“It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I’m free.”
“Let
It Go” by Idina Menzel from “Frozen”
Conservative
minister Keith Swanson claims that the Walt Disney movie “Frozen” is thinly
disguised pro-homosexual propaganda designed to indoctrinate impressionable
kids. Here’s his stupid bill of
particulars. Elsa is portrayed as different
than other girls and not interested in boys.
The troll king asks her, “Born
this way or cursed?” She has magical
powers but fears she is becoming a monster and isolates herself. In the end Elsa and sister Anna save each
other rather than get rescued by a charming prince. Writing for The Independent, Felicity Morse opined: “While
it's up for debate whether ‘Frozen’ really is dealing with ‘gay’ themes, I
think if Disney is teaching our children about LGBT relationships, then it’s not a
moment too soon.”
In 1895, while
President of New York City Police Board, Teddy Roosevelt came under criticism
for demanding, as a means of curbing corruption, enforcement of “blue laws”
that forbade saloons from serving alcohol on Sundays. According to Doris Kearns Goodwin, when
opponents staged a massive parade, featuring floats, banners, and 30,000 people
marching down Lexington Avenue, TR sat on the reviewing stand and laughed when
he spotted placards castigating him. One
read, “Send the Police Czar to Russia,” another “Roosevelt’s Razzle Dazzle
Reform Racket.” TR sympathized with workers
who liked to relax at a neighborhood tavern on their one day off and advocated
changing the statute.
It was raining so
hard when I arrived at IUN, my feet got soaked, but I had an extra pair of
socks and slippers in my cage. Several women
presenting papers at Friday’s South Bend Women’s and Gender Studies Conference were
also speaking at Thursday’s tenth annual IUN College of Arts and Sciences
Conference organized by CISTL director Chris Young. Amanda Board discussed the high incidence of
domestic violence among lesbian couples.
Among the reasons why: alcohol and drug abuse, low self-esteem, internalized
homophobia, and mental disorders. Research
does not indicate that it has to do with butch-fem role-playing. There’s a need to treat the problem different
from heterosexual domestic violence.
Anne Balay and Amanda Board
In a session
chaired by Nicole Anslover Ava Meux spoke about racist practices in America that
she claimed fell under the United Nations definition of genocide. During Reconstruction Booker T. Washington,
fearful that freed slaves would suffer the same fate as Native Americans (truly
victims of genocide, especially peaceful California tribes), urged separation
of the races in matters social (like fingers on the hand, he said). Kevin
Surney, lamenting the common use of “the N word” among African-American youths,
often tells kids, “Amp up your vo-cab.”
That got a chuckle from the crowd. Beverly Lewis-Burton, a dynamic and impassioned
speaker, talked about Fannie Lou Hamer as preacher, prophet and priest. She works as a pre-professional adviser in
the School of Nursing. I think she’s
also a minister; if not, she should be.
When Lewis-Burton quoted from Hamer’s account of being beaten in
Mississippi for daring to attempt to register to vote, it was hard to hold back
tears.
Here’s Fannie Lou
Hamer’s account of what happened on June 3, 1963, in Montgomery County
(Mississippi) Jail, punishment for working on a voter registration drive for
the Southern Christian leadership Conference: “Three white men came into my room. One was a state highway policeman (he
had the marking on his sleeve). They said they were going to make me wish I was
dead. They made me lay down on my face and they ordered two Negro prisoners to
beat me with a blackjack. That was unbearable. The first prisoner beat me until
he was exhausted, then the second Negro began to beat me. I had polio when I
was about six years old. I was limp. I was holding my hands behind me to
protect my weak side. I began to work my feet. My dress pulled up and I tried
to smooth it down. One of the policemen walked over and raised my dress as high
as he could. They beat me until my body was hard, 'til I couldn't bend my
fingers or get up when they told me to. That's how I got this blood clot in my
eye - the sight's nearly gone now. My kidney was injured from the blows they
gave me on the back.” Hamer died in 1977 at age 60; three years ago
a statue of her was unveiled at the Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Garden in
Ruleville, Mississippi.
Thom Cox from
Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago gave a keynote performance, assuming the
persona of Nelson Algren. Mario Dongu,
so awesome Sunday in the lead role of Harpagon in “The Miser,” presented an
analysis of that character. I predict a
bright future for him. Altogether it was
quite a conference, and I was pleased at the contribution by History
faculty. David Parnell, for example, a
recent teaching award winner, sponsored a session on “Living in the Roman
World: War, Religion, and Nutrition” featuring papers by Eric Doffin, Timothy
Hall, and Keith Taliefero.
Home Mountain’s
Doug Klemz found copies of past Shavings
issues going back to 1994, including Henry Farag’s “The Signal: A Doo Wop
Rhapsody,” and wondered if I wanted them.
I indicated that I did but suggested they keep at least one copy in case
they might
have a display case of things you've printed.
