monstrosity. Disgusting and sad - but maybe to be expected from a Hillary Cunton supporter.   John Briggs - (August 15th, 2009, 04:47 PM)

Merle Haggard reveals himself as a mudshark from a song that he wrote in 1970. - See more at: http://vnnforum.com/video.php?do=viewdetails&videoid=1122#sthash.ehi8Oys2.dpuf

     IRMA JACKSON lyrics

I'd love to shout my feelin's from a mountain high
Tell the world I love her and I will till I die
There's no way the world will understand that love is color blind
That's why Irma Jackson can't be mine

I remember when no one cared about us bein' friends
We were only children and it really didn't matter then
But we grew up too quickly in a world that draws a line
Where they say Irma Jackson can't be mine

If my lovin' Irma Jackson is a sin
Then I don't understand this crazy world we're livin' in
There's a muddy wall between us standin' high
But I'll love Irma Jackson till I die

She tells me she's decided that she'll go away
And I guess it's right but she alone should have the final say
But in spite of her decision forcin' us to say goodbye
I'll still love Irma Jackson till I die

If my lovin' Irma Jackson is a sin
Then I don't understand this crazy world we're livin' in
It's a muddy wall between us standin' high
But I'll love Irma Jackson till I die.

'd love to shout my feelin's from a mountain high
Tell the world I love her and I will till I die
There's no way the world will understand that love is color blind
That's why Irma Jackson can't be mine

I remember when no one cared about us bein' friends
We were only children and it really didn't matter then
But we grew up too quickly in a world that draws a line
Where they say Irma Jackson can't be mine

If my lovin' Irma Jackson is a sin
Then I don't understand this crazy world we're livin' in
There's a muddy wall between us standin' high
But I'll love Irma Jackson till I die

She tells me she's decided that she'll go away
And I guess it's right but she alone should have the final say
But in spite of her decision forcin' us to say goodbye
I'll still love Irma Jackson till I die

If my lovin' Irma Jackson is a sin
Then I don't understand this crazy world we're livin' in
It's a muddy wall between us standin' high
But I'll love Irma Jackson till I die.

The Rose: Symbol of Socialism

I was asked today about DSA's synbol--two hand shaking holding a rose. The question was specifically about the rose, so I'll answer the two hands another day.  It's an American symbol.  The rose, on the other hand, is the most widely used symbol by democratic socialist, social democratic, and labor parties.

Here is an explanation from the Social Democratic Party of Denmark who have a nice site in English.

No complete consensus rests among Social Democrats regarding what our rose symbol really represents. There are, however, a number of tenders:

• community (the flower’s petals)
• socialism (its red color)
• taking care of those who are less able to compete (the fragility)
• the struggle (the thorns)
• growth (growing potential)
• plurality (the flower’s form)
• respect for nature (a plant) and
• cultural life (beauty)

Historically speaking, the red rose became the party’s emblem during the nineteen-seventies, when the Danish Social Democrats “annexed” the French Socialist Party’s logo.
For purposes of standing apart - symbolically and ideologically - from the larger Communist Party’s hard-line socialism, the French Socialists placed a red rose into the clenched fist. The intention was to signify “socialism with a human face”.

Later on, as a consequence of certain copyright-related considerations, the Social Democratic Party in Denmark was compelled to remove the fist from its logo. But the rose was preserved, albeit in a new rendition. More recently, the stems and the leaves also vanished, with the result that only the petals remain intact in the party’s emblem at the present time.

However, as has been mentioned: nobody can put forth an unequivocal explanation for what the rose symbolizes today. But all Social Democrats agree that the red rose embodies one or more stories that should not be forgotten. There is one patently evident community that has gathered around the rose. And as we all know, communities come into being around stories that we share in common, around stories about which we can agree.

If you take an even closer look at what the rose symbolizes on the basis of a universal kind of interpretation, it soon becomes quite clear that above and beyond any other association it might possess, the rose is perceived as a symbol of love. In this connection, we can cite – by way of example – from Hans Biedermann’s symbol encyclopedia:

“Adonis was Aphrodite’s (Venus’) lover, and in the myth about Adonis’ death, the very first red roses are said to have sprouted forth from his blood. Accordingly, the roses became a symbol of the love that transcends death...” “... In Christian symbolism, the rose is symbolic of the crucified person’s blood and, as such, a symbol of heavenly love. On the other hand, the troubadour’s lyrics saw in the rose a tangible symbol of earthly love, and as a symbol of love, the rose continues to thrive in our own time...”

