I've noticed that at this moment it seems as if we are refusing to believe in a reality that, only a generation ago, was our America.
Can you sense this too? Does it not seem as though we come up against some undescernable wall and all the discussion ends with this `head in sand' wishful thinking, that things can't get worse phenomenon? Or is it some sort of cliff and we are all refusing, too scared to look down?
With all the discussion focused on torture and the erosion of our rights, I believe most in our generation (70s' + kids) have no context by which to understand the lengths our government will go in order to obtain some hitherto unknown, untold objective. Not only do we lack the historical perspective, but, damn it, we all are so caught up in the moment that not one of you in the older generation has said `yeah, I've seen them try that before, let me tell you about it...'
So, I'm calling you oldies out: What in the hell are we facing?
Jump? No, mister president, tear down this fucking wall!!!
Now, from
our NIE:
Anti-US and anti-globalization sentiment is on the rise and fueling other radical ideologies. leftist, nationalist, or separatist groups to adopt terrorist methods to attack US interests. The radicalization process is occurring more quickly, more widely, and more anonymously in the Internet age, raising the likelihood of surprise attacks by unknown groups whose members and supporters may be difficult to pinpoint.
A still from Good Night and Good Luck...
Who was this woman? Why is she being accused by our govenrment of being a communist? Why did it matter? Did she not have free speech? Was she being targeted because she was black? What happened to her? Did she go to jail? Is this similiair to what other Americans are experiencing now?
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The problem is, I can't speak from experience. I've never been involved in a protest, never been arrested, and perhaps, like so many of my peers, my most personal political experiences have either happened on tv or in a polling booth. During my education, the history of the advancement of civil rights were simply taken as a matter of dry fact- no analysis or deep discussion ever followed. MLK was a name, initials at that, and a few dates. Not much else.
I've only seen a few people here mention, in passing, that they were actually living in the sixties or that they've at least studied part of that history.
I'm not sure if this is a common experience or generational isolation some of us share, but both of my parents served in the Air Force during Vietnam and we never had a real discussion of the whole time period. None of my realtives, war vets or otherwise, nothing. Why? Isn't this important? In fact, I'm not sure they know as much as we know now.
Was it the same for you? Did your parents ever talk to you about this? Have you ever cared/dared to ask?
Is this why they are getting away with all this right now?
Moms, dads, grandparents, tell us, please, what were your experiences from back then! What's coming?
Diaries!?!?!
I can't think of anything more pertinant than this now...