The Cost of Freedom

I have been reading “Cost of Freedom: An American Anthology of Activism” and it inspired me to throw together this little podcast in honour of all the contributors and editors (Mike Palecek, Whitney Trettien, Michael Annis) who made it happen. Cost of Freedom features anecdotes, stories, letters, art, poetry & photographs from across the United States that measure the real price that is being paid to defend freedom and liberty.

1) Albert Einstein – On Ghandi and Civil Disobedience

In this tribute to Ghandi, Einstein not only advises us to use non-violent methods in our quest for social change, but also “non-participation in anything you believe is evil”. Many might assume that Einstein’s call for civil disobedience related specifically to his work to end the proliferation of nuclear weapons, but he was also eluding to the possible necessity of a general strike to overcome the “predatory” evil of capitalist society that he wrote about in “Why Socialism?“, an article published in “Monthly Review” in 1949. Einstein’s socialist politics made him unpopular in many circles, and eventually led to an FBI investigation that gathered 1427 pages of intelligence on his socialist activities. According to the FBI: “An investigation was conducted by the FBI regarding the famous physicist because of his affiliation with the Communist Party. Einstein was a member, sponsor, or affiliated with thirty-four communist fronts between 1937 and 1954. He also served as honorary chairman for three communist organizations.” Einstein’s campaign against nuclear weapons led to the formation of the Pugwash Conferences, which bring together various “public figures concerned with reducing the danger of armed conflict and seeking cooperative solutions for global problems.”

2) Ani DiFranco – Self Evident (2001)

Out of all of the music to be inspired by the events of 11 September 2001 and the subsequent political landscape, this by far remains my favourite. This is serious top shelf material. The fact that DiFranco’s blazing commentary occurred shortly after the terrorist attacks – when many Americans were caught up in a jingoist fervour for revenge – only makes it more significant. This is so much more than a poem, this is Ani’s personal state of the union address on behalf of all the dissidents fighting for truth and social justice. Speaking truth to power, she holds these truths to be self evident:

#1 – George W. Bush is not president
#2 – America is not a true democracy
#3 – The media is not fooling me

3) Suheir Hammad – First Writing Since (2001)

Ani DiFranco wasn’t the only woman to lock horns with the establishment in the wake of 9/11. As righteous a babe as Ani might be, even her scathing portrayal of the “strutting” America in Self-Evident cannot compare with the “abstract reality” described by Suheir Hammad in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks. As a Muslim, Hammad’s experience was much more personal:

One more person ask me if I knew the hijackers
One more motherfucker ask me what navy my brother is in
One more person assume no arabs or muslims were killed
One more person assume they know me, or that I represent a people
Or that a people represent an evil
Or that evil is as simple as a flag and words on a page

We did not vilify all white men when McVeigh bombed Oklahoma
America did not give out his family’s addresses
or where he went to church
or blame the bible
or Pat fucking Robertson

Suheir Hammad was born in Amman, Jordan to Palestinian refugee parents on 25 October 1973. Suheir’s family immigrated to Brooklyn NY when Suheir was five years old, and she was raised there until the age of sixteen. Her parents moved to Staten Island while Suheir was in high school. Suheir has been able to travel throughout the world via her poetry. She has read her poems in Ivy League Universities and on Brooklyn’s street corners. Her work has appeared in award winning anthologies, and in zines stapled together by queer youth collectives.

4) Lightnin’ Hopkins – War News Blues (1950)

No one seems to know exactly when this song was recorded, but it was somewhere between 1946 and 1951. Several commentators believe the lyrics were penned in response to the Korean War, which would put it after 1950. This song highlights the pain of a mother who can provide no safe haven for her children during a bombing “campaign”, the same reality that the mothers and fathers of Iraq faced during the “Shock & Awe” blitzkrieg of 2003.

