Roger O Green

Vote twice in June 2020: early, often

long waits at polling places are disruptive and disenfranchising

I got to vote twice in the month of June. Legally. Really! The first time was for the school budget (it passed – yay!), the school board, and the library trustees. That vote was scheduled for the middle of May but postponed because of the coronavirus.

Everyone was supposed to get a ballot by mail by the end of May. The documents were due at the local board of education office by June 9. But because some of the local districts were having trouble printing them out, the deadline was extended to June 16. And the really great thing is that there were 10,700 votes cast in Albany, thrice what the average turnout had been in the past five years.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Presidential primary in New York State was scheduled for the end of April but postponed over COVID-19. Then it was canceled because all of the candidates except Joe Biden had dropped out. However, the Presidential primary, now on June 23 – simultaneous with other ballot initiatives – “should still be held, with all qualifying candidates restored to the ballot, a federal judge ruled.”

I HATED the thought that I was going to be disenfranchised. And, not incidentally, we’ve seen a LOT of difficulties with the franchise in places such as Wisconsin and Georgia. The Brennan Center notes that “long waits at polling places are disruptive, disenfranchising, and all too common. Black and Latino voters are especially likely to endure them.”

With less than five months until Election Day, Is the U.S. ready? Kim Wehle, the author of What You Need to Know About Voting, says no. We should have more options for paper ballots. There are often fewer polling places, because of COVID-19, but also the powers that be are targeting minority communities with polling closures.

Here’s to you, EW

I HAVE to vote. People, especially black people, suffered and DIED for the opportunity to cast their ballot. I decided to vote, by mail, for Elizabeth Warren because that’s who I wanted to win. One could make the strategic case for Bernie, who I voted for four years ago.

But I had never voted for a woman for President in the primary. In 1972, Shirley Chisholm failed to get on the ballot in my Congressional district. Since then, I’ve voted for a bunch of guys who never got the nomination such as Fred Harris and Dennis Kucinich.

In the primary, I vote with my heart. In the general election, I vote with my head.

BTW, I don’t think Warren will be the Vice-Presidential nominee. She turned 71 yesterday. If she weren’t running with a guy who will be turning 78 seventeen days after the general election, I think she’d have a better chance. Also, they are both from the Northeast.

I like Stacie Abrams of Georgia. The reason she’s not currently in elected office is that the former secretary of state, Brian Kemp, now the governor, rigged the system. Someone (a black male) also made me wonder if sizism could play a role in whether to choose her.

Of the folks listed here, I’m guessing Kamala Harris or Val Demings or Tammy Duckworth or maybe Susan Rice. Meanwhile, read How To Read Polls In 2020.

Recipes, rocks? Ask Roger Anything

bread recipe included

Tim Curry Last month, I noted that sometimes it’s difficult to come up with topics here because I’m not going anywhere. Arthur kindly made suggestions.

“Maybe you could try cooking recipes you haven’t before and posting a photo and then talk about it? Or maybe spread some rocks. Apparently, those sorts of things give some people to talk about or they wouldn’t blog at all.”

Hmm. I suppose I could do the cooking thing. Before the pandemic, there was this segment on CBS This Morning Saturday called The Dish. It would have chefs bring out a panoply of delicious-looking items. Often, the items were from their recent books. I’m not sure that I know how to write about food that would be interesting enough for me.

Still, every other person seems to be baking bread. Here’s a recipe for The Best Super Soft and Chewy Hoagie Bread Rolls that one of my wife’s sisters-in-law sent along. I haven’t made it.

I do the rock, myself

Or maybe I can try the tried and true method of having you all Ask Roger Anything. I’ve already shared my favorite recipe. The only thing I’ve ever done with rocks is to skip them across a river. But maybe you want my recipe for stone soup; that topic combines recipes and rocks. I’ll even answer your queries, most likely in the next 30 days.

Per usual, you can leave any of your questions and/or suggestions, in the comments section of this blog or on Facebook or Twitter; for the latter, my name is ersie. Always look for the duck.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, that is allowable. However, you need to STATE THAT specifically. E-mail me at rogerogreen (AT) gmail (DOT) com, or send me an IM on FB and note that you want to be unnamed; otherwise, I’ll assume you want your name emblazed on the rock I’m painting.

Dear old dad in Newspapers.com

the Ongleys

When I was on my genealogical journey for my father’s biological male parent, I got a subscription to Newspapers.com. You know, memory is a peculiar thing. I took a deep dive into the records that mentioned Les Green. There were over 300 items in the Binghamton, NY newspapers, most before 1974.

The earliest may have a picture of Les and his stepfather McKinley in 1942 with other Boy Scouts and their dads. I discovered that he was involved in the 1960s as a leader in scouting at the Interracial Center on 45 Carroll Street. Yet in my brief tenure as a Cub Scout, I never got the sense that dad was interested in scouting at all.

