What – me worry?

An erratic president in the White House.  War on the Korean peninsula.  Saber rattling by Russia.  Demonstrations, racial bias, gender discrimination, young people wanting to make things better and out-of-touch with reality at the same time.

Been there.  Done that.  Seen it.

After nearly seven decades of life in these here United States, I can say with certainty that there’s nothing different under the sun.  The more things change – the more they stay the same.

The 1950’s –   War on the Korean peninsula.  The Cold War.  Fallout shelters, under the desk, atomic bombs, spy planes in the sky, desegregation of baseball, Brown vs. the Board of Education, increased expectations, 52,000 killed in traffic accidents every year.

The 1960’s –   Cuba, Russian missiles, “We were eye to eye and the other guy blinked”,  Race riots in the south, that day in Texas  “This just in from Dallas”, the funeral, the widow in black, transfer of government from Airforce One.   War in Southeast Asia, “342 Americans were killed in Vietnam this week” campus protests over free speech, The Summer of Love, “Be sure to wear a flower in your hair”, “Hey hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today”, the balcony at the Lorraine Motel,  the death of a Civil Rights leader, race riots around the country, Watts, National Guard protecting the white house.  “1968”.

The 1970’s –  The East is Red, opening of China, the Cold War gets hotter, gas shortages and lines at the pumps, 13 percent inflation, price controls, enemies list,  Vietnam War ends,  helicopter lifts off, boat people, tape on the door lock, “The American people have to know if their president is a crook”, a “V” at the helicopter, a national malaise, sweater and fireplace,  revolt in the middle east, hostages, burned and destroyed helicopters, 444 days of an American black eye.

1980’s –  Inflation run rampant, boycott of Olympics, Egyptian assassination Anwar Sadat,  assassination in India Indira  Gandhi,  US president shot, “Honey, I forgot to duck”,  Mad Cows, Challenger falls from the sky,  another Olympic boycott, Alzheimer’s and a president. arms for hostages, Contra rebels, Tiananmen tanks and liberty, Falkland war and New Coke.

1990’s – A Desert Storm hits Iraq, IED’s,  “Read my lips”, Whitewater, bimbo eruptions, ethnic cleansing in Rwanda, ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, the divorce of the century, “I did not have sex with that woman” blue dress, impeachment and survival.

2000’s – Florida, hanging chads, Supreme’s call election, towers fell, “I hear you and the whole world will hear from all of us soon”,  anthrax, War on Terror, Afghanistan, Columbia joins Challenger, Asian tsunami, Katrina shows her power, steroids in baseball, “I can see Alaska from my house”, subprime mortgages high oil prices and economic “recession,” Swine Flu and tea parties.

What – me worry?   I’ve seen the enemy and it is us.