December 23, 1966, ‘For What It’s Worth’, a song written by Stephen Stills, recorded by Buffalo Springfield. (An idiom informal. said when you are giving someone a piece of information and you are not certain if that information is useful or important: For what it's worth, I think he may be right.)
“There's something happening here
But what it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware.” (‘For What It’s Worth’/Stephen Stills)
I was a Junior in High School. The world seemed quite scary, as WAR became an annual viewing ritual. Some new terms identifying reporters as “embedded”, meant that if we wanted to, all Americans could watch, the life, death, trauma, fear, and bravery of our Troops. Conflict reigned within the confines of our borders, protests, against the Viet Nam War, and college campuses, suddenly became a new frontier, for FREE SPEECH to be joined by PHYSICAL ACTIONS! Race Riots in Atlanta and Black Power becomes a significant factor in American Politics. Ronald Reagan enters politics on June 7th becoming governor of California. I thought that my neighborhood, my street, my house, was safe, safe enough from NAPALM, POLICE BRUTALITY, POLITICIANS WHO MADE IT CLEAR THAT HATE IS A VIRTUE!
August 15, 2022, my mind wanders to the music of my teenage years, the years when the writing on the wall, seemed blurry, almost written in watercolors, easy to fade, easy to erase. I play the music of those who I admired NOW,, but at the age of 16-17, I had little idea, they were warning me, to be ware, to be alert. Trump's cadre of Fascists ascends to Republican Power. Civil War is being bantered about as if Treason is as American as Apple Pie. Elementary and High School Campuses are asked to burn books, ban the LGBTQ, and forget history if the truth bothers you. I no longer feel safe from Racism/Homophobia/Anti-Semitism/Misogyny/Xenophobia!
“Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line, the men come and take you away” (‘For What It’s Worth’/Stephen Stills)
