Sweet Athens, Georgia

“Sing it out, y’all!”

Something happened in Athens, Ga., this past weekend. I can’t say exactly what, but I was there, I heard it, I felt it. At one point, I swear, the ’60s erupted out of the sweltering night, full blown, as a band called Abbey Road lit up College Avenue. What was happening was the town’s 32nd annual Human Rights Festival — its 32nd annual fusion of politics, music and spirit. “Stop All Wars!” proclaimed the banner on the stage. This was about the creation of peace, profound and joyous, you heard me, smack dab in the middle of Georgia.

It was a festival of rock and roll and blues and bluegrass, of folk music, hip-hop, jazz and dance; it was also a festival of immigrants’ rights, animal rights, gay rights, universal health care, environmental sustainability and, of course, justice for all, peace on Earth, and activism, activism, activism. And each cause, separate and distinct, glowed as part of a larger whole.

“Put your feet in the street!” long-time radical lawyer Millard Farmer cried from the stage, as he has done at the festival for years. This was what I felt come alive during the festival: a fearless and joyous, born-again, unapologetic, naïve belief (and I mean “naïve” in a good way, unbroken by the hard lessons of politics and life) that citizenship equals participation; that the world belongs to us, not to the high financial rollers and corporate elite; and that the time to take a stand is now.


More of Mr. Koehler at http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/05/06-0

So when is REM's "secret" 30th anniversary gig going to happen?

:shrug:

In fact, I'm listening to REM right now.

liberal Democrat that I am today in Athens.

I've never been there, sounds nice.

...for that which never was.

It is more blue than some parts of Georgia since it is a college. I wouldn't call it an island of blue though.

It is a nice college town. I spent many nights and days there. I'd guess that the professors are mostly blue and the students red.