You may turn your radio on soon in the morning
Sad news everyday
You may turn your radio on soon in the morning
Sad news everyday
Yes you know I’ve got a warning
Trouble is on its way

Poor children runnin’ & cryin’, whoah mama
Mama now what shall we do
Poor children runnin’ cryin’, ooh mama
Mama now what shall we do
Yes she said you better pray children
Same thing is happenin’ to mama too

I’m gonna dig me a hole this mornin’
Dig it deep down in the ground
I’m gonna dig me a hole this mornin’
Dig it deep down in the ground
So if they should happen to drop a bomb around somewhere
I can’t hear the echo when it sound

5) Utah Phillips – Anarchy (1996)

Speaking of the Korean War, it nearly destroyed Utah Phillips, who, like many men, returned to America to live in “the bottle” or the needle. A friend of mine likes to say that which does not grind you down will polish you up. I suppose that’s what happened to Utah Phillips, who became an anarchist, a pacifist, and one helluva a funny folk hero – the main reason I featured him here. Listening to Utah cannot help but inspire you to trudge along against the machine, regardless of the consequences.

6) Spiro Agnew comments on Hippies, followed by Kris Kristofferson – The Law is for Protection of the People (1970)

“Shut up and I will lower my voice!” Yeah buddy, sure you will. Spiro was always such a quiet gentlemen, wasn’t he? One could only imagine what he said about the “hippies” and the “yippies” in private. I imagine he had more than a few violent fantasies involving Abbie Hoffman. Coupled with Kristofferson’s “Law and Order” rant, this segment paints a pretty sad picture of boomer-era politics.

7) Spiro Agnew comments on Black Panthers, followed by Jello Biafra – Shut Up, Be Happy (1989)

A little Spiro goes a long way, but hey, he’s so much fun, I just couldn’t resist tossing a little more at ya. Eighteen years later, Ice-T’s remix of Black Sabbath as a backdrop for Biafra’s rant on the police state is closer to home than ever before – unfortunately.

Skratch Bastid, Naomi Wolf remix – The Level of Surveilance (2007)

Homeland Security has a sense of humour? Who knew? Harassment, blacklists, any old fascist organization can pull that off, but leaving a personal note on top of Naomi Wolf’s laptop computer INSIDE her suitcase – well that’s just plain brilliant. Those pranksters! (overcome nervous laughter by inserting knee slaps here and/or downloading an MP3 file of The End of America).

9) Brazil Soundtrack – Mr. Helpmann (1985)

By now you can see where this is going, no? When fascism comes knocking – don’t answer the door! Stay asleep. Comatose even.

Plot Synopsis by Nathan Southern [edited]

In his second installment of a trilogy of films on imagination versus reality, Terry Gilliam combines dystopian elements from Orwell, Huxley and Kafka (plus a central character who mirrors Walter Mitty) with his own trademark, Monty Python-esque, jet black British humor and his gift for extraordinary visual invention. The results are thoroughly unprecedented in the cinema.

Jonathan Pryce stars as Sam Lowry, a civil servant who chooses to blind himself to the decaying, drone-like world around him. It’s a world marred by oppressive automatization and towering bureaucracy, and populated by tyrannical guards who strongarm lawbreakers. And Lowry is stuck in the middle of this nightmare. Whenever real life becomes too oppressive, Sam fantasizes (to the tune of Ary Baroso’s 1930s hit “Brazil”) about sailing through the clouds as a winged superhero, and rescuing beautiful Jill Layton (Kim Greist) from a giant, Samurai warrior. The omnipresent computer that controls everything in the “real” world malfunctions, causing an innocent citizen to be arrested and tortured to death. When Sam routinely investigates the error, he meets – and pursues Jill , literally the girl of his dreams. But in real life, she’s a tough-as-nails truck driver who initially wants nothing to do with him. It turns out that she is suspected of underground activities, in connection with a terrorist network wanted for bombing public places. The price Sam pays for his association with her is a close encounter with the man in charge of torturing troublesome citizens (Michael Palin). He is rescued – at the last minute – by maintenance man Harry Tuttle (Robert de Niro) who moonlights as a terrorist, but that only represents the beginning of his plight, for now the “system” is onto him.

10) illScarlett – Heaters (2006)

Now that you have officially entered the police state (imagine it as a theme park where all the mascots chase you and eventually lock your ass up and force you to listen to hours of Britney Spears’ music), let’s have a sing-a-long:

We are, livin’ in a police state
Situation getting grave
Right now
I’m takin’ It.

We are, livin’ in a police state
More than your rights at stake
Right now
I’m takin’ it.

Heaters got my town
Infiltratin’ the air yeah
Locking down the masses
Even to scare ya
We don’t have to deal with this shit
To serve and protect yo I ain’t buying it.

