Friday Miscellany

Yesterday when I went outside on a break some of the guys were tossing around a softball. In the random way that thoughts go, this reminded me of playing baseball with the neighborhood kids. I'm a total loss at sports, but that didn't matter. Usually the two oldest boys made up one team and all the rest of us were the other team. When it was my turn at bat the oldest boy in the neighborhood (he was 4 or 5 years older than me) would stand behind me and help me hold the bat and swing. Okay he swung and I just followed along for the ride. I was about 10 and had such a crush on this boy.

The random thoughts rambled on. We played outside a lot. This was in the days before computers and video games and a gazillion TV channels. Every Sunday we watched The Wonderful World of Disney (or whatever it was called then). Which leads to my first TV character/actor crush. In 1964 Disney ran a show that was 3 episodes (I know cause I looked it up) called The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. I was soooooo in love with the Scarecrow and with Patrick McGoohan who it turns out was born in Astoria, Long Island, New York 16 years after my father was born there. Go figure.

Because it's been on my mind this week, a little bit of history from 1971. This was the year I turned 18 and registered to vote. My mother took me down to the town hall to register. Now, this was a Republican town and my parents were registered Republicans. I wanted to register Independent, but the town clerk got all fussy about primaries and stuff. So, in an act of rebellion, I said that I'd register Democratic. The town clerk actually asked my mother if that was all right with her.

26th. Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Proposal and Ratification

This amendment was proposed by the Ninety-second Congress by Senate Joint Resolution No. 7, which was approved by the Senate on Mar. 10, 1971, and by the House of Representatives on Mar. 23, 1971. It was declared by the Administrator of General Services on July 5, 1971, to have been ratified by the legislatures of 39 of the 50 States.

This amendment was ratified by the following States: Connecticut, March 23, 1971; Delaware, March 23, 1971; Minnesota, March 23, 1971; Tennessee, March 23, 1971; Washington, March 23, 1971; Hawaii, March 24, 1971; Massachusetts, March 24, 1971; Montana, March 29, 1971; Arkansas, March 30, 1971; Idaho, March 30, 1971; Iowa, March 30, 1971; Nebraska, April 2, 1971; New Jersey, April 3, 1971; Kansas, April 7, 1971; Michigan, April 7, 1971; Alaska, April 8, 1971; Maryland, April 8, 1971; Indiana, April 8, 1971; Maine, April 9, 1971; Vermont, April 16, 1971; Louisiana, April 17, 1971; California, April 19, 1971; Colorado, April 27, 1971; Pennsylvania, April 27, 1971; Texas, April 27, 1971; South Carolina, April 28, 1971; West Virginia, April 28, 1971; New Hampshire, May 13, 1971; Arizona, May 14, 1971; Rhode Island, May 27, 1971; New York, June 2, 1971; Oregon, June 4, 1971; Missouri, June 14, 1971; Wisconsin, June 22, 1971; Illinois, June 29, 1971; Alabama, June 30, 1971; Ohio, June 30, 1971; North Carolina, July 1, 1971; Oklahoma, July 1, 1971.

Ratification was completed on July 1, 1971.

The amendment was subsequently ratified by Virginia, July 8, 1971; Wyoming, July 8, 1971; Georgia, October 4, 1971.

Certification of Validity Publication of the certifying statement of the Administrator of General Services that the amendment had become valid was made on July 7, 1971, F.R. Doc. 71 099691, 36 F.R. 12725.

Created by Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site Interpretive Staff

Last week's poem generated some comments not at all related to the poem (or anything else for that matter). So this week I'm going to try some song lyrics that ought to really get out the crazy comments. This song is actually what got me to go and look for the dates of ratification on the 26th Amendment.

Eve of Destruction
by P.F. Sloan
Recorded by Barry McGuire (1965)

The eastern world, it is explodin’.
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’
You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’
You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’

But you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.

Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to say
Can’t you feel the fears I’m feelin’ today?
If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away
There’ll be no one to save, with the world in a grave
[Take a look around ya boy, it's bound to scare ya boy]

And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.

Yeah, my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin’
I’m sitting here just contemplatin’
I can’t twist the truth, it knows no regulation.
Handful of senators don’t pass legislation
And marches alone can’t bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin’
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’

And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.

Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
You may leave here for 4 days in space
But when you return, it’s the same old place
The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace
Hate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace
And… tell me over and over and over and over again, my friend
You don’t believe
We’re on the eve
Of destruction
Mm, no no, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.

Misc