Stop Embarrassing Women!

Lately I’ve taken refuge from the 24-7 horror show originating in the White House. Facebook’s newsfeed is one refuge but even more enthralling are the “reels” Zuckerberg has allowed. Recently, the enjoyment of reels has been compromised by the addition of advertisements, but those are easily clicked through to the next short take on whatever video someone has to offer.

Among the widely varied subject matter are the law enforcement videos of arrests. These are fascinating for a variety of reasons, but for me the most fascinating (and disturbing) are arrests where women are pulled over for something minor like a missing tail light, or something major like weaving all over the road or driving the wrong way in a one-way lane. In any case, many of these woman are intoxicated to the point that they have no rational control over their circumstances.

The results are shocking. Instead of doing what the officer asks and providing driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance, she immediately launches into a loud, high-pitched, whiny voice to berate the officer and/or deny she’s done anything wrong, or otherwise refuse to address the matter at hand. After repeating the request multiple times and failing to secure a rational response, the officer asks the driver to step out of the car. Which of course she refuses with an even louder, shriller, repetitious, one-note tirade.

Then the situation spirals even further into chaos as the door is pulled open and the woman dragged out, still screaming her one-note hysteria. Wrestling, kicking, biting, and again refusing to LISTEN to anything being said, the woman then utterly humiliates herself as her clothing becomes skewed exposing various parts of her body while writhing on the ground. Ultimately there are charges not only for the initial problem—which could have been solved by simply following the officer’s requests—but also for refusing to identify herself, resisting, and assaulting a police officer among them.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/video/-karens-have-been-going-viral-but-their-behavior-is-not-new-and-it-s-dangerous-85240389836

As an aside, traffic stop drama runs somewhat parallel to Karen episodes where a woman charges into a situation that is NONE OF HER BUSINESS in an effort to correct what she sees as a wrong. In the process, she manages to gain the enmity of whichever neighbor/relative/business person is also involved and most often, the police are called because she is OUT OF CONTROL. I understand that perceived malfeasance/wrong actions can be frustrating, and I also understand the urge to correct wrongs. BUT it is not Karen’s job to do this. There are legitimate processes for determining the correct position of a property line, for example, or outlets through which to gain satisfaction for poor service or bad food or whatever has her panties in a twist. Have some effing dignity, for godssake!

Sisters!! Grow up! Shut up and listen, do what you’re told when dealing with officers of the law and other legitimate authorities. It’s not a genius level skill to simply deal with the situation at hand.

Women invite shame, ridicule, and condescending attitudes in general because we ask for it with our behavior. When faced with a mouse running across the floor, women scream. Why? What possible good does it do to scream? Either find a way to catch the mouse and toss it outside, or set traps. [Please not glue traps, which rip flesh off their feet or keep them in place until they died of starvation and thirst.] Same applies for rats, snakes, frogs/toads, and bugs. Meanwhile, shut up with the hysterical screaming already.

So while I’m excoriating my fellow women about absurd excesses, I’ll go ahead and jump in with all four feet: woman’s fashions. Apparently women lose all common sense in order to fit into some perceived fashion standard, which is probably set by a gay man somewhere in New York or Paris. [Not casting aspersions on gay men, but please.] For example, the current ‘fashion’ in women’s hair styles is for strands of hair to dangle into the face, over the eyes, thereby creating, I suppose, a tousled look which (one theorizes) appeals to men. While this might be functional and reasonable in bar or party setting where a woman might wish to appear ‘flirty,’ it is entirely ridiculous in a workplace or business setting.

Alongside the hair-in-eyes fashion, there are additional fashions that serve to signal ‘compromised.’ For example, tight skirts, again fine on an age-appropriate female in a social setting, but ridiculous when a person needs to WALK or perhaps RUN, or is in a location/situation where walking/running might be called for. The tight skirts serves as a hobble, making it impossible for a woman to out maneuver anyone trying to grab her.

