The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Back with my wife in Tennessee, when one day she called to me
"Virgil, quick, come see, there goes Robert E Lee"
Now I don't mind choppin' wood, and I don't care if the money's no good
Ya take what ya need and ya leave the rest,
But they should never have taken the very best
The night they drove old Dixie down, and the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down, and the people were singin' they went
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la,
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I watched the Last Waltz a month ago. The 1978 movie by Martin Scorsese, about the final concert of The Band. It included performances by noted artists; Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Ringo Star, Doctor John, Van Morrison, The Staple Singers, Muddy Waters, and Ron Wood. During the film, The Band performed The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. If lunatics like the city council in New Orleans had there way, this film would probably be destroyed and the song banned.
Sandra Bland was a troubled woman. She had no respect for the law. She could have received a citation and later paid a small fine for a traffic violation. She made a choice to be uncooperative and disrespectful. It was her choice. Thousands of people get stopped by police for minor infractions. They say hello to the officer and hand him their drivers license and registration and proof of insurance. When they do that and they smile and are courteous, the officer usually gives them a warning. Sandra Bland is a lot like the person who dies and spends eternity separated from God, and then blames God. God isn't going to force you into Heaven. You need to understand that you are a sinner in need of salvation. Dude wants to blame the police for not allowing Bland to be disrespectful and non-compliant and not keeping a minimal standard of behavior that must be met by the public. There is no special treatment to people because of the color of their skin. You don't get to abuse law enforcement officers. By having a drivers license and operating a motor vehicle on public thoroughfares, you are agreeing to follow the rules and you are agreeing to obey lawful police commands. Anything less and you are in violation and have only yourself to blame.
Dude has an overwhelming hatred for the police based on his past experiences as a drug addict who lied to the police and tried to avoid getting arrested by the police. He cannot take their side. He cannot admit he falsely accuses them no matter how many times investigations clear them of wrong-doing. The jail staff did not murder Sandra Bland. She hung herself in despair because her deadbeat family refused to come and bail her out of jail. Now her deadbeat family is trying to get rich on her death. As usual, there are people taking the side of the criminal. That is the default position for Dude each time their is an incident involving the police. He hates them all with a burning passion. They are his enemy from his days as a drug addict and will remain his enemy until he dies.