Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby

My good fortune during WW2 -- or at least the beginning stages -- was that my grandmother, one of the earliest women in this country to have the benefit of a college education (Smith) , used to read me the Brer Rabbit stories that came in daily. Our phone number in those days was 738 and hers was 737. If she were talking to her favorite cousin down the street -- Henry Luce's mom -- the operator would tell me that she would call back and put us in touch as soon as she got off the line.

Things were more human in those days -- if grim. We were together -- in part at least -- as communities -- although the war was needed to break down some of the barriers -- old arrivals (German and Anglo) versus new (Italian, Irish, Polish, etc.). And the anti-Semitic and anti-African American biases would take more time to end off -- my grandfathers both had taken strong stances along these lines which gave me the family heritage that I have which opposes bullies from wherever.

Brer rabbit offered a good deal of practical wisdom -- for a scamp. But even he got stuck on occasion, e.g. by the tar baby http://www.otmfan.com/html/brertar.htm
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"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
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Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
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