Posted by
KenUSA on Sunday, May 04, 2008 11:08:17 PM
I have always wondered how I could ever repay my dad for the patience he showed me as I recklessly trashed my life and my reputation. I figured he was a tough guy and I would never get the chance. I also thought that if the opportunity did arise, it would be a token gesture of understanding and friendship. I never dreamed it would be now and I never dreamed it would be this.
Dad is a life-long democrat, a retired semi-skilled worker, a union steward. He worked hard for every dollar he ever earned and managed to save some of it for his retirement. He will be voting democrat, that's his right and that in itself doesn't bother me. The circumstances do.
I remember the riots in Chicago in the '60s. I remember hearing about the Black Panthers, the FALN and the SDS. I remember Mayor Daley. I remember seeing Vietnam war footage on TV, and hearing over and over how it was a lost cause. I remember John Kerry testifying before congress. I listened to the music of my generation. I remember seeing a college girl with a sign that said "Jesus is dead". I learned "new math" and "phonics".
I dropped out of high school, grew my hair long and told my dad he was crazy for working. I smoked pot and started calling police "the pigs". I was a kook liberal and dad had no idea what I was talking about. I'm sure I scared him. He had the same high hopes for me that most fathers have for their oldest sons.
After a few years and some hard knocks, I started to get a clue. I found out how easy it is to be a liberal, when you have nothing to lose. I had kids, a house, car and responsibilities. I had no choice but to grow up. The change is gradual and I was always the only conservative at the table. I returned to my faith with real interest. I rediscovered the love I had for life, for my life, my country and my God. Then I started to figure some things out.
John Kerry lied to congress. The Black Panthers were killers as were the SDS and FALN. The news media was complicit in our withdrawal from Vietnam resulting in murder and mayhem on an unprecedented scale. My dad was right, my church was right and these influences had driven a wedge between me and all that is valuable.
Now, it's dad's turn. I asked him about William Ayers and Barak Obama. Dad reminded me that I have done things in my past, that shouldn't be held against me now. The same with Hillary Clinton representing Black Panthers in murder trials. Dad was never prone to moral relativism. His judgement has been eroded by all these years of endless propaganda.
So, it's deja vu all over again. My family is under assault by John Kerry, Black Panthers and SDS kooks. FALN terrorists are pardoned by a draft dodger. Another Mayor Daley is running the city. The news media are blaring every day, endlessly about our new "quagmire". Musicians and hollywood types are shaping the perspective of my kids and grandkids.
The lunatics and malcontents that shot and bombed their way onto the television news 40 years ago could very well end up advising the president of these great United States of America. They are infinitely more dangerous today than they were back then.
To make matters worse, they are not cryogenically frozen, waiting to be thawed out on inauguration day. They are congressmen, educators and senators. They are already policy makers.
I pray I can wake my pop up. I love him. I hate to hear him defend this communist sewage. Please pray for me as I pray for us all.
Check out this unbelievable web page.
http://www.areachicago.org/p/issues/how-we-learn/local-and-national-organizing-by-radical-teachers/