So Tired

It's 1943 and all the good graphic artists must in uniform, explaining why this sheet music has such a boring cover.

Phone photo 2995

World War Two Veterans Memorial

Olympia, Washington

Postcard - Bremerton, Washington

"Bremerton Navy Yard, near Tacoma, Wash. Heart of Pacific Northwest Naval Defense Plan is the huge Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton, on Elliott Bay. Navy construction center and repair haven for the battleships of the Pacific Fleet when in the Northwest, the Yard is now being enhanced by construction of a $4,500,000 graving dock, which will be the largest in this country and capable of handling any ship in the world."

Hmm, claiming Bremerton is on Elliott Bay seems like a stretch. The language on this card, plus the use of  the name "Puget Sound Navy Yard" suggest this dates to World War II.

Favorite Movie Quotes: The Longest Day

"I wonder who won?"

A film way ahead of its time and a real tribute to our American regular guy heroes in the fight against Hitler and fascism. Oddly, the comedian Red Buttons had one of the most horrifying roles in this piece.

George McGovern, 1922-2012

 

Come Home America

In many elections I hear voters say they have to choose between the lesser of evils. But in 1972 it was clearly a choice between Good and Evil. And America re-elected Evil in a landslide. Two years later it was hard to find anyone who admitted to voting for Nixon.

There was a bit of graffiti someone wrote on the restroom wall of McGovern HQ in Oly. I'll share it here, and as off-color as it was, it does sum up how us young volunteers felt about Dick Nixon: "Don't change Dicks in the middle of a screw, vote for Nixon in '72!"

When I balance the choices I made in my life, I count the experience of being a volunteer for McGovern in '72 as something I will never regret. I also supported him in my caucus when he ran in 1984 against Ron the Con. And I don't regret that either. Several issues considered radical in the 1970s-1980s are now embraced by many Republicans. So our side eventually won. George was a pioneer and a winner on the right side of history.  But being a pioneer has a big price.

To quote McGovern, "You know, sometimes, when they say you're ahead of your time, it's just a polite way of saying you have a real bad sense of timing." 

He also said something to the effect: "I wanted to run for President in worst way-- and I did!" 

My fave was when his wife, Eleanor, came to Seattle and proclaimed the Nixon administration the "most corrupt in recent history." There was a big uproar. A few days later George arrived and apologized. He said Eleanor should have left out the word "recent."

McGovern was on the winning wide of history, at least on social issues and foreign policy. In this area obstructionist conservatives will always lose and progressives will always win. Economics has more of a universal pendulum.

Goodbye Sen. McGovern. And thank you for being a voice of reason on a national stage filled with haters shouting out messages of greed and fear. You were an inept politician, but you were a decent man. It was a miracle you were ever nominated. But working for you was the cleanest political experience I have ever had in my life, and I frequently revisit the idealism of that year if I need to recharge to keep up the Good Fight. Of course we all evolve, but at my core I still think of myself as a McGovernite. And a whole generation of us were inspired by your campaign. You were a WWII vet who worked hard to end war. I salute you for your service and your vision.

Come Home America

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 1972

McGovern Eagleton

The shortest-lived button in the history of Presidential campaigns. 18 days to be exact.

In 1972 I was a volunteer in the McGovern campaign in Olympia, Washington, so you'll be seeing quite a few buttons endorsing the Senator from South Dakota.

George McGovern was an authentic WWII hero and a good and decent man. And he was right on many issues. But he was a horrible politician. In spite of that, I still admire McGovern to this day and am so happy I worked on his campaign. When he came to Seattle I went to see him speak, and realized he was far from charismatic, but the guy had a geeky sincerity I admired. We didn't win, in fact we were slaughtered, but in the history of Presidential elections there was never a clearer choice between Good and Evil. 

And 1972 America voted in fear and overwhelmingly chose Evil.

I also voted for George in the Whitman County, Washington caucus when he ran in 1984. He didn't get it, but the eventual nominee, Walter Mondale (another good and decent man), lost by even greater margin to old Ron the Con who brought us a huge economic deficit, Iran-Contra, and a long parade of convicted public officials who betrayed the public trust that outnumbered the Watergate number of convicted crooks. 

