

Testimony of Pete Seeger before the House Un-American Activities Committee - tomjakubowski
http://www.peteseeger.net/HUAC.htm

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Vvector
And he just passed away last night.

[http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/pete-
seeger-l...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/pete-seeger-
legendary-folk-singer-dies-
at-94/2014/01/28/36faeec0-c5dc-11df-94e1-c5afa35a9e59_story.html)

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mjhoy
It's an interesting exchange. Scherer kept asking him _where_ he had sung his
songs; Pete kept insisting that he instead ask about _what_ he had sung — that
he would sing for anybody, so it wasn't relevant, and that his songs were
always in good faith.

> MR. SCHERER: Witness, you have indicated that you are perfectly willing to
> tell us about all of these innumerable functions at which you entertained,
> but why do you refuse to tell us about the functions that Mr. Tavenner
> inquires about?

> MR. SEEGER: No, sir, I said that I should be glad to tell you about all of
> the songs that I have sung, because I feel that the songs are the clearest
> explanation of what I do believe in, as a musician, and as an American.

Scherer wasn't interested at all in what the songs were about.

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JakeStone
This was my take away line, on a base level:

> MR. SEEGER: I am sorry you are not interested in the song. It is a good
> song.

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leephillips
My favorite part is:

MR. SEEGER: It is like Jesus Christ when asked by Pontius Pilate, "Are you
king of the Jews?"

CHAIRMAN WALTER: Stop that.

Also, thankful for my "remove background" bookmarklet.

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RyanMcGreal
_I decline to discuss, under compulsion, where I have sung, and who has sung
my songs, and who else has sung with me, and the people I have known. I love
my country very dearly, and I greatly resent this implication that some of the
places that I have sung and some of the people that I have known, and some of
my opinions, whether they are religious or philosophical, or I might be a
vegetarian, make me any less of an American. I will tell you about my songs,
but I am not interested in telling you who wrote them, and I will tell you
about my songs, and I am not interested in who listened to them._

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bhuga
Thanks for posting. Inspiring breakfast read. Relevant 60 years later.

'Are you now, or have you ever, been associated with any terrorist
organizations?'

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MikeTaylor
I bet this is a fascinating read, but I can't make sense of it because my eyes
are confounded by all the banjoes in the background. Dammit, Pete -- you're a
mighty fine protest singer, but a rotten web designer!

~~~
MikeTaylor
Aha! I told AdBlock that
[http://www.peteseeger.net/Banjo.gif](http://www.peteseeger.net/Banjo.gif) was
an advert, and now it doesn't render. Bingo: black text on a white background.

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giantrobothead
>MR. SEEGER: I continued singing, and I expect I always will.

May you always. By far the most meaningful line of the exchange.

