Affirmative Action and the Working-Class

In a recent post I criticized the more extreme white progressives for taking up the cause of Mumia Abu Jamal instead of supporting Affirmative Action. I touched on it briefly in the main part of the essay, saying that AA is more popular with people of color than Mumia is. In an addendum at the bottom of that post I went into more detail. In this post I will explain why AA is good and not in conflict with revolutionary politics.

(the addendum links to a Gallup poll which found that in 2018 72% of Blacks supported AA for poeple of color and 66% of Hispanics supported it for people of color (that figure for Hispanics might be higher if white Hispanics were excluded) (the first paragraph of a report here indicates strong support for race-based AA among Asian-Americans around 2000, and says nothing about more recent surveys which are apparently uncommon) (I haven’t heard anything about American Indians being unsupportive of race-based AA and about 1/3 of my major in college was American Indian Studies) (according to the first poll I link to, in 2018 69% of women supported AA for women)) (I’m willing to be bet that about 1/3 of those people of color who don’t support AA are middle-class Republicans, and something similar might be true about women)

(UPDATE 4/16/20 I think the frequent exclusion of Asian-Americans from polls about Affirmative Action might be because of the Model Minority Myth (and to enhance that myth) and because people like implying that Asian-Americans don’t support Affirmative Action and because they want to give as many Asian-Americans as possible the idea that their community doesn’t support it and create a wedge between Asian-Americans and other people of color) (UPDATE 11/4/20 A 2020 opinion survey of voters found that 35% of Asians in CA supported a ballot issue to legalize AA in CA and 42% opposed it,  and 23% weren't sure (in the same survey, Blacks were 53% in favor, 17% against and 30% not sure; Hispanics were 42% in favor, 18% against, and 40% not sure))

I can imagine a lot of the more extreme white progressives, and maybe some of the ones that aren’t white, saying that Affirmative Action is just for the benefit of the middle-class and it’s placing a bandage on Capitalism when we should let it bleed. To one degree or another, that’s largely untrue and AA shouldn’t be seen as obstructing the revolution.

In general AA negates institutional tendencies to replicate themselves- companies where all the people involved with hiring and/or promotions are white and/or male might only hire or promote people who are white and/or male. There’s also the fact that, often (not always of course, but often) people who are female and/or persons of color “bring something different to the table.” Even in a non-professional job that’s sort of relevant. I wouldn’t be surprised if (for example), when, in a moderately diverse area, a person of color finds themselves dining in a restaurant and all the viewable staff people are white, it would be a less enjoyable experience for them than if there were some people of color working outside the kitchen. And such a workforce in such an area could be evidence of discrimination and it also raises the question, what are the racial attitudes of these white employees working at a restaurant where the only people of color are in the kitchen? (I’d say something similar about gender)

There are three kinds of AA:

1. Outreach. Making sure that job openings are well known to those who are female and/or persons of color.
2. Preferences. This is where, for example, if there is a man and a woman who meet the minimum qualifications and the workforce is mostly male, the woman gets the job, even if in some ways the man is better qualified.
3. Quotas for Universities and Colleges, which I’ll get to soon.

Government contracts to companies owned by women and/or people of color

A lot of extreme progressives would say this is just for the middle-class. But working-class people benefit from it as well. As far as people of color go, such employers are (to put it mildly) less likely to discriminate in hiring, pay, and promotions. Some would say the promotions part is bourgeois, but consider this- although it’s a band-aid treatment for poverty among people of color, we want everyone have a middle-class standard of living (or at least lower middle-class, when there is a redistribution of wealth and no one gets more than about 20 times the minimum wage (I’ll go into more detail about my vision for socialism some other time)), and this is a good start. Also, every institution should involve equality- I’m not a fan of the military, but I believe there should be equality in it for people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and women. Also, today (and after the revolution) there is (might still be) discrimination in the public sector and possibly the employee-owned sector in promotions and maybe hiring as well. Also, a company owned by a person of color is less likely (to put it mildly) to tolerate a racially hostile atmosphere for people of color.

To one very large degree or another, everything I say above applies to AA for women.

