The Time for Action

Song 345: This week on the playlist is a good week for Takin’ It to the Streets by The Doobie Brothers, written by Michael McDonald. This record from 4 decades ago seems to generally fit the current political moment better than perhaps any other track, articulating an urgent call for solidarity and large public demonstrations to express the prevailing mood of discontent and the critical need for responsive leadership not twisted by the pull of the super-wealthy. Back when this single first took off, the large demonstrations against the Viet Nam war had subsided, with the war having ended, but then, only a few years later, many of us would be takin’ it to the streets to oppose nuclear power plants like the one that got built in Diablo Canyon, despite all of our efforts against that nonsense. Over the decades, foolish and corrupt political leaders would, by their actions, often stir up that feeling of I ain’t blind and I don’t like what I think I see, with the 2003 Iraq invasion taking its place among the most prominent of follies, but the early months of 2017 have managed to top all of the previous eras as a time for takin’ it to the streets.