What the late singer, Ed Ames, encouraged us to "Try to Remember"

Fifty-days short of his 96th birthday, actor and singer Ed Ames died in Hollywood from Alzheimer's Disease. He passed on the Sunday before Memorial Day weekend, which is significant that such a patriot be remembered close to one of the rare dates that some Americans consider that our freedom might take earning and maintaining.

You may remember Ed Ames for his acting, whether on television as Daniel Boone's sentry Mingo, (whose tomahawk throwing skills astonished Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show) or a solo recording artist, known for "My Cup Runneth Over" or "Try to Remember" from his off-Broadway acting role in "The Fantasticks."

The Tonight Show's co-host, Ed McMahon, in a video interview, considered Ames' and Carson's tomahawk demonstration "the funniest laugh ever in television!"

In the context of the theatrical The Fantasticks, Mr. Ames' "Try to Remember" reminds us to appreciate and learn from our earlier experiences. Don't take our prior life conditions for granted, as circumstances may deteriorate over time. 

(Ed Ames on video singing "Try to Remember" on a PBS show called Over Easy hosted by Hugh Downs 12/31/79). (courtesy PizzaGuy2002)

Less well known is Mr. Ames' socio-political activism. America's epoch of the 1950's included coping with 

Karl Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao

a Communist threat from the newly-atomic Soviet Union. In the mid-60's Mao's Zedong's Communist Chinese Party undertook what they called the Cultural Revolution. This revolution demonstrated the power of propaganda and ideology to manipulate and control people. Mao's Red Guards were able to use these tools to turn ordinary citizens against each other, which led to widespread violence and destruction. Estimates range that the regime persecuted millions of people whom they deemed to be enemies of the state, killing many (estimated between .5 and 2 million people).

Imperialist Islamism, Marxism opposes free states

A native Jewish Bostonian, Mr. Ames witnessed the arrival of Jewish refugee survivors of the Holocaust. The Nazi-influenced, mideast Arab politicians launched military wars attempting a new genocide of the Jews of Israel, beginning at this time of year, in May,1948. This would recur in 1967, 1973, and 1982. To advocate to preserve American support for Israel amidst the newly Islamist Iran, Mr. Ames became active in the Zionist Organization of America, eventually becoming President of its Los Angeles chapter.

Observing Barack Obama's shifting US support away from Israel and towards her avowed Islamist enemies, Mr. Ames became more involved in Republican culture, putting his reputation at risk in Hollywood.

On September 11, 2011, we asked Ed Ames about how well western societies were doing not mollifying society against defeating the global Jihad, 10-years after the Islamist attacks on Washington and New York City.

In this video, he expresses his concerns about the lack of vigilance in various sectors of the American society that could potentially render the country defenseless against the war on terror. He warns against reducing the military spending, which could result in the country admitting defeat, and points out that Israel is the primary democratic country in the Middle East that has to defend itself from Islamism from within and without. Ames emphasizes that Israel is America's bastion in the Middle East, which spends the money given to it by America on American arms, thereby creating American jobs. Ames argues that the Obama administration has downplayed the role of radical Islam in the conflict with America and suggests that Obama has done nothing to help Israel, in fact, has targeted them before the UN Civil Rights Commission while overlooking their democratic and generous nature.

• 00:00:00 In this section, Ed Ames expresses his concerns about the lack of vigilance in the America's government, press, universities, and television, which could make the country defenseless against the war on terror. He states that reducing the government's military spending will hollow out the military and will lead to an admission of defeat, which will be disastrous for the country. He points out that Iraq will become a semi-colony of Iran if the US leaves, Israel will become tools of the Iranian mullahs, and the Taliban will take over Afghanistan if troops fully withdraw. Lastly, he emphasizes that Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East that is at war with the Muslims, who formally declared war on the US, citing that Israel is the canary in the mine.
  


• 00:05:00 In this section of the video, Ed Ames discusses the relationship between Israel and the United States. He notes that 80% of the money the US gives to Israel is spent back in the US. He also emphasizes that Israel is America's bastion in the Middle East, spending their money on American arms, which helps create American jobs. Ames then addresses the Obama administration's approach to downplaying the role of radical Islam in the conflict with America. He says that Islam is not a pure religion but, instead, a political group looking to conquer and set up a caliphate. He warns that even if Islamists denounce militant jihadism, it doesn't mean that they have given up their goal of a revolution against American democracy.
  
  
• 00:10:00 In this section, the speaker argues that lying in the name of advancing the interests of Islam is justified in order to expand their conquest of the world, which is the opposite of peace. He also discusses the Arab Lobby's attempt to establish hegemony over the United States and how a significant portion of the Muslim population sympathize with the jihadi cause. When discussing Obama's Mideast policies, Ames suggests that his family's background and associations suggest a lack of hostility towards the jihadi cause and a willingness to let Israel fall. The speaker also believes that Obama has done nothing to help Israel and, in fact, has targeted them before the UN Civil Rights Commission while overlooking the democratic and generous nature of Israel.

• 00:15:00 In this section, Ed Ames explains that it is against the law of Islam to kill people arbitrarily. He then goes on to criticize the Obama administration for what he believes to be a lie - bringing Israel and Arizona before the United Nations to be judged, an action that he believes mollifies both America's and Israel's resistance against Islamist conquest.
  

In this excerpt from a TJ Lublinsky PBS special, Mr. Ames performs "Who Will Answer" reflecting his concerns about the decaying conditions in our society.