Malice toward None

“When I was a younger man I hadn’t a care
Foolin’ around, hitting the town, growing my hair.”
“I Love You,” Climax Blues Band

Still growing my hair (no visit to Quick Cut in 6 weeks), I proofread another excellent Woody Guthrie chapter for Ron. He mentioned that Studs Terkel wrote about Woody for a men’s magazine called “Climax.” Wonder if there’s a copy in the Kinsey Institute. At an oral history conference Studs talked about interviewing a milk deliveryman who sometimes surprised women sunning themselves topless in the backyard. His quip about it being one of the perks of the job got a big laugh from most men and stony silence from most women.

Because I am on his pre-tenure review committee, I observed Chris Young teaching in the class on The Presidency. Working with John Adams’ 200 state-of-the-union message and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural address, he was at ease leading a discussion that involved most students, and he provided background info in a concise but incisive manner that kept the students’ attention (and mine, too). Adams mentioned the Convention of 1800 that ended the quasi-war with France and ironically split the Federalist Party, paving the way for Jefferson’s triumph over Adams in the 1800 election. Lincoln’s “malice toward none” speech was a plea for reunion and national healing but he made clear that the South would have to accept the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery. I used the phrase “malice toward none” in the “Retirement Journal” editor’s note apologizing if I unintentionally hurt anyone’s feelings.

Karren Lee wrote: “It is amazing what is going on in the world. I listen to NPR all day and see the images on the Internet. Too much to take in. Talk about al lot of tough decisions for Obama. I often wonder why anyone wants the job!!! I have to admit I am so disappointed in how few changes we’ve seen in his presidency. Continuing the war in Afghanistan? Same Guantanamo policy as Bush? No one from the banks, agencies, wall street indicted for the collapse of the housing market even though everyone knows who did what? If he isn’t the agent of change than whom can you vote for?” I replied: “I agree with your political assessment; at least being President, Obama can take his family to Brazil and Chile all expenses paid. It is criminal what the hedge funds sharks do and then pay fewer taxes than we do. Obama needs to attack the Wall Street bastards more and come up with a tax code that cuts out corporate welfare.”

After a $1,30 beef taco, I spotted a Spring 1998 issue of Spirits at the Anthropology book sale. Sarah McColly’s poem “How Can You Say You’re Sorry?” ends: “If I could bring myself to talk to you without fear or hate on my mind, I’d ask you one question I’ve been wondering: ‘Who do I appear to be from the other side of the bottle?’” William Buckley wrote about “The Old Pines on our Campus,” cut down to make way for a new building – “replaced with cinder blocks and aluminum, plastic and asphalt, the old, tired metaphors of Industrial America.” George Bodmer wrote about a couple weathering a hurricane: “The sky came down and the sea came up and beat in the house until it danced to the music.” In the “Biographies” section Bodmer mentioned living in a log cabin as a child.

Called up Mary Delp to talk about classmates and the Bulls. I started out, “This is Jimbo,” followed by “Jimmy Lane.” “I know who Jimbo is,” she said. She is always good humored and acts like I’m not a bother. I called while she was cooking dinner, but she had ten minutes for me. A character in “Empire Falls” taught his son the “bother principal.” If you are going to break rules, keep it to a low level because most muckety-mucks don’t sweat the small stuff. Maria Arredondo’s mother sold a little home brew during Prohibition. Warned the Mob might not like it, she said that as little as she was selling, they weren’t going to bother with her.