Lots of life lived, and hopefully plenty more. In 72 years, I have become a bit rough and rusted as I find myself facing or is it avoiding even more unexplained and sadly unexpected events. My new phrase it seems is, “I can’t wait until this is behind me. I can’t wait for the time to say, how the hell did I ever endure that!”
October 16, 1962, THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS- I was sitting in the living room, with my entire family. Walter Cronkite was speaking to us as if he was sitting among my family. It was the first time I saw my father cry------November 22, 1963, JFK ASSASSINATION- Gym class at Linden School, Mr. Pittman our Gym Teacher, blew his whistle demanded we all immediately sit down, Miss Paterson chimed a long hard bell over the loudspeaker system, crying, she informed us that our President was murdered------April 4, 1968, MLK ASSASSINATION, Hillman Library of the University of Pittsburgh. Friends and I were in one of the study rooms, radio station KQV on his transistor radio, stopped the music, and a bellowing voice said Martin Luther King was shot and killed----June 6, 1968, RFK ASSASSINATION, Frick Park, walking around amazed that spring had finally made an appearance in Pittsburgh, even though summer was not too far away. A group of kids started shouting, no, not again, what the fuck. Like a giant swell of wind word spread, that Robert Kennedy was killed------April 20, 1999, COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL MASSACRE. Working at the Houston JCC, watching our Pre-School students laughing and singing, enjoying their innocent lives. Two staff people ran into our lobby and told staff, we needed to get all of the members back into rooms in the building away from the front doors NOW. ------September 11, 2001, 9/11! Costa Mesa California. As Executive Director, I was on a hotline if and when something of consequence might come into our community. Something terrible happened on the east coast, and it was a good chance it would hit California, lock down the JCC immediately!
It is 2022, February, and once again, twice again, three, four, five seemingly dozens of times again, I find myself in the middle of history acting as a wrecking ball. As history almost taking on a human form and saying, “HAVE YOU NOT PAID ANY ATTENTION TO ME!” I know exactly where I am as the Supreme Court a court of CONSERVATIVE POLITICIANS, wreak havoc and chaos in this American Democracy. Remember where you were as ROE V WADE, VOTING RIGHTS disappear. Recall what you were doing when FASCISM IN THE FORM OF TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY took hold and invaded our nation as might ROT! Remind yourself, of the exact date, lawlessness was applauded, lies liberated, and fact became an opinion!
