Soapbox

Let’s hear it for Texas! They are leading the nation in the GOP effort to destroy democracy and Constitutional rights.

On Sept. 1, the state’s new anti-abortion law took effect, giving anyone the right to sue anyone else on suspicion of providing or helping someone get an abortion, or even thinking about it.

This scheme is supposed to be harder to challenge in court, because it’s not the state enforcing it. It’s your friendly witch-hunting neighbor. The burden seems to be on the person being sued to prove innocence. And there’s a minimum $10,000 penalty on the victim. Texas Right to Life has a website for people to rat out someone in hopes of collecting this bounty. The anti-abortion Catholic Supreme Court majority has already refused to block this law from taking effect.

My first thought is this will shred whatever is left of the social fabric in Texas and jam the courts with people suing each other. Yet another good reason not to live in Texas and a good reason to institute a universal boycott on Texas and to help them secede. Sig heil, comrades!

The next logical scheme in anti-democracy (red) states is to authorize anyone to sue anyone suspicious (i.e. black, brown, or sporting a Biden or BLM bumper sticker on their Subaru) for attempted election fraud for trying to register or actually vote, or helping someone to do those things, or local election officials just trying to do their jobs. Texas is a leader there, too. Citizen enforcement is just the next step. The implications are only limited by one’s imagination. But what if a blue state does this?

Maybe blue state people could sue anyone they suspect of promoting or repeating misinformation or disinformation about COVID vaccines. Or anyone perpetuating Trump’s big lie about a stolen 2020 election or supporting the Jan. 6 coup attempt in any way. Or of perpetuating wingnut QAnon conspiracies.

Maybe they could sue anyone they suspect of possessing, attempting to possess, thinking about possessing or helping someone else possess a military assault rifle, high capacity magazine or bump stock. Or any firearm that doesn’t use 1790s technology, i.e. a flintlock firing mechanism. This whole Texas scheme needs to be aborted before it develops any further. God bless Amerika. – Carole McWilliams, Bayfield 4

President Joe Biden has a choice to make: Does he want to establish his legacy as a president who fought for voting rights or not?

In order to be remembered as a president who fought for voting rights, Biden must do more than ask the Senate to pass voting rights legislation. He knows, as well as we do, that bills like the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act won’t make it through the Senate unless we abolish the filibuster.

Biden must publicly and unequivocally support abolishing the filibuster to clear the way for these crucial reforms. It’s time for Biden to be the leader he promised to be and call on the Senate to end the filibuster and protect our right to vote. We’re counting on him to do the right thing. – Suzanne Evans, Bayfield

Two songwriting legends pass

There is an old adage that says, “During the course of life you can count your most trusted and loyal friends on one hand.” For me, that adage rings true. As I look back, I find that in most cases, there is a thread that runs through these friendships; and that is music. A close friend passed away a couple years ago. He was an accomplished musician who spent many days playing on the streets of Paris. I had known him since fourth grade, and we played music together for decades. The other four now live in Louisiana, Ohio and New Jersey. The other day, one of the foursome called me to tell me that Nanci Griffith had passed away. It was somewhat serendipitous as I was listening to her music while working in my studio. It was a shock as she was only 68 years old.

Nanci was an excellent songwriter and singer living in Nashville, but whose roots were in Austin, Texas. She was a teacher for a period of time but then decided to go into songwriting and singing full time. When I moved to Colorado in 1980, she was just becoming popular. One of my favorite songs was “Love at the Five and Dime” which reached No. 5 on the national music charts. She won a Grammy for her album “Other Voices, Other Rooms” in 1993. She passed away due to complications while fighting cancer. She will be sorely missed.

In the early ’70s, I had a bluegrass band, and we would play several dives in central Ohio. One of my favorite regional bands of that time was “Lawrence Lane and the Kentucky Grass.” Our band was lucky enough to open from them in Bucyrus, Ohio. His band opened with a tune entitled “I Remember the Year That Clayton Delaney Died.” I asked Lawrence after the gig about the origins of that song. He nodded and said, “Tom T. Hall.” We immediately included it in our repertoire.

Tom T. Hall died Aug. 20 this year. Tom’s music spanned several decades. He was the master of the story song. His lyric, “Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine” topped the charts and has become a country classic. Tom T. had 21 No. 1 country hits and was elected to the Country Hall of Fame in 2008. He died at the age of 85 and is buried in his hometown of Franklin, Tenn.

Years ago I had my literature students read a short story by Salmon Rushdie from his collection of “Haroun and the Sea of Stories.” The theme of this particular story focused on the rainbow quilt of humanity and how each of us represents a colorful thread in that quilt of life. I don’t pick up the ole Gibson much these days, but when I do, I think of those musical friends and the songwriters and singers that have influenced me. I am happy to say that their thread of creativity has woven an indelible musical quilt in the heart of my music. – Burt Baldwin, Ignacio

Everyone Who’s Been Suffering

Our world has changed Like never before and it’s so sad Every day because our lives have changed So much in life today and so many families suffering Like never before and this killer virus is here to stay And we were all caught and unaware and it’s sadness In the air and isolated from our loved ones every day And there’s no happiness or joy in our lives today It’s just another loved one who’s sadly passed away And coronavirus walks among us every day And we try our best to struggle through This horrible coronavirus storm Trying to stay safe and keep ourselves warm And the pain and hurt it’s brought us and There’s nothing much to gain and our Peace and love has all gone away And it’s just a lonely tear rolling down my face And I’ve been crying inside this cold lonely old place And all the pain running through me every day Coronavirus, coronavirus when will you ever Just go away and I cry for the loved ones who’s sadly Passed away and I’m still cocooning away and Every day and I’m lost without you in my life and The world has changed so much Coronavirus every day in our life And the darkness surrounds the world today And it’s so cold and painful every day and I feel the chill up and down my spine every day And our warm hugs and soft kisses Have just all faded away and Just like our loved ones fading away And nobody to hold at night And nobody to whisper I love you goodnight And as a lonely tear rolls down my face I try to smile and remember your beautiful face As coronavirus has slowly taken you away But I promise you all I’ll love and pray for everyone Who’s been suffering from coronavirus every day

– David P Carroll, Durango