Remember the Time

brings up memories. He was my hero. I used to get in arguments over whether he or Dimaggio were better ball players. I've always felt vindicated that biographers have pretty much proved that ball playing aside, Williams was by far the better person. And if Williams was my hero, Ernie Banks was my inspiration because he was just my size and in the barest of circumstances on a sorry team, with every pitcher able to unload on him, he blasted out a hall of fame career. Mr. Cub. He taught me that you didn't have to be the biggest to be a winner.
The patriots are still around, Flag. Its just not so visibly popular, sadly. If and when that frightening wake up call comes, they will be there.

I know they're out there, it just is a shame that so many feel like they will be ostracized for loving their country. Is that a backwards sentiment or what? It's just like the Bible says that some will call evil good and good evil; that is sadly what we are seeing from people with such a visible image and a platform to do so much for the good of the country. I don't expect the "famous" to all be conservatives and i respect their right to believe as they will...I just wish that more of them could look at this nation and see it for the wonderful place that it is. There is nowhere else in this world I would rather be than here. There is nowhere else that allows its people the oppotunity to succeed or the freedom to live and think as they choose, and I love this nation because of that...warts and all.

1968.

That's the year it all started going south. The radical leftists hijacked the Dem party, and the cultural civil war in this country began in earnest.

You have to be wrong, because the History Channel just had on a "documentary" that basically claims that 1968 was the greatest time in our history! Nixon even said as much! And you know I trust Tom Brokaw much more than I trust you!

As if!

Happy New Year to you,and a good piece here. It is ridiculous that in this day and age it is considered "crazy" to support your country in a time of war. However,some of the blame has to be placed squarely on Bush's shoulders. As a leader, you don't come out and tell the people,"Oh,just go about your business.We'll handle it". No,in my humble opinion,you tell them EXACTLY what is going on ,the stakes,and the SACRIFICES all should make. Effective leadership would have the MAJORITY of the country supporting the effors of the military,and be SHAMING those who would denigrate the process. Hard to say what I would do in his spot,but I dam sure would not roll over on my back like he has. Gotta come out swinging.

Even if W had come out swinging, it would have hardly mattered. I firmly believe that the majority of Americans support the war effort and the troops in the field, the problem is that the people with access to the media all have a negative view of this country and the President. They allow their personal political preferences to override any sense of loyalty or patriotism and use their access to the media to attack America. And there is nothing that W can do or say to change that.

Flagwaver,

Hi, have any of the villages around you reported their idiot missing? Is so he is at my site. He says his name is Ralph. I call him Ralphie. I explained to him that I will have to get back to him because I'm busy right now. I met up with on Mrs. Paddy's site so he followed me home. So if anyone reports him missing you can tell them where to find him. He's safe and no need for them to be alarmed. Thanks.

I don't quite know what to say to that, so i think I better visit your blog to see what's up.

after all the horrors they went through, the greatest generation wanted to spare their kids as much as possible and went overboard.

Combine that with advances in appliances around the house that allowed an ever increasing amount of leisure time and the means to waste it (think the invention of TV) and a lack of responsibilities compared to children in previous generations (taking out the trash vs. the chores a kid would have had to do in previous generations), lead to the unintentionally raising a bunch of comparatively (compared to previous generations) spoiled, selfish, brats.

I understand what you're saying about the selfishness of the Baby Boomers, but even that does not explain the hostility that these people have towards their own nation. There is something wrong with a people that enjoys all of the fruits of freedom that this nation provides, that has every chance to suceed in nearly any area, yet can find NOTHING to admire about this great nation. I am sure that the Greatest Generation tried to instill their patriotoc feelings into their children, I just don't understand where it was lost.

I can hardly wait to hit Tex's place today!

Already had a run-in with Roberto the Loon over at Gunny's.

Fun Friday!



Yeah, Flag, re 1968, I know it's shocking, but it's true! I saw that 1968 retrospective, too, and thought it was kind of fun. Great music! And of COURSE Brokaw et al thought it was a great year. It's the year the Left hijacked the D Party, like I wrote!

the fact that they enjoyed the fruits of the post-war era without having to earn them, in a sense, certainly leads to a lack of appreciation and understanding of how they came about and why they were even possible.

This lack of understanding makes it easy enough for people to become targets for the socialist hippie demaguogues and their slogans, and the lack of appreciation makes it easier to turn hostile.

Yes,you make a valid point,but as the LSM loses even more of their declining influence,it still is important for ANY president to take to the bully pulpit and at least try to get the people behind him. If the eventual R nominee wins the election,this will be ABSOLUTELY vital that the next POTUS come out and CLEARLY explains his positions.Bush's communication skills are poorer than mine.

Philos: It still is a mystery to me how a nation can change it's whole view of itself in the span of a generation. I understand that the children of the previous generation did not have to earn their way, but their parents should have had a greater influence on their view of the nation than it seems they did. I read in Shelby Steele'sbook White Guilt that it may have been that the previous generation allowed the Boomers to defeat them when they had the inevitable generational conflicts. that partially explains it, but it is still a puzzler for me.

Clyde: Yes, the dinosaur media is losing influence but it still holds a lot of power in the marketplace of ideas. Think about it, as well as FNC has done in the cable realm, they still are dwarfed by the Big 3 networks when it comes to viewership. And as millions still get their news and info from the MSM, they still have the power to distort any message that is put out there by a conservative. No matter how articulate or clear a conservative politician is, it is a sad fact of life that the MSM is going to twist whatever they say or do to fit their preconcieved notions and agendas.

I'd have to say 22 Nov 1963. The WRONG Kennedy got shot! LBJ assumed the throne and initiated his 'Great Society', which ushered in socialism forever into the US. Nobody bothered to mention that his entitlement programs were in direct violation of that outdated document called the Constitution.

Teddy Ballgame also left the BoSox in the 50s to fly combat missions in Korea. Even though he's a BoSox guy, he still gets my salute! (The only teams I hate more than the Bosox are the Braves #1 and Yankees #2)

Flag, come on over to The Swamp. Seems that the enemy has taken residence in the Pentagon! Lots of new postings.

something my daughter said earlier in the week that might not or might not apply, but thought I'd throw it in the mix.

My daughter and were discussing some of her more severe misbehaviour at home. She said that when she was little she didn't know right from wrong and didn't understand what her mom did to her. Now that she's older, she knows how wrong it was and has a lot of anger about it. Since she can't direct that anger at her mom because she's afraid mom'd do something even worse, she directs at me because she knows I won't do anything bad to her. As her psychologist has tole me, it's a good sign that she acts out with me because it shows she feels secure with me.

I wonder if some sort of similar anger displacement might not have happened on a larger scale in the 60's. The Greatest Generation probably gave their children a larger sense of security than any other, both foreign (WWII) and domestic (good economy, increase in leisure), and it was easier and/or safer and get angry at them (and therefore what they stood for) than it was to deal with the sources of other problems, like say the commies and MAD, or to blame them for other problems or insecurities.

There may have been some anger displacement there, but it is just a mystery to me how an entire generation could have the same problems. I have no doubt that part of it was the usual youthful rebellion, but instead of the elders putting the youngsters in their place they allowed them to do as they pleased, which is a reason I think they turned out how they did.

As for the idea that the major difference being that boomers didn't come of age with a world war looming, there may be some merit to that. But they grew up with an equal menace to freedom in the USSR and seemed to be more willing to support their thirst for conquest than to support the US in opposing them.