Do it for the power
They’re abusing the glory
Strip away the badge
And you’ll still be out
Ride the streets?
Fightin’ the fight for the people right.

We are, livin’ in a police state
Situation getting grave
Right now
It’s over yeah.

We are, livin’ in a police state
Situations getting grave
Right now
I’m takin’ it

Get ready cuz it’s time to go
Heaters movin’ in and before you know it
They’ve got us all surrounded
The call has been sounded
This is how it’s goin’ down tonight.

Tonight now we set things right
And besides who’d wanna live and die
In this mess we made
It’s so depraved
What happened to my…
Freedom
And you’ll find me
Lying on the floor
Thinking about war
Thinking about war
Don’t wanna do this anymore
They paraded
I’ll be waiting for
The perfect time to strike

We are livin’ in a police state
Situation getting grave
Right now
It’s o’va you.

We are livin’ in a police state
More than your rights at stake
Right now
I’m takin’ it.

We are!

11) Ice-T – Freedom of Speech (1989)

You know, there’s nothing quite like a song that pisses directly on the minds of establishment gatekeepers. Nuff said y’all.

12) Skratch Bastid, Malcolm-X, LBJ remix – All Men are Created Equal (2007)

All men might be created equal, but we all know that equation doesn’t play out the way it should – even LBJ knew that.

13) Gloria Steinem – Humanism, Public Enemy – Revolution (2005)

G! L! OR! I! A! Glorrrrria! Glorrrrria! Unfortunately her words are just as relevant as ever for most of the women of the world. Sigh. The revolution has not come yet. PE reminds us that there is no neat and easy path to freedom and equality – revolution is an endless struggle.

14) Crash scene from the film “The Straight Story” (1999), Public Enemy – What a Fool Believes (2005)

People in Iowa listen to Public Enemy? Just to keep the deer off the roads. The mind of David Lynch is a roadmap to nowhere…. but the ride is a blast! “The Straight Story” is an absolute cinema masterpiece – a matter-of-fact story that reminds us of the importance of human dignity. The bar scene with the war story swap is gut-wrenchingly real. Screw the Oscars, no one at the Academy could pull off a performance like this!

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

CAUSE THE PEOPLE WANT PEACE

HAVE NO FEAR

YOURE SAFE RIGHT HERE

YOU ARE PROTECTED

YOU ARE RESPECTED

THE PEOPLE GOTTA VOICE

THE PEOPLE GOTTA CHOICE

THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT
THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT
THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT
THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT

A FOOL BELIEVES…………….

what a fool believes.. verse 2

WHO THE GOVERNMENT?

WHO THE TERRORISTS?

WHERE THE HIT LIST?

PUMP THE RAISED FIST

MAKE EM SPREAD THE WEALTH

AS LONG AS YOU GOT YOUR HEALTH

CAUSE I KNOW I CANT GET NO HELP

SO I JUMP BACK AND KISS MYSELF

THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT
THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT
THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT
THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT

A FOOL BELIEVES…………….

what a fool believes.. verse 3

SWEAR TO GOD
YOU THOUGHT THE YARD WAS HARD
COME GET YOUR GOD WITH A CREDIT CARD
PREACHER LYIN ON THE TRUTH TO RAISE HIS ROOF
CMON HOLLA PREACHER FLOW GOT YO DOLLAR
DEVIL SUCCEEDED IN NEVER
GIVIN YOU WHAT YOU NEEDED
PLAYIN WITH RELIGION
SO THE PEOPLE BELIEVE IT
THEY PLAYIN WITH GOD
WHILE PREYIN ON GOD
WHILE YOU PRAYIN TO GOD
THEY PLAYIN WITH GOD

THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT
THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT
THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT
THE WHO, THE WHEN, THE WHY , THE WHAT

A FOOL BELIEVES…………….

WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES

15) Jello Biafra – Rob Now, Pay Later (1996)

“Some day, even the experts will figure out, that crime is not caused by rap music…or even my music, but by a power structure of self-absorbed property owners so brain dead and stupid they won’t even see that if you’re too goddamn greedy to pay taxes for schools and services, they’re not going to be any good any more! And that uneducated time bombs are a very poor investment as a future work force. And if you go on teaching people that life is cheap, and leave them to rot in ghettos and jails, they may one day feel justified in coming back to rob and kill you. Duh!”