Then there are the shoes. As if high heels aren’t enough, we now have high heels on top of platforms of an inch, three inches—you name it, they’re up there. Like other fashions mentioned above, these are signals that the woman wearing them is not capable of running, can easily fall even when simply walking, and is therefore suitable prey. This is, one supposes, meant to heighten her feminine appeal.

None of this is really new. We know about Chinese foot binding, basically crippling women for over a thousand years. We know about corsets, pulled tight in order to provide an hourglass figure and press the breasts upward and to reduce the woman’s breath to a whispery gasp while rendering her prone to delicate fainting spells. Platform shoes have been around several times as have tight skirts. [See https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/these-chopines-werent-made-for-walking/ and https://www.edwardianpromenade.com/beauty/the-hobble-skirt/] I’m waiting for full length gowns to make a comeback with several layers of fabric underneath, which not only shield the world from any view of legs but also make drowning likely if she happened to fall into water, with the added benefit for religionists to disguise any possible outline of legs or hips.

Can we, as women, PLEASE step back from these ongoing absurdities and question why we choose to present ourselves as physically compromised? Can we please think about function in how we dress or style our hair, so that our appearance serves our intellectual purposes? [This assumes we have purposes beyond falling down at men’s feet.] We need to stop dressing as though we are desperate for male attention or for ‘fashion’ approval. We need instead to present ourselves physically as we want to be known professionally, functionally, and respectfully.

Finally, can we ditch the little breathy high-pitched squeaky voice affectation and speak with authority? Thank you.

What Trump Will Bring

In the pending Trump presidency, there will be no support for Ukraine or Palestinians, and it will be the desperate people of those countries who suffer. That suffering will spill over, from Ukraine into more of Europe, from Palestinian lands into Lebanon and the broader Middle East. Trump’s buddy Vladimir Putin is thrilled. The wealth of Ukraine in natural resources and rich cropland will strengthen the weaknesses of Russia and move Putin closer to seeing his lifelong dream realized, the re-creation of the Soviet empire.

If Trump et al succeed in tearing down the U.S. Constitution and all we stand for, pretty soon the war will be on our land, in our towns and farmland. Communist nations like Russia, Iran, and China will simply walk in through the doors Trump is leaving open.

There will be no acknowledgement of climate change or its inevitable, already-apparent crises as insurance rates skyrocket in a futile effort to mitigate losses from flooding, storms, and other weather extremes. If we’re troubled by immigration now, wait a few more years of uncontrolled climate change when entire nations are unable to house or feed their populations due to floods or lack of agriculture. Do we shoot them at the border? Let them starve?

What would Jesus do?

Most telling will be the nosedive of our economy, not just in the four years of Trump’s legal term of office, but thereafter as his exploitation of U.S. oil reserves undermines our future energy independence. Trump’s ‘drill baby drill’ cries ignore the wisdom of alternative energy. He is simply too stupid to understand why we should use anything but oil even though all known reserves will run out by 2070. Theoretically, we may never run out of oil because, given the depth of the Earth’s core, there will be new wells to discover. That said, it’s highly unlikely that the practice of mining such depths will become economically viable.

Trump’s second presidency will expand on his previous dismissal of health crises preparation which left us vulnerable to the COVID outbreak after he liquidated the pandemic preparedness established by previous presidents. What will happen with the next pandemic? Researchers say there’s as much as a 50 percent chance that we’ll see something like this again in the next twenty-five years. Trump’s lack of intellect leaves the entire nation unprepared.

Even more concerning is his ignorance of history, which allows him to pursue his fantasy of shifting civil service jobs to political appointments in direct violation of the United States Constitution. Traditionally, the civil service has been a sector of government that operates under a merit-based system to ensure that government jobs are filled by the most qualified individuals. This system protects civil servants from political influence and allows them to make independent decisions without fear of reprisal. The civil service is a key part of the constitutional framework because it helps to uphold the rule of law and ensure that the government is run by merit, not political affiliation. Trump’s affection for the idea of government work force composed of loyalists completely overturns this tradition.

