What the late singer, Ed Ames, encouraged us to "Try to Remember"

Fifty-days short of his 96th birthday, actor and singer Ed Ames died in Hollywood from Alzheimer's Disease. He passed on the Sunday before Memorial Day weekend, which is significant that such a patriot be remembered close to one of the rare dates that some Americans consider that our freedom might take earning and maintaining.

You may remember Ed Ames for his acting, whether on television as Daniel Boone's sentry Mingo, (whose tomahawk throwing skills astonished Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show) or a solo recording artist, known for "My Cup Runneth Over" or "Try to Remember" from his off-Broadway acting role in "The Fantasticks."

The Tonight Show's co-host, Ed McMahon, in a video interview, considered Ames' and Carson's tomahawk demonstration "the funniest laugh ever in television!"

In the context of the theatrical The Fantasticks, Mr. Ames' "Try to Remember" reminds us to appreciate and learn from our earlier experiences. Don't take our prior life conditions for granted, as circumstances may deteriorate over time. 

(Ed Ames on video singing "Try to Remember" on a PBS show called Over Easy hosted by Hugh Downs 12/31/79). (courtesy PizzaGuy2002)

Less well known is Mr. Ames' socio-political activism. America's epoch of the 1950's included coping with 

Karl Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao

a Communist threat from the newly-atomic Soviet Union. In the mid-60's Mao's Zedong's Communist Chinese Party undertook what they called the Cultural Revolution. This revolution demonstrated the power of propaganda and ideology to manipulate and control people. Mao's Red Guards were able to use these tools to turn ordinary citizens against each other, which led to widespread violence and destruction. Estimates range that the regime persecuted millions of people whom they deemed to be enemies of the state, killing many (estimated between .5 and 2 million people).

Imperialist Islamism, Marxism opposes free states

A native Jewish Bostonian, Mr. Ames witnessed the arrival of Jewish refugee survivors of the Holocaust. The Nazi-influenced, mideast Arab politicians launched military wars attempting a new genocide of the Jews of Israel, beginning at this time of year, in May,1948. This would recur in 1967, 1973, and 1982. To advocate to preserve American support for Israel amidst the newly Islamist Iran, Mr. Ames became active in the Zionist Organization of America, eventually becoming President of its Los Angeles chapter.

Observing Barack Obama's shifting US support away from Israel and towards her avowed Islamist enemies, Mr. Ames became more involved in Republican culture, putting his reputation at risk in Hollywood.

On September 11, 2011, we asked Ed Ames about how well western societies were doing not mollifying society against defeating the global Jihad, 10-years after the Islamist attacks on Washington and New York City.

In this video, he expresses his concerns about the lack of vigilance in various sectors of the American society that could potentially render the country defenseless against the war on terror. He warns against reducing the military spending, which could result in the country admitting defeat, and points out that Israel is the primary democratic country in the Middle East that has to defend itself from Islamism from within and without. Ames emphasizes that Israel is America's bastion in the Middle East, which spends the money given to it by America on American arms, thereby creating American jobs. Ames argues that the Obama administration has downplayed the role of radical Islam in the conflict with America and suggests that Obama has done nothing to help Israel, in fact, has targeted them before the UN Civil Rights Commission while overlooking their democratic and generous nature.

• 00:00:00 In this section, Ed Ames expresses his concerns about the lack of vigilance in the America's government, press, universities, and television, which could make the country defenseless against the war on terror. He states that reducing the government's military spending will hollow out the military and will lead to an admission of defeat, which will be disastrous for the country. He points out that Iraq will become a semi-colony of Iran if the US leaves, Israel will become tools of the Iranian mullahs, and the Taliban will take over Afghanistan if troops fully withdraw. Lastly, he emphasizes that Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East that is at war with the Muslims, who formally declared war on the US, citing that Israel is the canary in the mine.
  


• 00:05:00 In this section of the video, Ed Ames discusses the relationship between Israel and the United States. He notes that 80% of the money the US gives to Israel is spent back in the US. He also emphasizes that Israel is America's bastion in the Middle East, spending their money on American arms, which helps create American jobs. Ames then addresses the Obama administration's approach to downplaying the role of radical Islam in the conflict with America. He says that Islam is not a pure religion but, instead, a political group looking to conquer and set up a caliphate. He warns that even if Islamists denounce militant jihadism, it doesn't mean that they have given up their goal of a revolution against American democracy.
  
  
• 00:10:00 In this section, the speaker argues that lying in the name of advancing the interests of Islam is justified in order to expand their conquest of the world, which is the opposite of peace. He also discusses the Arab Lobby's attempt to establish hegemony over the United States and how a significant portion of the Muslim population sympathize with the jihadi cause. When discussing Obama's Mideast policies, Ames suggests that his family's background and associations suggest a lack of hostility towards the jihadi cause and a willingness to let Israel fall. The speaker also believes that Obama has done nothing to help Israel and, in fact, has targeted them before the UN Civil Rights Commission while overlooking the democratic and generous nature of Israel.

• 00:15:00 In this section, Ed Ames explains that it is against the law of Islam to kill people arbitrarily. He then goes on to criticize the Obama administration for what he believes to be a lie - bringing Israel and Arizona before the United Nations to be judged, an action that he believes mollifies both America's and Israel's resistance against Islamist conquest.
  

In this excerpt from a TJ Lublinsky PBS special, Mr. Ames performs "Who Will Answer" reflecting his concerns about the decaying conditions in our society.

