Tuesday open thread: Land of Hope and Dreams

As many of you know, our poet of the people, Bruce Springsteen, received ire from the squatter in the White House for remarks he made at a concert in Manchester, England (ENGLAND!). 

I guess I shouldn't be surprised in these days of instantly released albums that he would release that section of the concert. But he has. 

During times of authoritarianism, those in power fear artists and intellectuals. They fear them because they can't be threatened. They can't be cajoled. Their lives are ones of speaking truth to power. 

That Donald Trump thought he could threatened an American icon like Bruce is indicative of his view of his power. His power should be untrammeled. It should be limitless. The country should bend the knee to him.

But the country is doing no such thing. And neither are its artists, or at least those who have not been co-opted. 

Many of us who read this blog are resting. And for good reason. We have all been screaming about fascism for decades. I was writing about this as long ago as 2012. And we were dismissed as Cassandras, pushing false fears. Of course, Cassandra was right. And so were we. But seeing the likes of Springsteen not giving up the fight, speaking out the truth of what's happening here while overseas, is good. It is necessary. And this is a fight that needs to be conducted by those who hold the power and privilege in this country. Blacks, Latinos, Asians; gay people, white allies. We've all tried. And we've all been ignored. Now it's time for those who may have some sway with their relatives to take the lead. That is where the power lies.

For today's open thread, here's Bruce's release