On Streisand

For the short time I spent Stateside, I was stationed at Fort Wadsworth, an old fort that was said to have gone back to revolutionary days. On the days when I wasn't tied up with assignments, I would file down to New York City via bus and ferry (before the Verazzano was built), and line up for free tickets at the USO.

One of the first shows I saw was "I can get it for you wholesale," in which my next store neighbor played the key female role until somebody I had never seen before took on the role of secretary in the musical and proceeded to steel the show.

That somebody was Barbra Streisand in her first stint on Broadway.

Before the Show, she had opened for a folk singer I knew, Sylvia, at a local club.

Okay, flash to 1999, it had been more forty years since that day.

I had went on to serve my career, raise a family and then take on odd jobs after losing my job when my boss, the owner of the company, sold off my division after promising a life time of work.

I was standing on line among seventeen stalwarts for Al Gore.

That was our biggest turn-out then after weeks of trying to drum up enthusiasm for Al.

It was in the Spring and pre-Convention.

Then the Hollywood producing brothers came out....
and the Unions and even the junior Senator from New York.

Harvey Weinstein read a message from Barbra Streisand that ignited us all.

With Harvey, came the music and the sound systems.

And before we knew it, we had filled Broadway from 42nd Street to 38th Street on Seventh Avenue.

No longer could Rudy Giuliani's minions hind us behind yellow stanchions.

We had jelled into a movement.

I will never forget those days of feeling really alone as if no one cared and then like a flash of lightening, it all changed.

The Democrats had come together.

We had all been saved.

Something to think about as we enter a new election.

And must remember not to take victory for granted.

Les Aaron