OUCH!!  Has it been that long??Huh?? Oh … I was just sittin’ here, readin’ about all the stuff that happened back in ‘68.  Man, it seemed like everything was changin’, didn’t it??

I mean, ya had kids (well, 18-year-olds, anyway) wantin’ to vote, African-Americans wantin’ equal billing with whites, women wanting more rights (including equal pay), and we all wanted lower prices … and the end of that senseless “Vietnam War”.
And ya know what?? We finally got those things!   Awwww, sure it took awhile to get some of ‘em enacted … and that war finally stopped for us five years later (but Nixon did start cuttin’ back troops in ‘69, remember?).

But the most awesome part of it all was that most of it was ’cause young people stood up and roared in the face of the Establishment!!  Uh-huh … from colleges and simple farms to The Beatles and beards, the word went out to put a stop to prejudice, hate and war.

Ahhhh, but today?  Gee … lemme think about it a minute:  We’ve got … ummmm, kids (well, 18-year-olds, anyway) wantin’ to be taken seriously in society, African-Americans wantin’ fair treatment in our courts (no, I mean as jurors and witnesses as well as defendants), women wanting better physical security (including an end to harassment), and we all want lower gas and grocery prices … and the end of that senseless “Iraqi War”.

Hasn’t changed much in forty years, has it?  But, today, those youngsters who changed so much back then have all grown up and have families of their own to worry about — well, that and bills, mortgages, their health and keepin’ the boss happy  (in other words, everything our folks worried about!).

But, listen — if we knew how to change things back then, why don’t we all get together and do it now??  We’re all a little bit wiser, right?  We’ve been through the ropes, right?
And we do have a bit more “clout” than we had back then, right??
Then what’s stopping us?  No, we don’t haveta “take to the streets” like we used to; we’ve got this internet now and can write, campaign, protest or whatever … and do it faster and more effectively!  We’ve got cell phones and Blackberries and other gadgets that make “gettin’ our voice out” more efficient .. and effective!

A SPECIAL VID

I dunno about you, but this video reminds me of those days, and how we’ve fulfilled everything it said.  Now it’s time to think about makin’ this nation - this world - safe so the troubles we face won’t have to be handled by The Coming Generation.

THE KNICKERBOCKERS: THE COMING GENERATION
(it’s the “B” side of their hit 45, “LIES”)

Now, this vid’s from Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and is a bit on the worn side, but … well, just listen to the song:

Okay … I’d like to hear some noize about this subject, okay? Write or leave a message at the beep … ummm, I mean on the comments side and tell me: What’s on your mind?