This in spite of the fact that during the 1984 debates Ron the Con was clearly suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Sometimes, you have to wonder about the wisdom of the electorate.

If you look back in the history of Presidential elections, George McGovern is now the senior living major party candidate, having outlived his opponents and all running mates. When George crosses to the Other Side, which will be soon, those of us left behind will carry the flame in our own fashion.

God bless you, George McGovern. Thank you.

Favorite Movie Quotes: Sahara

"Got ... got to ... make it ..."

I actually mentioned this quote in a post last November, but it is worth using again. Back in the late 1960s/early 1970s when we could only get less than half a dozen stations and there was no such thing as VHS or DVD for consumers, my brother and I ate up all those old Warner Brothers films the independent Seattle/Tacoma  stations continuously played. We were so struck by Bruce Bennett uttering this quote while crawling through the Sahara Desert that we started using it for all kinds of things. For example, if Bryan asked me to pass the salt at dinner, I would move slowly and utter, "Must ... make ... it. Got ... got to ... reach salt ..."

And we continue this malarkey to this day. Funny how a few seconds of film can change lives.

In spite of this eccentric impact on our behavior, this is one of the better WWII propaganda movies.

Favorite Movie Quotes: Battle of Britain

"If you think we're going to gamble on Herr Hitler's guarantees, you're making a grave mistake. All those years in England seems to have left you none the wiser. We're not easily frightened. Also we know how hard it is for an army to cross the Channel. The last little Corporal who tried came a cropper. So don't threaten or dictate to us until you're marching up Whitehall, and even then we won't listen."

Washington State Cartoonist Laureate

This announcement was sent yesterday to my email. One of Washington State's last ditch efforts to keep culture alive as we all slide into the New Dark Ages:

POET LAUREATE APPLICATIONS SOUGHT

Applications are now being accepted for the 2012 – 2014 Washington State Poet Laureate position. The Poet Laureate serves to build awareness and appreciation of poetry – including the state’s legacy of poetry – through public readings, workshops, lectures, and presentations in communities, schools, colleges and universities, and other public settings across the state. The selected Poet Laureate will develop a two-year plan of activities, in consultation with the Washington State Arts Commission and Humanities Washington.

Qualified applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

· Be a current resident of the state of Washington;

· Have had at least one full-length book of poetry published by an established press;

· Be engaged in the poetry community;

· Be willing and able to promote poetry and the legacy of poetry throughout Washington State for a two-year period.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than 5:00 p.m. PST on November 30, 2011. For more information about the Washington State Poet Laureate program, including application criteria and guidelines, or to submit an application, visit www.washingtonpoetlaureate.org or contact Julie Ziegler, Executive Director, Humanities Washington, at julie@humanities.org, 206.682.1770 x 110; or Kris Tucker, Executive Director, Washington State Arts Commission, at kris.tucker@arts.wa.gov, 360.753.3860.

OK, so I am providing this news release both as announcement for the few poets who read this blog and an opportunity to promote the idea of a Washington State Cartoonist Laureate.

In modifying the above guidelines to fit the world of cartooning, my nomination for Washington State Cartoonist Laureate would be the legendary Bob Cram, cartooning weatherman.

In the early 1960s, when he replaced cartooning weatherman Bob Hale on KING-TV in Seattle, Bob instantly became one of my cartoon heroes. In that early, primitive era of live local TV, Bob was second only to J.P. Patches in influencing us budding Boomer cartoonists in Puget Sound.

I loved the way he made cartooning seem so easy and improvisational as he enhanced the weather report with his comic illustrations. He actually flew as he drew. I'm sure I am not the only local comix artist Bob influenced. And he's a long time Washingtonian and part of our cultural history.

I nominate Bob Cram for Washington State Cartoonist Laureate!

[Update: Just had a nice phone conversation with Bob Cram. It is fitting that I had already put out the flag on my front porch honoring vets and was able to thank him for his WWII service. Bob is still cartooning to this day! Go Bob, very inspirational!]

Bezango: Technicolor in Olympia

Olympia Power & Light, July 28-August 10, 2010

Clarence Chesterfield Howerton, otherwise known as Major Mite, is McCleary's closest claim to Hollywood fame.