Thursday, January 28, 2010

Howard Zinn, On the Night of Obama's State of the Union Address, Has Passed Away...God Speed Our Friend



Goodbye our/my friend.

Professor Howard Zinn has passed away. It is fitting that on the one year anniversary of history in this country come full circle--Obama's first State of the Union Address--that one of our elder scholars would pass on the same day. John Hope is gone (I always called him John Hope as it seemed sufficient without the "Franklin." Zinn has left. The elder Gods will still smile down on us...for their wisdom crosses time and space. As Dr. ." Zinn Zinn said above, history is us, we need to create change, and it is the people who make the world the better place. Elites follow to the degree that it is in their best interests. The struggle is to reconcile those conflicting agendas:



Again, my highest complement. Professor Howard Zinn may the force be with you. You were indeed a bad white man, a true ally, and a great example for how truth (and the people) can speak to power. Let us not forget that it is the PEOPLE who make history.

You will be missed.



Finally:

1 comment:

gordon gartrelle said...

I saw Zinn speak 2 years ago at an education conference in Houston. You could tell he wasn't all there, but he still managed to be more interesting and engaging than Bill Bennett, the conservative keynote speaker with whom he shared top billing.

Zinn was all ideas and critique; Bennett was shilling for his book.

Typical.