"Back when I was a kid, the two major fears in America revolved around polio and Communism. Because the first disease was so prevalent and so often fatal prior to the miraculous cures wrought by Dr. Albert Sabin and Dr. Jonas Salk, neither of whom managed to garner a Nobel Prize for their heroic efforts, children were kept out of public swimming pools and were discouraged from having too much physical activity. It's a wonder that our entire generation didn't grow up to be hypochondriacs because if you were even slightly fatigued or had an aching back or a stiff neck, anguished parents started measuring you for an iron lung. The second disease, Communism, created its own form of hysteria.
During the late 40s and early 50s, we had A-bomb drills in public schools. We grammar school kids were led to believe that in case the Russians hit L.A. with an atomic bomb, we would be safe so long as we dropped to the floor and huddled beneath our desks with our hands clasped tightly behind our necks. As everyone knows, there's nothing better than tiny hands to ward off the effects of atomic radiation. To this day, I wonder who came up with that particular brainstorm.
On the off-chance that the Russkies elected not to vaporize us, a lot of people were convinced that the plan to prevent tooth decay by introducing fluoride into our reservoirs was a Commie plot. The fluoride, we were warned, would turn our brains to mush and make us easy prey for the Soviet Menace. It's taken about 60 years, but I am now convinced that the scaremongers were right. How else to explain American liberals except by accepting that the Commies contaminated our water supply?" --columnist Burt Prelutsky
"The Patriot Post (www.patriotpost.us/subscribe/ )"
>>> “Back when I was a kid, the two major fears in America revolved around polio and Communism.<<<
>>> During the late 40s and early 50s, we had A-bomb drills in public schools. <<<
I could elaborate for hours on this..In ‘62, the close proximity of Atlanta, we had drill after drill,, we didn’t have a baseball... but we had the drills.
Anyone remember being dragged outside to look up at that Communist Sputknic (sic) ??
The Country Praying for John Glenn’s Heat shield to stay intact ??
It would be necessary to live through that time period to appreciate ,,, where did the Real United States go ??
Dismantling America
Thomas Sowell - Syndicated Columnist - 10/27/2009 10:50:00 AM
(Excerpt):
Just one year ago, would you have believed that an unelected government official — not even a Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate, but simply one of the many “czars” appointed by the President — could arbitrarily cut the pay of executives in private businesses by 50 percent or 90 percent?
Did you think that another “czar” would be talking about restricting talk radio? That there would be plans afloat to subsidize newspapers — that is, to create a situation where some newspapers’ survival would depend on the government liking what they publish?
Did you imagine that anyone would even be talking about having a panel of so-called “experts” deciding who could and could not get life-saving medical treatments?
Scary as that is from a medical standpoint, it is also chilling from the standpoint of freedom. If you have a mother who needs a heart operation or a child with some dire medical condition, how free would you feel to speak out against an administration that has the power to make life and death decisions about your loved ones?
Does any of this sound like America?
(End Excerpt)
Link To Full Article:
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=740538
Sowell Hits the Nail on the Head !
On the off-chance that the Russkies elected not to vaporize us, a lot of people were convinced that the plan to prevent tooth decay by introducing fluoride into our reservoirs was a Commie plot. The fluoride, we were warned, would turn our brains to mush and make us easy prey for the Soviet Menace. It’s taken about 60 years, but I am now convinced that the scaremongers were right. How else to explain American liberals except by accepting that the Commies contaminated our water supply?” —columnist Burt Prelutsky<<<
I agree!!!!
Yes, I remember all too well the 1960’s and lived in San Diego, where we did not have many highways to get out of town on.
And all of them either going through a military area or a mountain pass that could / would soon be blocked.
I was told that if I insisted that my daughter not be evacuated on the school bus, I would be shot for trying to take her off.......for that is in the martial laws.
“Duck and Cover”
San Diego put up small signs on the evacuation routes, they were a simple arrow, pointing up, or as many said showing the way to Heaven.