Can occupiers survive without a song? A4 Sunday, November 20, 2011
SANTA FE – My wife and I were watching the Country Music Awards last week when we realized that country music has gone the way of almost all other forms of music — single octave shouting, with the same words yelled over and over. We wondered what students do on bus trips these days. They can’t sing popular songs because there are few words and no melodies. Guess they just vegetate while listening to their smart phones play music. That led to a discussion of what all the kids, camped out in parks these days do for songs. We remember the ’60s and all the great songs of that protest movement, recorded by top stars on top labels. It was easy to sing those. Can a movement survive without songs? Maybe it can. The tea partiers did a good job. We never went to a rally. Maybe they sang patriotic songs. But they were
EDITORIAL
OPINION
JAY MILLER
INSIDE THE CAPITOL
more organized and mature. We didn’t participate in the 1960s protests either. We were out of college, had jobs and I was in the New Mexico Air National Guard. But we certainly heard the music and could see how it would make a young person want to get up and march. Maybe it will happen but there isn’t much to work with. Television networks no longer carry musical and variety shows. Many bands or individuals have recorded protest music and many are available to play for the occupy gatherings. But these groups don’t record
Roswell Daily Record
for big labels. They don’t get much publicity and although their music carries strong messages, it isn’t the sing-along sort of thing. In the past week, I have become aware of groups promoting social issues that are teaching old protest songs to their members. Some are writing new lyrics to the old songs. And there are plenty of old songs. How far back do protest songs and marching songs go? They are at least as old as our nation. Our revolutionary troops had many songs. Americans have always been musical. It drew notice from foreigners even in colonial days. The most inspiring of all fight songs is “Battle Hymn of the Republic” from the Civil War period. It was the Union Army’s marching song, penned by Julia Ward Howe to the tune of “John Brown’s Body.” Howe improved on the words dramatically and produced a song that has endured for 150 years
and should continue for much longer. “Battle Hymn of the Republic” has become a standard in church hymnals and patriotic observances. Phrases from the lyrics have been lifted for speeches, sermons and book titles. And with different words it is used for college fight songs, by athletic teams of all types worldwide and by labor movements as Solidarity Forever. I recently saw a version written for a labor group that could become the anthem for the occupy movement simply because of the familiarity and stirring nature of the melody. But musicians of the protest movement won’t like it. This isn’t 1960; it is 2011, they say. Musical tastes have changed. They have, but it will take a toetapper to keep them going. There’s no need to write a new melody. In the early days, the tunes of protest songs were taken
from popular beer-drinking songs. Of course, the marching songs of military troops had to be considerably sanitized before they could hit the pop charts. And, of course, our national anthem was once a British beer drinking song with very bawdy words. Roswell historian Dave Clary helped me with the marching (or walking) songs from other wars we have fought. The anthem of the Texas war for independence was “Green Grow the Violets.” I seem to remember that song title is one of the theories about how the term “gringo” came about. Clary has a feeling that the movement will never get anywhere as long as they call themselves “occupiers.” He thinks “99ers” has a much better ring to it. (Write to Jay Miller at 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505; by fax at 984-0982; or by e-mail at insidethecapitol@hotmail.com)
Supercommittee, heed the tea party
Will the deficit-cutting supercommittee raise taxes? That’s the question of the hour in Congress. President Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress deftly have maneuvered Republicans into a corner. This shows — for starters — why Republicans were foolish to agree to setting up the supercommittee. It’s officially named the U.S. Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction and is made up of 12 members, three Republicans and three Democrats from the House and Senate. Yet the Constitution is clear: “All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills.” Nothing in that statement about a supercommittee, anymore than there is about the Super Bowl. The supercommittee was set up during last summer’s debt-ceiling crisis. By Wednesday, it’s supposed to come up with $1.5 trillion in new budget cuts over the next 10 years to reduce the federal debt, currently about $15 trillion and rising. If the supercommittee fails, then a “trigger mechanism” is supposed to kick in, automatically cutting $1.2 trillion, half from defense, half from domestic spending. “Republicans are trying to demonstrate to the public that they’re willing to play ball to some degree” with Democrats, Tad DeHaven told us; he’s a budget analyst at the libertarian Cato Institute. Republicans want to keep President George W. Bush’s tax cuts, which dropped the top income tax rate to 35 percent from 38 percent. The tax cuts were set to expire a year ago but were extended until January 2013. Democrats want the tax cuts to be repealed for the wealthy. