Amazing how quickly things change.

[inccwchris]

I have been sitting here tonight doing some thinking. Its kind of sad when you realize that to the kids in high school right now, the big things that changed our lives, like 9/11, Oklahoma City, Hurricane Katrina, and other events like those are just words in a textbook. They see the videos and to them its just another documentary that happened a while ago, we see the documentary and it hurts our hearts and brings back the memories of those days. We remember those events, we lived them, we were shocked, horrified, scared, and traumatized by them. They read about our pain in a book. We were taught that terrorists were outsiders, who declared a holy war or jihad on us because we were free. We were raised to believe in our country, to love our country. We were raised to think for ourselves. Now we live in an era where the vets coming home are "threats to domestic security", we live in an era where the man or woman who speaks out against their rights being trampled is arrested and thrown in Gitmo. We live in the era where we, the freedom loving, God fearing, American are the terrorists and the idiots who want total control are the good guys. 5 years ago I was still in high school, I still believed our government was there for our own good. I still believed that our government, and its leaders were the best and brightest in the world. I had hope for our country. 5 years have passed, I don't know that I believe our country can be turned around. I don't know if I believe we are free and in the greatest country in the world anymore. I love freedom, I love the republic, I love the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. If that makes me a terrorist, so be it.

 

[sepe]

I'm glad my US Government teacher was honest and straight forward with us. I remember him telling us that for at least the last 100 years, they've all been idiots. That not many true great minds would want a job in DC because of the sheer number of bought and paid for morons you'd be dealing with daily. This was in 1997.

 

[JetGirl]

Now we live in an era where the vets coming home are "threats to domestic security"

Yeah, I'll never get that...
While they're over there it's all "God bless our troops...rah rah rah!!"
But the minute they're back they're ticking time-bombs on a "watch" list.
WTF.

 

[perry]

Being born in 78, things like the oil embargo, Vietnam, and JFK's assassination are like the things you mention for young kids these days. It's that common history that joins us as a people.

 

[RyanGSams]

I too graduated 5 years ago.I was in 6th grade on 9 -11 and remember that day pretty well.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Being born in 78, things like the oil embargo, Vietnam, and JFK's assassination are like the things you mention for young kids these days. It's that common history that joins us as a people.

Agreed.

And to the folks born in the 50's and 60's... WWII was mostly history class stuff, too. BUT, those folks also had the opportunity to know dozens, if not hundreds of WWII vets. Most of their fathers probably were. And their grandfathers had good chance of being WWI vets.

History handed down face to face by those with first-hand knowledge has always had more of an impact upon me.

Today's world, minus natural disasters, everything that happens generally involves relatively few numbers of people. Chances of getting face-to-face history are few.

-J-