And down goes Saddam.........

On April 9th, 2003, the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in Firdos Square, Baghdad. On Easter Sunday, 2019 the Philadelphia flyers removed a statue of the late Kate Smith.

Saddam Hussein is responsible for the deaths of over 200,000 Kurds. His regime displaced over 3 Million people. His Arabization of shiite muslims sent death squads into the north slaughtering, raping, and butchering men, women, and children.

Kate smith sang two songs in 1931 considered racist by 2019 standards.

So let's give this a little color.

In 1931, the great depression took its toll on Tin Pan Alley. Singers and songwriters alike struggled to find work. The revues, burlesque houses, even Broadway lost over 70% of its performers while the theaters' great producers shut down to find more stable vocations. When given an opportunity to work, you took it. Particularly when your voice was all you had. In 1929-1931, Kate Smith resorted to singing for budget labels like Harmony, Diva, and Velvet Tone. Anything to pay the bills. In 1930, she took a job at a burlesque house (which later became the Apollo Theater) playing Pansy Sparks. The role highlighted her incredible voice but sadly, she was known as the butt of Bert Lahr's vicious jokes about her weight. She said later that after each performance, she sat alone and wept in her dressing room. Finally in late 1931, she met Columbia Records Ted Collins who not only gave her the platform she deserved, but enabled her to leave the budget labels. She continued recording through the 30's but after the eruption of World War 2, she focused mainly on the war effort. She sang for the troops and raised over $600 Million in war bonds. That is the equivalent of over $10 Billion dollars today.

She abhorred segregation and throughout the 1940's, Kate Smith hosted scores of black artists on her radio program from Count Basie to Cozy Cole to The Ink Spots. In the 1950's she continued the practice on her television show featuring Josephine Baker and Billy Williams. In 1945 Kate Smith addressed the audience on CBS Radio calling for racial tolerance saying, "Racial hatreds, social prejudices, religious bigotry, they are the diseases that eat away the fibers of peace. It is up to us to tolerate one another in order to achieve peace." She did this at a time when there were two Americas. To put this in perspective, Jackie Robinson took first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Yes. Kate Smith sang a satirical song with racist lyrics in 1931. About a hundred years ago which was celebrated by both blacks and whites of the day for its satirical view of racism. It was also notably recorded by black artist and activist Paul Robeson; also in 1931.

I find it very courageous for two professional sports teams, the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Flyers to attack an American icon dead these past 33 years. The Flyers actually covered her statue in a black cloth before hauling it away.

This story should bother you. No, not for the reasons the oh-so-forward-thinking pundits on ESPN and the national news believe. It should bother you that your history is being disappeared. Sometimes in a black cloth and sometimes............

I read a story today in the Washington Post where the writer talked about this "controversy." She wrote, "There’s a larger subtext at play, as well. Patriotic songs such as “God Bless America” have tended, certainly since the late 20th century, to be associated with a white, conservative side of the country."

Symbolism over substance.