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To me this is a TRUE tragedy, as this man pioneered soul and blues music infuseing it with gospel.. THIS is the true tragedy and in MY opinion, instead of giving a national day of rememberance for Ronald Reagan, one should have been awarded to Ray Charles instead, for his unselfish giving and the gift that he brought to this world. Truly the REALLY great among us don't receive the accolades in this life that they should: Mother Teresa, Gandhi..etc. A Sad day truly...

Heres the news clip from msn:

Ray Charles
SoundsLike Station
Associated Press

Ray Charles, a transcendent talent who erased musical boundaries between the sacred and the secular with hits such as "What'd I Say," "Georgia on My Mind" and "I Can't Stop Loving You," died Thursday. He was 73.

Charles died of acute liver disease at his Beverly Hills, Calif., home, surrounded by family and friends, said spokesman Jerry Digney.

Blind by age 7 and an orphan at 15, the gifted pianist and saxophonist spent his life shattering any notion of musical categories and defying easy definition. One of the first artists to record the "blasphemous idea of taking gospel songs and putting the devil's words to them," as legendary producer Jerry Wexler once said, Charles' music spanned soul, rock 'n' roll, R&B, country, jazz, big band and blues.

He put his stamp on it all with a deep, warm voice roughened by heartbreak from a hardscrabble childhood in the segregated South. Smiling and swaying behind the piano, grunts and moans peppering his songs, Charles' appeal spanned generations.

Aretha Franklin called Charles "the voice of a lifetime." "He was a fabulous man, full of humor and wit," she said in a statement. "A giant of an artist, and of course, he introduced the world to secular soul singing."

Charles won nine of his 12 Grammy Awards between 1960 and 1966, including the best R&B recording three consecutive years ("Hit the Road Jack," "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Busted".

His versions of other songs are also well known, including "Makin' Whoopee" and a stirring "America the Beautiful." Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell wrote "Georgia on My Mind" in 1931, but it didn't become Georgia's official state song until 1979, long after Charles turned it into an American standard.

"I was born with music inside me. That's the only explanation I know of," Charles said in his 1978 autobiography, "Brother Ray." "Music was one of my parts ... Like my blood. It was a force already with me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me, like food or water."

A loss Fred, but hardly a tragedy. Just like Reagan, the man led a full life. he did not view his blindness as a tragedy, rather..."a small inconvieniance". He did some remarkable things with music. He did not die young...and undoubtably he will be missed.

But the bottom line was that Ray was a musician-Not Mother Teresa. He was a paid performer-not a saint. Bob Hope (who did one hell of a lot more giving...(as a service veteran I know) recieved no special honors.

If there was a tragedy involved with Ray Charles it was not one of world proportions as most of the world respected him and loved him.

It was on a smaller stage. I remember being at Stone Mountain Georgia, where it was traditional that part of their show was to play Ray singing GEORGIA. There was a move (which I suspect was racist)to replace him with Willy Nelson's version of the same song. They were playing both when I was there.
The loss of that performance on any stage is a tragedy.

I do not think it is right to belittle a man because of race. And I question your motives Fred for what you said. Sorry you had to bring such an issue onto these pages into what should be a tribute to both great men.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Rearfang,

You obviously have taken the time to take what I said out of context. Allow me to clarify, if you will: Reagans health in his last years was terrible, and that is a sad fact, whether it be him ...you or me.,.. It is impossible in this space to catalogue all of the damage Reagan wrought in his eight years as president. The standard line is that he won the cold war. But it wel known that he showed a callous indifference to democracy and freedom in other areas of the world.

After both Democrats and Republicans in Congress passed sanctions against the apartheid government of south africa, Reagan vetoed the measure.

Reagans administration backed militaries in both El Salvador and Guatamala that massacred CIVILIANS.

Reagan pursued a semi secret war against the Sandanista Government in Nicaragua and violated INTERNATIONAL law and circumvented congress to support CONTRA rebels engaged in human rights abuses.

Reagan covertely sent arms to the mullahs of Iran and courted one saddam Hussein, even after his use of chemical weapons.

