Music Saves Lives

When I see Trump I see Nazism. His complete control over the Republican Party who are in fear of his retribution. So, they have trials without witnesses or documents and acquit him of his crimes unconditionally. Hitler had that control over his country so much that he convinced a nation that it was fine to throw live bodies into ovens. Trump has already convinced his followers that it is fine to throw children into cages, ruin our environment, shower himself with our tax dollars, lie , cheat and steal. Can music save our lives as it did to many during the Holocaust?

Waiting to die were world class composers, singers and musicians behind the gates at Auschwitz. Under the most horrific conditions imaginable they still performed and composed music. They were ordered to perform to mask the sounds of the people dying alive. More than 6 million folks died during the Holocaust but their music is still alive. An Italian composer and pianist Francesco Latoro has spent the past 30 years uncovering lost manuscripts from the musicians held captive there.  When all else fails, music wins. The love of music unifies us all. People like Trump and Hitler can try to influence you, threaten you, take your rights away but they can never take away your hopes and dreams and your inner emotions. 

A million folks lined up and were screaming with grief as they were torn away from their families and children. The musicians in the line to death were told to perform and try to calm the sounds of grief. Trump doesn't even do that at his concentration camps. There were inmate orchestras allowed to play their instruments outside the gas chambers at Auschwitz.  Francesco has been reachering attics and homes and even graves and has found manuscripts of composers music notations on papers infested with rot and worms. Even music written on the insides of shirts.  Trump has cut funding to public education, the arts, sciences and researchers. Soon our most talented will have to hide their creations too.  

Francesco has restored and counted more than 8,000 new musical compositions from the World War II era.  He found the works of music written on food wraps, telegrams and even potato sacks.   There are symphonies, operas and folk tunes. He found an entire symphony written in charcoal on toilet paper. When you lose your freedom coal and toilet paper can become your emotional freedom when necessary. Trump is currently taking away the freedoms of anyone who dares to reveal his crimes or disagree with him. All the brave educated long time govt. workers who testified at his hearings are now receiving death threats. 

We are all experiencing a range of emotions as Trump seems to be getting away with all his crimes in every forum. What music Francesco doesn't find completed, he finishes so it can be performed. If this music isn't performed it is as if it is still imprisoned in the camps. Our voices must never be imprisoned in Trump's camps either as all Dictators want and have. He wants a government sanctioned press. He believes our Constitution is against him. He wants to change our amendments and laws to suit him and him alone. Like Hitler did, last night he gave the Medal of Freedom to an uneducated drug addict commentator who always has nothing but praise for him. Trump also cut funding to NPR our National Public Radio our non-profit well researched and credible news organization. He is promoting and rewarding his very own propaganda site and his faithful followers believe it all.

Music helps people to cope , escape and gives us something to do when we feel defeated and lost. Last night's fake news State of the Union Speech by Trump has many Americans feeling just like that today compounded with the sad news that the spineless Republicans in the Senate voted to do nothing about Trump's obvious crimes. At least being in a orchestra vastly increased your hopes for survival during the war. Trump has no appreciation for music. He didn't even attend the Kennedy Center Honors that Presidents traditionally attend. He only races to his self-promotion insult comic rallies and his tax funded self owned places to play golf. Who will save the educated or talented from Trump's Tyranny? He doesn't appreciate anything unless it is related to him and only him. 

Trump openly criticized sanctuary cities and states like California and will be cutting funding to them. He already did nothing and let California burn in uncontrolled fires not executing an order for our military to intervene to save lives and property. Can music retain the dignity for those who wish to do what is right and humane despite Trump's commands? 

We are free as long as we can keep our music and happiness in our minds. Sadly yes. It has already come to that in America.