Another critic of Obama administration, liberal writer Michael Hastings, 33, killed on Los Angeles street 15-months after Andrew Breitbart

A liberal critic of the Obama Administration, writer, Michael Hastings, 33, was killed in an automobile accident early this morning in Los Angeles.

Jack Mikinson characterizes the writer and journalists reaction to it (and, presumably, the risks of criticizing this administration) in  the Huffington Post "Michael Hastings Death Met With Stunned Horror By Journalists Everywhere"

The journalism world reacted with stunned horror at the sudden death of Michael Hastings on Tuesday. 

Hastings, who was just 33 years old, was killed in a car crash in Los Angeles early Tuesday morning. 

He rocketed to instant fame when his piece in Rolling Stone brought down Stanley McChrystal, the top-ranking general in Afghanistan, in 2010. Since then, Hastings was a regular presence in print and on television, a frequent critic of the Obama administration and an aggressive and enthusiastic debater. In recent years, the war correspondent had turned his focus to domestic politics, bringing the same independent spirit to the campaign trail.

Journalist Michael Hastings dies in L.A. car crash by Richard Winton, Andrew Blankstein and Kate Mather

Neither the Los Angeles Police Department nor coroner's officials could immediately confirm whether Hastings was the victim of a single-car crash that occurred about 4:25 a.m. in the 600 block of North Highland Avenue. Police officials said it was the only vehicle fatality reported Tuesday morning in the city of Los Angeles.

The vehicle crossed a median, struck a tree and burst into flames in the Hancock Park area, LAPD Officer Christopher No said. The driver was prounounced dead at the scene. 
A witness described the accident to KTLA News: “I was just coming northbound on Highland and I seen a car, like, going really fast and all of a sudden I seen it jackknife,”  Luis Cortez said. “I just seen parts fly everywhere, and I slammed on my brakes and stopped and tried to call 911."

On May 25, Melissa Jeltsen reported in the HuffPo Michael Hastings Rips Obama Drone Speech (VIDEO)  

On Thursday, Obama gave a major national security speech in which he defended the use of drone strikes as a key counterterrorism tool. Hastings said the speech marked a reversal in Obama's thinking. 

"If you compare this speech to the speech he gave in Cairo, in 2009 or his Nobel Prize speech, you see almost a total rejection of the civil rights tradition that President Obama supposedly came out of... and just an embrace of total militarism," Hastings said. 

"That speech to me was essentially agreeing with President Bush and Vice President Cheney that we're in this neo-conservative paradigm, that we're at war with a jihadist threat that actually is not a nuisance but the most important threat we're facing today," Hastings continued.

Andrew Breitbart, another outspoken critic of the Obama adminstration, but from the political right, also died mysteriously one evening a Los Angeles street in March, 2012. 

DemoCast filmed Mr. Breitbart endorsing the Tea Party in L.A. ato the Republican Jewish Coalition Summer Bash in 2011.  His father, Gerald, died Monday, 11 June 2013 - approximately 100 days after his beloved wife, Arlene.

Conservative activist, publisher Andrew Breitbart, dies on L.A. street at 43-years of age. Coverage from DemoCast

Andrew Breitbart, patriotic publisher of Big Journalism and Big Hollywood, died today of a reported heart attack in Los Angeles.  He was 43-years old.  Here are some of DemoCast's stories of and related to Mr. Breitbart, which include several original video reports.

Andrew Breitbart: 'Tea-Party raising Biden's ire indicates success, although GOP leaders undermined Tea Party in debt-ceiling-deal with Prez'



Andrew Breitbart: Israel's counter-jihad realpolitik frustrates Obama's leftist / Muslim, anti-Zionist realpolitik; When will liberals wake up?



Online "Troop-athon" aims to send the largest ever number of care packages to our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq



Hollywood's Influence on Society - L.A. Times Debate

Israel nationalist activist, Tsafrir Ronen, 53, suffers fatal of heart attack

Tzafrir Ronen, 53, a fighter for the Land of Israel and the Jewish People originating from deep within the secular left, suffered a fatal heart attack before the Sabbath. Survived by his wife and three daughters, aged 13 to 20, his funeral was held 29 December in his hometown Moshav Moledet near Afula.

A founder of the secular nationalist Nahalal Forum and a frequent contributor to Arutz-7’s Hebrew and English opinion pages, Ronen was raised on the ideals of the Labor party and the secular Kibbutz movement. He served as senior campaign advisor for Yitzchak Rabin in the 1992 elections, and was a founding member of Kibbutz Gilgal in the Jordan Valley. His change in thinking came in the wake of the Oslo Accords, signed by Rabin in 1993.
Video courtesy: Israel National News

At last year’s Jerusalem Conference, Ronen delivered an impassioned speech in which he said, “Show me a British person who would be willing to negotiate away parts of London for peace with Al-Qaeda, or an American who would be willing to give away Washington, D.C… Only we are willing to give away our heritage. How can we act this way? We need a psychologist! . . .

I was in a synagogue in the U.S., which has appeals for Dharfur, Bosnia, etc. – but when I wanted to talk about the Land of Israel, they refused to let me, saying it was a political matter. I told them that if the Land of Israel is a political matter, you can close up the Bible, and you can close up your synagogue… Look what happened here: We came back to our Land, we established a State – and we lost our identity!”