REPOSTING AN OLD ARTICLE I WROTE. It is timely with the 2016 elections around the corner. If you have not seen the movie "Swing Kids" try to do so. Let it shake you up. Rita
I was a little surprised to see the movie “Swing Kids” on one of the Encore stations yesterday. You might be able to see it this week. Movies usually run a repeat once they are introduced for viewing.
My daughter first introduced me to this powerful movie. I had never heard of it. Now I recognize it as a cult film for some. It even has its own webpage.
In “Swing Kids” it is the youth who first recognize the hypocrisy of its elite Government. So, they meet at night in dance halls and dance their hearts out to the swing music of Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, Louie Armstrong and others like them from the swing era. They dance until their passion is stilled and they are able to live through another day.
Rebellion in word and action against the invasive "national socialist" hierarchy is “verboten!” Soon enough, swing music is also forbidden. Those who give themselves to “such shameful display” will be beaten to death or sent to the work camps.
The movie follows the relationship between friends who believe that nothing will ever separate their bond. In time, these friends are forced to become part of the Hitler youth groups. Their lives begin to change when another one of their music loving group, a Jew, is driven to his death by the hatred heaped on him by the chosen. In self righteous rage, they follow through with an ideal born in hell. They crush his hand so he will never play music again the same way. They beat his body and call him cripple. He is different. And, it makes them feel superior. The swing kids are challenged to decide. Sides are chosen. The sheep and the goat find their place. The slaughter begins.
We ask how does this happen. Part of the answer lays in the indifference of a new generation. Complacency kills freedom. An old foundation is as strong as the one who maintains it. Our time, my generation, is near the end. How long must we wait for another Thomas Jefferson, John Adams or George Washington to rise from out of the ashes?
None of us ever believe we will be put in the category of being called past tense and useless. I guess it happens to everyone as we grow older. We feel a little more invisible: a little more locked out of what is categorized as valuable to the cause.
Some of the youth I meet today will look you right in the eye and fearlessly shake your hand. Others dismiss you as “old” and tiresome. They retreat into their electronic shelter, believing life will be better when they gain more control.
I want to challenge the youth of our day. Many, like me, wait for you to step up and take that control. We anticipate, with gratitude, the day you choose to bear the burden and take up the light of liberty.
It is not enough to curse the darkness. We need your courage. We need your vision. We need your belief in the cause that established our great Country. In order to stand firmly, we need your knowledge of true history. More than all, we need your faith in the living God!
Our Nation was founded by God fearing men and women. They were people of faith who fought for what they believed. We were and remain a Nation “under God.” This established proclamation and blessing is as firm as the next generation makes it.
I’ve heard it said, “If you don’t stand for something, then you will fall for anything.” Your hour has come. We need you. The Nation needs you.
There are problems that need to be solved. Hard choices need to be made. Sacrifice is on the horizon. You still have your freedom. Don’t waste the day.
In the movie, one of the youth is carried away to a work camp. The phrase that binds hearts in a cause is cried out as he is dragged away: “Swing Heil!”
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