Hiring and promotions by businesses owned by white men

Pretty much what I say above, more or less. For Blacks, “Hispanics,” and American Indians it would lessen the unemployment their communities disproportionately experience, and result in the non-white under-class getting better paying jobs (who will do the low-paying jobs? Ideally they would pay better, but that workforce should reflect the nation’s demographics).

(UPDATE 4/23/20 I just remembered that there is greater poverty among women and there's unequal pay for women, so what I said sort of applies to them as well)

Quotas for universities and colleges

This and the contracts and hiring stuff, involve a few more things I haven’t said yet. Diversity. There’s not a bad chance that if it weren’t for AA for people of color, our society would be even more (informally) segregated than it is, and there would be more white people with little or no contact with people of color. And as far as the middle-class nature of most of the third level educated population, A) they’re not all middle-class when they go to college, and B) as far as those who are, they might, in one way or another, interact with working-class people in a significant way. When it’s white working-class people, they might, to one degree or another, discourage the racism that probably a large majority of such people are afflicted by. If it’s working-class people of color, they’re more likely to treat them with respect than they would if they went to a college or university with very few people of color.

I’m not sure to what degree this applies to AA for women, but there’s probably a fair number of white people out there who need to be convinced that people of color can graduate from institutions above the level of community colleges and can do jobs that require a lot of intelligence and/or skill, and/or business skills, etc. (I can imagine a lot of racists dismissing degrees received form Historically Black Colleges and Universities- they shouldn’t, but they do, and without quotas at the rest of the universities and colleges, more Black people would go to them)

(Universities and colleges also do outreach and preferences)

Some of what I say above applies to AA for women.

**************

In general, I think that white extreme progressives who oppose AA are saying that people of color and women are just fucked until the revolution happens, and don’t understand that AFTER the revolution, there will probably still be racist and sexist tendencies in our society. According to this, although Castro was incredibly anti-racist and outlawed racist discrimination, he admitted that racism continued in revolutionary Cuba. And for those anarchists who say that their alternative to capitalism will be racism-free, I say “what about the existence of ORGANIZED National Anarchists, who seem to be tolerated by the rest of the anarchists?” (I have read twice about anarchist book fairs (a popular and major event for anarchists) including a table for National Anarchists). What about the fact that most anarchists think that Federal intervention in the Civil Rights conflict in the American South was a bad thing? What about anarchists who are much less than enthusiastic when they talk about the Union cause in the American Civil War?

I am sort of a Marxist in the sense that about 1/2 of the political books I’ve read are by Marxists and I have a weak grasp of Marxist theory. But I’m also a left-wing social-democrat and I believe that 99% of the time reforms are good. First, I used to nominate myself as the least intellectual socialist by using a term I invented: “building blocks socialism.” I don’t put it that way anymore, but I believe that the accumulation of reforms, especially if they include relatively revolutionary reforms (i.e. empowering unions or shortening the work week with the same amount of pay, or reversing partial or local gov't privitization or a public health insurance option available to anyone who wants it (there was some talk about including that in Obamacare)) would add up to something approaching socialism and then it would be a small step to actual socialism. I believe that AA is one of those blocks.

Here is why I believe in most reforms:

1. As I said, they can be “building blocks” towards socialism.
2. They can alleviate suffering, etc.
3. Sometimes they are empowering.
4. Oppressed people can get a sense of the power they have when they successfully demand reforms, and that will possibly or likely encourage them to demand more.

On a related note, when I think about how we will rid this society of racism, I think one thing that will help is when vocally anti-racist progressives achieve more and more reforms or “revolutionary reforms” that benefit the working-class. Also, unionization will help with that (union households are more likely to vote Democratic than non-union households, and many of the organizers and staff in the labor movement are people of color and most of the whites are anti-racist and most union supporters are people of color or anti-racist whites).

