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Seeger’s Stalinism
Commentary Magazine ^ | January 21, 2009 | James Kirchick

Posted on 01/22/2009 9:57:40 AM PST by Jbny

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1 posted on 01/22/2009 9:57:40 AM PST by Jbny
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To: Jbny
fights for “civil rights”

No such thing. Throughout all of history it is simply one group using government to dominate and dictate their rules over another part of society.

2 posted on 01/22/2009 10:03:35 AM PST by edcoil (Liberals are the evil we must fight and get rid of.)
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To: Jbny

He was one of those chic, Chevy Chase communists, folk singing for the fashionable lefty lawyers and their pals.

Who can forget Mike Seeger delivering newspapers on his unicycle?


3 posted on 01/22/2009 10:04:22 AM PST by AmericanVictory
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To: Jbny
Not just a Stalinist but a Hitler apologist.

From the time of the Hitler-Stalin pact to Germany's offensive against the USSR, leftists in the US were decidedly neutral at the very least, and downright “anti-imperialist” anti-England at worst.

One of the quickly deleted items in Seeger’s catalog was an album of anti-interventionist songs in 1940 that would have made great party music for the Bund.

If I can find the cite I will post it.

4 posted on 01/22/2009 10:04:34 AM PST by cvq3842
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To: Jbny

I heard he was not pleased with Paul Shanklin’s spoof of
one of his best known songs as “Barack the Magic Negro”


5 posted on 01/22/2009 10:04:38 AM PST by raccoonradio
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To: raccoonradio

‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ was written by Peter Yarrow not Pete Seeger.


6 posted on 01/22/2009 10:06:27 AM PST by Borges
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To: Borges

Seeger represented the Bolshevik Banjo set. Peter, Paul and mary were certainly commies as well.

As I recall Seeger recanted his communist past and admitted he was wrong. Even so, I think he should be shot as a traitor.


7 posted on 01/22/2009 10:13:31 AM PST by y6162
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To: Jbny

.....draft dodger in WW II and quibbler at the HUAC hearings.....what can you say about a Harvard man singing songs about “hard times” and “the workers struggle”....PHONEY !!


8 posted on 01/22/2009 10:27:35 AM PST by STONEWALLS
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To: Jbny
On Monday, Seeger and Springsteen sang This Land is Your Land...

As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - Private Property
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!

This is an explicit endorsement of Communism. On DailyKos a diarist called the song "America's true national anthem".

9 posted on 01/22/2009 10:34:12 AM PST by montag813 (www.FreepShop.com)
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To: cvq3842
From the time of the Hitler-Stalin pact to Germany's offensive against the USSR, leftists in the US were decidedly neutral at the very least, and downright “anti-imperialist” anti-England at worst.

Yep. Seeger turned against Hilter and the Nazis, not because they invaded just about every country in Europe, gased and burned millions of Jews and other ethnic/religious minorities, and formed an alliance with the country that attacked the United States, but because Hilter broke his alliance with Stalin, and given the choice between the head commie and the head facist, Seeger chose the commie.

10 posted on 01/22/2009 10:39:31 AM PST by Labyrinthos
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To: cvq3842
Songs for John Doe.

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

Although the article is really biased (they reluctantly followed the party line and enthusicatically endorsed the president afterwords). Actually maybe that best shows what a Stalinist dupe Seeger is.

11 posted on 01/22/2009 10:50:14 AM PST by sharkhawk (Here come the Hawks)
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To: y6162
As I recall Seeger recanted his communist past and admitted he was wrong. Even so, I think he should be shot as a traitor.

Seeger has never publically and unequivically recanted his communist past. His feelings for Stalin have chilled a bit, but not his love of communism.

12 posted on 01/22/2009 10:52:02 AM PST by Labyrinthos
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To: sharkhawk

Thanks!


13 posted on 01/22/2009 10:52:29 AM PST by cvq3842
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To: Labyrinthos

Yes. thanks.


14 posted on 01/22/2009 11:01:41 AM PST by cvq3842
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To: Jbny

Didn’t Pete die a few years ago?

Seeger became a lapsed Stalinist because Nikita Kruschev said it was O.K. to acknowledge that Uncle Joe was a paranoid, murderous fascist who likely killed more people than Hitler. However, he was never a lapsed communist, IIRC.

As a long-time folk music fan, it can be a struggle to find music that isn’t far left. Some of that music is still classic, even if he sentiments are classically red, or if lucky, only pink.


15 posted on 01/22/2009 11:10:20 AM PST by neocon1984
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To: y6162

It’s a questionable territory when dealing with that era. Communism was much more accepted in the U.S. before 1945 or so. Communist candidates for President recieved a much higher percentage of the vote back then than they do now.


16 posted on 01/22/2009 11:15:16 AM PST by Borges
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To: sharkhawk

Songs For John Doe, the first album by the Almanac Singers, released in May 1941. All antiwar/antidraft songs. For lyrics see http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/3448/doe.html


17 posted on 01/22/2009 11:46:35 AM PST by omega4412
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To: neocon1984

You may be thinking of Woody Guthrie, Arlo’s father. I get them confused sometimes, as they were pals, looked a little alike, and shared musical styles and political beliefs.


18 posted on 01/22/2009 12:07:57 PM PST by Richard Kimball (We're all criminals. They just haven't figured out what some of us have done yet.)
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To: Borges

ah I stand corrected!


19 posted on 01/22/2009 12:09:45 PM PST by raccoonradio
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To: Richard Kimball

Woody Guthrie died in 1960s.


20 posted on 01/22/2009 12:42:00 PM PST by Borges
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