Subject: (urth) Bluesberry Jam -- Libertarian fable?

From: Dave Tallman <davetallman at msn.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:05:08 +0000

Aldo, a young folk musician, wanders in a permanent traffic jam. Aldo 
meets an older singer who inspires him, and he creates a new song of 
revolution.

    * The story Ain't You 'Most Done?
      <http://www.holkar.net/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Stories.AintYouMostDone>
      is a companion piece, showing the same events from the perspective
      of Tim Benson.
    * The people in this alternate America are horrifyingly passive --
      they sit and wait for the government to feed them. They have been
      trapped here for years in the ultimate welfare state. Wolfe takes
      a libertarian stand against this.
    * They are in sharp contrast to Benson, a man from contemporary
      America. He's a self-made man, an entrepreneur, an embodiment of
      the American Dream (and a dreamer literally). In his busy life he
      chafes at seconds of traffic delay. He is present because of a
      dying boon granted by Morpheus, to dream as long as may be. His
      dream to be a folk singer will be granted, and the ultimate goal
      of an artist is for his music to be heard by those who need it,
      and change their lives.
    * The songs Tim Benson plays, unknown to him, will inspire revolution.
          o My Gentle Harp
            <http://www.kalliope.org/digt.pl?longdid=moore2000082974>
            Thomas Moore wrote these words to Londonderry Air, which is
            also famously used for the song "Danny Boy." It was inspired
            by the arrest, imprisonment, and death of two of his
            friends, who participated in the rebellion of the United
            Irishmen.
          o "Shenendo'" says "Away, I'm bound away..." which strikes
            home to this passive people who have lost the freedom of
            movement we take for granted. They are virtually imprisoned
            by what should be a means of transportation.
          o The Minstrel Boy
            <http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiMINSTBOY;ttMINSTBOY.html>
            is also by Thomas Moore and also inspired by the Irish war
            for independence.
          o Finally, he sings Aldo's song, "In all this jam there's none
            like Ma'am..." not plaintively as Aldo sang it, but full of
            pity and rage.
    * Aldo heard these songs and had his instrument tuned by Benson. He
      has received some of Benson's American fighting spirit.
    * This is similar to the inspiration from the past that Ben Free
      brings to his lodgers, and the vision of the frontiersman that
      appears to the man in Viewpoint
      <http://www.holkar.net/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Stories.Viewpoint> as
      he commits his first act of violence against his confiscatory
      government.

---

From: Transentient <transentient at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:07:24 +0000

The "permanent traffic jam" concept reminds me of a short story I read  
in F&SF many years ago by an author I do not recall. I believe it was  
called "Gas Mask."

On Aug 28, 2008, at 1:05 AM, Dave Tallman wrote:

> Aldo, a young folk musician, wanders in a permanent traffic jam.  
> Aldo meets an older singer who inspires him, and he creates a new  
> song of revolution.
>
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---

From: Fred Kiesche <recursive_loop at yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:35:26 +0000

Here are the full lyrics to "Oh Shenandoah"...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_Shenandoah

Oh Shenandoah, 
I long to hear you, 
Away you rolling river, 
Oh Shenandoah, 
I long to hear you, 
Away, I'm bound away 
'Cross the wide Missouri. 

Oh Shenandoah, 
I love your daughter, 
Away you rolling river, 
I'll take her 'cross 
Your rollin' water, 
Away, I'm bound away 
'Cross the wide Missouri. 

'Tis seven years, 
I've been a rover, 
Away you rolling river, 
When I return, 
I'll be your lover, 
Away, I'm bound away 
'Cross the wide Missouri. 

Oh Shenandoah, 
I'm bound to leave you. 
Away you rolling river, 
Oh Shenandoah, 
I'll not deceive you. 
Away, I'm bound away 
'Cross the wide Missouri. 
For a view of folks sitting around and waiting for the government, those of a right-bent or who are of a left-bent but who can stand reading stuff to the right, I recommend John Ringo's "The Last Centurion".

F.P. Kiesche III
"Ah Mr. Gibbon, another damned, fat, square book. Always, scribble, scribble, scribble, eh?" (The Duke of Gloucester, on being presented with Volume 2 of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.) Blogging at The Lensman's Children and TexasBestGrok!

--- On Thu, 8/28/08, Dave Tallman <davetallman at msn.com> wrote:

From: Dave Tallman <davetallman at msn.com>
Subject: (urth) Bluesberry Jam -- Libertarian fable?
To: urth at lists.urth.net
Date: Thursday, August 28, 2008, 1:05 AM

            also famously used for the song "Danny Boy." It was
inspired
          o "Shenendo'" says "Away, I'm bound
away..." which strikes
          o Finally, he sings Aldo's song, "In all this jam
there's none
            like Ma'am..." not plaintively as Aldo sang it, but full
of

      
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From: Tim Walters <walters at doubtfulpalace.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:29:35 +0000

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_Shenandoah

And here's my band's version of it, if anyone wants to listen to it:

http://doubtfulpalace.com/artists/PledgeDrive/shenandoah.mp3

-- 
Tim Walters | http://doubtfulpalace.com