***********

UPDATE 4/15/20

Some more thoughts about unions and racism.
1. In 2000 in a discussion on the email list of the Young Democratic Socialists (now YDSA) a member who was organizing workers in Indiana said that his competition was the Klan (UPDATE 1/26/22 That is, competition for the hearts and minds of the workers).
2. Eammon McCann is a socialist and anti-Unionist activist in Northern Ireland. He was one of the main leaders of the N. Ireland Civil Rights Movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s (he was one of the speakers at the rally/march that was attacked by the British Army on Bloody Sunday in 1972, and he was an organizer of the second Civil Rights march, the one in Derry in Oct. of 1968). He has held several different senior and very senior positions in the Northern Irish TRADE-union movement in the last 40 years. In 2016 he was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly and in 2017 he would have been but they reduced the number of seats returned from each constituency form 6 to 5 so he was basically runner-up. As far as I can tell, in the last 40 years at any given time two mainstream or professional news publication have been publishing his columns. In a column written in the 1980s or 1990s and included in the 1998 anthology of his columns “McCann: War and Peace in Northern Ireland” he wrote:

The trade union movement is better placed than any other to purge the politics of this island of sectarianism. No other institution brings Catholic and Protestant workers together on a regular basis in pursuit of a common purpose which is antipathetic to sectarianism

I think you could easily say the same thing about racism in this country.


Two more thoughts about AA and the working-class
1. In the mid-1990s when I did a lot of activity and writing about AA, I often said that I thought attacks on AA are conservative and right-wing capitalists blaming AA and liberals and people of color for the economic problems their policies cause for working-class white people. It’s scapegoating.
2. It’s true that anti-discrimination measures in a capitalist society mean fewer jobs for white people. Which is why when we defend AA we need to simultaneously advocate for polices that create full employment.  

*********

In conclusion, AA is a good thing.

(I was not consistent in acknowledging this above, but I know that there are women of color)

(I sometimes think that sexual inequality of the sort this post addresses is a fraction of what it was decades ago, but (among other evidence that I’m wrong) in 2016 close to a majority of voters voted in such a way that the Electoral College placed in the White House a man who made several sexist comments, including one that could be interpreted as bragging about sexually assaulting women)

Star Trek: The Next Generation Reviews P

This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.

I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)

Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).

“Sins of the Father” See this for a plot summary.

A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.

“Allegiance” See this for a plot summary.

There is a reference to anarchists, but it sort of describes an anarchist society as being very violent. I'm not sure how inaccurate that is- if things got to the point where anarchists were strong enough to do away with the state it probably would be a much less violent society than what we have today (of course, as I explain below, I think that most approaches to anarchism probably won't work, but some would and their vision is of a non-violent society).

My thoughts on anarchism are:

1. I consider something like half of left-wing anarchists to be my allies.
2. I don’t believe that the State is inherently oppressive. I believe that to one degree or another the state reflects the power of various parts of society (I got that from something Noam Chomsky said). Thus, a weak labor movement will lead to a state that is anti-union, to one degree or another. If the labor movement gets stronger, legislation about labor will make it easier for even more workers to be organized. Since this means that the labor movement won’t get stronger until the right politicians are elected, and the right politicians won’t get elected until the labor movement is stronger, I should say that much of my blog is about things that we can accomplish that will strengthen various liberal-progressive movements in America.
3. I’m not convinced that anarchism can provide services such as transportation or health care- it seems like the state would be more appropriate, and based on what I said in the item above, I’m comfortable with a democratic state. On the other hand, I get the impression that anarchists would be happy to see some functions of the federal or state government devolved to state or local governments, and I’m more or less okay with that, depending on exactly what we’re talking about.
4. It seems like decision-making in an anarchist society might result in an INFORMAL political elite- that the people best at political maneuvering would dominate decision-making. A problem with that is that you can’t un-elect those people. Additionally the the use of consensus decision-making results often in some minority who either defeat whatever proposal is being discussed and is supported by a majority, OR they vote the way the majority voted without their opposition being recorded; Lastly, it also would give people an inaccurate picture of how the community feels about that idea that was unpopular with a minority. (I think that consensus decision-making in small groups is a good idea- small groups being around 5-10 people; I have seen consensus decision-making not work at a meeting of about 25 people)
5. I know of one anarchist who, when her proposal was defeated because of consensus decision-making, she announced that her proposal would go ahead anyway.
6. I think anarchism would have a better chance of working AFTER a period of democratic socialism gets the vast majority of people thinking more in terms of solidarity and cooperation and less in terms of greed and power. Also, I wouldn’t object if, under socialism, there could be some small areas of the country where people would more or less have a large degree of autonomy and can experiment with anarchism (I don’t know exactly how that autonomy would work, but I think it’s still a good idea, and could from the start or after a few years be INDEPENDENCE for that area). Also, Democratic Socialism could, and maybe should, involve the devolution of some powers and responsibilities to the local or state level.

