Bluesberry Jam -- Libertarian fable? The Urth list — 4 messages, 4 voices, 28 Aug 2008 https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/5139 Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it. Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact. ============================================================================== Dave Tallman — 28 Aug 2008, 05:05 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? 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 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 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 as he commits his first act of violence against his confiscatory government. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Transentient — 28 Aug 2008, 12:07 in reply to Dave Tallman 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. > > * The story Ain't You 'Most Done? > 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 > > 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 > > 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 > as > he commits his first act of violence against his confiscatory > government. > > _______________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fred Kiesche — 18 Sep 2008, 17:35 in reply to Dave Tallman 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 wrote: From: Dave Tallman Subject: (urth) Bluesberry Jam -- Libertarian fable? To: urth at lists.urth.net Date: Thursday, August 28, 2008, 1:05 AM 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? 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 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 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 as he commits his first act of violence against his confiscatory government. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tim Walters — 18 Sep 2008, 20:29 follows, by subject match Fred Kiesche > Fred Kiesche wrote: > Here are the full lyrics to "Oh Shenandoah"... > > 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------