Trump doesn’t care what happens in the future as long as he stays out of prison for his multitude of felonies. He doesn’t care about the lives of anyone besides himself. He’s eager to turn over the economy to people like Elon Musk, who acknowledges he is autistic, a condition marked by impaired social interactions, verbal and nonverbal communication deficits, and restricted, repetitive behavior patterns and associated with poor emotional control. To place the future of the U.S. economy in the hands of such a person means loss of critical social support for the weakest and neediest among us. Such suffering would not be a concern to Musk. Or Trump, who, when confronted with the disability of his nephew’s son, famously told his nephew ““Those people…” Donald said, trailing off. “The shape they’re in, all the expenses, maybe those kinds of people should just die.”

Similarly, Trump has nominated Robert Kennedy Jr. to head the U. S. departments in charge of public health including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Disease Control, and the Food and Drug Administration. But Kennedy has no science or medical background, other than claiming to have had worms in his brain. He also reported that at one point, mercury poisoning in his body reached ten times safe levels. Studies show that high exposure to mercury induces changes in the central nervous system, potentially resulting in irritability, fatigue, behavioral changes, tremors, headaches, hearing and cognitive loss, and dysarthria (a speech disorder that makes it difficult to speak due to issues with the muscles, nerves, or brain that control speech). Kennedy’s negative attitude about vaccines no doubt attracted voters who were petulantly annoyed by public health measures enforced during COVID like wearing masks and being vaccinated to prevent spread of the virus.

Perhaps the most immediately dangerous is Pete Hegseth, a FOX News commentator and host of “Fox & Friends” now nominated to be Secretary of Defense. An Army veteran of eight years, he plans a “frontal assault” to reform the Department of Defense from the top down, including by purging “woke” generals, limiting women from some combat roles, eliminating diversity goals and utilizing the ‘real threat of violence’ to reassert the United States as a global power.” (ABC News) He has called the United Nations a ‘farce’ and “giant joke’ and believes military action is the best plan to solve world problems. Aside from his warmongering ideas, he has advocated for the pardon of war criminals. He holds no sympathy for Palestinians and embraces Israelis as “God’s chosen people” with “Zionism and Americanism at the front lines of Western civilization.” (Wikipedia) His concept of “civilization” apparently follows the same moral codes as Trump. “Hegseth and his first wife, Meredith Schwarz, divorced in 2009. He married his second wife, Samantha Deering, in 2010; they have three children. In August 2017, while still married to Deering, Hegseth had a daughter with Fox executive producer Jennifer Rauchet, with whom he was having an extramarital relationship. He and Deering divorced in August 2017. Hegseth and Rauchet, who has three young children from her first marriage, married in August 2019.” (Wiki)

Even if the new Republican majority in the Senate rejects one or more of these nominations, there’s little likelihood that Trump’s subsequent appointments would be any less unsuitable for government positions. He has already put extremist Stephen Miller in a position that will control immigration, our very own Joseph Goebbels, a German Nazi politician who was the chief propagandist for the Nazi Party and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 1945. He was one of Adolf Hitler’s closest and most devoted followers, known for his deeply virulent antisemitism which was evident in his publicly voiced views. He advocated progressively harsher discrimination, including the extermination of the Jews in the Holocaust.

Finally, there is the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard as the head of our national intelligence agencies. As noted by news media, Gabbard’s record “reflects an alarming pattern of siding with Russia and other authoritarian regimes, raising questions about whether she should serve as America’s top-ranking intelligence official. Her selection has alarmed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, though most Republicans have refrained from public criticism. …[She] lacks deep intelligence experience and is seen as soft on Russia and Syria. …Among the risks, say current and former intelligence officials and independent experts, are that top advisers could feed the incoming Republican president a distorted view of global threats based on what they believe will please him and that foreign allies may be reluctant to share vital information.” (Reuters)

But Trump’s voters don’t care about such details. He was elected because he made promises to enact policies which reflect old prejudices and enshrine ignorance under an authoritarian ruler. Old habits don’t vanish simply because new opportunities are presented, not when those habits have been ingrained for tens of thousands of years. The brain wiring isn’t there. The ‘conservative’ clings to the past because it is familiar.