16) Jimmie Rodgers – In the Jailhouse Now (15 February 1928)

Another “Law and Order” reminder, in case you forget what happens when you cross the man. The lyrics here are a bit different then those sung on the record.

I had a friend named Ramblin’ Bob
Who used to steal, gamble and rob
He thought he was the smartest guy in town
But I found out last Monday
That Bob got locked up Sunday
They’ve got him in the jailhouse way down town.

Refrain:

He’s in the jailhouse now
He’s in the jailhouse now
I told him once or twice
To quit playin’ cards and shootin’ dice
He’s in the jailhouse now. (Yodel)

He played a game called poker
He knuckled with Dan Yoakum
But shootin’ dice was his greatest game
Now he’s downtown in jail
Nobody to go his bail
The judge done said that he will pay the fine.

Refrain:

I went out last Tuesday
Met a girl named Susie
I told her I was the swellest man around
We started to spend my money
Then she started to call me honey
We took in every cabaret in town.

We’re in the jailhouse now
We’re in the jailhouse now
I told the judge right to his face
We didn’t like to see this place
We’re in the jailhouse now. (Yodel)

17) Bruce McCulloch – Daddy’s on the Drink Again (1995)

Utah Phillips drinking problems stemmed from war, but the frustration and alienation that comes with modern living – aka, the American Dream – are enough to send many into the abyss of the bottle and other drugs.

The face of work is a drunk man in the same chair,
chewing on the same bone for 5,000 nights.
The face of work is a coffee-cup-in-hand frustrated,
“You don’t get it. They all don’t get it. You all don’t understand, man.”
Daddy’s on the drink again.
Daddy’s on the drink again.
Daddy’s doin’ another rant on shame and blame and guilt, again.
Had a sip at six,
And still hasn’t swallowed it.

Daddy’s on the couch again.
Slumped, he’s in that slouch again.
His fat drunk bum pushes the cushions out, my friend.
[Gavin voice: ] “You know, my Dad drinks Rye.”
Yeah? Whose dad doesn’t?
“There’s nothin’ on TV.”
“There’s nothin’ on TV.”
Then what are you watching, Dad?
He falls asleep and wakes up — dark, dry mouth, and somehow he’s in bed.

Is there a fairy? A drunk dad fairy. . .that tip-toes in, takes the TV changer out of his hand, puts a blanket around his shoulders, lifts his head off his chest, so his neck won’t be sore tomorrow when the liquor leaves him for a time? Is there a drunk dad fairy? [in unison with others: ] That pays for that Chinese food?

Daddy’s on the couch again.
Drink on knee, he stares out, again.
“My dad — your granddad — was a ‘drunk.’ I guess it skipped a generation with me.”
Really, Dad?
“You know what my problem is? I’m a workaholic.”
Really, Dad?
“You don’t ‘know’ what I go through at work.”
And what was he like at work?
The same teetering, room-temperature Rye and Seven splashing on the merchandise? The other hand, pulling up pants when he rants:
“Ah! You don’t ‘know’ what I go through at home, do you? Let’s order some Chink. Where’s that menu? I think we got the stuff we usually order circled. I’m starved.”

Daddy’s on drink again.
Harass (?) whose Mum is at the sink again.
“What happened to the girl I married?”
Well Dad, she watched you all these years.

Mummies, don’t let your babies grow up to be Daddies — these daddies, bad daddies, dead daddies. Or Mummies? Make your babies grow up and maybe they won’t ‘be’ these daddies.

Dead drunk, rant ‘n’ roll.
Too upset to eat three hours later.
Can we just eat some Chinese food?
Daddy’s on the drink again.
Daddies.

“That’s music. Not like that crap you listen to. Sounds like Krupa. The Winnipeg Beach. I was a goddamn king. Then you came along, didn’t cha? Ah, I could use a pineapple chicken ball.”

18) Utah Phillips – Candidacy (1996)

Mark Twain said, “Those of you who are inclined to worry have the widest selection in history.” Why complain? Try to do something about it – you know, it’s [been] goin’ on nine months now, since I decided that I was gonna declare that I am a candidate for the presidency of the United States. Oh yes, I’m going to run.

