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Seeger Speaks — and Sings — Against Stalin

Submitted by Ignatiur R Grace, Aug 31, 2007 14:56

Seeger is, if nothing else, a mover, who throughout his life keeps moving right. And while he is way to the left of most Americans I respect him for his willingness, as he looks back over his life to admit where his mistakes were, when he sees them, unlike many people in the world today. As is usually the case people who in their younger years are liberal, as they age they move right, some more than others which makes him "righter" now than he ever was.

While I disagree with much of what he has said and done one thing I think he did that will have a lasting impact for every American was his use of the First Amendment of the Constitution, that is, the right of free association, as his argument while appearing before McCarthy's committee rather than the fifth amendment of self incrimination, a radical departure from most other witnesses but one that had a greater cost to him personally.

The most striking thing I gather from his life is to think how much of an impact he could have had if he would have started out where he is today. That is, what could he have accomplished, if he had not influenced so many to be radical communists who ended up fighting both parties, much like today's anarchist, minus their violence of course, but rather influenced them instead to be humanitarian leftists? His story is just another story of a son, who should have followed his fathers example, in his case parting with the communist's two decades after his father.

The question for me is, is it too late? Can a former far left communist whose zeal allowed him to be deceived by radicals in his party of choice, speak to the kids today about keeping their eyes open to the danger and stupidity of blindly following radical leaders and thinkers. Will kids listen to an 80 year old man tell them not to stop thinking for themselves? I think they would.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
While I am sure I am not as learned as Mr.Radosh about the timeline of Pete Seegers life I believe... [MORE]	Vinnie Cangemi	Feb 29, 2008 01:13
"Time for Pete Seeger To Repent." In my youth it was a communist's duty to openly "confess" his sins against the... [MORE]	Alan II	Feb 28, 2008 07:57
In my younger years I was a Seegerholic. I couldn't get enough of the man. I loved his music, his... [MORE]	E.M. Bennatan	Feb 19, 2008 04:43
Like Ron Radosh, I grew up admiring Pete Seeger and--as a folksinger myself--deplored the fact that the blacklist limited his... [MORE]	John B. Sprung	Sep 4, 2007 15:31
Hi Ron, forgive my ignorance, but have you vocally denounced Bush for the atrocities committed in Cuba and Iraq? [MORE]	James	Sep 4, 2007 14:01
It takes a true son of the Party to equivocate Guantanamo with the GuLag: Guantanamo, whose inmates gain weight while... [MORE]	Ed	Sep 5, 2007 10:45
This is why I read The Sun... Ed, please run for office... the higher the better! [MORE]	alan	Sep 9, 2007 20:56
Folks, Pete never advocated for a violent overthrow of the US government. He did support a socialist agenda and working... [MORE]	Lou Farrell	Sep 3, 2007 20:33
...and intellectual honesty to see that you have been wrong about something and to actually admit it. Kudos to Mr.... [MORE]	Audrey	Sep 3, 2007 19:50
all the self-righteous people of course will put down Pete for not having spoken up earlier--even though he is know... [MORE]	dvid still	Sep 3, 2007 19:02
Mr. Seeger has, however tardy the revelation, come to see the light. Ours is not to wonder why now but... [MORE]	Trotting Mercury	Sep 3, 2007 13:18
Seeger had hoped... that both Khrushchev and later Gorbachev would "open things up." RD. Krushchev tried in his erratic half-hearted way,... [MORE]	Roger DesMoulins	Sep 2, 2007 17:56
I had the opportunity awhile back to work with Pete S. on a project. Although I disagreed with almost all... [MORE]	Tim Idd.	Aug 31, 2007 23:10
A friend in Estonia told me once that during the years of Soviet Occupation, twenty percent of the population disappeared,... [MORE]	George French	Aug 31, 2007 15:17
When the Conservatives of this country apologize for rolling into bed with Mussolini, Franco, and Hitler, then I'll look to... [MORE]	Grif	Sep 3, 2007 04:44
Seeger is, if nothing else, a mover, who throughout his life keeps moving right. And while he is way to...	Ignatiur R Grace	Aug 31, 2007 14:56
Seeger may have been the most visible of a number of folksingers who dedicated themselves to criticising an imperfect West... [MORE]	Doug Huggins	Aug 31, 2007 13:52
It is wonderful, not to mention surprising, that Mr. Seeger will allow to criticism. Good for you, Mr. Seeger, and... [MORE]	Dan Davis	Aug 31, 2007 13:08
While Seeger is to be commended for his belated admission of remaining silent about Stalin's horrors, read more carefully, he... [MORE]	Mike Perry, Inkling Books, Seattle	Aug 31, 2007 11:43
Better late than never. Thumbs up to Mr. Seeger [MORE]	Sean	Aug 31, 2007 11:31
Dear Ron,Thanks for the update on Pete. As is occurring in my own life, as we get older it's important... [MORE]	George Fletcher	Aug 31, 2007 11:28
Total nonsense. Like a true aparatchik, he kept his mouth shut when it could have done any good, and only... [MORE]	tom	Aug 31, 2007 16:29
The song is a worthy effort. But the chance that Stalin had was when he took the wheel of Lenin's... [MORE]	Ed	Sep 6, 2007 10:10
When I was a kid in the 60's I learned to play the guitar with one of his books and... [MORE]	Don	Feb 28, 2008 09:25
I hate to ruin part of the premise of Ron Radosh's criticism, but Pete Seeger had, in fact, apologized for... [MORE]	Andy Buck	Aug 31, 2007 10:45
I find this moving. I have only met Pete Seeger once - at the Institute of Western American Culture in... [MORE]	Rob Perelli-Minetti	Aug 31, 2007 10:41
Had been living under communism through 1982 I've never dreamt that one day I'll have a warm feeling toward Pete... [MORE]	Tibor Csipan	Aug 31, 2007 09:46
I have always loved Pete's music, agree with his desire for social and civil rights, agreed with his right,... [MORE]	Steve Dickey	Aug 31, 2007 17:53
When ii first became a student at the High School of Music and Art in the early fifties I encountered... [MORE]	leo solomon	Sep 3, 2007 04:59

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