11 minutes: Ken Burns tribute to Dolly Parton:

We are not much followers of the entertainment world these days. With the venues shattered into seemingly a million pieces each one acting more and more outrageously to garner our attention, we have for the most part given up on trying to follow anything or anyone and instead slip into something more comfortable such as certain sports.

Yet there are still some corners of the entertainment world we at least have a working knowledge of. Dolly Parton was one such corner. She’d been around a long time and was always a likable person. Her life story made her seem like an old neighbor. But for many, Dolly Parton was much more than that. She was a person who lived the Americaan dream that we all hope to live some day or hope that our kids will live it.

Dolly Parton lived the dream, but in doing so was able to maintain a life open to all people. This is something that those in exalted places seldom do. As i was listening to the bits and pieces of yet another Dolly tribute a thought crossed my mind. Perhaps the reason Dolly Parton’s death is being mourned so widely and deeply is that in the current United States we have few people who are truly genuine. Most people with any celebrity are looking to exploit it for the ‘big score’ – making big bucks off their fame.

Thus Dolly Parton fit a niche that is rare in the US today that of a decent person. As such she stood in contrast to what we hear about day in and day out. The one person who owns the spotlight in this country is that jerk of a human being, Donald Trump. The differences between these two people is stark.

On the one side you have a woman who was born into poverty. She grew up in a one room cabin without running water or electricity. Her clothes were often hand-me-downs or homemade. No doubt her chances at succeeding in life were slim at best. But she had some talent and an indomitable spirit.

On the other hand we have a boy born into wealth with success pretty much guaranteed. He had every privilege a person could have, including the best schools. Yet despite all that young Trump caused problems where ever he went.

Dolly Parton went to Nashville – one of the music centers of the world with her talent and dreams and was able to become a star. But she never forgot her roots. She was always looking for opportunities to help those who were down and out. As her fame and fortune rose, she would find ways to share her fortune in ways that would, with little fanfare, help some segment of society.

Meanwhile as Trump grew, he would look screw over people, especially those of lower classes. He would exploit them by stealing their labor when he refused to pay bills. He would use his power and access to discriminate against people of different backgrounds, colors or religions. He was the living epitome of the miserable human miser.

While Dolly Parton built businessess that gave people good work at good pay, Donald Trump did all he could to ruin lives by not paying his workers and using the court system to ruin businesses that dare ask for him to pay his bills.

Trump has been given the job of overseeing our government. In that job where a person like Dolly parton could – would have – done so much good, Trump has use the awesome power of the office to really make people suffer. From taking away food and medical care from the poorest among us to having people of color murdered for the flimsiest of reasons.

What is really strange is that we have a political party that acts basically as a cult following, refusing to condemn his actions and by doing so encourages more and more venal actions. As Trump has moved from not paying bills to using his power as head of government to manipulate markets and reward cronies with no bid contracts while taking bribes, his party covers him from being prosecuted and investigated.

So there is today’s tale. Two people born in the same year, one in poverty and one to great wealth and power. It seems almost like one of those fairy tales we would read as a kid. But we know these stories are true. However, these tales are not quite finished. The ending will depend to some degree on you.

One of the most important parts of the story is just about to happen. We have a system of laws and justice in this country. That system should be applied to Donald Trump and his minions who have so perverted our way of life. Whlie Trump is the most powerful person, the people of the US through its system of justice are the more powerful.

Here is where your part comes in. You must vote in the midterm election. We must remove anyone with an “R” behind their name. If they have and “R” behind their name they will continue to support Trump’s malevolent administration. And for this story to have a happy outcome Trump must be held accountable for what he did.