Not better.

Coming soon: What the Democrats Did Wrong

The Rich and Social Security

I’m sorry to burst everyone’s bubble about the rich and Social Security, but I believe it’s flat out wrong to think it’s as simple as the rich should pay “their fair share.” Compared to everyone else, they already pay their fair share because what each of us pays in Social Security tax is based on our income. The rich earn more, so they pay more.

The sticking point is the cap, the amount of the tax to be collected before the assessment stops. So what “pay their share” actually means to those hoping for reform is “get rid of the cap.”

But what would that mean?

“In 2024, the maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security tax is $168,600, which is up from $160,200 in 2023. This limit [cap] is also known as the contribution and benefit base or the taxable maximum. The tax rate for wages paid in 2024 is set by statute at 6.2 percent for employees and employers, each. This means that an individual with wages equal to or larger than $168,600 would contribute $10,453.20 to the OASDI program in 2024.” And no more.

“The federal government adjusts the Social Security cap annually to keep pace with inflation based on changes in the National Average Wage Index. Earnings above this amount are not subject to Social Security tax or factored into Social Security payments in retirement.”

So at the maximum level of taxation this year, a person would pay a total $10,453.20 into the system.

And what does this person draw in benefits?

“The maximum Social Security benefit depends on age, earnings, and when benefits are taken. In 2024, the maximum benefit is $3,822 per month for those who retire at full retirement age, which is between 66 and 67. For those who retire at age 62, the maximum benefit is $2,710 per month, and for those who retire at age 70, the maximum benefit is $4,873 per month.”

To earn the maximum Social Security benefit, individuals must have been a high earner for 35 years and wait until full retirement age to claim benefits.

The ‘high earner’ contributing to the fund based on $168,600 for 35 years would have a pension balance of over $5,901,000 by retirement. At the $4,873 maximum monthly payout for the retiree, this amount would be depleted in 100.87 years, hardly a likely remaining life span after retirement age. Even living 20 years past retirement age, that person would only recoup about 20% of what he paid in.

On the other end of the tax calculation, a low income earner of $35,000/year might contribute far less than he/she will actually be able to receive at retirement. An employee sees 6.2% of his earnings withheld from his paycheck while his employer pays another 6.2%, for a total of $4,340/year based on $35,000/year. A self-employed person has to pay the entire 12.4% into the fund. Either way, thirty-five years later, that person will have accumulated $151,900 in his benefit fund.

Depending on the age at retirement, let’s say 66 years, his monthly benefit amount would be $1,846. Fortunately for him, if he lives twenty years after retirement, he will receive a total of $443,040 in benefits, a total of $291,140 MORE than he paid into the system.

Yes, there are significant numbers of men who die before they can claim any benefits, although their widows and/or minor children can draw on those accounts. A widow who never earned an income can live on her dead spouse’s benefits for the rest of her life, an amount which can easily skyrocket into large sums as about 16% of the men and about 34% of the women live to ninety or beyond.

Currently, life expectancy for women is 80.2 years while for men, it is 74.8 years. About half of women drawing benefits receive amounts based on their husbands’ earnings. Calculating by averages alone, the 5.4 years that women live past the male average death age creates a disproportionate amount of benefits paid that exceeds taxed earnings.

There is no cap on how many years a person can receive benefits. The benefits continue until death. The longer we live, the more benefits we receive.

So there’s no method by which the “rich must pay their fair share” when it comes to Social Security. Nor is the equity in promising widows a lifetime of benefits based on the husband’s contributions.

