Rachel's Democracy & Health News #948, February 28, 2008

NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: THE SUNSET OF RACHEL'S NEWS

[Rachel's introduction: A year from now, it will be time for a change. Pete Seeger helps explain what I'm thinking. -- P.M.]

By Peter Montague

A year from now, Feb. 26, 2009, we will publish Rachel's News #1000 and it will be our last. I turn 70 this year and I've been doing this for 22 years (weekly, or bi-weekly -- I've tried both formats for long stretches). Now it's time for something completely different -- longer articles, perhaps a very short book, op-eds for daily newspapers, videos for YouTube, focused gatherings with activists to learn their ideas about direction and strategy, who knows?

Why, you ask? Here's the long answer...

Near the end of Lewis Lapham's video, "The American Ruling Class," there is an absolutely wonderful scene that might help explain what I'm thinking.

Pete Seeger and a young man named Mike (who, throughout the video, has been on a quest to find and join the American ruling class) are walking through the woods on a dirt road. It is fall and the leaves are bright with color. Pete -- who was 86 when the video was shot in 2005, wearing old jeans, a plaid shirt and a bright red watch cap -- is picking a tune on his 5-string banjo, singing his song from 1969, "Quite Early Morning." It goes like this:

Don't you know it's darkest before the dawn And it's this thought keeps me moving on If we could heed these early warnings The time is now quite early morning If we could heed these early warnings The time is now quite early morning

Some say that humankind won't long endure But what makes them so doggone sure? I know that you who hear my singing Could make those freedom bells go ringing I know that you who hear my singing Could make those freedom bells go ringing

And so keep on while we live Until we have no, no more to give And when these fingers can strum no longer Hand the old banjo to young ones stronger And when these fingers can strum no longer Hand the old banjo to young ones stronger

So though it's darkest before the dawn These thoughts keep us moving on Through all this world of joy and sorrow We still can have singing tomorrows Through all this world of joy and sorrow We still can have singing tomorrows

* * *

After the song, Mike turns to Pete and says, "No offense but do you really think you can change things, much less the world, by walking down a country road singing a song -- or by singing a song anytime anywhere for anybody, for that matter?"

Pete smiles broadly and says, "I suppose not. But I'm gonna make darn sure the world's isn't gonna change me."

Then he pauses and turns to Mike and tells him a little story. "It's like this," says Pete. "Imagine a big see-saw and one end is on the ground because it's got a basket half-full of rocks on that end. The other end is up in the air because it's got a basket on it one- quarter full of sand, and some of us have got teaspoons -- we're trying to fill that basket.

"Of course most people are kind of scoffing at us: They say, 'Don't you see it's leakin just as quick as you're puttin it in? People like you been tryin for centuries, but it's never gonna change.' And we say, 'You might be right but we think we're getting more people with teaspoons all the time and one of these days that whole see-saw is gonna go zoooooooop! and our end will suddenly reach the ground and people will say, 'Gee, how did it happen so suddenly?'"

Pete Seeger pauses and says, "Us and all our little teaspoons... over the centuries."

Then he smiles and says, "Who knows? Hah!" and starts back singing "Quite Early Morning" and ambling contentedly down that country road.

As for me, I'm just looking for a different teaspoon. --P.M.