Shopped around for a party. Well, I looked at the Republicans. Decided talking to a conservative is like talking to your refridgerator. You know, the light goes on, the light goes off, it’s not gonna do anything that isn’t built into it. But I’m gonna talk to a conservative any more than I talk to my damn refridgerator. Working for the Democratic party, now, that’s kind of like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

So I created my own party: it’s called the Sloth and Indolence Party. I’m running as an anarchist candidate in the best sense of that word. I’ve studied the presidency carefully. I have seen that our best presidents were the do-nothing presidents: Millard Fillmore, Warren G. Harding. When you have a president who does things we are all in serious trouble. If he does anything at all: if he gets up at night to go to the bathroom, somehow, mystically, trouble will ensue.

I guarantee that if I am elected, I will take over the White House, hang out, shoot pool, scratch my ass, and not do a damn thing.

Which is to say: if you want something done, don’t come to me do it for you, you gotta get together and figure out how to do it yourselves. Is that a deal?

19) Margaret Thatcher “Falkland Islands” speech to Parliament, Sinead O’Connor – Black Boys on Mopeds (1990)

Margaret Thatcher makes me want to vomit. I mean “smug” just doesn’t describe the tamarity of this ideologue. At least Reagan could make me laugh. This woman is humourless.

I can’t understand why the world – especially Catholics – gave Sinead so much grief for all her antics in the 1990s. They should have given her standing ovations.

What’s this, your a fan of Pope John Paul II? You’ve got some homework to do then. Start by reading “In God’s Name: An Investigation into the Murder of Pope John Paul I“, by David Yallop.

According to Wikipedia.org, “In May 1982, Pope John Paul II carried out a long-scheduled visit to the United Kingdom. In view of the crisis it was decided that this should be balanced with an unscheduled trip to Argentina in June. It is contended that his presence and words spiritually prepared Argentines for a possible defeat, contrary to the propaganda issued by the Junta. He would return to Argentina in 1987 after democratization.”

My my, how sweet of him. All the faithful kissing his blessed little ring. Meanwhile a web of fascist creeps (headed by P2 mason and Italian mafia boss Lucio Gelli) with compartments in the Vatican bank were funnelling “Holy Sea” funds into the purchase of French Exocet missiles used by the Argentine junta against the Brits in the Falklands war. Is there a stronger word than irony for this? Oh yeah, it’s called CORRUPTION.

Margareth Thatcher on TV
Shocked by the deaths that took place in Beijing
It seems strange that she should be offended
The same orders are given by her

I’ve said this before now
You said I was childish and you’ll say it now
“Remember what I told you
If they hated me they will hate you”

England’s not the mythical land of Madame George and roses
It’s the home of police who kill black boys on mopeds
And I love my boy and that’s why I’m leaving
I don’t want him to be aware that there’s
Any such thing as grieving

Young mother down at Smithfield
5 am, looking for food for her kids
In her arms she holds three cold babies
And the first word that they learned was “please”

These are dangerous days
To say what you feel is to dig your own grave
“Remember what I told you
If you were of the world they would love you”

England’s not the mythical land of Madame George and roses
It’s the home of police who kill blacks boys on mopeds
And I love my boy and that’s why I’m leaving
I don’t want him to be aware that there’s
Any such thing as grieving.

20) Natalie Merchant – Carnival (1995)

When the surreality and isolation and loneliness of modern life are just too much for me, I play this song.

Well, I’ve walked these streets
a virtual stage
it seemed to me
make up on their faces
actors took their
places next to me

Well, I’ve walked these streets
in a carnival
of sights to see
all the cheap thrill seekers
the vendors and the dealers
they crowded around me

have I been blind
have I been lost
inside my self and
my own mind
hypnotized
mesmerized
by what my eyes have seen?

Well, I’ve walked these streets
in a spectacle of wealth and poverty
in the diamond markets
the scarlet welcome carpet
that they just rolled out for me

And I’ve walked these streets
in the mad house asylum
they can be
where a wild eyed misfit prophet
on a traffic island stopped
and he raved of saving me

have I been blind
have I been lost
inside my self and
my own mind
hypnotized
mesmerized
by what my eyes have seen?
have I been wrong
have I been wise
to shut my eyes
and play along
hypnotized
paralyzed
by what my eyes have found
by what my eyes have seen
what they have seen?

have I been blind
have I been lost
have I been wrong
have I been wise
have I been strong

Have I been
hypnotized
mesmerized
by what my eyes have found
in that great street carnival

have I been blind
have I been lost
have I been wrong
have I been wise
have I been strong
in that carnival?

