This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius

and thus we look at the issues from my point of view of the 60’s

from the good, the bad and the ugly of it all—since so seldom does anything ever come out completely pure.

First there was Civil Rights:

For Blacks it meant if not actual acceptance and decent treatment—which in some communities has never really happened I’m afraid even in this new century (some of the bad to evil depending on the circumstance)—at least was improved by Federal laws that assisted in allowing them to vote.  There was marches and many of the young and white children who spoke for peace also joined the Civil Rights movement and helped to open those buses, restrooms and lunch counters and with these smaller things would eventually come other bigger steps.  In this area the Texas LBJ was really at his best and was instrumental in getting some very import bills through on voting, and non-discrimination etc.  Other groups that became vocal and gained more independence were women, and it was the beginning of the Gay movement….we even got rights for the accused (the Miranda Act which after years of TV we can repeat front and back)

As for the bad there were the riots—understandable for a suppressed people but still disturbing and also proving more damage for the black community as most of the riots were in the ghettos not in the suburbs in places like Watts and Detroit….even the Gay movement had an initial riot in New York.    I didn’t find a woman’s riot but I will keep looking.   These riots put the country on edge.  I lived only 80 miles from Detroit and people were seriously on edge—it proved an excuse for some supposed supporters for the Civil Rights cause to express serious issues with the movement—I hated the injury and damage but I saw the blacks like so many in this age with out actual freedom just the lip service of politicians who kept insisting things “they were a changing.”

The Evil was of course the murders of civil right workers  ( as we have seen in our previous issues both black and white) , protestors and two of the most famous of the leader Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.    Dr. King won a Noble Peace Prize and we (the whites of the 1960s USA) murdered him…..Malcolm X a more aggressive and non-Christian proved more troubling to many of the adults in my world of the 60’s….I looked on and was sorely distressed by the violence of the Land of the Free–Home of the Brave.

We truly sat on a powder keg.

There were other good things in the 60s—-the space program was began and created jobs for Florida and Texas among other areas.  It was a positive factor in the American’s consciousness and an accomplish that we could be proud of…no oppressed peoples or long lines of protestors.  It was one of the few things that I seldom heard bad things about.

It was also the birth of Sesame Street—a kids show that would continue to entertain and introduce all manner of non-segregated beings for years to come….another good thing as far as I saw it.   Not even Oscar or the Cookie Monster would influence me to put them under even a slightly bad category and while I was to old to watch it (well maybe I did occasionally) I still feel a soft spot for Miss Piggy and her star crossed love with Kermit.

And then there was another birth (Space to Frogs to Football?) the Super Bowl….I’m one of those girls who has enjoyed sports all my life and besides the horrible amount of money we spend on sports (teachers fight to make ends meet while a half bright man who’s only talent is running into another one and causing a concussion that will effect him for month, years or forever—makes millions just for endorsing beer over and above a salary that would pay for your home, car and kids educations without suffering a serious loss of cash from the total) I find the hype of the Super Bowl an interesting diversion and when a team I like actually makes it in, actually fun to watch — as long as they win you understand.   I guess what I’m saying that this one could fall under all three categories depending on your point of view or involvement there of.

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding

Of course above all in many of our minds—the lurking demon, the nasty little secret:  The War…not to end all wars—to keep the world free from Communism—to keep them from coming here to get us…..I once ask my dad when he explained that to me that since the Viet Navy and Air Force  were virtually non-existent how did he propose they were gonna go that…..he just gave me one of those adults to naïve kids who don’t understand the only good red was dead….before the war was over he too was calling for peace—one of the few times that I won an all out victory on an issue like this.

The bad was in my opinion the demonstrator’s adverse opinion of the soldiers serving.  I grew up in the home of a man proud of serving and I found no fault—if you’re in the army you go where you’re told—it is the people–politicians—mostly—that send you there and dictate same—if you’re drafted it’s even worse as you at least in the case of the 60’s were drafted at 18, 19 and 20 w/out representation–That’s right became the 26 Amendment in July lowering the voting age to 18 wasn’t made part of the Constitution until 1971.  I treated soldiers with respect and even had several guys as pen pals—I did not discuss my opinions of the war—soldiers aren’t paid to determine policy they are just expected to serve and if necessary die.  I had learned that lesson from a man who had fought his way across Europe in the 1940s.

The horrible (one among others) was to extend the war into Cambodia—I remember when Nixon gave his speech and talked about the war and though he didn’t say so as soon as he finished I screamed to my dorm friends—the bastard is going to accelerate the war and go into Cambodia—which he did almost immediately after that little TV talk.

 

No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions

CASUALTIES…

• Hostile deaths: 47,378
• Non-hostile deaths: 10,800
• Total: 58,202 (Includes men formerly classified as MIA and Mayaguez casualties). Men who have subsequently died of wounds account for the changing total.
• 8 nurses died — 1 was KIA.
• Married men killed: 17,539
• 61% of the men killed were 21 or younger.
• Highest state death rate: West Virginia – 84.1% (national average 58.9% for every 100,000 males in 1970).
• Wounded: 303,704 — 153,329 hospitalized + 150,375 injured requiring no hospital care.
• Severely disabled: 75,000 — 23,214 – 100% disabled; 5,283 lost limbs; 1,081 sustained multiple amputations.
• Amputation or crippling wounds to the lower extremities were 300% higher than in WWII and 70% higher than Korea. Multiple amputations occurred at the rate of 18.4% compared to 5.7% in WWII.
• Missing in Action: 2,338
• POWs: 766 (114 died in captivity)

 http://history-world.org/vietnam_war_statistics.htm

Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind’s true liberation

NOW MY GUILTY PLEASURE IS RETURNING ==WE HAVE THE DATE

Can’t you feel it gettin’ closer:  Check it out so far:  http://ew.com/tv/outlander-season-3-photos-what-to-know/outlander-season-3-what-to-know

AND THE DATE IS:

AND A CONFIRMATION:  http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/outlander/news/a832901/outlander-season-3-premiere-date-us/

Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in