it's time to revive the Alice's Restaurant Anti-Massacre Movement . . .

[OneBlueSky]

"And the only reason I'm singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a situation like that there's only one thing you can do and that's walk into the shrink wherever you are ,just walk in say "Shrink, You can get anything you want, at Alice's restaurant.". And walk out. You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. They may think it's an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement.

"And that's what it is , the Alice's Restaurant Anti-Massacre movement, and all you got to do to join is sing it the next time it come's around on the guitar."

ready? . . . SING! . . .

"You can get anything you want
At Alice's Restaurant (excepting Alice),
You can get anything you want,
At Alice's Restaurant.
Just walk right in
It's around the back,
Just a half a mile
From the railroad track,
You can get anything you want
At Alice's Restaurant."

http://www.arlo.net/lyrics/alices.shtml

[Jacobin]

1. Brings back fond memories

of a time that was more tumultuous than even now.....draft meant your ass could get sent to a jungle to get shot at.

Go Arlo. We need to get him to start doing his deal again!

[liberalhistorian]

2. LOL!

That's actually a great idea and we should find a way to get that moving. It's just as applicable today as it was 35 years ago. BTW, that may be almost 25 minutes long, but I could listen to it over and over and over again!

[OneBlueSky]

3. I agree . . .

I'd love to see masses of liberals, progressives, Democrats, and just plain folk singing Alice's Restaurant at every debate, rally, and get-together between now and election day . . . just to remind those in power where the power really resides . . . :)

[lapislzi]

4. It's a Thanksgiving tradition in my "extended" family

The sight of 18 left-wingers (kids included; my daughter asked me yesterday if she could burn the flag) singing Alice's Restaurant at the table should warm the cockles of any DUer's heart. Will post photos in the Lounge after this year's rendition.

[undergroundpanther]

5. Thanksgiving

We play Alices restraurant every year while we are cooking food.Except now,it's on CD.
Alice's is a fall feast tradition with my folks too.We have a feast because it's good to get together and chow,and for the "holiday alot of people are off work so it's conveient.

We don't "celebrate" thanksgiving.Because when Native people chose to help the europeans in need,who didn't know how to take care of themselves they got abuse in return. Invaders took the kindness given,in return they committed wholesale thievery, crime,cruelty,war,hatred and genocide on the original people of Turtle Island(America)and set thier sights to eradicate all Native Cultures tribes,peoples and thier spirituality to steal thier land and resources.
Thankfully they were not totally sucessful.There is hatred and injustices twords Native peoples still going on today,that grind the people down and wound the spirit and it is so sick and so'accepted' as normal too.It makes me want to scream.

So for me,one of those'normalized' travesties is thanksgiving. It's no cause for celebration, because there is nothing there for me to be thankful about what was done.I'm certainly not thankful for this kind of'civilization' that came here with this colonialist invasion of arrogant,criminal, elitist,racist,murdering conquerers and this domineering impostion of thier own alienating, heirarchical,economy driven,power seeking,competitive,bullying,anti-nature,anti-social,
anti-diversity,anti-feminineanti-empathy brute consumer culture
that's pushed upon people who do not want to be part of it,from childhood on up.Sometimes it takes years for a person to figure out for themselves why it's important to disentangle themselves from this sick cultural programming and discover how to free thier minds out of it.

[lapislzi]

6. Food for thought...no pun intended

I am sorry that your ancestors suffered; that you suffer; that your people had their country stolen from them. Truly, I am. I wish history was different. It is not. It is what it is. Would I give your country back to you if I could? No, I don't think so. I can't change history, and I have to live somewhere, too. I would give anything for all peoples to live in more felicitous circumstances, for reparations and compensation to be offered to peoples who have been wronged by American imperialism. But we have to deal with things as they are, not as we would like them to be, try as we might to change them.

But Thanksgiving is a tradition that I embrace not for its political overtones, but because I am truly thankful that I can feed 18 people in my home, that we have a warm shelter and the fellowship of one another. I couldn't give a rat's ass about the puritans and the pilgrims. They sound like a bunch of utter assholes. But thankful I am for my home and my family, and I choose that day (call it what you will) to acknowledge such.

I apologize if I give offense; none is intended.

Peace.