Get her out of here!

 Get her out of here!





     In this time of travail in the year of our lord 2025 let us remember the young woman who chose to stand up to a bad Republican President and speak her truth. This was a story that Greg loved to relive and imitate the howls of indignation that followd a bold act of resistance. The occasion was a strange celebration of the Readers Digest's 50th anniversary in the East Room of Richard Nixon white house. The date was January 28, 1972 and the promoted entertainment was the very conservative and very square Ray Coniff singers who were to put on their true Apple-Pie American kind of songfest. Hidden in the tame chorus was a bold saboteur named Carole Feraci. Ms. Feraci was an experienced backup singer who had worked with people like the Smothers brothers, Johnny Mathis and even Frank Sinatra. She managed to get herself into the group in time for this penetration of the Republican stronghold that was continuing a Vietnam War that was killing thousands of American soldiers even when it was exposed that they knew the war was unwinnable. The Pentagon Papers had been leaked by Daniel Ellsberg that proved that fact. Anti-Vietnam protestors were getting nowhere marching and shouting slogans so La Feraci decided to take the fight right to Nixon's face. What could be more corny than the group singing "Ma...he's makin' eyes at me" for bad king Dick when Feraci unrolled a sign and held it up for the world to see. It said "Stop the Killing" and then she spoke into a microphone  "President Nixon, stop bombing human beings, animals and vegetation. You go to church on Sundays and pray to Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ were here tonight, you would not dare drop another bomb. Bless the Berrigans and bless Daniel Ellsberg." The shock of the GOP audience was palpable and at first there was complete silence. Ray Conniff  politely asked her to leave the stage and she calmly started to move when the crowd erupted with enfuriated howls of "GET HER OUT OF HERE!" and hostile booing. Greg liked to point out the party of family values showing their bloodlust for a hippy modern Joan of Arc. The Berrigans were Catholic clergymen who fought against the war and were tried in a famous case known as the Catonsville 9. All of these protestors were proven by history to have been moral and correct in their condemnation of the waste of lives and the lies told by Richard Nixon. Carole Feraci was one of Greg's true heroes and he spoke of her with admiration right on up to his last months.







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