I remember that my father was the production chairman of the Civic Theater, the community performance troupe. Specifically, I recall his involvement with the 1960 production of Guys and Dolls, which was very successful. Even then, I thought the show, starting with the title, was rather old-fashioned. (Sidebar: my wife saw Bob Hoskins perform as Nathan Detroit in London in the early 1980s, so she’s more favorably inclined.)

The previous Civic Theater production was Separate Tables by Terrence Rattigan. What I didn’t know was that Helen Foley, speech and drama instructor at Binghamton Central HS was the director. She was my public speaking teacher a decade later, but neither my father nor la Foley ever mentioned to me that they knew each other. Helen Foley, BTW, was also the favorite teacher of Rod Serling of Twilight Zone fame, back in the early 1940s.

BTW, the costumes for Separate Tables were done by my grandmother Agatha and “Mrs. George Ongley.” George Ongley was Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls. My family visited their family for a time at the Ongley home in suburban Vestal. They had a couple kids if I’m remembering correctly.

Fighting for justice

Unsurprisingly, most of the clippings in the papers of dad were of him singing and playing the guitar. I knew my father performed at the Binghamton State Hospital, the “first institution designed and constructed to treat alcoholism as a mental disorder in the United States,” several times. But I didn’t know he was President of the hospital’s volunteer council c. November 1963. I wonder why he was so invested in that institution.

He was involved in a variety of civil rights organizations, such as the William L. Moore chapter of CORE. Once, his white colleagues sent me into the local Woolworth’s to see if I, like other black kids, would be harassed by the employees or the police. I was not on that day.

Dad headed the Binghamton-Broome Council of the NYS Division of Human Rights head by 1969. Interestingly, the formation of this body was rejected by the Binghamton city council five years earlier. That action generated a third of a page petition in the paper. “There is not a single day when a Negro does not suffer the indignity… of discrimination” in the city. It was signed by my mother, father, and McKinley, as well as over 230 other adults, many of whom I knew.

My father was Chair of the Human Rights Advisory Council in 1972. Yet I did not recall that he claimed that he was denied entrance to a public billiards parlor in Binghamton because of his race in July 1968, taking his complaint to the state Division of Human Rights in September of that year. I don’t know what the resolution of the case was.

Finally, he was Director for Joint Apprenticeship and Training for the Associated Building Contractors in August 1972. When he lost that position, he ended up moving to Charlotte, NC in 1974. Les Green was rather remarkable when I was growing up. Happy Father’s Day.

Hey Jude/The Beatles Again album

Lady Madonna, yes, but why not The Inner Light?

A buddy of mine included the Hey Jude/The Beatles Again album as one of his favorite albums. There are some magnificent songs on it. But as someone who was purchasing the US Capitol albums, it was disappointing for what it left off. Then I was reminded of all the missed opportunities the Capitol Records compilers had to bring us more songs.

Side one
1. “Can’t Buy Me Love” 2:19 (in the US on the Hard Day’s Night soundtrack album on United Artists)
2. “I Should Have Known Better” 2:39 (ditto)
3. “Paperback Writer” 2:14 (Revolver-era single)
4. “Rain” 2:58 (ditto)
5. “Lady Madonna” 2:14 (the last Beatles single on the Capitol imprint)
6. “Revolution” 3:21 (the first Beatles single on the Apple imprint)
Total length: 15:45

Side two
7. “Hey Jude” 7:06 (ditto)
8. “Old Brown Shoe” 3:16 (B-side of The Ballad of John and Yoko single)
9. “Don’t Let Me Down” (B-side of the Get Back single) 3:30
10. “The Ballad of John and Yoko” 2:55 (single)
Total length: 16:47

It seems that I complained about the Capitol American albums before. So I’ll note what songs should have been added to which albums, to get them up to at least 12 songs, with links to each song. (Hey Jude album link above.)

The Capitol albums

Meet the Beatles! (1964) – 12 songs.

The Beatles’ Second Album (1964) – the first opportunity to add From Me To You (1:58), which finally appears on the 1962–1966 (Red) album.

Something New (1964) – From Me To You or Sie Liebt Dich (2:20), the German version of She Loves You. But it doesn’t show up on a Capitol/Apple US album until Rarities in 1980.

Beatles ’65 (1964) – If I understand correctly, Capitol had the rights to all the songs from the A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack. It just couldn’t actually put out a soundtrack album. So, theoretically, A Hard Day’s Night (2:33, first appearance on 1962–1966) could have shown up here. Or one of the two songs from Hey Jude: Can’t Buy Me Love (which shows up on the odd Capitol compilation Big Hits from England and the USA) or I Should Have Known Better.

