Child of elite privilege as he is, good citizen Michael A.Cohen writes:

"Race is the greatest fault line in American politics.It’s been true for more than 50 years, and as vile and vicious as the “send itback” chants were, at least we can say they’ve clarified what’s at stake in2020."

Mr. Cohen's completely erroneous contention is the greatfallacy that currently has our nation in a state of ever more dangerousconfusion. Mr. Cohen is actually promoting the very tribal hatred that hepurports to lament. He calls his OWN tribe to rouse their hateful passions

He is promoting raw hatred. "They're a bunch of no goodracist Nazis, so we must HATE them!"

Aside from Rene Graham, (the 'champ', bar none), Mr. MichaelA. Cohen is the Globe's second ranking snarling maven of pure unadulteratedhatred.

Here’s a quote from Wikipedia:

“Dylan first performed "Only a Pawn in Their Game"at a voter registration rally in Greenwood, Mississippi. The song refers to the murder of MedgarEvers, who was the Mississippi leader of the NAACP. Civil rights activist Bernice Johnson would later tellcritic Robert Shelton that "'Pawn' was the very first song that showed thepoor white was as victimized by discrimination as the poor black.”

***end quote…..

About two weeks later, a peach-faced little Bobby Dylan stoodon the same stage with Dr. King. Little Bobby sang his song on that stage,and then Dr. King gave his “I have a dream” speech a short time after, as littleBobby stood only a few feet away.

Ms. Bernice Johnson, the Mississippi civil rights 'soldier' quoted above, was feelin’ the spirit that Dr. Kingpreached….. Act…..Don’t Re-Act…….You don’t hate back…..You don’t hate someonejust because they hate you….Feeling “knee jerk” hatred back at someone whohates you is a re-action…When you re-act, you are allowing someone else to control your behavior. 

Choose to act, instead….Choose to make the effort tounderstand why other people feel, think, and act the way they do….When you caninhabit their perspective, you will gain self-awareness…..Every time you can“see yourself as others see you”, you have an opportunity to learn somethingabout yourself…..so the benefit of your inquisitive ‘action’, which you choseover ‘re-action’, has returned the benefit of revealing self-knowledge.

“Know thyself if ye seek wisdom”…….

Our poor good citizen Mr. Cohen is seething in hisreactionist hatred. His every line oozes with his hatred.

Mr. Cohen is a real smart guy. His claim to fame is he usedto be a speechwriter for some lower tier politicians. (“Speechboy” is hisTwitter moniker). He also wrote a book glorifying speechwriting. He was a real‘toady’ for Hillary Clinton, and hates Trump, and hates all Trump’s no goodracist Nazi scum followers. Mr. Cohen hates all those folks down to histoenails, which dig into the floor as he types out his seething hatefulpassions. 

And there…right at our feet, where we ALL can see it….lyingthere half covered in the muck and mire….. long cold…., is Dr. King’s torch….

Tell ya what, folks….If Ms. Bernice Johnson was here, she’dmarch right over there and pick that torch up and lift it high overhead…..where itwould immediately burst anew into bright flame…….whose warm light wouldimmediately fill many hearts with the joy of new hope.

But…..but….Ms. Johnson ain’t here…..Who will pick up thattorch and hold it high....?

You don’t hate your adversary just because your adversaryhates you……You don’t ‘re-act’.

You ‘act’…… You hate the sin…..but you love the sinner….

That was the central spiritual message that Dr. King preached…..(alsoGandhi, Jesus, and a whole lot of other folks, whom we used to call “prophets”)....That was the essence of the preaching of the greatest prophet our nation has yet produced....

As smart as he may be, good citizen Mr. Cohen is wrong.Racism is not the problem. Racism is but a bludgeon tool in the hands of ouradversary.

Our Adversary is THE Problem.

It is the just and 'equitable', (fair, not necessarily equal),distribution of wealth, or its lack, that determines if a nation is a land ofrelative harmony and peace, or a land of hatred and social strife.

Tribal rivalry, a deeply seated human instinct, (DNA deep), ismerely a tool used by those who do not WANT a fair and equitable division ofwealth in our nation. They want ever MORE for themselves.

They are experts at riling up people’s inter-tribal hatreds. Aslong as people are growling at each other, they’re too distracted to figurethings out. (Divide and rule).  

I have no way of knowing if Mr. Cohen, a very smart person,has just not figured this out yet, (maybe he’s trying his best), or if he knows all this fullwell but is, for reasons of his own, (which he dare not reveal), intentionally wanting to pour as muchhatred as he can into the already furiously boiling cauldron of hatred that nowcomprises our nation’s citizenry.

If the latter, who is he 'working for'? (We do know that billionaire oligarch John Henry, sole owner of the Boston Globe, pays Mr. Cohen to spew his hatred). 

Little Mickey Cohen could hear and watch little BobbyZimmerman sing his song in August of 1963, (right on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY2lQV3ADfc ), shortly beforeDr. King gave his famous speech, his famous words that still resound with loving thunder in so many people’s yearning hearts and minds.

It’s a good speech, clever Speechboy…..As an ‘expert’ onspeeches yourself, maybe you could write a critique for us, telling us howDr.King had it all wrong?

Good song too…..’dat little Bobby fella sure had a way withwords…Maybe sometime when yer not feelin’ so poorly, so hateful an’ all, youcould give Martin King and Bob Dylan a listen?

**

"Only A Pawn In Their Game"

A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers' blood
A finger fired the trigger to his name
A handle hid out in the dark
A hand set the spark
Two eyes took the aim
Behind a man's brain
But he can't be blamed
He's only a pawn in their game

A South politician preaches to the poor white man
"You got more than blacks, don't complain
You're better than them, you been born with white skin" they explain
And the Negro's name
Is used it is plain
For the politician's gain
As he rises to fame
And the poor white remains
On the caboose of the train
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game

The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid
And the marshals and cops get the same
But the poor white man's used in the hands of them all like a tool
He's taught in his school
From the start by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate
So he never thinks straight
'Bout the shape that he's in
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game

From the poverty shacks, he looks from the cracks to the tracks
And the hoof beats pound in his brain
And he's taught how to walk in a pack
Shoot in the back
With his fist in a clinch
To hang and to lynch
To hide 'neath the hood
To kill with no pain
Like a dog on a chain
He ain't got no name
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game

Today, Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught
They lowered him down as a king
But when the shadowy sun sets on the one
That fired the gun
He'll see by his grave
On the stone that remains
Carved next to his name
His epitaph plain
Only a pawn in their game

    --B Dylan (August 1963)