Background

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

"WALDO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT THERE?""

One of my favorite political statements:  "Waldo, the question is, what are YOU doing out there?" 


I believe that the following story is apocryphal, but I enjoy the message.  

Henry David Thoreau spent one night in jail because he was convicted of not paying his taxes because he was opposed to slavery and the Mexican-American War.



Thoreau spent only one night in jail because his taxes were paid without his consent or knowledge.  It is suspected that his great friend Ralph Waldo Emerson paid the taxes and fine. 

When Emerson went to the jail to see Thoreau, he asked, "David, what are you doing in there?" to which Thoreau uttered his famous reply.  

In the 1960s there was a series called Slattery's People which starred Richard Crenna as a crusading politician.  The first time I heard about the Thoreau/Emerson exchange was from an episode of that series.  That sent me back to re-reading Civil Disobedience and a lifelong love of Thoreau.  

Recently I have been thinking about the quote as I ponder what I should be doing OUT HERE to defend my beloved country.

No comments: