I’ve never been a big fan of music videos, but a good one or a clunker can make or break a performer’s newest tune. Here are a few grassroots music videos that do appeal to me, but I have to admit that my brother, who is an accomplished musician, has accused me of not even being able to play a radio very well.
First up, this group of Young America’s Foundation High School Leadership Conference attendees drew the ire of a security guard when they spontaneously sang a chorus of The Star Spangled Banner during an evening gathering at the Lincoln Memorial last week.
During my stint in Washington, D.C. last year I witnessed a lot of things that were a heck of a lot more disrespectful to the honor and the memory memorials like Lincoln’s, Jefferson’s and the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. No one except me said a word and if there is one thing that is ubiquitous in the nation’s capitol, it is security guards.
No word on what about the national anthem angered the idiot on duty, but when he yelled at the YAF group to stop, they sang it once again, with gusto and enthusiasm.
Next, a Holocaust Survivor accompanied by his grandchildren returned to Auschwitz and though none of them are fantastic dancers, their routine to Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive makes a real statement. Take that you anti-Semitic bastards!
Lastly, you might need a tissue to watch this one. I hope to be there for one of these when my nephew comes home from Afghanistan when his second combat tour with the U.S. Army ends.
The family of Army Spc. Keenan Cooper won’t get to welcome their soldier home with loving hugs, but there will be tears. His funeral is on Friday. The young man from my home town died in Afghanistan after an IED exploded under the vehicle he was riding in on July 5. Cooper had less than a month to go in his rotation and was looking forward to getting home.
Say a prayer for all our soldiers and thank a veteran. We owe them for their service and that must never be forgotten nor ignored.
UPDATE:
My musician brother sent this video link. You might not recognize this famous band without their stage make-up and costumes, but this medley sounds pretty good, even to my tin ear.
UPDATE II
By order of North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven, flags across that state will fly at half-staff in honor of Spc. Cooper, Wahpeton resident and soldier.
UPDATE III
Reaction to the dance by a holocaust survivor, his daughter and grandchildren has not all been positive. Adolek Kohn said, “Why did I do that? First of all because I came with my grandchildren. Who could come with their grandchildren? … Most of them are dead. We created a new generation, that’s why we danced.”
In the dance of life, many make mis-steps. The dance by Mr. Kohn and his family is no mistake.
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