The Creative Mind of Lester Maddox

It seems that back in January 1968 I distributed to my 7th grade English class a column written by my former Vanderbilt classmate Roy Blount, Jr., at the time a writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution.   I don’t remember the dynamic teaching use I made of the column; but when I reported to him whatever use I had made of his satire, Roy, who was teaching freshman English – an evening course at a downtown college – said, “I wish I could believe that my students, by and large, had ever had an interesting English assignment before.”

Here are highlights of Blount’s column.  I think you will see that much hasn’t changed on the political scene in the 50-plus years since Blount wrote his column:

On Christmas Eve … Gov. Lester Maddox unveiled the idea, which had come to him the day before, of staging next Christmas Day a nationwide demonstration for God and liberty.  …             Well and good.  It’s a terrific idea, and you know that governors all over the country are kicking themselves for not thinking of it first.

As Blount’s column continues on to it absurd conclusion, it seems that Gov. Maddox has hired a “marketing person” to write cheers for next year’s God and Liberty national event.  Gov. Maddox found a like-minded marketer, who in his supposed interview with columnist Blount said the following:

[Welfarism] denies a person his basic freedom to choose whom he wants to help and what he wants to give him, and what day he wants to do it on.  And under welfarism, the giver doesn’t get any cute smile of gratitude, which is what makes him feel godly.

So, to the Governor’s delight, the marketer came through with a cheer not easily forgotten:

                        “A-singin’ and a-praying and a- beatin’ the band,

                    Let’s clamp Liberty down on the land.

                    You can stop communism, you can stop sin,

                    You can stop alligators, you can stop men,

                    You can stop a miniskirt, you can stop mod,

                    You can stop drinkin’ but you can’t stop God!

                    “A-weepin’ and a-wailin’ and a-gnashin’ of teeth.

                    Christmas-tree and mistletoe and holly wreath.

                    Let’s get to treadin’ where we ought to trod!

                    Liberty, liberty, God, God, God!”

In some circles, things haven’t changed all that much.