Just say 'No!'

I’m not sure what it is with Amy Goodman and birthdays. First it was Harry Bellafonte, now Studs Terkel. A few extracts:

Studs Terkel, the great journalist, raconteur and listener, turns 95 this week. He was born in New York City on May 16, 1912…

His life’s work has been to tell the stories of the working class, the down and out, the forgotten and ignored… “Ordinary people are capable of doing extraordinary things, and that’s what it’s all about. They must count!”

His support for the refugees from the Spanish Civil War, with the Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee, earned the attention of Joe McCarthy. He lost his first TV show due to his views. Then Mahalia Jackson, the famed African-American singer, insisted that Studs be hired as the host of her show on CBS. When he refused to sign the U.S. loyalty oath demanded by CBS, Studs says Jackson told them, “Look, if you fire Studs, find another Mahalia Jackson.” CBS backed off. The lesson, says Terkel: “The answer is to say ‘No!’ to authority when authority is wrong.”

And we all know when that is!