Is anybody there?
Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?
They want to me to quit; they say
John, give up the fight
Still to England I say
Good night, forever, good night!
For I have crossed the Rubicon
Let the bridge be burned behind me
Come what may, come what may
Commitment!
Listening to William Daniels’ stirring performance of John Adams’ song from the Sherman Edwards musical 1776 in this clip, you can hear the fireworks and clanging bells of freedom in the music. He’s singing to an empty chamber, but soon and forever, his vision of independence from tyranny will be heard by millions.
Those of us who have scanned the airwaves for any and every appearance by John Kerry over the last few years (even during the election, you had to keep a weather eye on the
C-SPAN schedule to catch a glimpse of all his tireless campaigning, all but invisible in the mainstream broadcast media) have heard him give countless speeches and interviews that equal the passion and prescience of that song, the determination that spurred Boston’s Sons of Liberty and did so much to create this extraordinary democratic experiment we call America. But for much of the country, there has been no way to hear or see John Kerry’s vision.
Through all the gloom, through all the gloom
I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory!
What we’ve been waiting for is here at last. Now there is a place dedicated to guaranteeing the right of Americans to access the work John Kerry is doing to lead our country forward.
I see fireworks! I see the pageant and
pomp and parade
I hear the bells ringing out
I hear the cannons roar
I see Americans - all Americans
Free forevermore
That place is called KerryVision and there you will find video documenting the Senator’s busy life and work. There’s a newsreel that will show you the highlights of his week, a blog for interactive viewer discussion, a link to the KerryVision YouTube Channel, and it looks like there’s lots more to come!
Is anybody there? Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?
They do, and they will. Go, watch, enjoy. And Happy Independence Day!
Update: Thanks to the KerryVision Team for reposting this at their site and for the gorgeous, perfect photo they found to go with it!
Tonight, July 4, on Turner Classic Movies, the movie of 1776 will air from 10 pm to 1 am Eastern. Catch it if you can! If you haven’t seen it before, the song “Is Anybody There” is towards the end of the film.
What a beautiful post — and a beautiful site you’re announcing. Thanks for bringing it to everyone’s attention — and with these stirring words from “1776″. I can hear the song in my head now.
Comment by Noisy Democrat — July 4, 2007 @ 11:45 am
It’s like Christmas in July! KerryVision is awesome, as is this great post.
Thanks!
Comment by GV — July 4, 2007 @ 11:47 am
What a beautiful post. It is fitting that the Senator, who chose Faneuil Hall for the series of incredible speeches that might have become a 2008 platform, could be described using 1776’s John Adams’ song. It seems as though we need real patriots now to get us back to what we were supposed to be about.
I looked at KerryVision and it is incredible - as you said, even in 2004, it was hard to get enough Kerry coverage. The Kerry blog helped by listing the schedule - mostly on CSPAN.
Comment by karennj — July 4, 2007 @ 11:53 am
Hey, kerryvisionary, keep up the good work! I think this is really turning into a blog that people will check regularly for their Kerry fixes. Nice to see that other people are starting to participate in writing the entries too–not that you’re not doing a fine job, but spreading the workload around will help to ensure that nobody gets burnt out.
Comment by KKJ — July 18, 2007 @ 2:08 pm
Well, it took me 3 months, but I finally read this post. Boy, do those lyrics apply to our times, and to John Kerry, ore WHAT?!
The first three lines h ave been my mantra since 2000, and my LOUD, screaming, aganoized mantra since 2003.
And COMMITMENT: yes, that’s John Adams, and, above all, John Kerry.
What an insipiraton he continues to be.
Comment by mbk — October 2, 2007 @ 5:45 am