Markey Praises ‘Great Socialist’ Woody Guthrie [OPINION]

If there were ever any doubts about U.S. Senator Ed Markey's (D-Massachusetts) commitment to socialism, they have been put to rest once and for all. Comrade Markey on Monday addressed protesters on Capitol Hill by praising "communist" American songwriter Woody Guthrie.

Guthrie wrote a little ditty that has been sung by millions of Americans over the years, from schoolrooms to the White House. It's one of those songs, like, Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA," that is mistaken for a patriotic tune when in reality it is just the opposite. But who listens to the lyrics anyway?

Actually, Guthrie left out some of the more radical lyrics when he recorded his song, "God Blessed America for Me," later to be renamed "This Land Is Your Land." NPR did a piece about the history of the song in 2012 and said it was intended to counter "God Bless America," a very popular patriotic song introduced by singer Kate Smith.

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NPR said Guthrie's recorded version of "This Land Is Your Land: may not contain the more radical lyrics because it wasn't released until 1951 and may have been toned down so as not to draw the attention of Sen. Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee that was ferreting out communism in the entertainment industry.

Markey, in attendance with comrades Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, led the protesters on Monday in singing "This Land is Your Land," exclusively recorded by Breitbart during which he heaped praise on Guthrie, calling him "a great socialist, who wrote a great song, which a lot of people think is an anthem for our country, but it was written by a socialist, okay? Back in the 1930s. A communist. He was a communist. He was a socialist. He was a radical."

Markey is a proud revolutionary. A socialist. A communist. A radical. What is stunning about all of this is that they don't even try to hide it any longer. Folks, this is one-half of your U.S. Senate delegation. The other half is a fake Indian.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.