I give it three stars out of five.

“Captain’s Holiday” See this for a plot summary.

A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.

“Tin Man” See this for a plot summary.

A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.

Battles: of the Bogside and of Hayes Pond

Four new songs. The first three are "Those Lyrics," see this for an explanation. The first two are not my favorites, the last two are really good. The 3rd is a new kind of "Those Lyrics," it's based on a N. Ireland loyalist song.

1. Defenders of the Republic. The IRA in N. Ireland.
2. John McGuffin's Song. Anarchist republicanism in N. Ireland.
3. Battle of Hayes Pond. An armed showdown between American Indians and the KKK in 1958.
4. Battle of the Bogside. The successful repulsion of a massive police attack on a Catholic ghetto in Derry (N. Ireland) in 1969.

I think that's it. The rest of the songs/poems can be found by clicking on the "lyrics" label (there are at least two pages worth of posts, so click on the "older posts" at the bottom of the first page).

"Defenders of the Republic" based on "Defenders Of The Reich" by Final War, original lyrics are here.

1. Of course, in general Volunteers (members of republican paramilitaries) didn't walk around looking like Volunteers, but I have seen footage in a documentary of them walking around during riots, and they would sometimes patrol their neighborhoods during times of calm; there are also other times, possibly including times when they're en route to attacking the British security forces, that they would appear as Volunteers (in the early 70s with the no-go areas it was very common for this to be the case). The line makes enough sense that I'm keeping it.
2. The reference to a phase is a little odd,but it sort of works and I like to change as little as possible.
3. The last brick refers to their willingness to fight (if all they had was a brick , they would throw it at the Brits).
4. Belfast is the capital of N. Ireland.
5. The 3rd line of the 2nd verse is not available on the Internet, and I could barely understand it, so that's not based on the original at all.
**6. 58% of this version is me, 42% is the original.
7. This is not an endorsement of continuing armed struggle after the IRA cease-fire of 1997.
8. I give this song/poem two out of five stars.
9. Considering the original, I should explain what is probably obvious, that Irish pride within N. Ireland is almost always very different from white pride. (I just heard something making me think that it's probably a small minority of northern nationalists that would talk about "Irish pride"; I still feel odd completely re-writing that line, so I'm going to keep it)
10. This is exclusively about the IRA.
11. UPDATE 12/13/10 I just changed the second line of the last verse- I replaced "republican-socialist" with "anti-fascist." The thing is, the original is American, see this for more.
12. UPDATED 2/8/16 Based on what might be called a fairly scientific look, only about .2% of the IRA's operations intentionally resulted in civilian death. 

Walking down the street with your head held high
People know you're a Volunteer as you pass by
Army jacket and mask, you're prepared
Brits Fuck with us if they dare
Volunteer's not a phase, it's a national calling
We'll give the British occupiers a real mauling
Our flags fly high and our banners are unfurled
Anti-Imperialist Volunteers a tradition across the world!

Chorus:
Volunteers-Defenders of the republic
Volunteers- We fight to the last brick
Volunteers-Standing proud and fast
Volunteers-We fight to free Belfast

When we see the Brits commin, we attack without fear
We fight with honor, We're anti-fascist Volunteers
We've been marching and fighting since 1968
Won't be long until the Brits capitulate
Fighting for our class and nation, fighting for our land
And we fight with the winning hand
A glorious battle it will be
A shining bright, republican victory

*****

"John McGuffin's Song" based on "War Machine" by Final War, original lyrics are here.

