The only generation I can speak to with any authority is my own. those of us who protested against the Vietnam war, whether were were part of it or not. We knew it was wrong what we were doing there and in hindsight we find that republicans elongated the conflict so as to get themselves elected ala dick nixon. But we knew it was wrong and we stood up and declared it with a ferocity! Well that conflict ended finally in 1975 it was because we turned the tide of opinion from it being an acceptable consequence of some less than logical domino effect. Well it seems that after that my generation became less than engaged in changing the world and more engaged in profiting from it. We sold our anger at injustice for the shinny objects of unfettered capitalism.
I sit here and wonder what the hell happened to this great movement we had in the 1960's that forever changed the dynamic of American society. It's promise of change from the bottom up slipped through our fingers and the magic we brought about dissipated with our lack of focus. Today I see the same ones who would have back then protested to high heaven for the rights they are now allowing to be taken away with nothing more than a shrug. What happened to us? Did we decide that making money and getting power was more important than all of us? Did we decide that if we weren't greedy and selfish like others we would be left behind with nothing more than our principles? Something caused us to fade into oblivion and it is to our eternal shame.
Well I for one am no lackey who has sold his vision for our great nation for a handful of whatever! I haven't lost my motivation to stand tall against not only treason and tyranny but against those who would take our rights from some and give them to others. This is our democracy and if we do not find our will to look deep within ourselves and find our real value then we are about to lose it without much of a fight at all. For every soul who has ever fought in any war due to patriotism and honor I have this to say about that. You didn't sacrifice for nothing because there are still some of us who remember who we are and what we need to do to honor your and our right to a great democracy that not only has at it's heart all of us but to be an example to the rest of the world to follow!
I sit here and wonder what the hell happened to this great movement we had in the 1960's that forever changed the dynamic of American society. It's promise of change from the bottom up slipped through our fingers and the magic we brought about dissipated with our lack of focus. Today I see the same ones who would have back then protested to high heaven for the rights they are now allowing to be taken away with nothing more than a shrug. What happened to us? Did we decide that making money and getting power was more important than all of us? Did we decide that if we weren't greedy and selfish like others we would be left behind with nothing more than our principles? Something caused us to fade into oblivion and it is to our eternal shame.
Well I for one am no lackey who has sold his vision for our great nation for a handful of whatever! I haven't lost my motivation to stand tall against not only treason and tyranny but against those who would take our rights from some and give them to others. This is our democracy and if we do not find our will to look deep within ourselves and find our real value then we are about to lose it without much of a fight at all. For every soul who has ever fought in any war due to patriotism and honor I have this to say about that. You didn't sacrifice for nothing because there are still some of us who remember who we are and what we need to do to honor your and our right to a great democracy that not only has at it's heart all of us but to be an example to the rest of the world to follow!
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