But wait! Aside from Social Security, a far simpler method of taxing excessive wealth is a more effective income tax rate. Consider the following:

According to a 2021 White House study, the wealthiest 400 billionaire families in the U.S. paid an average federal individual tax rate of just 8.2 percent. For comparison, the average American taxpayer in the same year paid 13 percent.
According to leaked tax returns highlighted in a ProPublica investigation, the 25 richest Americans paid $13.6 billion in taxes from 2014-2018—a “true” tax rate of just 3.4 percent on $401 billion of income.[1]

That’s not paying your fair share. Instead of rewarding wealth over work, our tax system should ensure that billionaires play by the same set of rules as the rest of us. It’s good for the planet, and it’s essential to the preservation of our democracy.[2] An easy method of capturing a greater portion of excessive income is the wealth tax plan advocated by Sen. Bernie Sanders:

Key Points:

Establish an annual tax on the extreme wealth of the top 0.1 percent of U.S. households.
It would only apply to net worth of over $32 million. Anyone who has a net worth of less than $32 million would not see their taxes go up at all under this plan.
This would raise an estimated $4.35 trillion over the next decade and cut the wealth of billionaires in half over 15 years, which would substantially break up the concentration of wealth and power of this small privileged class.
Ensure that the wealthy are not able to evade the tax by implementing strong enforcement policies.[3]

Aside from higher income taxes on the 1% super wealthy, another major misconception about Social Security is the idea that the government has “borrowed” money from the fund and that’s why it seems to be running out. Yes, the federal government borrows Social Security funds. This is a mechanism that was built in when the program began. The point being, the government is required to pay the money back with interest.

Social Security income is deposited into two financial accounts called trust funds – the Old-Age Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund and the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund. The trust funds are used to pay out Social Security benefits and cover administrative costs.
The trust funds hold money that isn’t needed in the current year to pay benefits and other expenses. By law, that money is invested in special Treasury bonds that are guaranteed by the U.S. government and earn interest. This adds to the fund. The Treasury is obligated to pay back the money it borrows with interest, according to AARP and the Congressional Research Service, and the SSA says the federal government has never failed to do so.[4]

Another misunderstood program is the Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, similar to Social Security, which guarantees a minimum level of income for aged, blind, or disabled individuals. It acts as a safety net for individuals who have limited resources and little or no Social Security or other income. Individual States have the option to supplement Federal payments for SSI. Currently, states fund about 33% of the program while the federal government puts up the remaining 66% ($55.4 billion in 2021). SSI is financed by general funds of the U.S. Treasury — personal income taxes, corporate taxes, and other taxes. Social Security taxes collected under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) or the Self-Employment Contributions Act (SECA) do not fund the SSI program.[5]

We can and should argue for change. But we need to start out with the facts.

[1] https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/do-the-rich-pay-their-fair-share/

[2] Ibid

[3] https://berniesanders.com/issues/tax-extreme-wealth/

[4] https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/social-security-verify/how-government-borrows-social-security-trust-funds/

[5] https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-17-008.pdf

Another NEW Release: Winslow–Before & After

Most folks who live around these parts know the story of Winslow, Arkansas, a tiny village perched in the highest elevations of the Boston Mountains. They know about the railroad tunnel built back in 1881 that blasted through 1,700 feet of stubborn rock and shale. They know about the all-female city council, the so-called Petticoat Government, back in 1925. And most of them know about the pre-air conditioning turn-of-the-century influx of wealthy summer visitors eager to live in the cooler air found at that elevation.

But what most folks don’t know is what came before the railroad. And what came after the boom years ended in the 1930s. Winslow today is, in many ways, just as interesting and vital as it was in those boom years between 1881 and 1930. Its population remains steady at around 365 people, not counting the hundreds residing in the rugged hills and hollers surrounding the place, both groups peppered with eccentrics, artists, and others typical of the Arkansas Ozarks reputation. Sit a spell and visit.

Great companion read to the new WINFEST book! Check it out at Amazon!

NEW RELEASE! WINFEST!