The Early Beatles (1965)- much of this from the first UK album Please Please Me, which comprised most of the VeeJay album Introducing the Beatles. The two songs left off were Misery (1:49) and There’s A Place (1:51). At least one of these should have made it, or From Me To You.

Beatles VI (1965) – any of the preceding songs.

Help! (1965) in the US, a soundtrack album with 12 tracks.
Rubber Soul (1965) – in the US, 12 songs.

Talkin’ ’bout nineteen sixty-six

Yesterday and Today (1966) – another album that really bugs me. They stole three songs from the forthcoming Revolver album when they could have picked any of the previous songs, or I’m Down (2:33), the B-side of the Help single, which didn’t show up until the post-breakup Rock ‘n’ Roll Music album. BTW, it was the few songs I did not own. Yes, I bought it for essentially one song.

Revolver (1966) – even if they kept one of the three Lennon songs they stole – And Your Bird Can Sing breaks up two McCartney songs on Side 2 – that would have been a less savage pillaging.

Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) – not messing with that album!

Magical Mystery Tour (1967) – I wish Paperback Writer, or preferably Rain had gone here, 1st song on Side 2.

The Beatles (White Album) (1968) – not touching that.
Yellow Submarine (1969) – soundtrack.
Abbey Road (1969) – not touching that.

Hey Jude (Beatles Again) (1969) – all the songs that didn’t make it before then, plus The Inner Light (2:36, the B-side of Lady Madonna), which doesn’t show up until Rarities.

Let It Be (1970) – essentially a soundtrack.

Black-focused for Juneteenth

support Black communities

Juneteenth In the weeks following George Floyd’s death, and the subsequent protests, my e-mail has been overwhelmed with black-focused products and services that we should be reading/watching/buying.

This is not a complaint, mind you, though it is a bit overwhelming. It is amazing how quickly American business has been able to pivot to a Black Lives Matter theme. It’s similar to how 90% of the TV ads seem to have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The cynical among us might have asked, “Where were these resources back in April?”

Many businesses across the country experienced theft and damage during the aftermath of the earlier protests. But despite another significant setback after months of financial strain due to coronavirus, some are siding with the protesters voicing outrage over police brutality, choosing to use the moment to help amplify the message of the Black Lives Matter movement.

BTW, if you’re unfamiliar with Juneteenth: a quick summary: “June 19, 1865, marks the date that Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the end of both the Civil War and slavery.” Now that a certain party has deigned to co-opt it, before bumping his rally to a day later, I find the need to mention it.

Here are just a handful of black-focused resources, beyond ones I’ve already mentioned. You are welcome to add your links in the comments.

Multipronged

Resources In Defense of Black Lives.
Code of Ethics for Antiracist White Allies By JLove Calderon and Tim Wise
#8CANTWAIT – a campaign to bring immediate change to policing.

Education

Justice in June.
Five Ways to Talk to Children About Race.
How To Talk To Your Friends And Family About Race, According To Psychologists.
25 Books By Black Authors to Add to Your Reading List.

Black Lives Matter: Anti-Racism Resources Streaming for Free. “In light of the nationwide outpouring of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, movies like Just Mercy and I Am Not Your Negro are available to stream.”

Economics

Shop Black-Owned & Founded Wellness Brands: 43 Companies To Support.
Where To Donate To Support Black Communities.

Mea culpa abound

Name changes: Lady Antebellum became Lady A, stepping on the trademark of an existing black singer. The pancake syrup maker Aunt Jemina is changing its name, apparently confounding people I know IRL who are oblivious to its racist history.

Racism is a public health crisis in Boston. Mayor Martin Walsh will seek to transfer 20% of police overtime budget to social services.

Alexis Ohanian says he left Reddit board to help make a “real positive change.” He recognized his privilege with help from wife Serena Williams. “Reddit made good on its promise to hire a black board member, appointing Y Combinator CEO Michael Seibel.”

Google commits $175 million to racial equity with focus on black-owned businesses; Plus announces plans to improve representation and support within the company.

From 23andme: “As a leader who really cares, I feel the responsibility to not just talk about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, but to make meaningful changes and contributions through my own actions and how we operate at 23andMe. Our management team, Board and employee base must have greater diversity. I am ashamed to say I do not have a single black employee who is at Director level or above. Our product is euro-centric but must expand to be inclusive and equitable. We absolutely have the potential to be better. Despite our efforts, I have to honestly say that we are also part of the problem.

“I’m holding myself accountable. I’m holding 23andMe accountable. And I’m asking that our customers hold us accountable. This will include making sure that we change our hiring practices, that we make sure we give greater promotional opportunities within the company, that we dedicate resources to evolve our product to better represent all communities, and that my management team and Board have more inclusive. representation.”

Of course, some of these apologies have fallen on deaf ears. When Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman admitted, “I didn’t do enough’ when it came to diversity,” folks are saying, “Duh – we told you that at the time.”