1. I barely changed this one, but what got my attention was the most important part. The line about flags (colors) was originally "red, white and blue and the red, white and black" the first flag being the American one, the second being the Nazi flag. The line below that required that if I kept with the flag theme, I had to keep the word black, and then it hit me, the red and black of the anarchist flag.
2. John McGuffin was a well known and well-liked Irish anarchist who took part in what I consider the most inspirational event in the Troubles, the Belfast-Derry march by People's Democracy (see this). For more on him, see this (he died in 2002). This is basically about anarchist republicanism, the references to fighting are certainly NOT neccessarily meant to involve arms, and would be mostly non-violent.
3. I give this song/poem four out of five stars.
*4. 5% of this version is me, 95% is the original.
5. Although there are a small hand-full of "National Anarchists," anarchism is very anti-Nazi (I say that because that's the only thing that twists the lyrics, and I wanted to make sure people knew that).
6. UPDATE 3/14/20 I THINK McGuffin was a republican or sorts- an anarchist republican friend of mine didn't say anything critical when I showed him this poem.

Another step forward, no steps back
we're fully motivated goin' in for the attack
our goals set high, we're prepared to die
success or death is our battle cry
pickin' up the pace, goin' face to face
moving forward fast let's cut to the chase
starring straight ahead, never lookin' behind
we're geared for gain one thing on our minds

Chorus
Like a War Machine into battle we ride
fighting together side by side
unified our strengths become one
like a War Machine- we'll fight 'till we've won

Our minds are focused, our minds are clear
we've got our sight set we have nothing to fear
we're pushing forth, growing strong
keeping motivated, moving right along
we're in this to win to lose would be a sin
our destiny awaits us let the battle begin
all for one and one for all
as a unified movement we can never fall

We're the Green, White and Orange and the Red and Black
these colors don't run they stand and fight back
they're a collaboration of our Nation and our Class
We educate, organize and struggle en masse
let's take another step forward, no steps back
we're fully motivated, goin in for the attack
our goals set high, we're prepared to die
success or death is our battle cry

*****

"Battle of Hayes Pond" based on "Gibraltar" author unknown, version very similar to what I used is here.

1. The Battle of Hayes Pond was in 1958. The Ku Klux Klan had been harrasing an American Indian community in North Carolina. One night the Klan held a rally. All of a sudden they were surrounded by 500 armed Indians, who opened fire. Some of the Klan were wounded, the rest took off. After that the State clamped down on the Klan, and between that and I think the battle itself, until 1984 there was no more white supremacist activity in that area.
2. The battle is sometimes referred to as the Battle of Maxton Field.
3. Strom Thurmond ran for President in 1948 as a segregationist.It's possible I'm slightly exaggerating his position on the Klan, but even if I am, that's reflecting the original lyrics.
4. Robeson is the county the battle took place in.
5. It's not too likely they were going to leave MANY for dead, but it's possible, and they were certainly going to harrass and assault people and destroy property.
6. James W. "Catfish" Cole was the leader of the Klan in South Carolina, which had crossed the state line into NC.
7. Four Klan were wounded, but not seriously.
8. The captured flag was a prized trophy.
9. There were about 50 Klan, 350-500 Lumbee.
**10. 64% of this version is me, 36% is the original.
11. The original is about the Ulster Defense Association (a loyalist paramilitary), which to one degree or another has been connected with British Nazis and racist violence in N. Ireland. Also, my experience has been that there's a fair number of American Indians who have shown a lot of solidarity with the Irish struggle, so this is twisting the original lyrics.
12. "The Blood and the Soil" is a racist phrase.
13. The chronology is off a little, because the original refers to first one event and then a second one, but it seems to work pretty well anyway.
14. I give this song/poem four out of five stars.

