Wednesday.....Culture.....Practicum

I'd like to speak to a few young people here, hopefully anyway, those who have an interest in the political future of America...and the world, and their own future and that of those they love. I may seem old to you but it seems like yesterday that I was enamored by Robert Kennedy in his 1968 campaign. I know what it's like to get sucked in by charisma, to have comedians as political mentors, to read a book, any book, and have it immediately convince me of its premise simply by the fact that it did not find a lot of ideological competition inside my skull. I never really worried about the youth vote in the elections of 2000 or 2004, for I knew that they would not come out. Thy were too busy watching MTV. I wasn't as confident in 2008 but still had to have it proven to me that they would turn out at the polls. Well, they did, and it was an absolute disaster. Sour grapes? Over two centuries of American economic and political history are in jeopardy, as well as our national security itself. The American Creed that cemented us and defined us, that we were one out of many, is being relegated to the dust bin of history by multiculturalism and the Constitution itself is next. The Progressives who have been knocking at the door for the last century, are bullying their way through now that they have the power, with totalitarianism right behind them. Well, the ball is in your court now! The information age gave you a seat at the table. If you just sit back, put a campaign pin on your lapel, define your political acumen from SNL or Comedy Central, throw sound-bite comments around as if it is some sort of political discourse and read one book a year... you will become known as the worst generation. My generation has that title right now, and we're not going to give it up easy! The 60s were a decade of rebellion and we ran out of time or would have destroyed this nation then. We thought we had answers...we had none! Here are a couple of hints if you are interested: 1) Don't burn bridges "until" you are sure you are on the right track. It a royal pain to say you are this and find out that this ain't what it was supposed to be, so now your that, and then that lets you down. 2) Don't place too much value on conferences, marches, tea parties or even talk radio. The emotion of these events is deceiving. Speech is generally at a level that is dumbed-down so everyone can understand, and consequently you find that you need continuous conferences, marches etc. for you cannot match the "excitement" of these events without a stimulus of some sort. 3) Give yourself a few short years without saying much one way or another. Be patient. Be prepared for when you take the podium for the first time. Then seek that avenue for the future where you can reach more people, with concise arguments, and full confidence that truth will win out. 4) You will not stop or even inhibit the bullying methods of the radical. The subterfuge and deception will continue and will be successful in the short run. The good news is that there is no foundation in this practice, no nourishment, no growth. They are forced to repeat their methods ad nauseum while you will pass them up. They tend to burn out and discombobulate before your very eyes. Every age group has to understand its limitations, its responsibilities and its potential. You just happened to be born at the beginning of a tumultuous period! Come and join the fray that others of your generation so nobly have, lend a hand, find your place, do your part for there is not much of a future if we do not discern the times and endeavor to do our best.