But he won two Presedential elections commandingly, and over the course of two decades inspired a devout following of followers who are determined to etch his name in stone, on currency and public buildings and monuments throught this land.

He won these elections by displaying and optimism about his ideology and right wing politics. Voters may not have liked his ideas but they li8ked him and thought that he stoood behind what he said.

His noble vision of America.

His life was the "American Life" But his presidency empowered and supported and enabled soem of the worst elements in public life in our country:GREED...ARROGANCE...NEGLECT..and HYPOCRISY.

Sincerely,

Fred Albury

My point was and IS that REAGAN was no saint..and if you are going to rmember the windows of good...then you sure as _ _ _ _ better remember the death and destruction caused by him and his administration. Worlwide...the Sandanistas didnt think that he was such a swell guy...neither did the occupants of South Africa, nor the advocates AGAINST Apartheid. Read my other post, it chronicles just a FEW of his misdeeds. BTW..Clinton had similar misdeeds, so dont think this is a republican/Democrat thing. NOR is it a race thing. It is giving more credit to someone than they are due. Plain and simple. Whether it is Reagan...Bush...Ford...or Nixon...they all sucked. and they all caused damage. But Bush got caught lieing to US and it cost both AMERICAN lives as well as IRAQ lives..needlessly.And alot of our money, yours and mine, that we dont really have to spend, at least not on someone elses war.And the destruction of a country, which WE(Yes you and I) will have to pay to rebuild, as our own country deteriorates.

My opinion: Impeach him..now

Sincerely,

Fredrick Albury

I pity you for your lack of vision. No president is perfect. No president has solved all the problems of his age from Washington on down.

The best we can hope for in a leader is that he keeps us out of real trouble and maybe does some good.

That you seem to ignore that Reagan was instrumental in freeing more than half of Europe from Communism and also restored our sense of national pride that had been lost in Vietnam may be meaningless to you,but it weighs in as far more accomplished than any president since and few before since Eisenhower had accomplished.

As a Vietnam era vet it means something to me. And I still don't get where the economy was so bad during his office. Everyone I know prospered-regardless of race.

Frank

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Well, I agree with you Frank.
And my condolence to the current leader. He does exactly the opposite.

Maybe one should call him George W. Pandora. He already opened the box.

The Sandinestas were communists. make my point?

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

An explanation. South Africa was of huge importance to US interests as it is one of only three places in the world known (at that time) to produce critical metals needed for our defence technology.

On another front...Are you old enough to remember Tin Cans? Those disappeared after we lost in Nam.(same reason...see below)

The other two were S.E. Asia and the Ural Mountains of Russia.

There were bigger issues at stake than Apartheid. We could not afford to alienate the Souh African government. Being president sometimes means making unfortunate allies.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Funny how people remember someone that caused somuich harm to so many people WORLDWIDE. WE tend to focus on the good that was done. And as was said earlier"He isnt as bad as some of the other presidents. Sorry guys but I respectfulyl disagree with you. Reagan was every bit as bad, but he was glossed over and made us feel optomistic about a future in this country. And was a consumate actor..as was Clinton. Bush sucks at acting. He needs to take classes, and rid himself of the flightsuit.

Fredick Albury

In spite of a solid week of world news and all the posts on this forum to the contrary, you continue the same tired line that all of us are brain washed and only you are right.

Get over it Fred. Ever stop to think that some of us who actually were old enough to live thru the Regan administration might have a better handle on it than you?....I think not. I really think your head is so burried in your special interests that nothing is going to change your bias.

Frankly you totaly lost credibility in my book when you cried for the Sandinestas, (remember your list of Reagan wrongs -above) who were one nasty group of communist thugs. That they were in power means nothing...as we proved in our own revolution, overthrowing an oppressive tyrant is a good cause...Even the French agreed with that one! For Reagan to support this was just the same as those countries that helped us. By your logic I guess the French and German aid we got to win our freedom would have been wrong.

If freeing (again I'm saying this) over half of Europe from Communist control makes him the same in your book as Bush and the others, then there is something wrong with your value system. Unless of course you favor a more socialistic world (which is what your posts seem to indicate)which would explain your continued attacks on him.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."