As long as we can dance

I've developed this strange habit of looking up old TV shows (Johnny Carson, Carol Burnett) on YouTube when life gets just too depressing. Also, I love Bob Hope, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack -- and clips of all of them are also on YouTube.

This all started when somebody sent me a comedy clip from an old TV show, and also looking for one or another particular old song to listen to. Now I just sort of gravitate to this stuff when I begin to feel like the USA has been sucked into this black hole of socialism (and can't get out.)

Being American -- and especially if you're under 50 years old -- you may not be aware of how wonderful American culture used to be. Even during WWII, we had Glenn Miller -- "In the Mood," "Chattanooga Choo-choo," and other songs. We had Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers -- "Puttin' on the Ritz" and "Dancing Cheek to Cheek," with feathers escaping from Ginger's dress -- we had "Captains Courageous" and "Boom Town."

What do they all have in common? This incredible sort of buoyancy. Go ahead, world, fall apart. We'll be OK. As long as we can dance.

Now, instead, we have "gangstahs" mumbling swear words and tkn' 'bout wasting their biyatches, and the movies, well, as David Letterman used to say, "Blow up real good." Apparently targeted to the under-12 audience, because these masterworks get pretty damn tedious if your life experience extends beyond that scandalous page of Facebook that everyone saw. And no one would sit next to you in the lunch room.

Anyway, so I was looking at something about Sammy Davis, I think. YouTube has a clip of him performing "Mr. Bojangles" that's really good, even with Japanese or Korean translation at the bottom. There's also this very moving clip of Michael Jackson singing "You Were There" at Sammy's 60th show biz anniversary. And just tons and tons of other stuff.

Happened to look at commentary on one of these pages, and I'm sorry, I don't recall exactly which one. But somebody from Germany or France, or may Japan or Korea, left this little message:

"When is America coming back?"

Made me cry.

Save the Republic.