Kristen Haley and Danny Ferguson
Another Fort Hood shooting has left 16 injured and four dead, including
Ivan Lopez, who killed himself after gunning down others at the Texas military
base. I put on the calming influence of
the 1971 Cat Stevens album “Teaser and the Firecat,” featuring “Moonshadow” and
“Morning Has Broken” and whose last song is “Peace Train.” Cat Stevens, barred from entering America
during the Bush years because he’s a Muslim and gave money to a Palestinian
charity, is a 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Stevens also wrote a children’s book called
“Teaser and the Firecat” about an attempt to put the moon back in the sky after
it fell to earth. If only we could give
the dead soldiers at Fort Hood back their lives. According to fiancé Kristen Haley, Sergeant
Danny Ferguson, just back from Afghanistan, died while keeping Lopez from
entering a crowded room. I hope there’s
a loving support group available for Kristen.
Anticipating the Cubs’ season opener the Chicago Tribune has been recounting highlights and low-lights of
Wrigley Field’s hundred-year history. I
recall Kerry Wood’s 20 strikeouts during his rookie season and his losing game
seven of the 2003 against the Marlins a day after the Bartman incident. Ryne Sandburg, in town managing the Phillies,
hit two game-tying HRs against Cardinal Bruce Sutter in 1984 in a game Chicago
won, 12-11 after trailing 9-3. Dave and
I were watching it at Dean and Joanell Bottorff’s place in Valpo. Bill Murray was great singing “Take Me Out to
the Ball Game” during a seventh inning stretch (like announcer Harry Carey once
did). Coach Mike Ditka showed up late for his
appearance, then sang at double the normal speed and totally off key, and
forgot to substitute “(Root, root, root for the) Cubbies” for “Home Team”. After Kid Rock finished, someone told him to
add, “Now let’s go get some runs.” Instead he said, “Now let’s go get some lunch.”
Several hundred
Lake Central students held a sit-in Wednesday protesting the administration’s
refusal to have a moment of silence for a young man who committed suicide. Principal Robin Tobias lamely argued that such
an announcement over the P.A. would amount to “suicide glorification” and might
lead to copycat suicides. Instead Tobias
called in the police, who took 18 year-old Hunter Ernst to jail for arguing and
charged him with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and possession of a
pocketknife. Talk about over-reaction – why couldn’t have school officials
simply let the students go on with their peaceful protest or made a brief
announcement over the public address system?
A second Lake Central student killed himself Wednesday night.
Winter has been so
frigid, an ice shelf along Lake Michigan shoreline has prevented ore boats from
reaching Gary Works, forcing a shutdown of blast furnaces that normally burn 24
hours a day. Traffic has also been
stalled further north in Lake Superior.
U.S. Steel announced that such severe conditions have not occurred in
more than 30 years.
Fred Halpern,
co-owner of Albert’s Diamond Jewels in Hobart and Schererville, was inducted
into the Northwest Indiana Business and Industry Hall of Fame. Starting out in East Chicago over 50 years
ago, he said: “I inherited a store with
two employees. I had to tell them to
wait to cash your check a little later.
I had to tell the water guy, ‘Please don’t turn off my water,’ and the
electrical guy, ‘Please don’t turn off my electricity.’ I told them I will pay you eventually, and
obviously those bills got paid because I’m here now. I lived at home with my family for five years
and never took a penny out of the store.
It wasn’t easy is the point I’m trying to make. Everybody has to get paid before you do
because you have to have credibility.
After you take care of your help and bills and have any money left, buy
some more inventory.”
George McGuan drove
us to Bethel Church auditorium for a bluegrass mass featuring the Minnesota
group Monroe Crossing and the Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus. Host John Cain mentioned that among the event
sponsors was a memorial fund named in honor of former chorus member (and IUN
professor) Jim Tolhuizen. The program
started with Monroe Crossing performing with the Southlake Children’s Choir,
directed by Aaron Riegle (Becca and James sang with them a couple years ago). My favorite part of the show was when Monroe
Crossing performed alone for 35 minutes, doing numbers by legends Bill Monroe
and the Stanley Brothers as well as original compositions. The mass was not my
cup of tea but, mercifully, shorter than expected. Afterwards we celebrated Cheryl Hagelberg’s
birthday with an ice cream cake at Baskin-Robbins.
During intermission
I introduced George McGuan to former Lake County surveyor George Van Til. George asked him if he really was indicted
for having an employee pick up a tuxedo for him. Ironically, the employee knew the owner of
the shop and tried to sell it to him.
Referring to President Bill Clinton’s legal troubles, Van Til said that
once prosecutors commence an investigation against a public official, anything
is fair game (or unfair game, as in the case of Clinton’s sex life or something
as petty as a tuxedo errand). The the
tendency is to find something to justify the governmental expenditures. McGuan
told Van Til he should write a book about Lake County politics. I chimed in that if he needed an oral
historian to help him, to let me know.
He’s familiar with my role in producing Roy Dominguez’s “Valor,” so who
knows? He told an anecdote about a
public official being with a prostitute who mentioned the names of clients who
hailed from his part of the state. The
guy put his pants back on and high-tailed it out of there before she learned
his identity.
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