WINFEST! Celebrating 40 years of music and fun, this little book showcases each year’s performers and T-shirts in full color! Whoever dreamed in 1983 that forty years later this upstart music festival would still be going strong, a beloved event treasured by locals and regional fans alike, not to mention the many musicians and performers who have graced the stage with their talent and sense of adventure! Each year, a new, colorful t-shirt design featuring the performer names as well as the event date have preserved the legend of Winfest and are now presented for posterity in the pages of this booklet. Created as a labor of love by those who saw a need to find financial support for local nonprofit ventures, Winfest has stood the test of time, weather, and changes in the culture, truly a testament to the determination and dedication of the entire community of Winslow, Arkansas. Buy now at Amazon!

Next Step

On Thursday, May 9, 2024, Senators Katie Britt (R-AL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed (MOMS) act. Britt … said the measure would provide a federal database of resources for pregnant women and women parenting young children, but that information excludes anything that touches on abortion. The measure is clear that it enlists the government in opposition to abortion, but more than that, it establishes that the government will create a database of the names and contact information of pregnant women, which the government can then use “to follow up with users on additional resources that would be helpful for the users to review.” Heather Cox Richardson, May 13, 2024 (Monday)

Then,

Create a database of all females of child bearing age.
Require monthly reports of pregnancy tests from all females in the database, on penalty of felony prosecution.
Once pregnancy is reported, the female will be confined in a gestation facility.
Any employment or domestic duties of that female will be suspended until she gives birth.
If complications occur in the pregnancy, the embryo/fetus will be the priority consideration.
Upon birthing, the female and newborn will be returned to her former place in the community.

The Gifts of Evangelicals

Religion got us here, all this chaos surrounding our government and the unmitigated shitshow of Donald Trump.

Religion, where believers must suspend disbelief in order to believe—perfect practice for falling for snake oil salesmen and political bullshit.

Knowing this, since at least the 1960s, the back rooms of the Republican Party have carried out a bold plan to enlist evangelical Christians in their pursuit of power. Hot button issues became hotter under their rhetoric—abortion isn’t just about women making medical choices about their bodies and lives, it’s killing babies. Even newborns!

It seems not to matter how absurd the argument when twisted to fit this agenda. True Believers fall for it every time. They surge out their doors on Election Day, ready and eager to vote. Otherwise, God won’t love them.

Well meaning, intelligent, even well-educated evangelical Christians can’t help themselves in the face of God’s wrath. And yes, there are such things, although the majority seems less than intelligent or educated. Do they love the country more than God? Do they love the Constitution more than God? No, they can’t. There’s a lake of fire and brimstone waiting just below their feet if they don’t love God the most.

Whatever God actually said, if anything, doesn’t matter. It’s what the puppet masters behind the Church and the Republican Party say that matters, their interpretation, spin, whatever you want to call it. Ever more outrageous, the lies keep coming.

Poor Donald, never did anything but exercise his free speech. He just wanted to make sure the vote count was accurate. He now suffers the slings and arrows of an ungrateful nation and misguided justice system because he stood up for ‘his’ people.

I wonder if Donald ever knew he was a token, a pawn used to stir up the perfect demographic to push him into office. Will he ever know?

It’s doubtful. The aspect of Donald that made/makes him a perfect pawn is his utter and complete hubris which allows him to believe he became president on his own merits. Yes, he submitted to being prayed over, signing Bibles left and right, giving the peasants the bread and circus they craved with his court appointments, his mouthing of the correct words. He probably saw/sees this evangelical fawning as yet more evidence of his personal greatness.

Yes, there were other factors. There was and remains a dedicated faction of racists among us, so fearfully enraged by darker skin that they would tear down the walls of government for the chance to (kill) take away all rights from anyone not lily white.

There was and is a dedicated faction of anarchists who salivate over the dream of no government, no laws, no rules, just each man for himself and the guy with the most guns wins.