Country Club #14: Working Man

John Conlee has been described as "ne of the most respected vocalists to emerge during the urban cowboy era, John Conlee was known for his superb taste in material and his distinctively melancholy voice." Conlee probably won't make many all time country great lists, but he had 19 top ten hits between 1978 and 1987. If you listened to country radio during that period or country oldies format today, you've probably heard and enjoyed  lots of his records.

Conlee's 1985 "Working Man" was a follow-up of sorts to his 1982 Number One Hit "Common Man and rose to number 7 in the charts.There's an interesting difference in the two songs. "Common Man" (lyrics)is about life-style and consumption patterns, rejecting wine poured by a maid and dogs by a pedigree in favor of McDonalds and Budweister, "cause high-browed people lose their sanity|And a common man is what I’ll be." In contrast, "Working Man" is about working, wages too low, a can't be satisfied boss, and (I  really like this touch) "too much room in the Frigidaire."

Country music to a greater extent than other forms of American popular music often talks about work and working.   That's a reason liberals, progressives, union activists,and democratic socialists should pay attention  to this musical form that is exceedingly popular with the white working class.

WORKING MAN LYRICS

Stumble from my good warm bed
Monday mornin', oh my head
Gotta go and do it all again
Wake up baby, rise and shine
It's coffee, eggs and bacon time
Walk your workin' man out to the car

The boss is in his usual mood
Not one thing does he approve
Sometimes you can't keep him satisfied
Up and down the assembly line
Weary faces much like mine
Showing the wear and tear in their eyes

CHORUS:
They're makin' it hard on the workin' man
Tryin' to make a livin' any way he can
Makin' ends meet on the installment plan
His money goes right through his hands

Heaven, help him if you think you can
They're makin' it hard on the workin' man

Big policeman in his prime
Sits behind his billboard sign
Aims his radar gun right straight at me
A letter from the IRS
Says "Boy, you're taxes are a mess"
Is this the way the good life's supposed to be?

(chorus)

Stumble from my good warm bed
Monday mornin', oh my head
Gotta go and do it all again
Too much room in the Frigidaire
The kids all need new shoes to wear
Payment's late on my old truck agaïn
 Stumble from my good warm bed

Monday mornin', oh my head
Gotta go and do it all again
Wake up baby, rise and shine
It's coffee, eggs and bacon time
Walk your workin' man out to the car

The boss is in his usual mood
Not one thing does he approve
Sometimes you can't keep him satisfied
Up and down the assembly line
Weary faces much like mine
Showing the wear and tear in their eyes

CHORUS:
They're makin' it hard on the workin' man
Tryin' to make a livin' any way he can
Makin' ends meet on the installment plan
His money goes right through his hands

Heaven, help him if you think you can
They're makin' it hard on the workin' man

Big policeman in his prime
Sits behind his billboard sign
Aims his radar gun right straight at me
A letter from the IRS
Says "Boy, you're taxes are a mess"
Is this the way the good life's supposed to be?

(chorus)

Stumble from my good warm bed
Monday mornin', oh my head
Gotta go and do it all again
Too much room in the Frigidaire
The kids all need new shoes to wear
Payment's late on my old truck agaïn

Juan Cole's Misformed Comment on Religion and Murder Rates

Juan Cole starts his Terrorism and the other Religions  with this assertion

Contrary to what is alleged by bigots like Bill Maher#, Muslims are not more violent than people of other religions. Murder rates in most of the Muslim world are very low compared to the United States.

After examining Cole's claims about religions and war and political death,  I got to wondering if it was really the case that "Murder rates in most of the Muslim world are very low compared to the United States."  Turns out it doesn't seem to be the case.  It depends on whether 'most'  means 'nearly all' or 'the largest number' and whether 'very low' means simply 'less than' or a 'lot less than.'  And how defines the "Muslim" world.

 The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime actually compiles statistics on homicides which can be found on Wikipedia here.  I've made a list of US and Islamic countries, which I'm taking to be majority population, excluding countries where Muslims are a plurality or large minority.

