" Deafening Silence"

As most of you know, I grew up in the late fifties and the early sixties. I actually saw the great change in "rock-n-roll" music when the "British Invasion" came to America. People like Jerry Lee Lewis, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, and Del Shannon were being replaced by the Animals, the Yard birds, and the Rolling Stones. A new sound was taking over the popular music genre. The most successful of all the British groups were the Beatles. From the early to late sixties they dominated the record charts with a tremendous string of hit singles and albums. Lennon and McCartney were at the top of the music world, and they are still regarded as the musical geniuses of rock-n-roll. During that era, there were countless groups that were known as "One Hit Wonders", who hit the radio with a single that played well, but were never heard from again. The Beatles have withstood the test of time; they are legendary. I really like Beatles music. It is the standard for me when it comes to judging what passes for music today. If I had to write a rock song,my first choice to help me would be Paul McCartney; he is a music icon.

Last week,the Library of Congress hosted the Gershwin Award for Popular Song. It was attended by most of the "heavy hitters" in Washington, including our President, Barack Obama. The evening was one of music and celebration of McCartney's contribution to the music industry. Everything was light and well received until it came time for Mr. McCartney to accept his award. The musician stood before the captive audience and uttered this remark, "It's a fantastic honor for the Gershwin family to give me this incredible award and for me to be awarded it by the Library of Congress. And, in fact, after the last eight years, it's great to have a president who knows what a library is." I was astounded by McCartney's insult to our former Chief Executive. Mr. Bush has not, and will not, respond to this disrespectful statement from a foreigner; he has too much class for that.

My real complaint about this incident is the non-response from our current sitting president. This is just the latest in a multitude of insults toward Mr. Bush. As a gentleman, Mr. Obama could have made a statement about McCartney's insult, yet he has chosen to remain silent. Even though Obama is on the other side of the fence politically from George Bush, it was poor form for him not to condemn McCartney's remark. After just one and a half years, he should have some understanding of the difficulty of the presidency, and he should respect Mr. Bush's dedication and hard work in that office. The silence of Mr. Obama speaks volumes about his character. I hope the voters show the same respect to Obama and his supporters at the polls, as he showed our former president. You could be the next "Nowhere Man"!