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., also has proposed cutting the top rate further, to 28 percent, in return for repealing some deductions, an idea Democrats reject outright. “It’s all posturing, part of the circus,” DeHaven observed. “They just want to kick the can down the road.” Republicans also are juggling some other balls in the circus. One is the tea party, whose enthusiasm for balancing the budget without tax increases swept the House GOP into power just a year ago. Tax increases or a phony budget deal would send them back figuratively to dumping tea into Boston Harbor. Then there are those Republicans who would prefer tax increases to any cuts in the Pentagon budget. DeHaven said these lawmakers include Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, and Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, Calif., chairman of the Committee on Armed Services. Yet it’s hard to justify keeping U.S. troops in Europe, to cite one example, two decades after the Soviet Union dissolved and its army went home. We believe that, after four years of economic calamity, Congress should stop playing games with the country’s economic future. After voters in 2006 put spendthrift Republicans into the political wilderness for four years, it was the anti-tax, balanced-budget tea party movement that carried the GOP back into power in the House. Guest Editorial The Orange County Register DEAR DOCTOR K: I have bad breath. I brush, floss and use mouthwash. What else can I do? DEAR READER: Bad breath, which also goes by the name halitosis, can be embarrassing. Lucky for you, there’s a lot you can do. Most bad breath starts with bacteria in the mouth. Bacteria live everywhere in the mouth. You already know to brush and floss your teeth daily. But it’s just as important to brush your tongue every day, with toothpaste on the brush. Crazy as that may sound, it really helps. Bacteria live on the tongue and release gases that smell bad. The area at the far back of the tongue is particularly important. Unfortunately, brushing that area tends to make a lot of people gag. If you’re like that, just brush that
Puerto Rico’s revival should be studied SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Since the congressional super committee appears unable, or unwilling, to take a lesson from Indiana or Virginia — where Republican governors have made spending cuts and delivered budget surpluses without damaging the social safety net — members might wish to consider Puerto Rico and what its governor, Luis Fortuno, is doing. Fortuno is Puerto Rico’s first Republican governor in 42 years. In 2009 when he took office, the U.S. territory had a $3.3 billion budget deficit. Three years earlier, Moody’s Investors Service
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ASK DR. K UNITED MEDIA SYNDICATE
part of the tongue in several different and brief strokes: First the right side, rest, then the middle, rest, then the left side. When plaque collects under the gums, the bacteria in it release foul smells. If the plaque under the gums leads to infection of the gums, that also causes foul smells. Flossing daily to remove plaque from the gum pockets
CAL
THOMAS SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
downgraded the commonwealth’s bond rating to junk status while in deep recession. Like Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Indiana’s Mitch Daniels, Fortuno is turning the economy around by cutting government spending 20 percent overall, which has lowered the deficit by 81
around the teeth can combat this problem. Food particles that collect on poorly fitting or unclean dentures can also cause odor. Certain foods have a strong association with breath odor. Garlic is a well-known culprit — garlic breath can last for up to three hours! Alcohol, too, can be detected on the breath long after it’s been consumed. Infection and chronic disease can also play a role. Kidney failure, liver disease, diabetes and respiratory tract infections can cause breath odor. Too little moisture in the mouth allows dead cells and bacteria to accumulate on your tongue and teeth. Dry mouth is what causes “morning breath.” (Some people call it “dragon breath.”)
percent. He eliminated more than 20,000 government jobs, reformed government services, trimming costs, and cut operational spending 10 percent, eliminating official vehicles, cellphones and credit cards. Following five years of recession, the commonwealth’s economy is showing signs of recovery. Moody’s took notice, upgrading Puerto Rico’s bond status to A3, its highest rating in 35 years. Standard and Poor’s raised its outlook on Puerto Rico’s credit from “stable” to “positive.” It is Standard and Poor’s first positive review since 1983. Over the next six years,
Smoking and chewing tobacco lend an unpleasant scent to your breath. They also contribute to dry mouth and gum disease, both of which cause bad breath. Here are Doctor K’s seven steps to eliminate bad breath: — Brush and floss daily. — Brush your tongue and use a tongue scraper if necessary. — Rinse with plain water after meals if brushing isn’t an option. — Get regular dental checkups to catch and treat gum (periodontal) disease. — Snack on sugar-free foods or chew gum sweetened with xylitol to clear away food particles and keep saliva flowing. — Use an over -the-counter mouthwash containing zinc. See DR. K, Page A5
newly implemented tax cuts will retur n $1.2 billion to those who earn the money. Added to this is a 7 percent tax credit for corporations and a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 41 percent to 30 percent. As for “infrastructure” about which President Obama so often speaks, according to the governor’s office, Puerto Rico has created an “aggressive public-private partnership law to encourage private investment and bring efficiencies to schools, roads, airports and water and energy projects.”
See THOMAS, Page A5
25 YEARS AGO
Nov. 20, 1986 • Air man 1st Class Ramona J. Shiner, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie R. Shiner of Roswell, has graduated from basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. She is a 1983 graduate of Roswell High School. Mr. Shiner is a retired Air Force technical sergeant. • The Roswell Coyotes’ 28-12 victory over the Artesia Bulldogs wasn’t exactly overpowering, but head coach Jim Bradley said he was pleased with his team’s overall performance Friday night at Bulldog Bowl.