21) Billy Bragg – The Price of Oil (2002)

Voices on the radio
tell us that we’re going to war
those brave men and women in uniform
they want to know what they’re fighting for.

The generals want to hear the end game
the allies won’t approve the plan
but the oil men in the white house
they just don’t give a damn.

It’s all about the price of oil
it’s all about the price of oil
don’t give me no shit
about blood, sweat, tears and toil
it’s all about the price of oil

Now I ain’t no fan of Saddam Hussein
oh, please don’t get me wrong
if it’s freeing the Iraqi people you’re after
then why have we waited so long.

Why didn’t we sort this out last time
was he less evil than he is now
the stock market holds the answer
to why him, why here, why now.

Saddam killed his own people
just like general Pinochet
and once upon a time both these evil men
were supported by the U.S.A.

And whisper it, even Bin Laden
once drank from America’s cup
just like that election down in Florida
this shit doesn’t all add up.

It’s all about the price of oil
‘cause it’s all about the price of oil
don’t give me no shit
about blood, sweat, tears and toil
it’s all about the price of oil.

22) Utah Phillips – Natural Resources (1996)

I was invited to the State Young Writers’ Conference out at Cheney, which was a Eastern Washington university. And I didn’t want to embarrass my son, you know, and I was gonna behave myself cause I had to live there then – it was a chore. But I got on the stage – it was an enormous auditorium; there were twenty-seven hundred young faces out there, none of them with any prospects anybody could detect – and off to the side of the stage was the suit-and-tie crowd of people from the school district and the principals, and the, the main speaker following me was from the Chamber of Commerce.

Well something inside of me snapped.

And I got to the microphone, and I looked out over that multitude of faces and I said something to the effect of:

“You’re about to be told one more time that you’re America’s most valuable natural resource. Have you seen what they do to valuable natural resources? Have you seen them strip mine? Have you seen a clear-cut in a forest? Have you seen a polluted river? Don’t ever let them call you a valuable natural resource! They’re gonna strip mine your soul! They’re gonna clear-cut your best thoughts for the sake of profit, unless you learn to resist, cause the profit system follows the path of least resistance, and following the path of least resistance is what makes the river crooked! Hmph!”

Well there was great gnashing of teeth and rending of garments – mine. I was borne to the door, screaming epithets over my shoulder, something to the effect of: “Make a break for it, kids!” “Flee to the wilderness!” The one within, if you can find it.

Well, I wrote them a nice letter though, as I oozed out of the state, headed for Nevada City. I sent it to their little literary magazine. I respect kids. I love especially little kids. Little kids are assholes. But they’re their own assholes, see, it’s when they, when you grow up and become somebody else’s asshole we’re all in trouble, you know, like bankers or B-52 pilots and such.

23) Body Has a Head – A Little Restraint (1996)

With all the injustice and suffering in the world perpetrated by the powerful against the powerless, it is understandable that many of us must struggle against urges for rage and violence. This is funny little reminder to stay the course and keep your cool.

24) Utah Phillips – Heroes (1996)

Ask a kid: “Who are your heroes?” Chances are they’ll give you the names of made-up people. Huh? He-Man. Barbie. I don’t understand it about heroes, it really bothers – what happened to the time when heroes were flesh-and-blood people? You know, people like Emma Goldman or Elizabeth Gurley Flynn or Mother Jones or Big Bill Heywood or Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, great boxers, you know, Joe Lewis. Grandparents! What’s wrong with your grandparents being heroes?

See, my mother, she worked for the CIO [Congress of Industrial Organizations] as a labor organizer, and she made sure that we had appropriate heroes, flesh-and-blood people. She would clips columns out of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, a good labor paper in its day, [and] paste ‘em in scrapbooks. We could take it to school to share with our kids at the equivalent of show-and-tell.

Scrapbooks were mainly filled with clippings about bank robbers. She seemed to favor bank robbers. Called them class heroes. Didn’t understand at the time what she meant – I do now.