Wasn’t it ever thus? A few malcontents and nihilists among the mobs of true believers eager to please whatever god(s) reigned supreme in that time and place? True believers, hands clasped in reverence, bow down to that man who stands before them claiming his special gift, to speak for the god, to lead the people to the god’s promises? The anointed one, showing the path to god’s love, god’s promised way of life, no matter the sacrifice. (Cue trumpets and drums, the rattling of swords against shields)

We have seen it and know it. This is the time when humanity must evolve beyond the tired hatred of religious fervor, the idea that god loves you but not me, that promise that god will send your soul to eternal torment if you don’t do what he says, what his pawn says he says.

It is time to strip away the false promises of religion, division of race or belief, and embrace each other. We are one world of one people.

When the wise men of this nation’s early years enacted policies that ensured education for all children, they had a specific rationale. Thomas Jefferson said “Above all things I hope the education of the common people will be attended to; convinced that on their good sense we may rely with the most security for the preservation of a due degree of liberty.”

Through much of the 1800s, the central role of public schools was to preserve the American democracy and inculcate democratic values. After all, an ignorant man can be persuaded by all kinds of rhetoric to vote one way or the other. Only the educated man has the ability to consider a multitude of facts and reason his way to a vote for the honorable candidate best qualified to lead the nation (town, county, state).

“Education” which teaches religion cares not for reason. In fact, reason is the enemy to religion. Among the many objectives of the nascent fascist force in the Republican arsenal is this awareness, thus their denigration of public education, their determination to replace it with religious ‘education’ so that they can recruit armies of dedicated zombies utterly devoid of logical reasoning.

Ironically, if the evangelicals and behind-the-scenes thugs of the Republican Party succeed in gutting the promise of our democracy, they will be heralding their own demise. Fundamentally, it is our very system of government, free from religious directives, which guarantees the right of each person to pursue his particular religious beliefs. But understanding this truth requires reasoning, and zombies don’t reason.

Fayetteville’s Black Diamond Orchestra

Believed to be a 1930s image of Embus Young and Odie Wright, this image hangs in the Fayetteville Public Library (Reference section) without attribution.

Jazz as a musical genre arose in the heart of Black America. Growing from so-called ‘plantation music,’ the style originally involved fiddle, five-string banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, upright bass and sometimes lap dulcimer.

“The music always had a strong ground beat, the rhythm of work, full of field hollers, forerunners of ‘the break,’ and insistent call and response patterns, blue notes, falsetto voices with melisma. …The plantation songs soon became drenched with the rhythms of the Southern churches, both offsprings of African drumming and went straight into Folk Blues and Country Music and Jazz…”[1]

Through touring vaudeville shows, widespread audiences came to love this exuberant musical style. And after Embus Young, a member of one of Fayetteville’s earliest Black families, performed with Al G. Field’s Minstrels, he spearheaded a local Black jazz group called the Black Diamond Orchestra. The group quickly came into wide demand, performing as early as 1903 at Monte Ne. Regular bookings continued through the 1920s and 1930s for all kinds of public and private events including sorority and fraternity dances at the University. Further commentary (1925) regarding benefit performances at the UA Peabody Hall and Leverett Elementary stated that “Colored programs are becoming quite the thing in Fayetteville, with an aroused interest in negro music and African folklore.”[2]

This investigation of Fayetteville’s Black Diamond Orchestra portrays the group’s members and their local family histories as well as affiliated performers like the Jubilee Singers and Half Pint Thompson. The spotlight of fame shining on Fayetteville’s Black community brings to life a neglected part of local history, the concluding chapter of The Music Men of Turn-of-the-Century Fayetteville, available at the Washington County Historical Society and at Amazon.com

Unidentified dancers perform the Lindy Hop.

[1] “Plantation songs,” John P. Birchall Accessed Jun 1, 2022 @ https://www.themeister.co.uk/ dixie/plantation_songs. ‘Melisma’ is a musical style that allows several notes to be sung to one syllable of text.

[2] FDD Mar 26, 1925, p. 1.