There's a place called Maxton Field, well-known as Hayes Pond
The Klan were rallying for hatred and their false racial bond
When along came some warriors, they are America's best
Oppressed people the whole world over were very impressed

Chorus:
And the KKK, were scared away
The Klan didn't return for 25 years after that day

Well, Thurmond, he was angry, for "the Blood and the Soil"
The Klan terror in Robeson, the warriors did foil
For the Klan planned to terorrize and leave many for dead,
But the brave warriors made them run in panic instead

Chorus

That wanker "Catfish" Cole, what a wonderfull sight,
He left his wife and ran away completely in fright,
The mad yellow bigot didn't know what to do,
When faced with native warriors, all so brave and so true.

Chorus

The nation of these anti-racist warriors, it's called the Lumbee,
Right to Hayes Pond they went to bring the Klan to it's knees
Three hundred fifty guns they were fired and four Klan they got nipped
The Klan's flag was captured and the Invisible Empire was whipped

Chorus

*****

"Battle of the Bogside" based on "Battle of Maxton Field" by Malvina Reynolds (and changed a bit by Pete Seeger) The web-page where I first found this is gone and I can't find the right lyrics on-line. below my version is most of the original, except for the last 1-2 verses which I didn't feel like I could do anything with. (I typed the original lyrics based on the audio of Seeger, not the very original version by Reynolds)

1. For more on the Battle of the Bogside, see this.
2. There are various things indicating racism among the Apprentice Boys (a group comparable to the Orange Order), see the first half of this (the AB members would be largely members of the UUP and the DUP) It's also probably safe to say that they were not sure Irish Catholics are members of the Aryan Race (no thanks, we'll pass).
3. For more on Loyal Orders in N. Ireland, including the Apprentice Boys, see this. That will also explain why it was acceptable for kids to stone the AB parade.
4. Fenian is a derogatory term for republican, although it has been adopted by republicans. It's also a derogatory term for Catholic.
5. In the original 3rd verse about coke and pie, it says girls. I went with men, because there was a very popular civil rights/nationalist/labor politician in the late 1960s and then during the 1970s named Ivan Cooper who was a Protestant and according to the movie "Bloody Sunday" (he's the main character) his girlfriend was Catholic (my version doesn't work pefectly, but it's close).
6. The RUC was the Royal Ulster Constabluary, the police until 2001.
7. The MP was Bernadette Devlin, who is celebtated for her role in encouraging the Bogsiders. There's an amazing mural of her in the Bogside, you can see it here. More information on her is available here.
8. I almost always use the voice of someone I'm not with my songs. In the original, the voice switches from Klan to anti-Klan and back, and in mine, it's the same thing with an Orange or anti-Orange perspective, and since the original anti-klan voice is that of a white ally, I'm also using the voice of a Protestant throughout. (and I guess it's a female in the 3rd verse)
9. The Starry Plough is the flag of republican socialism.
10. Stormont was the sectarian devolved government of N. Ireland.
11. The BA is the British Army. Although they intervened at the end (and in Belfast where something similar but much worse for the Nationalist population was happening, the BA SORT of saved the Nationalists) they did so when the RUC were being beaten, they hadn't stopped the RUC from attacking the Bogside, and there's plenty of reason to think that they were not bothered by the police attacking the Bogside.
12. Interestingly, right before I "wrote" this song, I took a Loyalist song and twisted it into a song about the "Battle of Hayes Pond," the subject of the original of this song (audio for the song "Battle of Maxton Field" can be found here.
**13. 46% of this version is me, 54% is the original, and I ignored 2 verses that it seemed like I couldn't do anything with.
14. With the exception of the vague reference to the IRA of the future, this is not about them, but about a popular act of resistance.
15. UPDATE 5/18/09 Considering this is an addition and not a change in what's already there, I'm not really breaking my rule of only changing lyrics after I publish with a good reason. The last chorus about the BA is new.
When I suggest they're bigots, bear in mind I didn't have a good reason to change the original, and consider this- although poverty was probably a much bigger factor than bigotry in people joining the BA during The Troubles, that line could be meant as referring to those, and there must have been some, who joined BECAUSE of the conflict, and maybe also sort of those who joined, very comfortable with the possibility-liklihood that they would be sent to the North. Also, since I still don't think I can do anything with the last verse (you never know, I might do that at some point), this kind of ruins it for singing along with the original, but if some performer wants to do it, that's not an issue.
16. I give this song/poem four out of five stars.
17. UPDATE 5/8/11 When I finished this years ago, I sent it to a community group called The Museum of Free Derry (I link to them above). I didn't hear back. I asked a friend of mine if he thought any of this poem was offensive, he said "no." I think I figured out what might have offended them. The line where I end with the word "spine." I used that word because it was already RIGHT THERE in the original, and it was pretty close to what I needed to say. I'll see if I can come up with something more appropriate. (UPDATE 7/27/12 I just added the word "more;" does that make it less offensive?)