If I had more time and wasn't so rusty on statistics, I would do a bell curve (on all countries or the subset below) and define "very low" as one or two standard deviations below the U.S,  Would you say a very low comparative murder rate would be one-half, one-fourth, or one-tenth of the United States?  Let's go with one-half.

As you can see in the table below, seventeen (17) Muslim countries countries have higher murder rates than the United  States, including Sudan, Indonesia, and Senegal. Another twelve (12) have reported  murder less than the US, but more than fifty percent of the U.S. rate   That group includes Iran, Palestine, and Turkey.   That's a total of thirty-nine (39).    By this criteria, twenty-three (23) Muslim countries have "very low" murder rates compared to the U.S. That less than most.

Another eight (8) Muslim countries have reported rates less than fifty percent (50%) but greater than forty percent (40%) of the U.S., including Malaysia and Kuwait.  By this criteria, only fifteen (15) Muslim countries have "very low" rates compared to the U.S.  That's even less than most

In sum, I think Cole's claim that "Murder rates in most of the Muslim world are very low compared to the United States" should be rejected.

UNODC murder rates most recent year (full table here)
Country	Rate	Count	Region	Subregion
Sudan	24.2	10,028++	Africa	Northern Africa
Guinea-Bissau	20.2	294	Africa	Western Africa
Kyrgyzstan	20.1	1,072	Asia	Central Asia
Burkina Faso	18.0	2,876	Africa	Western Africa
Eritrea	17.8	879	Africa	Eastern Africa
Chad	15.8	1,686	Africa	Middle Africa
Benin	15.1	1,262	Africa	Western Africa
Sierra Leone	14.9	837	Africa	Western Africa
Mauritania	14.7	485	Africa	Western Africa
Comoros	12.2	85	Africa	Eastern Africa
Nigeria	12.2	18,422	Africa	Western Africa
Gambia	10.8	106	Africa	Western Africa
Kazakhstan	8.8	1,418	Asia	Central Asia
Senegal	8.7	1,027	Africa	Western Africa
Indonesia	8.1	18,963	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
Mali	8.0	1,157	Africa	Western Africa
Pakistan	7.8	13,860+	Asia	Southern Asia
United States	4.8	14,748	Americas	Northern America
Turkmenistan	4.2	203	Asia	Central Asia
Yemen	4.2	990+	Asia	Western Asia
Palestine	4.1	145+	Asia	Western Asia
Albania	4.0	127	Europe	Southern Europe
Niger	3.8	552	Africa	Western Africa
Djibouti	3.4	29	Africa	Eastern Africa
Turkey	3.3	2,320	Asia	Western Asia
Uzbekistan	3.1	831	Asia	Central Asia
Iran	3.0	2,215	Asia	Southern Asia
Libya	2.9	176+	Africa	Northern Africa
Bangladesh	2.7	3,988	Asia	Southern Asia
Mauritius	2.5	33	Africa	Eastern Africa
Afghanistan	2.4	712+	Asia	Southern Asia
Malaysia	2.3	604	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
Syria	2.3	463+	Asia	Western Asia
Azerbaijan	2.2	206	Asia	Western Asia
Kuwait	2.2	59	Asia	Western Asia
Lebanon	2.2	95	Asia	Western Asia
Tajikistan	2.1	143	Asia	Central Asia
Iraq	2.0	608+	Asia	Western Asia
Jordan	1.8	100	Asia	Western Asia
Maldives	1.6	5	Asia	Southern Asia
Somalia	1.5	138+	Africa	Eastern Africa
Algeria	1.5	516	Africa	Northern Africa
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1.5	56	Europe	Southern Europe
Morocco	1.4	447	Africa	Northern Africa
Egypt	1.2	992	Africa	Northern Africa
Tunisia	1.1	117	Africa	Northern Africa
Saudi Arabia	1.0	265+	Asia	Western Asia
Qatar	0.9	13	Asia	Western Asia
United Arab Emirates	0.8	39	Asia	Western Asia
Oman	0.7	18	Asia	Western Asia
Bahrain	0.6	6	Asia	Western Asia
Brunei	0.5	2	Asia	South-Eastern Asia

# I don't think Cole fairly represents Maher here, at least not in the clip I've seen.