Owen Mitchell, Jazz Man

Mitchell’s group ‘Arkansas Travelers,’ 1929 UA Yearbook. Mitchell seated at piano. Rex Perkins, violin, standing by piano

Owen Mitchell started teaching music when he was seven years old. A neighborhood boy wanted to learn to play piano so Owen shared what he knew. That was 1892. He would go on to become the first jazz band leader in Fayetteville.[1]

Mitchell didn’t start out with jazz. Upon entry to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1903, Mitchell pursued a degree in chemical engineering while continuing to follow his passion for music as a sideline. Mitchell graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1908 and for a time taught the subject at the University, probably as a graduate assistant. But he was never far from his love of music. Apparently something of a polymath in musical arts, described in one of many newspaper accounts of his performances as a “musician of unusual ability,” Mitchell played trombone, piano, and several other instruments. He understood music theory and composition, and served an important role in Frank Barr’s orchestra which performed at multiple social events around town.

During these early years, Mitchell traveled to St. Louis and Kansas City to experience what big city musicians had to offer, and he often accompanied Barr to help teach community bands in Cane Hill, Westville (Oklahoma), and other towns. [2] Eventually his love of music pulled him away from chemistry altogether, and he went on to lead Owen Mitchell’s Orchestra. The band was among the first to be heard on the new University radio station, KFMQ, in 1924. By January 1925, Mitchell’s radio programming split fifty-fifty between fox trots and waltzes. Within months, fox trot numbers filled two-thirds of the orchestra’s air time. Members of the group included violin, cello, and bass plus trumpet, clarinet, trombone, French horn, and drums. During summer months, the group played every evening at Riverside Park where a dance pavilion accommodated growing crowds.[3]

Other jazz groups quickly sprang up to meet public demand for popular new styles of jazz for community events, club gatherings, parties, and University dances. Through the 1920s and into the 1930s, Owen Mitchell kept ahead of the wave with music for dance fads like the Charleston, Black Bottom, and Lindy. Yet he maintained his ties to classical music both with University groups as well as teaching private piano lessons at his home on West Center. He traveled widely and advocated for the UA music department, making a plea in 1933 for better practice facilities. His leadership in innovative new musical styles fostered other jazz groups and informed a new generation of Fayetteville musicians.

The story of Mitchell’s contributions to Fayetteville’s music scene in the early 20th century is found in The Music Men of Turn-of-the-Century Fayetteville, available at the Washington County Historical Society and at Amazon.com

Swing dance remains a popular style and enjoys periodic revivals.

[1] “First” is not proven, since we do not know when he started his jazz group versus when the Black Diamond group started.

[2] The comment regarding his ability followed his solo piano performance of Grieg’s “Norwegian Bridal Procession.” Similar praise followed his performance of Grieg’s “Concerto in A Minor” the following month. FD Apr 3, 1914, p. 4. and Jun 9, p. 1.

[3] Riverside Park was a project of the Parker Brothers who operated a large nursery where the Fayetteville airport is now located. They first intended the park as a swimming spot and built bathhouses, restrooms, and other accommodations alongside the West Fork of White River.

The Spectacular ‘White River Red

Coming April 2 — AROUND THE COUNTY: Histories of Washington County, Arkansas

As the legend goes, by 1931 when Forrestina Magdalene (Bradley) Campbell settled in Washington County, Arkansas, she had run away from her “well-to-do” family as a teen, joined the circus, married “Big Broad Tosser” Keyes, and lost a pregnancy after falling from a trapeze. Local historian Phillip Steele described her as “a beautiful woman…with long gorgeous red hair.”

Beauty or not, her husband Keyes abandoned her when medical complications of her miscarriage cost her the ability to ever bear children. Maybe he would have left her anyway. No records of him have been found.

This was just the beginning of Forrestina’s fascinating life story which would continue into the 1970s from Head’s Ford and Springdale to the West Fork area along Highway 71 as she forged her unique path in local lore.

This article won the 2022 Washington County Historical Society’s Walter J. Lemke Award for the best article on Washington County History outside of Fayetteville and was published in the Spring issue of the WCHS quarterly journal Flashback. [This image of her appeared on the cover of Philip Steele’s booklet about her, circa 1970.]