Forty Years Ago... In Which Your Humble Bloggist Contemplates Becoming An Ostritch

Forty years ago, before I was born, before most or all of you were born, I would imagine, it was the "Summer of Love" and Woodstock was THE event. An orgy of free love, drug experimentation, peace and rock and fucking roll.

Maybe that's when it all started going wrong.

In the interest of balance, it seems the pendulum always swings back and forth, liberal...conservative...liberal...and back again.

But what the fuck has happened in America lately?
We elect a fairly liberal, black President, who like all Presidents, makes good on some of his promises, and falters on others, and it feels like we're on the verge of Anarchy. I don't know about all of you, but some of the reactions at these town hall meetings scare me just as much as the thought of poorly-run Government Health Care. Morevover, all the people I spent my twenties despising: Rush, Hannity and their ilk, all seem to me now to have SOME valid points, and that REALLY scares the hell out of me. In some ways, I feel like I'm becoming a fiscal conservative while remaining wildly liberal in the social sphere. And so be it if that's the case, but the me of ten years ago would have been sickened by the thought. Maybe the me of ten years ago wasn't really as "open-minded" as I liked to pretend.
Then at other times, say when I'm reading Spike Spencer's ULTRA-nationalistic, very conservative blog about how fuckin' great America is ( and yes, it is ) and how much Europe sucks ( sorry, I don't believe it does ), the mad liberal that I was in the '90s comes out again, and I get all "fuck you and your bloated ultra-Patriotism!".

It is at moments like these that I just want to take a tab of Fuckitol and stick my liberal/conservative/anarchistic/commie/fascist/faggot/hetero/bisexual/black/white/asian/german/indian head in the sand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe, after a few deep breaths and not a little contemplation, what I'll realize is that I, like many people, am just not that easily categorizeable. Maybe I don't fall into nice little niches, nooks and crannies invented by people who need a label for every thought that comes out of every person's head.

So, before I pledge allegiance again, to any flag, I think I need to make a pledge to MYSELF to not be an ostritch, but to proudly walk with my head held high, and my beliefs intact, no matter who they might please or offend.

my favorite line from any musical ever, comes from the show Chess... at the end of the first Act, the Russian Chess Champion is defecting to the US, and he is asked why he is "leaving" Russia.
His response- "I leave NOTHING!" After which, he sings one of the most beautiful songs ever written, called "Anthem"... and my favorite line is the last one sung, and it says this-
"Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart...My land's only borders lie around my heart!"

Amen