Oh, have you seen the Apprentice Boys- sectarianism they incite
they marched here in Derry just looking for a fight

"rally 'round you Boys bold In hatred's cold embrace
we'll march on Derry's wall's and save the aryan race"

Chorus
oh the Boys,
oh the Boys
It's only Protestants that they employ
if you are free and Protestant and bigot
and get your courage from a spigot
they be needing reinforcements for to fight the fenian

"Now the Catholics, the Catholics- They are our natural foe
they lure our men with beer and steak and take them to a show"

"they worship the Father and the Son but anyone can see
they are not real Christians- the likes of you and me"

now some kids threw rocks and the police stood in circle brave and fine
as the kids resisted, one MP gave them encouragement and more spine

an Irish youth with steely eyes, as the Starry Plough was flown
she stood fast and encouraged resistance with the megaphone

chorus:
oh the RUC,
oh the RUC
They serve the Protestant bourgeoisie
if you are free and Protestant and bigot
and get your courage from a spigot
they be needing reinforcements, for to fight the fenian

The Battle continued for three days- there was not a moment's rest
As a hundred thousand Bogside kids took on Stormont's best

well maybe not a million quite but surely more than eight
the RUC were retreating- The bogside had won against the state

now the BA they were down the road- they did not lift a gun
they heard the noise, they said the boys, were having a little fun

But when they saw the RUC lads streaming down the road
they knew that something went amiss- the wrong switch had been throwed

Oh the BA
Oh the BA
They thought they would defeat the IRA
If you are free and British and Bigot
And get your courage from a spigot
They'll be needing reinforcements, for to fight the fenian


Original lyrics:

Oh, have you seen the bed-sheet boys the terors of the night
they rallied here at maxton just honin' for a fight

rally around you klansmen bold but do not show your face
we'll burn the fiety cross tonight and save the nordic race

Chorus
oh the Klan,
oh the klan
it calls on every red-blood fighting man
if your are free and white and bigot
and get your courage from a spigot
they be needing reinforcements for to fight the indian

Now the Indians, the Indians They are our natural foe
they lure our girls with coke and pie and take them to a show

they wear blue jeans and leather coats but anyone can see
they are not reall americans the likes of you and me

now the head-lights shone the klansmen stood in circle brave and fine
when suddenly a whoop was heard that curdled every spine

an Indian youth with steely eyes he sauntered in alone
he calmly drew his shooting iron and conked the microphone

chorus

now another shot the lights went out there was a moment's hush
then a hundred thousand lumbee boys came screaming from the brush

well maybe not a million quite but surely more than four
the klansmen shook from head to foot and headed for the door

now the troopers they were down the road they did not lift a gun
they heard the noise, they said the boys were having a little fun

But when they saw the nigh-shirt lads streaming down the road
they knew that something went amiss the wrong switch had been throwed


One last note: Even with the songs that are only about 10% me (and at the upper end, one is 75% me), I have a request, although I don't have strong feelings or expectations about this. First, I want credit for these songs. Second, I'd appreciate it if the notes follow the lyrics around the internet. If you modify the lyrics further, please either make some notes for the changes if you leave some of my changes, or just provide a link to this URL so people can see my version. Although I'm not sure how many people will like what I'm doing with the lyrics, to one degree or another (depending on how much I changed them) I'm proud of these songs- and at the risk of getting a little personal, if people like the songs, I could really use the extra boost of getting credit for them right now (or if you don't like them, they were all written by Sarah Palin- that fascist, what kind of sick person enjoys altering racist lyrics?).